Search

Company Secretary Course – A Complete Guide

  • Share this:
post-title

CS Course consists of three levels which one has to pass to successfully to complete the course. CSEET, CS executive and CS Professional

A Company Secretary is one of the most key positions in a private or public organization. Company secretaries are among the top leaders in a company.  They are the ones who handle all legal aspects of the company. They are also responsible for maintaining and auditing tax returns, advising the company on its financial health, and making sure that the company complies with legal and statuary regulations. To become a professional Company Secretary (CS), you must complete the Company Secretary Course provided by The Institute of Company Secretaries of India. In this article, we will provide you with all the CS Course details you need such as what is CS course? How to take admission? CS exams, registration, eligibility, subjects and syllabus, and more!

What is CS Course?

To practice the profession of Company Secretary in India, a student must take admission in and complete all levels and requirements of CS Course. The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) holds the examinations for CS course. It is the professional statuary body for Company Secretary Course in our Country. A student applying to CS course must complete the course in adherence to the guidelines provided by ICSI.

CS Course Details

CS Course consists of three levels, which one has to pass to successfully complete the entire course. These levels are:

  1. Company Secretary Executive Entrance Test (CSEET)
  2. Company Secretary Executive (CS Executive)
  3. Company Secretary Professional (CS Professional)

Firstly, a student will have to enroll in CSEET and pass the examination to get admission in CS Executive. CS Executive consists of 2 modules i.e., module – 1 and module – 2. Examination for these modules can be given individually or together depending on your preference. After passing CS Executive (both modules), a student can take admission in CS Professional which consists of three modules i.e., module -1, module – 2 and module – 3. After passing CS Professional, you would have completed the CS course.

Company Secretary Course Duration

CS Course Duration is of about 3 years.

  1. CSEET – 8 months
  2. CS Executive – 9 months
  3. CS Professional – 10 months

During the course, you will also have to undergo several training programs. The duration for those is mentioned below.  

Training Duration
Students Induction Program (SIP) 7 days
Executive Development Program (EDP) 8 days
Computer Training 70 hours
Personal Development Program (PDP) 25 hours
Management Training 15 months

How to take admission in CS course?

Eligibility for CS Course

To take admission in CS Course, firstly you have to know if you are eligible for it.

Following are the eligibility criteria for CS course:

CSEET
  • The candidate must be 17 years old or above
  • Candidate must have passed class 12th in any discipline except fine arts from a recognized board or university
  • Graduates and Post Graduates can also apply

CS Executive
  • Must have passed the examination of CSEET

or

A candidate can be exempted from CSEET
  • If the candidate has passed the final level examination of the CA course granted by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

or

  • If the candidate has passed the final level examination of the CMA course granted by The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of India.

CS Professional
  • Must have passed all modules of CS Executive

Registration

To take admission to CSEET, a candidate has to register by filling out an application form, providing the requested documents, and paying the registration fee, on the official website of ICSI.

  • The registration fee for the CSEET exam is Rs.1,000/- (Rupees One Thousand Only) per appearance.
  • The registration fee for CS Executive exam is Rs.2,000/- (Rupees Two Thousand Only) per appearance.
  • The registration fee for CS Professional exam is Rs.12,000/- (Rupees Twelve Thousand Only) per appearance.

CS Course Syllabus and subjects

CSEET

CS Executive Entrance exam consists of 4 papers that are given below.

  • Business Communication (CSEET Paper-1)
  • Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning (CSEET Paper-2)
  • Economic and Business Environment (CSEET Paper-3)
  • Current Affairs, Presentation and Communication Skills (CSEET Paper-4)

CS Executive

CS Executive exam consists of 2 modules and 8 papers that are given below.

Module – I
  • Jurisprudence, Interpretation & General Laws (CSE Paper-1)
  • Company Law (CSE Paper-2)
  • Setting up of Business Entities and Closure (CSE Paper-3)
  • Tax Laws (CSE Paper-4)

Module – II
  • Corporate & Management Accounting (CSE Paper-5)
  • Securities Laws & Capital Markets (CSE Paper-6)
  • Economic, Business and Commercial Laws (CSE Paper-7)
  • Financial and Strategic Management (CSE Paper-8)

CS Professional

CS Professional exam consists of 3 modules and 9 papers that are given below.

