ICSI CS Exam Pattern 2026: Get Latest Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme for CS Executive, Professional
Institute of Company Secretaries of India Exam 2026 ( ICSI Exam )
ICSI CS Professional Dec 2026 Registration- Both Modules
1 Feb '26 - 31 May '26
The Institute of Company Secretaries of India prescribes ICSI CS exam pattern for CS Executive and CS Professional examinations. Candidates who are applying for CS exam 2026 for upcoming sessions must know the exam pattern of their CS course. The ICSI CS 2026 exam pattern includes the marking scheme, number of sections, number of groups, frequency of examination, total marks, number of questions and so on. ICSI will conduct CS exam in offline mode. ICSI CS June 2026 exam will be conducted from June 01 to June 07, 2026.
- ICSI CS 2026 Exam Pattern Highlights
- ICSI CS Exam Pattern 2026: Executive Programme (New Syllabus)
- ICSI CS Exam Pattern 2026: Professional Programme (New Syllabus)
- ICSI CS 2026: Qualifying Marks
- FAQs on ICSI CS Exam Pattern
ICSI CS 2026 Exam Pattern Highlights
Refer to the table below to know the ICSI CS exam pattern for CS Executive and CS Professional:
| Features | Details |
|---|---|
| Mode of Exam | Centre-based examination; Offline |
| Duration of Exam | Three hours for each paper |
| Marks | 100 marks for each paper |
| Language of Question Paper | English |
| Nature of questions | MCQs and Descriptive |
| Pre-Examination Requirement | Complete a Pre-Examination Test to become eligible to Enroll |
| Frequency of Exam |
held twice in a year- June & December |
ICSI CS Exam Pattern 2026: Executive Programme (New Syllabus)
Candidates preparing for CS Executive exam must be thorough with the exam pattern. Refer below to know the CS Executive exam pattern 2026:
Group 1
| Paper Number |
Subjects |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Jurisprudence, Interpretation & General Laws |
100 |
| 2 |
Company Law & Practice Part I – Company Law – Principles and Concepts |
60 |
| Part II – Company Administration & Meetings |
40 |
|
| 3 |
Setting Up of Business, Industrial & Labour Laws Part I – Setting Up of Business |
60 |
| Part II – Industrial & Labour Laws |
40 |
|
| 4 |
Corporate Accounting and Financial Management Part I – Corporate Accounting |
60 |
| Part II – Financial Management |
40 |
Group 2
| Paper Number |
Subjects |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Capital Market & Securities Laws Part I – Capital Market |
40 |
| Part II – Securities Laws |
60 |
|
| 6 |
Economic, Commercial and Intellectual Property Laws Part I – Economic & Commercial Laws |
60 |
| Part II – Intellectual Property Laws |
40 |
|
| 7 |
Tax Laws & Practice Part I - Direct Tax |
60 |
| Part II - Indirect Tax |
40 |
- Mode of Examination: Combination of both 20% case-based objective type questions and 80% descriptive questions at all papers at Executive Programme except Paper No. 4 i.e. Corporate Accounting and Financial Management which is 100% descriptive.
- Duration: 3 Hours (each paper)
- Marks: 100 Marks (each paper)
Switchover from Old Syllabus (2017) to New Syllabus (2022): Paperwise Exemption Details for Executive Programme
| Executive Programme | |
|---|---|
| Existing Syllabus (2017) | Paperwise Exemption Under New Syllabus (2022) |
| Module 1 | |
| Jurisprudence, Interpretation & General Laws | Group 1, Paper 1 - Jurisprudence, Interpretation & General Laws |
| Company Law | Group 1, Paper 2 - Company Law & Practice |
| Setting up of Business Entities and Closure | Group 1, Paper 3 - Setting up of Business, Industrial & Labour Laws |
| Tax Laws | Group 2, Paper 7 - Tax Laws & Practice |
| Module 2 | |
| Corporate and Management Accounting | Group 1, Paper 4 - Corporate Accounting and Financial Management |
| Securities Laws & Capital Markets | Group 2, Paper 5 - Capital Market & Securities Laws |
| Economic, Business and Commercial Laws | Group 2, Paper 6 - Economic, Commercial and Intellectual Property Laws |
| Financial and Strategic Management | Group 1, Paper 4 - Corporate Accounting and Financial Management |
ICSI CS Exam Pattern 2026: Professional Programme (New Syllabus)
Candidates preparing for CS Professional exam must be thorough with the exam pattern. Refer below to know the CS Professional exam pattern 2026:
Group 1
| Paper Number |
Subjects |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1
