Company Secretary (CS) Course: Levels, Eligibility, Papers and Training

What a Company Secretary does

A Company Secretary advises a company's board on corporate law, governance and compliance. That covers board and shareholder meetings, filings with regulators, securities law and governance practices. To practise as a Company Secretary in India you need to complete ICSI's course and become a member of the Institute. Read all about ICSI for the Institute's role.

The CS course at a glance

CSEET: the entrance test

ICSI restructured CSEET from the June 2026 session:

• When: three times a year, in the first week of February, June and October, at exam centres in Indian cities.
• Who can register: Indian nationals who have passed or are appearing in Class 12 (10+2) or equivalent.
• Papers:

• To pass: at least 40% in each paper and 50% in aggregate, in one sitting. CSEET has no exemptions or carry-forward of marks.
• Validity: registration is valid for 3 years. After passing, you must register for CS Executive within 1 year of the result.
• Fee: ₹7,500 at registration (including the Student Induction Programme and online classes), plus ₹1,500 exam fee per session. Concessions apply to some categories.
• Before the exam: the one-day Student Induction Programme (SIP) is a prerequisite for enrolling in CSEET.

Who can skip CSEET

According to ICSI, you can register directly for CS Executive if you are:

• a graduate or post-graduate in any discipline;
• in the final year or final semester of a 3-year degree (provisional registration);
• an ICAI Intermediate pass or ICMAI Final pass student. ICSI's documents word the CA condition slightly differently, so confirm it on the registration page;
• an ICSI Foundation pass student; or
• a student of a recognised 5-year integrated programme who has passed, or is appearing in, the 6th semester.

CS Executive (7 papers)

Exams are held in June and December. Before your first main exam under Syllabus 2022 you must pay the pre-test fee and pass ICSI's online Pre-Exam Test. You then fill in the exam form for each session: for June, from 26 February to 25 March (with a late fee until 9 April); for December, from 26 August to 25 September (late fee until 10 October). Executive registration is valid for 5 years and can be renewed through re-registration (de novo). Study material is listed in our CS Executive study material guide.

CS Professional (7 papers)

You can register for Professional after passing both groups of Executive under the same syllabus.

Elective 1 options include CSR & Social Governance, Internal & Forensic Audit, and Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Cyber Security. Elective 2 options include Arbitration, Mediation & Conciliation, GST & Corporate Tax Planning, and Insolvency and Bankruptcy. ICSI's Professional Programme page lists them all.

To sit both groups in a session you must be registered for Professional by 30 November of the previous year (for June) or 31 May (for December). For one group, the cut-offs are 31 January and 31 July. Students registered after the cut-off cannot sit that session, even with a late fee. Professional registration is also valid for 5 years.

Compulsory training

ICSI's training structure (Student Training Guidelines 2024) runs in this order:

How long does the CS course take?

ICSI does not publish a single total duration. The fixed parts are the training (21 months of long-term training plus two 30-day programmes) and the exam calendar (CSEET three times a year; Executive and Professional in June and December). How long the rest takes depends on how soon you clear each group and when you start training.

If you are a graduate, you skip CSEET and start at Executive. CA Intermediate and CMA Final pass students can also enter directly. Check ICSI's rules for any paper or training exemptions that apply to you before you register.

After the CS course

Company Secretaries work in corporate secretarial, legal, compliance and governance roles in companies, or in practice after obtaining a certificate of practice. See Company Secretary jobs in India for the kinds of roles available, and the CS registration and fee guide for current fees and steps.