CA Foundation MTP January 2027: Series 1 and 2 Dates, Registration and How This Cycle Compares

ICAI's Board of Studies runs the CA Foundation MTP for January 2027 in two rounds: Series I (Series 1) from 1 to 9 December 2026 and Series II (Series 2) from 14 to 21 December 2026, each paper in its exam-day slot. You write it at an ICAI branch or at home. Papers go up by 1.30 PM, keys within 48 hours. The exam is on 3, 5, 7 and 9 January 2027.

Series I Accounting sits 33 days before the real Paper 1. Three of four earlier attempts gave 31 to 36 days; September 2026 gave 23.

TL;DR

• Series I: 1, 3, 7 and 9 December 2026, Papers 1 to 4 in order.
• Series II: 14, 16, 18 and 21 December 2026.
• Physical mode: register on bosmtp.icai.org; the OTP goes to your SSP email.
• As on 13 November 2026, BoS had not posted a Success at CA Exam schedule for Foundation January 2027.

When are CA Foundation MTP Series 1 and Series 2 for January 2027?

ICAI's MTP announcement of 21 October 2026 sets both series; the January 2027 exam notice of 23 September 2026 sets the real papers.

• Paper 1 Accounting: Series I Tue 1 Dec, Series II Mon 14 Dec, exam Sun 3 Jan 2027; 2 PM to 5 PM.
• Paper 2 Business Laws: Series I Thu 3 Dec, Series II Wed 16 Dec, exam Tue 5 Jan 2027; 2 PM to 5 PM.
• Paper 3 Quantitative Aptitude: Series I Mon 7 Dec, Series II Fri 18 Dec, exam Thu 7 Jan 2027; 2 PM to 4 PM.
• Paper 4 Business Economics: Series I Wed 9 Dec, Series II Mon 21 Dec, exam Sat 9 Jan 2027; 2 PM to 4 PM.

Keys go up within 48 hours of each paper's start, for self-assessment; the notice mentions no marks. From 13 November you have 18 days to Series I Accounting.

Past papers and older MTPs are in our CA Foundation question papers, RTP and MTP post, and the last 8 weeks plan for January 2027 fits both series into a weekly timetable.

Series I runs 1 to 9 December 2026, Series II 14 to 21 December.

How do you register for the ICAI MTP and write it in physical mode?

Registration is only for a hall seat. The notice sends physical-mode students to the BoS MTP Registration Portal, which books seats at ICAI branches and regional offices:

1. Open bosmtp.icai.org and click Student Login.
2. Click Register Now.
3. Enter your registration number and date of birth.
4. Enter your email ID as registered on SSP.
5. Type the OTP sent to that email to log in.

Then ask your branch for the centre, and about any fee, since the notice lists none. January 2026 students registered on the Student Activities Portal, bosactivities.icai.org; the May 2026 notice moved to bosmtp.icai.org.

Writing it at home in virtual mode

No booking. Download the paper from the BoS Knowledge Portal or ICAI BoS app after 1.30 PM, start at 2 PM and stop when the slot ends. I would copy the exam's reading-time rule too: Papers 1 and 2 get 15 minutes from 1.45 PM, Papers 3 and 4 none.

A hall seat needs bosmtp.icai.org and your branch; at home you need the portal or app and a 2 PM start.

How does the January 2027 MTP calendar compare with earlier attempts?

I set the last five Foundation MTP notices against their exam notices. Gaps per line, in days: notice to exam, Series I Paper 1 to exam, Series II Paper 1 to exam, last Series II paper to exam.

• September 2025: notice 19 Jun 2025; Series I 11 to 14 Aug, Series II 25 to 29 Aug; exam from 16 Sep. Gaps 89, 36, 22, 18.
• January 2026: notice 29 Sep 2025; Series I 15 to 22 Dec, Series II 29 Dec to 5 Jan; exam from 18 Jan. Gaps 111, 34, 20, 13.
• May 2026: notice 22 Jan 2026; Series I 13 to 20 Apr, Series II 23 to 29 Apr; exam from 14 May. Gaps 112, 31, 21, 15.
• September 2026: notice 29 Jun 2026; Series I 10 to 17 Aug, Series II 20 to 27 Aug; exam from 2 Sep. Gaps 65, 23, 13, 6.
• January 2027: notice 21 Oct 2026; Series I 1 to 9 Dec, Series II 14 to 21 Dec; exam from 3 Jan. Gaps 74, 33, 20, 13.

Source: ICAI BoS MTP notices and exam notices; days counted by Gradehunt.

January 2027 (33, 20, 13) has nearly the shape of January 2026 (34, 20, 13). September 2026 was the squeezed cycle: Series II ended 6 days before Paper 1, and its last key could land on 29 August, 4 days before the exam.

You get 33 days from the first mock to Paper 1 and 13 after the last, close to January 2026.

Which ICAI resources for January 2027 are out as on 13 November 2026?

I checked the BoS announcements page and content lists on 13 November 2026:

• Live Virtual Classes: notice 2 September 2026, classes from 16 September.
• Study material: August 2024 edition (reprint August 2025 onwards) for all four papers, plus the January 2027 RTP for Papers 1 and 2.
• RTP: Papers 1 to 4 plus a 108-page combined file, dated 21 October (Paper 1) and 26 October 2026 (combined) on ICAI's server; these are file dates, not announcements.
• September 2026 suggested answers, all four papers, server file dates 6 November 2026.
• Success at CA Exam live sessions: not posted, 23 days after the MTP notice. For January, May and September 2026, BoS posted them the same day as the MTP notice.

As on 13 November 2026, only the Success at CA Exam schedule is missing from this list.

How should you score MTP Paper 3 and Paper 4 with negative marking?

Score the mock the way the exam scores you. ICAI's FAQ puts negative marking at 0.25 mark per wrong answer in objective papers, so twenty wrong answers cost 5 marks; blanks cost nothing.

Write your options on a separate sheet as you go and mark it the day the key lands, while you remember why you picked each one. Pass totals are in our CA Foundation passing marks post.

What if the key has no correct option?

ICAI's September 2026 Paper 3 key prints no option for questions 10, 19 and 35, noting that none of the options were correct, and accepts both (A) and (D) for question 25. The Paper 4 key gives one letter for all 100.

If an MTP key does the same, keep those questions out of the wrong count. The key does not say how ICAI marked them, so I would not guess.

Deduct 0.25 per wrong answer, mark from a separate sheet on key day, and keep no-option questions out of the wrong count.

Getting the descriptive papers checked

The MTP answers give the model answer in Accounts and Business Laws, not whether your working notes and format would earn the marks. Our CA Foundation test series checks all four papers, MCQ and descriptive, within 48 hours of upload. Full Syllabus Mock Tests start at Rs 199 per subject, and your first paper is checked free.