ICSI CS Executive Examination 2026 — Complete New Syllabus Guide

The Company Secretary (CS) Executive examination, conducted by The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) (statutory body under the Company Secretaries Act, 1980), is the intermediate professional qualifying stage for corporate governance specialists, compliance officers, and legal advisors in India.

Under Syllabus 2022, the curriculum has been overhauled into 7 High-Yield Papers focused on corporate law, securities compliance, ESG governance, intellectual property rights, and financial management.

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1. ICSI CS Executive — At a Glance (Verified 2026)

Parameter	Official Verified Details
Conducting Authority	The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICAI Partner Statutory Body)
Course Level	Executive Level (Second Stage after CSEET)
Exam Frequency	Biannually: June Session and December Session
Registration Fee (via CSEET)	₹10,600 INR (Includes official physical study kits)
Registration Fee (Direct Entry)	₹15,600 INR (For Commerce & Other Graduates/Post-Graduates)
Exam Application Fee	₹2,400 INR (Both Groups) / ₹1,200 INR (Single Group)
Total Number of Papers	7 Papers (Group 1: 4 Papers | Group 2: 3 Papers)
Total Marks	700 Marks (100 Marks per paper)
Exam Duration	3 Hours per paper (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM or 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
Question Format	20% Case-Based MCQs + 80% Descriptive / Practical Analysis
Passing Criteria	40% minimum in each individual paper AND 50% aggregate per Group
Mandatory Pre-requisites	Complete ODOP + Pass Online Pre-Exam Test (50% marks)
Official Student Portal	ICSI SMASH Portal: smash.icsi.edu

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2. Eligibility Routes: CSEET vs Direct Entry

Route Parameter	CSEET Route	Direct Entry Route
Target Candidates	10+2 (Class 12) passed students.	Graduates & Post-Graduates.
Prerequisites	Clear the online CS Executive Entrance Test (CSEET) (Conducted 4 times a year: Jan, May, July, Nov).	• Graduate in Commerce / any discipline with $\ge 50%$ marks. • OR Passed Final Examination of ICAI (CA) or ICMAI (CMA).
Exemption from CSEET	Not exempt.	100% Exempt from appearing in CSEET.

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3. The 7 Papers Detailed Syllabus Breakdown (Syllabus 2022)

Group 1 (4 Papers — 400 Marks)

Paper 1: Jurisprudence, Interpretation and General Laws (JIGL) (100 Marks)

• Sources of Law & Indian Constitution: Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy, Writ Jurisdiction of High Courts & Supreme Court.
• Interpretation of Statutes: Primary rules (Literal, Reasonable, Mischief, Rule of Harmonious Construction), Internal & External aids.
• General Clauses Act, 1897: Principles of statutory computation and construction.
• Administrative Laws: Principles of Natural Justice, Delegated Legislation, Judicial Review.
• Law of Torts: General principles, Strict liability, Absolute liability, Vicarious liability.
• Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC): Jurisdiction of courts, Res Sub-Judice, Res Judicata, Pleadings, Injunctions.
• Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) & Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC): Cognizable vs non-cognizable offences, Bailable vs non-bailable, FIR, Search warrants.
• Indian Evidence Act, 1872: Relevance of facts, Admissions, Confessions, Burden of proof, Electronic evidence (Section 65B).
• Specific Relief Act, Limitation Act, Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996, Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.

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Paper 2: Company Law and Practice (CLP) (100 Marks)

Divided into two comprehensive parts:

Part	Marks	Core Corporate Legal Provisions
Part I: Company Law – Principles & Concepts	60 Marks	Company types, Legal status, Corporate Veil; Memorandum & Articles of Association (MOA/AOA); Alteration of clauses; Share Capital, Debentures, Deposits, Charges; Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); Dividend distribution rules; Accounts & Audit.
Part II: Company Administration & Meetings	40 Marks	Directors (Qualifications, Disqualifications, Appointment, Independent Directors, Women Directors, DIN); Board Committees (Audit Committee, NRC, CSR Committee); Board Meetings & Quorum; General Meetings (AGM, EGM, Postal Ballot, Electronic Voting); Virtual meetings and Secretarial Standards (SS-1 & SS-2).

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Paper 3: Setting Up of Business, Industrial and Labour Laws (SBILL) (100 Marks)

• Part I: Setting Up of Business (60 Marks): Choice of business entity (Private, Public, OPC, Section 8 Company, LLP, Joint Venture); Start-up India registration, DPIIT recognition; Business registrations (PAN, TAN, GSTIN, MSME Udyam, Shop & Establishment); Environmental clearances and Pollution Control Boards (SPCB/CPCB); Conversion of business entities; Winding up and Strike off.
• Part II: Industrial and Labour Laws (40 Marks): The Code on Wages, 2019; Industrial Relations Code, 2020; Code on Social Security, 2020; Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020; Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act; POSH Act (Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace).

