Stages to become Company Secretary

A company secretary is a senior position in a company. The CS exam has three stages to get the certification CS foundation, CS executive and CS professional Programme. A company secretary is responsible for the efficient administration of a company, they ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. A Company Secretary makes sure that the organisation complies with the relevant legislation and regulation. The authoritative body who gives the Company Secretary certification is the ICSI that is the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. ICSI is a statutory body constituted under the Company Secretaries Act, 1980 to develop and regulate the profession of Company Secretaries.

Eligibility -

The eligibility criteria for being a Company Secretary, you have to meet the following criteria -

• Foundation Programme - +2 pass or equivalent
• Executive Programme - Graduation
• Professional Programme - Executive programme

In order to enrol for the foundation programme the student should not be under the age of 17.

Students who have cleared the CAT, NMAT, MHCET, XAT, SNAT, GMAT and ATMA are exempt for taking the foundation level and will get direct entry to the executive level. Candidates who have passed Senior Secondary (10+2 or equivalent) examination of any board constituted or recognised by the Central Government can join the CS Foundation Programme. There is no minimum requirement of marks or any cut-off as such to join Company Secretary course.

Therefore, CS can be classified into three categories for certification as CS Foundation, CS Executive, and CS Professional Programme. You need to complete these three stages to become a professional in Company Secretary. There will be regular examinations conducted by ICSI all over India. Once you complete these exams, you will be given a certification in Company Secretary course.

What is the duration of each of these courses?

• CS Foundation programme will take a total duration of 8 months to complete. This programme should be completed within the time frame of 3 years from the time of admission.
• The CS Executive programme will take 9 months to complete. This programme can be pursued by a graduate of any stream except Fine Arts.
• The CS Professional programme will take 10 months to complete. This programme can be pursued only after clearing the Executive Programme of CS Course

What is the governing body for CS and how can apply for CS course? What documents do I have to submit for applying for CS course?

ICSI is the sole governing body for the Company Secretary Exams. Students can fill the applications and submit it online on their official portal. If you are submitting the forms online then you will also need to submit scanned copies of your document. If you are a Lakshya student you can always contact the office to help you with the application procedure.

The documents that a student is required to submit are

• Latest passport size photo
• Scanned image of signature
• Class X and XII marklist
• Roll number of your XIIth exams
• Scanned documents of your degree (If applicable)
• Proof of address, Photo ID etc

The online submission will be considered Non-valid if you do not pay the fees. The registration details and admit card can be downloaded from official portal of ICSI.

Tha last date of submission of application for the examination are as follows

25th March - Late fee 250/- till 9th April.

25th September - Late fee 250/- till 10th October                   

What are the exam fees for CS course? 

The exam fees for the various levels are as follows

Level	Fees
Foundation	1200/-
Executive	1200/- per module
Professional	1200/- per module

 

What is the board registration fees for CS?

LEVEL	FEES
Foundation	4,500/-
For commerce graduate	9,000/-
Non-Commerce graduate	10,000/-
ICAI CMA Foundation pass, ICAI CPT/CA foundation	12,000/-
CS foundation pass	8,500/-

What is the starting salary and expected job roles?

A CS certified professional can work in the following roles

• Foreign collaborations and Joint ventures
• Legal, secretarial and corporate governance
• Project Planning
• Capital Market and Investor Relations
• Corporate advisory services
• Corporate restructuring

A Company Secretary professional can work as Managers in bank and building societies, employers corporative, housing associations, insurance companies, Investment sectors etc. The job opportunities open for a company secretary professional range from corporate governance to providing corporate law advisory and representative services.

A CS professional fresher can get a starting salary anywhere between 30,000 - 40,000. The salary scale will increase as you start gaining experience and sharpen your skill set.

When is the last date to register for the CS exams?

Foundation	31st March for December examination in the same year
	30th September for June examination next year
Executive Programme	28th February for appearing in both modules in December exam in the same year
	31st May for single module in December exam in the same year
	31st August both modules for the June exam next year
	30th November for single module for the june exam next year

 

How long does it take to complete the company secretary exam?

To be a certified Company Secretary you will have to the 3 year CS course. After which the student will have to enroll themselves with the Company Secretaries of India. Students who have completed the +2 from any recognised board of education can pursue CS as a course.

How many papers are there for a company secretary course?

For the foundation exam the exams that the students will have to write are

• Business Economics
• Fundamentals of Accounting and Auditing
• Business Management
• Ethics
• Entrepreneurship

For the executive programme, the exam has 8 subjects and are subdivided into two modules.  

Module 1 -

• Cost and Management Accounting
• Company Law
• Tax laws and practices
• Economics and Commercial Law

Module 2 -

• Industrial General and Labour Laws
• Company Accounts and Auditing practices
• Capital Markets and Securities Law
  

For the profession level -

Only students who have managed to clear the executive level exams are permitted to write the professional level exams.The exams are subdivided into three modules, the last module has 3 subjects and students have the option of choosing the subject of the third exam as its an elective.

The subjects are as follows-

Module 1 -

• Advanced Company Law and practice
• Secretarial audit, compliance management and due diligence
• Corporate restructuring, valuation and insolvency

Module 2 - 

• Information technology and systems audit
• Financial treasury and foreign exchange management
• Ethics, governance and sustainability

Module 3 -

• Advanced tax laws and practices
• Drafting, appearance and pleadings

The electives that students can choose from are -

• Bank Laws and practices
• Capital
• Commodity and money market
• Insurance laws and practices
• Intellectual property rights - laws and practices
• International Business - Laws and practices

All the subjects should be written in english language. Students will also have an articleship period after their foundation level of after their degree. Students also have the option of writing the exam in Hindi except Business Communication subject from Foundation Program.

A candidate is declared to have passed CS Foundation / Executive / Professional examination, only if one secures at a sitting a minimum of 40% marks in each paper. They will also require an aggregate of 50% marks in all subjects.

According to the terms of Company Secretaries Regulations 1982, all students are required to undergo a compulsory computer training programme for becoming eligible to seek enrolment to appear in CS Executive Programme examination. Examinations are conducted twice a year, ie; in June and December

By submitting relevant documents, students can be exempted from attending training totally or partially depending on the relevant practical experience, thereby fulfilling the requirement of Company Secretaries Regulations amended in 1982. A student after passing the Professional Programme may enroll as Licentiate ICSI at his/her option until completion of training requirements.

A candidate is enrolled as an associate member of the Institute and can use the descriptive title ‘CS’ after his / her name only after qualifying the CS Professional Programme and by completing the training as per the CS Regulations. The CS course is recognised by the various Universities for admission to Ph.D Course.   

For more details about CS course, please contact Lakshya we provide CS coaching classes in Cochin, Calicut, Trivandrum, Tirur, Thrissur, Kottayam and Kannur.