CS Professional Exam Pattern: The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has outlined the exam pattern for the CS Professional exams in December 2025 on its official website, icsi.edu. This CS Professional exam pattern provides crucial information about how the exams will be conducted.
It covers details such as the exam format, duration, the number of modules, the types of questions in each paper, and the marking scheme. It's essential for candidates preparing for the CS Professional exams to familiarize themselves with this pattern before creating their study plans. Moreover, the CS Professional exam for 2025, December session, comprises 9 papers, with one of them being elective. What's interesting is that the Multidisciplinary Case Studies and one of the 8 elective papers will be open-book exams, meaning candidates can refer to their study materials during the test. This flexibility allows candidates to choose an elective paper that aligns with their preferences and interests. Suppose you're looking for the most up-to-date and detailed information on the CS Professional exam pattern, including the marking scheme and other details. In that case, this article will be a valuable resource for you.
CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025
The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) sets the guidelines for the CS Professional exam. If you're getting ready for this exam, it's essential to understand the CS Professional exam pattern 2025. This includes details like how the exam is conducted, the types of questions, how many questions there are, the marking system, and how long the exam lasts. Recently, ICSI introduced a new syllabus for the CS Professional exam in 2022, which reduced the number of study modules. The first exam under this new syllabus took place in June 2024.
CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 Overview
Check the table below for a quick overview of the CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 .
| ICSI CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 Overview |
| Particulars |
Details |
| Organization |
Institute of Company Secretaries of India |
| Exam Name |
CS Professional Exam |
| Category |
Syllabus & Exam Pattern |
| Frequency of Conduct |
2 times a year |
| Exam Duration |
3 Hours |
| No. of Modules |
Three Modules (New Syllabus) |
| Total Papers |
9 (8 compulsory and 1 elective) |
| Marking Scheme |
- Two marks for each correct answer
- No negative marking
|
| No. of Questions |
50 questions per paper |
| Nature of Questions |
Descriptive (Papers 8 and 9 are open-book exams) |
| Mode of Exam |
Offline, i.e. Pen Paper-Based |
| Languages |
English |
| Official Website |
icsi.edu |
CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025
The CS Professional Exam consists of three parts, each with three subjects. Check the below section for complete information on the CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025:
CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 Module 1:
- Governance, Risk Management, Compliances, and Ethics
- Advanced Tax laws
- Drafting, Pleadings, and Appearances
CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 Module 2:
- Secretarial Audit, Compliance Management, and Due Diligence
- Corporate Restructuring, Insolvency, Liquidation, and Winding-up
- Resolution of Corporate Disputes, Non-Compliances, and Remedies
CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 Module 3:
- Corporate Funding and Listing in Stock Exchanges
- Multidisciplinary Case Studies
- Elective Subject (of your choice)
This structure simplifies the CS Professional Exam, which consists of three modules, each with three subjects. Module 1 focuses on governance, tax laws, and legal skills. Module 2 covers auditing, corporate restructuring, and dispute resolution. Module 3 includes topics related to finance, case studies, and an elective subject. Check the table below for a better understanding of the CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025:
| ICSI CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 |
| Modules |
Paper Name |
No. of Marks |
Duration |
| Module 1 |
Governance, Risk Management, Compliances and Ethics |
100 |
3 hr |
| Advanced Tax laws |
100 |
3 hr |
| Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances |
100 |
3 hr |
| Module 2 |
Secretarial Audit, Compliance Management and Due Diligence |
100 |
3 hr |
| Corporate Reconstructing, Insolvency, Liquidation and winding up |
100 |
3 hr |
| Resolution of Corporate Disputes, Non- Compliances, and Remedies |
100 |
3 hr |
| Module 3 |
Corporate Funding and Listing in Stock Exchanges |
100 |
3 hr |
| Multidisciplinary Case Studies |
100 |
3 hr |
| Elective Subject (1 out of 8) of module 3 |
Banking- Law, and Practice |
100 |
3 hr |
| Insurance- Law and Practice |
| Intellectual Property Rights- Laws and Practice |
| Forensic Audit |
| Direct Tax Laws and Practice |
| Labour Laws and Practice |
| Valuations and Business Modelling |
| Insolvency- Law and Practice |
CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 Mode and Medium
ICSI, the organization that oversees the CS Professional exams, has decided to hold these exams in a traditional offline format. They have also made public the list of exam centres where the December 2025 exams will take place. Importantly, candidates have the flexibility to answer the exam questions in either English or Hindi, whichever language they are more comfortable with.
