Company Secretaryship course is divided into three sections. Foundation, Intermediate and Final. After the final exam the candidate has to undergo practical training.

Foundation course 
Duration of Foundation Course is 8 months. Students are required to pass the Foundation examination within 3 years from the date of their admission. Candidates who have passed senior secondary (10+2)  can apply for foundation course. Registration for foundation course is open through out the year. The exams for the foundation course are held in December and June. To appear for the exams in December candidate should apply for the exam before the previous march. Similarly to appear for the June exam, candidate should apply before the previous September. i.e the Registration for each examination should be done at least nine months before the month in which the examination is held. 

Subjects 

English and Business Communication (FCEBC)
Basic Economics and Business Environment (FCBE-BE)
Financial Accounting (FCFA)
Elements of Business Laws and Management (FERBAM)
Information Systems and Quantitative Techniques (FCISQT)

Intermediate course

Candidates who have passed the foundation course, and are not less than 17 years of age  can apply for intermediate course. Graduates, post-graduates (excluding fine arts) and those who have passed final exam of  ICWAI or ICAI or of any other accountancy Institution in India or abroad recognised by the Council of the Institute can directly enroll to  the intermediate course without doing foundation course. Intermediate course consist of two groups. Candidates registered for intermediate course including the month of February in a year are eligible for appearing in both the groups of the Intermediate examination held in December of that year and those registered up to and including the month of August in a year are eligible to appear in the Intermediate examination held in June of next year.

Subjects

  Group I
General and Commercial Laws (IGCL)
Company Accounts and Cost & Management Accounting (ICA&CMA)
Tax Laws (ITL)
Management Information Systems and Corporate Communication (IMIS&CC)

Group II
Company Law (ICL)
Company Secretarial Practice (ICSP)
Economic, Labour and Industrial Laws (IELIL)
Securities Laws and Regulation of Financial Markets (ISLRFM)

A candidate can get exemption for some individual papers on the basis of qualification - 
1.Company Accounts and Cost & Management Accounting (ICA&CMA) - Master of Corporate Secretaryship/M.Com./M.B.A (with Accountancy as one of the subjects at B.A (C.S)/B.Com. level with full paper in Cost Accounting/Management Accounting/Financial Management at Master of Corporate Secretaryship/M.Com./M.B.A. level and must have secured fifty per cent marks in the subject concerned of a recognised university is exempted from this subject .
2. General and Commercial Laws (IGCL) - A degree in Law or Master of Corporate Secretaryship is exempted from this subject.
3. Tax Laws(ITL) - Master of Corporate Secretaryship is exempted from this subject.

A Candidate who has passed the Final examination of the ICWAI is eligible to seek exemption from the following papers of Intermediate examination under a reciprocal arrangement existing at present between the two Institutes- Company Accounts and Cost & Management Accounting (ICA&CMA), Tax Laws(ITL)in the  intermediate level.  Financial, Treasury and Forex Management, Direct and Indirect Taxation - Law and Practice in the final level. 

Final course

A student is admitted to the Final examination only after a minimum period of nine  months after passing intermediate examination. The examinations are conducted twice a year in June and December. Last date for enrolment applications for the final examination is 25th March (with late fee of Rs. 100, 9th April) for June examination and 25th September (with late fee of Rs. 100, 10th October) for December examination.

Subjects:
Group I
Advanced Company Law and Practice (FACLP)
Secretarial Practice relating to Economic Laws and Drafting and Conveyancing (FSPELDC)
Secretarial Management and Systems Audit (FSMSA)

Group II
Financial, Treasury and Forex Management (FFTFM)
Corporate Restructuring-Law and Practice (FCRLP)
Banking and Insurance-Law and Practice (FBILP)

Group III
WTO-International Trade, Joint Ventures and Foreign Collaborations (FWTO)
Direct and Indirect Taxation-Law and Practice (FDITLP)
Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations (FHRMIR)

Training 
A candidate who has passed the Final examination of the Institute is required to possess the practical experience and undergo the practical training. The objectives of training is to apprise the students with the functioning of the Corporate Sector and to create a cadre of professional Company Secretaries having a sound theoretical base and practical exposure to serve trade and industry effectively, both as a part of the management team as well as independent practicing professionals. Students who do not possess the specified practical experience are required to undergo on the job training for a period of fifteen months in recognised companies or under a Company Secretary in Practice duly approved for the purpose.

Examination Centres: Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Baroda, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Ernakulam, Ghaziabad, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jamshedpur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Madurai, Mangalore, Modinagar, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panaji, Patna, Pondicherry, Pune, Ranchi, Shimla, Jammu/Srinagr, Tiruchirapalli, Thiruvananthapuram & Visakhapatnam.