Exclusive Live session with the CA topper Ruth Clare Dsilva

Ruth finished her CA articleship at CA Vivian Pinto & Co., Balmatta, Mangalore, and is the daughter of Rosy Maria D’Silva and Ruffert D’Silva. She has done her schooling at St. Theresa, pre-university at St. Agnes, and undergraduation at Mangalore University through distant education. She has opted for Commerce in her Pre-university and completed her Bcom. She wanted to pursue either CA or law. Further interest in CA developed while preparing for CPT, and she enjoyed the process throughout. She topped in CPT in 2014 and IPCC in 2015 in the Dakshina Kannada district and CA finals in 2021 nationally. She had attempted the exam 2 times and in her 3rd attempt she made it to the top. She made herself believe that it was her last attempt and gave the exam. 

She informed us that she is grateful to have such supportive family and friends. Her mom has been her greatest support. Her uncle in the family is also a CA and he has also been a great mentor. It takes lots of compromises and sacrifices while preparing for CA. It might have strained some relationships on the go, but the ones understood will stay, she said.

Ruth was not active on any social media sites after she realized she spent so many hours on them. She switched to the old school, like calling and sending text messages if needed. Initially, it was a bit challenging for her, but later on, she liked its absence, and then there was no going back, Ruth said. Social media can be a bit of an addiction, but yes, it depends on people to people, she says. The CA is a long-term course; one has to dedicate a few years to it. There are highs and lows during this period. She found it a little hard to study after the articleship as getting back to books after such a long period of practicing CA. Finding motivation was a bit of hard work during the period but her mom and uncle CA were always there to motivate her, along with her mentor, CA Vivian Pinto.

Ruth has a disciplined schedule for her exam preparation. She used to follow the Pomodoro technique, which is basically studying for 30 minutes and taking a 10-minute break, but she usually studied for 2 hours and took a break of 10 minutes. She starts studying at 7am and studies for about 8-10 hours per day. She made sure she got 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Her hobbies include playing the piano, table tennis, badminton, and basketball, and she loves playing with dogs. It was her best study companion. And about her future, she has companies lining up and she is still considering what is best for her. She wants to give few government exams and clear it out too.

Her advice for all the CA aspirants:

Starters who want to become a CA should be passionate enough and have a strong reason for their interest in becoming a CA. They should be ready to invest for 4-5 years and be 100% sure about their interest and carry it throughout.

For the CA finalists, planning, preparing, and sticking to the schedule is most important, even if it takes compromises and sacrifices, even if people say it’s tough. Sometimes the mind plays tricks and it makes you doubt yourself. Don’t let that take it down. Maintain discipline and the proper schedule. Don’t let it bother you. Think of it as doable and do it, and don’t look back or compare yourself with others. Everything can be done if one is passionate and hard-working enough. Give every attempt the same chance as the last attempt and give your best shot.