CS Professional Marking Scheme 2025
In the CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025, there's some good news for candidates. You won't lose any marks for wrong answers, as there's no negative marking. Instead, for every correct answer you provide, you'll earn two marks. This means you can attempt questions without worrying about deductions for incorrect responses.
CS Professional Passing Criteria 2025
In the CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025, ICSI has established specific minimum scores that candidates need to reach in order to pass the exams. These scores are set differently for each section of the exam, and there's also an overall passing requirement. In simple terms, candidates must achieve these minimum passing marks to qualify for the CS Professional 2025 exams.
| ICSI CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 Passing Criteria |
| Particulars |
Cut-off Percentage |
| Sectional Cut-off/ Paper |
40% |
| Overall CS Professional Cut-off |
50% |
CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 Distribution of Marks as Per New Syllabus
Check the below table here for the Distribution of marks as per the new syllabus:
| CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 Distribution of Marks as Per New Syllabus (2024) |
| CS Professional New Syllabus |
Marks Distribution |
| Governance, Risk Management, Compliances and Ethics |
Part I: Governance (50 Marks) Part II: Risk Management (20 Marks) Part III: Compliance (20 Marks) Part IV: Ethics & Sustainability (10 Marks) |
| Secretarial Audit, Compliance Management and Due Diligence |
Part I: Compliance Management (40 Marks) Part II: Secretarial Audit &Due Diligence (60 Marks) |
| Corporate Funding and Listings in Stock Exchanges |
Part-A: Corporate Funding (60 Marks) Part B: Listing (40 Marks) |
| Advanced Tax Laws |
Part I: GST and Customs Laws
- Goods and Service Tax ‘GST’ (60 Marks)
- Customs Law (10 Marks)
Part II: Direct Tax & International Taxation (30 Marks) |
| Corporate Restructuring, Insolvency, Liquidation and Winding-up |
Part I: Corporate Restructuring (50 Marks) Part II: Insolvency& Liquidation (50 Marks) |
| Multidisciplinary Case Studies |
Multidisciplinary Case Studies(Max Marks 100) |
| Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances |
Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances(100 Marks) |
| Resolution of Corporate Disputes, Non– Compliances and Remedies |
Resolution of Corporate Disputes, Non-Compliances & Remedies (Max Marks 100) |
| Elective papers |
Banking – Law & Practice(Max Marks 100) Insurance – Law & Practice (Max Marks 100) Intellectual Property Rights: Laws and Practices (Max Marks 100) Labour Laws& Practice(Max Marks 100) Insolvency – Law and Practice(Max Marks 100) |
List of CS Professional Elective Papers
In the CS Professional Exam 2025, the 9th paper is unique because it's elective, meaning you get to choose it. When you fill out the CS Professional Exam Form, you can pick one subject out of five options for this paper. What's interesting is that Paper 9 is an open-book exam, which means you can refer to your study materials during the test. Here are the five subjects you can choose from:
- Banking - Law and Practice
- Insurance - Law and Practice
- Intellectual Property Rights – Laws and Practices
- Labour Laws and Practice
- Insolvency – Law and Practice
This flexibility allows you to select the subject that aligns best with your interests or strengths.
CS Professional Syllabus 2025
As per the official notification related to the CS Professional Exam Pattern 2025 and CS Professional Syllabus , ICSI has made an important change. They have discontinued the old syllabus for all levels of the CS examination. If you were previously enrolled under the CS Professional old syllabus (2012), it's now mandatory for you to transition to the new syllabus introduced in 2017. This change aligns with the updates made for the June 2022 session. Therefore, it's crucial for candidates to double-check the new syllabus and start preparing based on it. This ensures that you are up to date with the latest content and requirements.
CS Professional Question Papers 2025
ICSI offers a valuable resource for future CS Professional exam takers. After conducting the exams, they make the CS Professional Question Papers available on their official website. It's highly recommended for aspiring candidates to review these question papers. Doing so gives them insights into the types of questions that are typically asked and a sense of the exam's structure. By looking at the previous year's question papers, candidates can identify important topics and plan their study strategies more effectively. This can be a key part of preparing for success in the CS Professional exams.
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