Finance Day: One working day in the finance team of an Indian company. Real books, real Excel, AI colleagues.

Finance Day puts you in the finance team of a company generated for your play: an FMCG distributor, a B2B SaaS business, a multi-specialty hospital, a D2C brand or an auto-parts maker, with a full year of books behind it. As the FP&A analyst you build the year-end variance report in an in-browser Excel, find out from the department heads why the numbers moved, rebuild next year's forecast after the biggest customer leaves, and put three slides in front of the board, while the CFO asks you to make the forecast look better than it is. As the accountant you close March, the last month of the year, in a Tally-style ledger: GST and TDS on the last bills, the year-end entries, the bank and supplier reconciliations and the lock, while the CFO asks you to hold a bill back. Every company carries planted issues in its own ledger, so every number has a right answer.

One working day, about 3 hours · solo or a team of up to 3 · $10 per job, $15 for two (from ₹981.76 incl. GST) · 6 plays per job

Jobs

• FP&A Analyst: Year-end variance pack, root causes, the reforecast after a customer loss, a dashboard, board slides and a CFO who wants a rosier number.
• Accountant: Close March, the last month of the year, in a Tally-style ledger: the last invoices and bills with GST and TDS, payroll, accruals, prepayments and depreciation, the bank and supplier reconciliations, a provision call, and the lock. Entry level: students can play it.

What you practise

• Variance analysis: Budget against actual by department, favourable or adverse, the five lines that matter, with a comment on each.
• Excel: SUMIFS, lakh formats, grouping, notes, Goal Seek and charts in an in-browser Excel; typed numbers don't count.
• Root causes: Ask the Sales, Operations and HR heads the right questions. Vague questions get vague answers.
• Forecasting: A driver-based FY27 reforecast after the biggest customer leaves, and the cost cut that keeps EBITDA above the board's floor.
• Board communication: Three slides with action titles, real figures in ₹ crore, and an honest outlook.
• Integrity: When the CFO wants a rosier base case, what you say matters as much as what you model.

Your day

1. 09:00 · CFO brief: The books for the year are closed. The trial balance by department, the budget and headcount land in your inbox.
2. Morning · Variance report: A timed Excel sprint: budget vs actual by department, the top five and a comment on each.
3. Late morning · Root causes: Talk to the department heads, then the CFO checks your reasons.
4. Afternoon · Reforecast and dashboard: Rebuild FY27 from drivers after the customer loss and find the cost cut with Goal Seek.
5. 16:30 · Board slides and the CFO review: Three slides, then the review where the CFO pushes for a better-looking number. At 18:00 your debrief and your ending open.

Levels

• Junior Analyst: A filled-in template and hints: the variance report, the root causes and the board slides.
• FP&A Analyst: Everything, with your own drivers: the reforecast with Goal Seek, a dashboard and a cost-lever decision.
• Senior FP&A Analyst: Best, base and worst scenarios, a 13-week cash forecast, and an AI junior's model to review for planted mistakes.

Scoring and debrief

• About 60% is deterministic: the numbers in your workbooks (checked cell by cell against your company's own books), formulas instead of typed numbers, the causes you found, your decisions and the CFO's questions.
• About 40% is judged: the quality of your comments, your note to the CFO, your assumptions and your board slides, with the reasons written down.
• Conduct lapses (a manipulated forecast, leaking payroll data) are a separate deduction and can decide your ending.
• Every finished play keeps a debrief: what was really going on in the company, what you found and missed, the worked answers, your ending and a certificate.

Questions

How long does a play take?

The day runs from 09:00 to 18:00 game time, about three hours in real time. You can pause between sprints and come back within 45 days.

Do I need Excel installed?

No. Everything runs in the browser: an Excel lab for the workbooks and a PowerPoint lab for the slides. You can also download a workbook, work in desktop Excel and upload it.

Is the company real?

No. Every company, person, customer and vendor is generated for your play, with valid-format GSTINs and a full year of balanced books. No two plays are the same.

Can I use an AI assistant?

Not inside the simulation: the Excel lab's AI assistant is switched off in Finance Day so every play is graded on your own work.

What do I get for one purchase?

Each job you own gives you two plays at each of the three levels: six plays, each with a freshly generated company.

Can I play with others?

Yes. Each play lets you invite two colleagues, so a team of up to three works the day together.