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CSEET (CS Executive Entrance Test)

Evidence status: 🟢 official. Every number below is from ICSI's restructuring announcement (dated 10.04.2026, effective from the June 2026 session), the official CSEET FAQs, and the official restructured CSEET syllabus — all published on the ICSI CSEET pages and fetched on 2026-09-28.

CSEET is the entry test for the Company Secretary course: passing it lets a 10+2 student register for the CS Executive Programme. Graduates, postgraduates, CA Final / CMA Final pass students and CS Foundation pass students are exempt and register for Executive directly.

At a glance
Conducted by Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI)
Sessions Three a year — February, June, October (first week of the month)
Current cycle October 2026 session (e-admit cards out); February 2027 registration closes 31.10.2026
Papers 4 papers, 100 marks each (400 total), over four days
To pass 40% in each paper and 50% aggregate, in one sitting (no carry-forward)
Mode Centre-based, afternoon session
Eligibility Indian national who has passed or is appearing in 10+2 or equivalent
Fees ₹7,500 registration (includes induction programme and online classes) + ₹1,500 exam fee per session

Official sources

Exam pattern

Three subjective papers (3 hours each, 2:30 PM–5:45 PM) plus one OMR paper (2 hours, 2:30 PM–4:45 PM), each with 15 minutes of question-paper reading time. No negative marking in the OMR paper. E-marksheets only; the result stays valid one year, registration three years.

Day Paper Marks Pattern Duration
Day 1 Business Communication 100 Subjective 3 hours
Day 2 Fundamentals of Accounting 100 Subjective 3 hours
Day 3 Economic and Business Environment 100 Subjective 3 hours
Day 4 Business Laws (60) and Management (40) 100 OMR-based 2 hours

Syllabus

  • Paper 1 — Business Communication: essentials of English (grammar, vocabulary, common errors, comprehension and summarising); communication concepts, media, listening and barriers; business correspondence (letters, reports, office notes, emails, notices, agenda and minutes); common business terminologies.
  • Paper 2 — Fundamentals of Accounting: accounting concepts and principles; journal, ledger, trial balance and rectification of errors; bank reconciliation; depreciation; final accounts of sole proprietors; partnership and LLP accounts; company accounts (shares and debentures); accounts of non-profit organisations.
  • Paper 3 — Economic and Business Environment: Part A Economics (50) — demand and supply, national income, Union Budget, Indian financial markets, Indian economy; Part B Business Environment (50) — entrepreneurship, business environment and ease of doing business, NITI Aayog / MCA / SEBI / RBI / IBBI / CCI / NCLT, global organisations, environmental governance, AI in business, corporate governance.
  • Paper 4 — Business Laws and Management: elements of company law, contracts, partnership and LLP, sale of goods, negotiable instruments (60); management concepts, functions (planning, organising, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, budgeting), Fayol and Taylor principles (40).

How to prepare (free, in order)

  1. Start with Paper 2 accounting — it is entirely new for most 10+2 non-commerce students and carries 100 subjective marks (see Accounting and business basics).
  2. Build Paper 1 English daily: grammar and vocabulary plus one comprehension passage, using ICSI's free study material.
  3. Cover Paper 3 from the Union Budget, NCERT economics and ICSI material; track regulators (RBI, SEBI, MCA) through their own sites.
  4. Learn Paper 4 as bare-acts logic (contracts, NI Act, company basics) plus management functions; practise the OMR paper against the clock since it is 100 marks in 2 hours.

Free resources