|
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) – Principles & Practice Part I – Governance and Sustainability |
65 |
| Part II – Risk Management |
20 |
|
| Part III- Environment & Sustainability Reporting |
15 |
|
| 2 |
Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances Part I - Drafting and Conveyancing |
70 |
| Part II - Pleadings and Appearances |
30 |
|
| 3 |
Compliance Management, Audit & Due Diligence Part I – Compliance Management |
40 |
| Part II – Audit & Due Diligence |
60 |
|
| 4 |
Elective 1 (Select one Paper out of 4 Elective Papers) |
|
Group 2
| Paper Number |
Subjects |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Strategic Management & Corporate Finance Part I – Strategic Management |
40 |
| Part II – Corporate Finance |
60 |
|
| 6
|
Corporate Restructuring, Valuation and Insolvency Part I – Corporate Restructuring |
40 |
| Part II – Valuation |
20 |
|
| Part III – Insolvency, Liquidation & Winding up |
40 |
|
| 7 |
Elective 2 (Select one Paper out of 5 Elective Papers) |
|
- Mode of Examination: Descriptive
- For Elective Papers: Descriptive & Open Book
- Duration: 3 Hours (each paper)
- Marks: 100 Marks (each paper)
Elective Papers 1
| Paper Number | Elective Subjects | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | CSR & Social Governance Part I – Corporate Social Responsibility |
50 |
| Part II – Social Governance | 50 | |
| 4.2 | Internal and Forensic Audit Part I – Internal Audit |
60 |
| Part II – Forensic Audit | 40 | |
| 4.3 | Intellectual Property Rights – Law & Practice | 100 |
| 4.4 | Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Cyber Security – Laws & Practice | 100 |
Elective Papers 2
| Paper Number | Elective Subjects | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | Arbitration, Mediation & Conciliation Part I – Arbitration & Conciliation |
70 |
| Part II – Mediation | 30 | |
| 7.2 | Goods and Services Tax (GST) & Corporate Tax Planning Part I – Goods and Services Tax (GST) |
70 |
| Part II – Corporate Tax Planning | 30 | |
| 7.3 | Labour Laws & Practice | 100 |
| 7.4 | Banking & Insurance – Laws & Practice Part I – Banking Laws |
50 |
| Part II – Insurance Laws | 50 | |
| 7.5 | Insolvency and Bankruptcy – Law & Practice | 100 |
Switchover from Old Syllabus (2017) to New Syllabus (2022): Paperwise Exemption Details for Professional Programme
| Professional Programme | |
|---|---|
| Existing Syllabus (2017) | Paperwise Exemption Under New Syllabus (2022) |
| Module 1 | |
| Governance, Risk Management, Compliances and Ethics | Group 1, Paper 1 - Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) – Principles & Practice |
| Advanced Tax Laws | No Exemption |
| Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances | Group 1, Paper 2 - Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances |
| Module 2 | |
| Secretarial Audit, Compliance Management and Due Diligence | Group 1, Paper 3 - Compliance Management, Audit & Due Diligence |
| Corporate Restructuring, Insolvency, Liquidation & Winding-up | Group 2, Paper 6 - Corporate Restructuring, Valuation and Insolvency |
| Resolution of Corporate Disputes, Non-Compliances & Remedies | No Exemption |
| Module 3 | |
| Corporate Funding & Listings in Stock Exchanges | Group 2, Paper 5 - Strategic Management and Corporate Finance |
| Multidisciplinary Case Studies | No Exemption |
| Elective Paper | |
| Banking – Law & Practice |
Elective 2, Paper 7.4 - Banking & Insurance – Laws & Practice |
| Insurance– Law & Practice | Elective 2, Paper 7.4 - Banking & Insurance – Laws & Practice |
| Intellectual Property Rights– Laws and Practices |
Elective 1, Paper 4.3 - Intellectual Property Rights – Law & Practice |
| Forensic Audit | Elective 1, Paper 4.2 - Internal and Forensic Audit |
| Direct Tax Law & Practice | No Exemption |
| Labour Laws & Practice | Elective 2, Paper 7.3 - Labour Laws & Practice |
| Valuations & Business Modelling | No Exemption |
| Insolvency – Law and Practice | Elective 2, Paper 7.5 – Insolvency and BankruptcyLaw & Practice |
ICSI CS 2026: Qualifying Marks
Qualifying marks for Executive / Professional examination is a minimum of 40% marks in each paper and 50% marks in the aggregate of all subjects.
FAQs on ICSI CS Exam Pattern
Check frequently asked questions on ICSI CS exam pattern below:
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