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Paper 4: Corporate Accounting and Financial Management (CAFM) (100 Marks — 100% Descriptive)

• Part I: Corporate Accounting (60 Marks): Introduction to Ind AS, Accounting for share capital (Issue, Forfeiture, Buy-back), Underwriting of shares, Redemption of Preference Shares and Debentures, Preparation of Company Financial Statements (Schedule III), Cash Flow Statements (AS 3), Accounting for Amalgamation and Corporate Restructuring, Valuation of Shares and Business.
• Part II: Financial Management (40 Marks): Time Value of Money, Ratio Analysis, Cost of Capital (WACC), Capital Structure Theories (EBIT-EPS Analysis), Leverages, Capital Budgeting Decisions (NPV, IRR), Working Capital Management, Dividend Policy.

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Group 2 (3 Papers — 300 Marks)

Paper 5: Capital Markets and Securities Laws (CMSL) (100 Marks)

• Part I: Capital Market (40 Marks): Indian Financial System, Primary Market instruments, Secondary Market operations, Intermediaries, Mutual Funds (SEBI Mutual Fund Regulations), Alternative Investment Funds (AIF), Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs).
• Part II: Securities Laws (60 Marks): SEBI Act, 1992; Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956; Depositories Act, 1996; SEBI (ICDR) Regulations, 2018 (IPO, FPO, Rights Issue, QIP); SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015 (Listing obligations and disclosure requirements); SEBI (PIT) Regulations, 2015 (Prohibition of Insider Trading); SEBI (SAST) Regulations, 2011 (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers / Open Offer triggers).

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Paper 6: Economic, Commercial and Intellectual Property Laws (ECIPL) (100 Marks)

• Part I: Economic & Commercial Laws (60 Marks): Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA - Inward/Outward remittances, FDI policy, Overseas Direct Investment - ODI, External Commercial Borrowings - ECB); Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA); Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA 2002); Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA 2016); Competition Act, 2002 (Anti-competitive agreements, Abuse of dominant position, Mergers & Combinations); Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• Part II: Intellectual Property Laws (40 Marks): Law relating to Patents (Patentable inventions, specifications, compulsory licensing); Law relating to Trademarks (Registration, Infringement, Passing off); Law relating to Copyrights; Law relating to Industrial Designs; Trade Secrets and Geographical Indications (GI tags).

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Paper 7: Tax Laws and Practice (TLP) (100 Marks)

• Part I: Direct Tax (60 Marks): Basics of Income Tax Act, 1961; Residential status & tax incidence; Computation of Total Income under 5 Heads (Salaries, House Property, PGBP, Capital Gains, Other Sources); Clubbing and Set-off; Chapter VI-A Deductions; Corporate Taxation, MAT, TDS/TCS, Advance Tax, Filing of Income Tax Returns.
• Part II: Indirect Tax (GST & Customs) (40 Marks): CGST, SGST, IGST frameworks; Taxable event — Supply under GST; Time, Place, and Value of Supply; Input Tax Credit (ITC) mechanism; GST Invoicing, E-Way Bill, GST Returns; Basic customs law, valuation, and classification of imported goods.

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4. Mandatory Training Milestones for CS Students

Stage Milestone	Training / Qualification Programme	Requirements & Progression
Stage 1 (Entry)	CSEET / Direct Entry	10+2 Pass / Graduate Direct Entry into CS Executive.
Stage 2 (Executive)	CS Executive Examination	7 Papers across Group 1 & Group 2 (700 Marks).
Stage 3 (Pre-Training)	EDP (Executive Development Programme)	1 Month: 15 Days Classroom Mode + 15 Days Online E-Learning.
Stage 4 (Professional)	CS Professional Examination	7 Advanced Papers across Group 1 & Group 2.
Stage 5 (Long-Term Training)	21 Months Practical Training	Continuous practical training in a Listed Enterprise or Practicing CS (PCS) firm.
Stage 6 (Leadership Training)	CLDP (Corporate Leadership Programme)	1 to 2 Months Residential Training before receiving ACS Membership.

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5. Career Prospects & Salary Benchmark for Company Secretaries

Under Section 203 of the Companies Act, 2013, appointing a whole-time Company Secretary is mandatory for every listed company and every public company having a paid-up share capital of ₹10 Crore or more.

Professional Stage	Average Annual Package	Key Functional Roles
CS Fresher (Campus Placement)	₹7.0 LPA – ₹12.0 LPA	Assistant Company Secretary, Legal & Compliance Officer
CS with 3–5 Years Experience	₹14.0 LPA – ₹22.0 LPA	Company Secretary, Head of Secretarial Audit
Senior CS / General Counsel / KMP (8+ Years)	₹28.0 LPA – ₹60.0+ LPA	Key Managerial Personnel (KMP), Board Secretary, Chief Compliance Officer

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Source: The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) | Official Portal: icsi.edu