CS Executive Syllabus: Papers, Topics and Exam Pattern

CS executive syllabus at a glance

ICSI itself advises clearing Group 1 first, because those papers lay the foundation that Group 2 builds on. There are no electives at this level.

CS executive exam pattern and passing rules

• Format: Written answers in an exam hall. Most papers mix case based questions, which carry about 20 marks of objective items, with longer descriptive answers. Reports say Paper 4 is fully descriptive because it is built on numerical problems.
• Time: Three hours per paper, plus the 15 extra minutes ICSI added when the current scheme began.
• Passing: At least 40% in every paper of a group and 50% on the aggregate of that group.
• Options: You can write one group in a session or both groups together.

A group is cleared as a unit. Scoring 70 in one paper does not rescue a 35 in another, so a weak paper must be raised to 40 before you can bank the group.

Group 1 papers: what each one covers

Paper 1: Jurisprudence, Interpretation and General Laws

• Sources of law, the Constitution of India, interpretation of statutes
• Administrative law, torts, civil and criminal procedure, evidence
• Specific relief, limitation, arbitration, mediation and conciliation
• Stamp law, registration of documents, RTI, IT law
• Contract, sale of goods, negotiable instruments

Paper 2: Company Law and Practice

• Types of companies, memorandum and articles, share capital, members
• Debt instruments, charges, dividends, accounts and audit
• Compromises and amalgamations, inspection and investigation
• Part II: general meetings, directors, board and committee meetings, CSR, annual report, key managerial personnel

Paper 3: Setting Up of Business, Industrial and Labour Laws

• Choosing a business form: company, LLP, startup, MSME, non corporate entities
• Financial services bodies, collaborations, foreign company branches, registrations and licences
• Part II: labour codes, wages, social security, industrial relations, workplace welfare, prevention of sexual harassment

Paper 4: Corporate Accounting and Financial Management

• Accounting standards, share capital and debentures, consolidation, cash flow, financial statement analysis
• Part II: time value of money, capital budgeting, cost of capital, capital structure, dividend policy, working capital, costing and break even

Group 2 papers: securities, commercial law and tax

Paper 5: Capital Market and Securities Laws

• Primary and secondary markets, the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, SEBI, depositories, intermediaries, IFSCA
• Part II: issue of securities, listing obligations, takeovers, insider trading, unfair trade practices, buyback and delisting, mutual funds

Paper 6: Economic, Commercial and Intellectual Property Laws

• FEMA, foreign direct and overseas investment, external commercial borrowings, foreign trade policy, SEZs
• FCRA, money laundering, fugitive economic offenders, benami law
• Competition law, consumer protection, legal metrology, real estate regulation
• Part II: patents, trade marks, copyright, geographical indications, designs

Paper 7: Tax Laws and Practice

• Income tax: residential status, exempt income, salary, house property, business, capital gains and other sources, clubbing, losses, deductions, taxation of companies and other entities, procedures
• Part II: GST levy, supply, valuation, input tax credit and compliance, plus an overview of customs

Which papers need the most time

Students usually find Paper 4 and Paper 7 the heaviest, because both need regular numerical practice that cannot be crammed. Paper 2 is long, but it rewards steady reading of the Companies Act sections and rules. Paper 1 covers many separate laws, so short notes per Act work better than reading textbook chapters again and again.

A study order for one group per session

1. Months 1 to 2: Paper 2 and Paper 4 side by side, one law and one numerical paper.
2. Months 3 to 4: Paper 3 and Paper 1, writing answers in the structure ICSI's suggested answers follow: provision, facts, conclusion.
3. Month 5: Two full revision rounds and timed papers of three hours each, including the case based objective section.
4. Month 6: ICSI's past question papers and suggested answers for every paper, then weak areas.

Repeat the same rhythm for Group 2, pairing Paper 7 with Paper 5 and finishing with Paper 6. Use the ICSI study material as your main text, since questions follow it closely, and read amendments announced for the session.

Before you register for the Executive programme

Most students reach this stage by passing the CS Executive Entrance Test (CSEET). ICSI lists some categories exempt from it, so check whether your qualification is one of them. Once registered, you must also complete the Pre-Examination Test and the training or e-learning components ICSI specifies before you can enrol for the exam. ICSI revises these requirements now and then, so read them on the ICSI website at the time of registration.

Comparing commerce routes? See the CA foundation syllabus or see other professional and entrance papers in entrance exams.