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Home > News & Articles > How to Become a Company Secretary 2024: Course Duration, Eligibility, Syllabus, Exam Pattern, ICSI, Recruiters
Updated on 04th January, 2024 , 4 min read
The job of the Company Secretary (CS) is one of the most crucial in a company. A competent company secretary is in charge of a company's or individual's legal aspects. A controller is responsible for keeping and analyzing the company's tax returns, preserving records, alerting the board of directors to the company's financial health, and ensuring compliance with legal and statutory standards. To work professionally as a company secretary, an individual must go through professional training and pass examinations.
The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) regulates and maintains company secretary laws. ICSI provides training and instruction to thousands of aspiring company secretaries. At present, ICSI has over 50,000 members and about 4,00,000 students on its rolls.
There are three levels in the Company Secretary Courses, which are as follows-
Foundation Program |
Executive Program |
Professional Program |
The following steps can be followed to become a company secretary-
Earlier, the Company Secretary courses were recommended to main students coming from a commerce background. However, nowadays, candidates with any stream in class 10+2 and a knack for hard work and determination to achieve in the profession are qualified to pursue a career as a company secretary.
The duration, of each level in the Company Secretary Course varies from each level. For specific details, check the table below-
CS Courses | CS Duration | CS Fees (INR) |
CS Professional | 10 Months | Rs. 12k |
CS Executive | 9 Months | Rs. 7k |
CS Foundation | 8 Months | Rs. 3.6k |
The Syllabus for the CS Foundation Programme comprises 4 papers-
Paper 1 | Business Communication |
Paper 2 | Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning |
Paper 3 | Economic and Business Environment |
Paper 4 | Current Affairs, Presentation and Communication Skills |
The Syllabus for the CS Executive Programme comprises, open-book,on8 papers-
MODULE 1 | MODULE 2 |
Jurisprudence, Interpretation & General Laws | Corporate & Management Accounting |
Company Law | Securities Laws & Capital Markets |
Setting up of Business Entities and Closure | Economic, Business and Commercial Laws |
Tax Laws | Financial and Strategic Management |
It is the last stage of the CS course. A student is required to complete the CS Professional Program within the valid period of his/her registration. It can only be pursued after clearing the CS Executive program.
MODULE 1 | MODULE 2 | MODULE 3 |
Governance, Risk Management, Compliances and Ethics | Secretarial Audit, Compliance Management and Due Diligence | Corporate Funding & Listings in Stock Exchanges |
Advanced Tax Laws | Corporate Restructuring, Insolvency, Liquidation & Winding-up | Multidisciplinary Case Studies (The examination for this paper will be an open book examination) |
Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances | Resolution of Corporate Disputes, Non-Compliances & Remedies | Electives 1 paper out of below 8 papers:
|
The following table gives details about the exam pattern of CSEET-
Particulars | Details |
No. of Questions | 120 |
Duration of Exam | 120 Minutes |
Mode of Exam | Online/remote proctored mode |
Type of Questions | MCQs |
No. of Papers | Paper I- Business Communication Paper II- Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning Paper III- Economic & Business Environment Paper IV- Current Affairs, Presentation, and Communication Skills |
The following table gives details about the exam pattern for CS Executive 2023-
Particulars | Details |
No. of Questions | 50 in each paper |
Duration of Exam | 3 Hours (180 Minutes) |
Medium of Exam | English or Hindi |
Mode of Exam | Offline |
Type of Exam | Subjective |
No. of Papers | 8 |
Negative Marking | None |
Maximum Marks | 100 for each paper (+2 for each correct answer) |
The following table gives details about the exam pattern for CS Professional 2022-
Particulars | Details |
No. of Questions | 50 in each paper |
Duration of Exam | 3 Hours (180 Minutes) |
Medium of Exam | English or Hindi |
Mode of Exam | Offline |
Type of Exam | Objective and Subjective |
Qualifying Marks | Minimum 40% marks in each paper 50% marks on average of all subjects |
Negative Marking | None |
Maximum Marks | 100 for each paper (+2 for each correct answer) |
A company secretary (CS) is one of the company's key officials. They manage the company's records, file tax returns, and advise the Board of Directors on their legal responsibilities to ensure that enterprises conform to statutory regulations. The job of candidates who pass the CS Exam begins as soon as a corporation is created. However, the real duty of a company secretary differs from one firm to the next. Company secretaries are also needed in company law boards, numerous government offices, and the Department of Company Affairs, among other places. Top companies provide competitive compensation packages to corporate secretaries. After receiving a certificate of practice, a company secretary can also establish their own consulting firm. Companies with a paid-up share capital of Rs. 10 lakhs to Rs. 2 crores must hire/ employ a company secretary to provide corporate compliance certifications. Because a company secretary has extensive knowledge of a wide variety of disciplines, they can work as lecturers/visiting faculty in a variety of academic institutions.
A company secretary is always in demand. Here is a list of companies that are regularly in need of a professional company secretary-
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