CA Inter FM SM Cracker By Rakesh Rathi and Vivek Panwar in paperback mode. This Book is beneficial for Sep 26, Jan 27 attempts.

Financial Management & Strategic Management – CRACKER is an exam-oriented, solved question bank for CA-Intermediate (New Syllabus), Group II, Paper 6. It does not re-teach the syllabus—it converts it into writing-ready practice. Every chapter opens with a point-wise concept summary and then works through theory questions, sub-topic-wise practical problems, and ICAI Revision Test Paper questions, each with a complete solution tagged to its source attempt. The book mirrors the 100-mark paper exactly—Financial Management (50 marks) and Strategic Management (50 marks)—and closes with a fully solved Model Test Paper and four fully solved recent papers presented in ICAI's current case-scenario format, taking a student from revision to answer-practice to self-assessment in a single volume.

The Present Publication is the 13^th Edition, authored by CA. Rakesh Rathi and CA. Vivek Panwar, with the following noteworthy features:

• [Solved Past Exam Questions] Past-exam questions are integrated through the chapters across a long run of ICAI attempts, with the most recent papers—up to and including the May 2026 examination—reproduced as fully solved papers
• [Coverage of ICAI RTPs] Revision Test Paper (RTP) questions issued by ICAI are integrated chapter-wise with full solutions
• [Chapter-wise Marks Distribution] A chapter-wise marks break-up across attempts from May 2024 to May 2026, with per-chapter averages
• [Previous-Exams Trend Analysis] A question-by-question trend analysis capturing marks, the compulsory-question flag, and a Practical/Theory classification for each question
• [Comparison with ICAI Study Material] Each chapter is mapped to the corresponding chapter of the ICAI Study Material for direct cross-referencing
• [Relevant Formulae] Formulae for the Financial Management chapters are presented within the summaries as tables, decision rules and step-wise procedures
• [Solved Model Test Paper] A fully solved Model Test Paper is included for timed self-assessment
• [Solved Suggested-Answer Papers] Four fully solved papers—May 2025, September 2025, January 2026 and May 2026—are reproduced in ICAI's current case-scenario-led pattern
• [Case-study/Application Questions] The Strategic Management chapters carry case-study and application questions reflecting the application focus of the current exam
• [Exam-tagged Questions] Every question carries its exam attribution (attempt and marks), letting students gauge recency and weightage at a glance

The coverage of the book is as follows:

• Financial Management
• Scope & Objectives – The scope, objectives and the finance function; the profit-versus-wealth-maximisation debate; agency problem and agency cost
• Types of Financing – Sources of finance across tenures and instruments—equity, preference, retained earnings, debentures and long-term loans.
• Financial Analysis & Planning – Financial analysis and planning through ratio analysis
• Cost of Capital – Component costs (debt, preference, equity, retained earnings) and the weighted and marginal cost of capital
• Capital Structure – Capital-structure decisions and the underlying theories
• Leverages – Operating, financial and combined leverages
• Capital Budgeting – Investment decisions and capital budgeting appraisal techniques
• Dividend Decisions – Dividend decisions and dividend-relevance theories
• Working Capital Management – Management of working capital, including the operating cycle and working-capital financing
• Strategic Management
• Introduction to Strategic Management – Foundations of strategic management, the strategy hierarchy, and proactive-versus-reactive strategy
• External Environment Analysis – Strategic analysis of the external environment — industry and competitive forces
• Internal Environment Analysis – Strategic analysis of the internal environment — resources, capabilities and the value chain
• Strategic Choices – Strategic choices at corporate and business level
• Strategy Implementation & Evaluation – Strategy implementation and strategic evaluation and control

The structure of the book is as follows:

• The book is organised into two sections that map to the ICAI paper pattern:
• Section A — Financial Management (50 Marks) | Chapters 1 to 9
• Section B — Strategic Management (50 Marks) | Chapters 10 to 14
• Practice Papers – These are followed by a fully solved Model Test Paper and four solved suggested-answer papers (May 2025 through May 2026)
• Financial Management Chapter Architecture – Each chapter follows a uniform architecture
• A point-wise Summary (with diagrams, decision rules, step-wise procedures and the relevant formulae) → Theory Questions → Practical Problems grouped under sub-topic headers, each with a complete worked solution
• Strategic Management Chapter Architecture – Each chapter follows the same Summary-led approach, supported by theory and case-study/application questions
• Exam-tagged Questions – Every question is tagged to its source attempt, and the recent solved papers are presented in ICAI's current case-scenario-led format
• Front-matter Navigation Aids – The front matter carries three aids—Chapter-wise Marks Distribution, Previous-Exams Trend Analysis, and the Chapter-wise Comparison with the ICAI Study Material

CA Rakesh Rathi is a widely respected educator in the Chartered Accountancy (CA) fraternity. For more than 15 years, he has guided aspirants through the rigours of CA Intermediate and Final, combining technical mastery with a mentor's empathy. Known for his unwavering belief that disciplined effort unlocks success, he helps students identify their latent strengths, build confidence, and transform challenges into milestones. Rathi's classroom—and the popular books he co-authors—blend concept clarity with exam-oriented strategy, earning him a reputation as both a trusted tutor and a confidant. His enduring commitment to excellence continues to inspire future finance professionals and enrich the broader accounting and finance community.

CA Vivek Panwar has a corporate experience of more than four years in areas of finance, audit & IT companies such as TCS E-Serve, BDO India, Axis Bank, Mc Donalds, etc. He has addressed more than 10,000 CA students & 1,000 Chartered Accountants. He is a visiting faculty of ICAI and a faculty at many renowned coaching academies in India. He specialises in unique memory techniques with conceptual learning.