Module – I
  • Governance, Risk Management, Compliances and Ethics (CSP Paper-1)
  • Advanced Tax Laws (CSP Paper-2)
  • Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances (CSP Paper-3)

Module – II
  • Secretarial Audit, Compliance Management and Due Diligence (CSP Paper-4)
  • Corporate Restructuring, Insolvency, Liquidation & Winding-up (CSP Paper-5)
  • Resolution of Corporate Disputes, Non-Compliances & Remedies (CSP Paper-6)

Module – III
  • Corporate Funding & Listings in Stock Exchanges (CSP Paper-7)
  • Multidisciplinary Case Studies (CSP Paper-8)
  • Banking – Law & Practice (CSP Paper-9.1)
  • Insurance – Law & Practice (CSP Paper-9.2)
  • Intellectual Property Rights– Laws and Practices (CSP Paper-9.3)
  • Forensic Audit (CSP Paper-9.4)
  • Direct Tax Law & Practice (CSP Paper-9.5)
  • Labor Laws & Practice (CSP Paper-9.6)
  • Valuations & Business Modelling (CSP Paper-9.7)
  • Insolvency – Law and Practice (CSP Paper-9.8)

Check out our course for CSEET, Executive and Professional! 

CS Exams

Examination form

After the registration process is over, ICSI releases an examination form for all levels. Every registered candidate must fill out that examination form for the course they are taking exam in and pay the fee in due time. Without filling out the examination form, you will not be allowed to proceed. The examination fee for CS Executive and Professional is Rs.1,000.

Admit Card

Students must download their admit card from the official website of ICSI. Without the admit card they will not be allowed entry into the examination hall.

Results: Passing Criteria

After giving the exam, candidates can check the results once ICSI has announced them on their official website. A candidate is required to obtain 40% marks in each paper and 50% marks in aggregate to successfully pass all levels.

Exam Pattern

  • CSEET exams are held 4 times a year, in the months of January, May, July, and November.
  • CS Executive and CS Professional exams are held twice a year, once in the month of June and once in the month of December.
  • Exam duration is 3 hours for each paper
  • Each paper carries 100 marks
  • Questions can be objective or descriptive
  • Mode of the exam is the offline center base
  • Students can give exams for a single module at once or both modules together depending on their choice

Mandatory Requirements for CS Course

While pursuing the course of a company secretary, there is a certain mandatory requirement in the form of training that students must undergo strictly according to the guidelines provided by ICSI.

Oral Coaching

Any student pursuing certification in CS, preparing for its courses, is required to undergo complete coaching for the respective course. Oral coaching refers to going to the institute for classes and pursuing your course. For their oral coaching, students can take admission to the regional council or chapter or any other recognized oral coaching center. For the executive program, 35 classes of 2 hours for each subject are compulsory. For the professional program, 40 classes of 2 hours for each subject are compulsory.

Computer Training and SIP

Within six months of registering for the executive program, candidates must undergo a 7-day Student Induction Program (SIP). Also, students have to complete a 70-hour compulsory computer training program before enrolling for the executive program exams, including two days of induction, three days of e-governance, five days of skill development, and five days of entrepreneurship development.

15 Month of Management Training

After completing CS Executive exam, a candidate is required to undergo 15 months of management training under a company secretary or a company, before he/she can sit for CS Professional examination. This training includes 25 hours of Professional Development Program (PDP).

Career After CS Course

After successfully completing the CS course, opportunities are endless. There are numerous job prospects and terrific job profiles that you can get. There is a great opportunity for growth in this career as company secretaries hold high managerial positions in organizations.

Career Options for Company Secretary

  • Manager
  • Assistant Manager
  • Bank and building societies
  • Employer’s cooperatives
  • Housing Associations
  • Insurance companies
  • Investment sectors
  • Trade bodies

Job opportunities

  • Foreign Collaborations and Joint Ventures
  • Legal, Secretarial and Corporate Governance
  • Project Planning
  • Capital Market and Investor Relations
  • Corporate Advisory Services
  • Corporate Restructuring

To know more about the scope and salary of a company secretary in India, check out another one of our blogs!

Start Your Career in CS with TopLad

TopLad is India’s largest online learning platform for CMA, CA & CS. With some of the best teaching faculties in India, online classes, authentic study material, mock test papers, practice manuals, and much more, we have helped thousands of students reach their dream of becoming a CS. CS course, no doubt is challenging, and it can take multiple attempts to clear all exams, but with the right coaching, the right strategy, and the right approach, we help our students clear exams in a single attempt and become successful in their career.

Check out TopLad’s CS coaching program.

What TopLad Offers:

  • Online Classes taught by the top faculties in India (English & Hindi)
  • CSEET, Executive and Professional Courses (Individual subjects or combos)
  • Study Material – Books, Notes, practice manuals, video lectures (pen drive or google drive)
  • Mock Test Papers
  • Previous year question papers with solutions
  • Test series strictly as per exam pattern of Institute of company secretaries of India
  • Doubt sessions
  • Job Portal – With our job portal you can easily find job opportunities from the best organizations in India. Whether you have qualified for your course, still pursuing it, or looking for an organization for your articleship, you can find a job with TopLad.
  • Quality learning and a faculty that you can trust