Abhijith N Kolpe
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Sep 14: It is indeed a proud moment for the city, entire district and state. Ruth Clare D’Silva has cracked the CA final exam and secured All India first rank (old scheme).
Ruth hails from Mallikatte. She is the daughter of Rosy Maria D’Silva and Ruffert D’Silva. She did her schooling at St Theresa’s School and PU at St Agnes College. She has also done an undergraduate course through distance education from Mangalore University.
Ruth did her three years of articleship at CA Vivian Pinto and Co Balmatta.
The topper of CA exams, shared with Daijiworld tips for her success and how she prepared for one of the toughest exams amidst the pandemic.
Excerpts
DW: You have made Dakshina Kannada proud by securing the top rank in the annual CA exam. How do you feel about your achievement and did you expect to top the nation in the exams?
Ruth: I am very happy and overwhelmed. I got an opportunity to make Mangaluru proud. It is a collective achievement. When the exam was over, I felt that I did well. I was expecting to clear the exams, but the top rank was just out of my expectations. Earlier, I used to study to bag ranks, like to be in the top 50, but rank-1 was out of my expectations. I am still coming to terms with whatever happened in the last 24 hours since my results. I was not talking much and stayed away from social media and it finally paid off.
DW: Any reason to choose the field?
Ruth: I chose this field as I was much interested in it. During my PU, I came know that this was a difficult exam. After knowing it, I wanted to give a try. I was able to crack it in my third attempt. In the year 2019 and 2020, I was not prepared well enough.
DW: How did you prepare for the exams?
Ruth: I had about 4-5 months for the exams. I prepared a schedule. I used to study 8-10 hours in a day. As the exams came nearer, I used to stretch a little longer. I had cut all the distractions and focussed totally on the exams. I was involved within myself and my online mentors. Everything collectively helped me in preparing.
DW: How challenging was it to achieve this goal?
Ruth: The entire CA course including the articleship and exams itself is very challenging. It is a relief and fulfilling experience after writing the exam.
DW: Students in general had to face great difficulties to deal with the Covid pandemic. How did you manage the situation?
Ruth: I tried to stay away from the pandemic related news. The second wave of Covid affected me a lot. I was worried thinking how to prepare in this environment, but luckily the exams got postponed. There was uncertainty over the exams. Towards the end, I stopped getting distracted about the postponement of the exam. I stopped thinking about it. Overall, it was quite tough to manage.
DW: What is your message to CA aspirants?
Ruth: Before you get into it, mentally prepare yourself for the entire course as its length is not fixed. Keep yourself motivated as why you are getting into this. Try to remind yourself all the time throughout the course what you have to achieve. Just stay motivated. Meanwhile, keep your life organized while beginning to prepare for this tough course.