How to pass CS Professional - Interview with Kiran, Raja Nila & Srijit Kurup

1.       Hearty Congratulations on CS Professional successfully. How long it took for you to clear the entire course?

 

Kiran: I started this course in Dec 2017 and completed all modules of professional in Dec 2021. It took me 4 years to complete this course.

Raja Nila: Thanks a lot. Actually I started my CS journey in the year 2016 and I have completed it by December 2021. But my success has been definitely delayed by a year due to covid factors.

 

2.       Where did you do your training? How did you manage work and studies?

 

Kiran:I did my training in P. Sriram and Associates. I am not a night person, so I made sure I studied at least 2 hours daily in the morning before work during work days and during the study leave I made sure I utilized the maximum time and I made up a schedule and stuck to it.

 

3.       First Module of CS Professional -please tell us subject wise how to prepare and present.

Kiran: 

GRMCE paper – This subject consists of four parts of which Risk management and compliance covers 30 marks, I made sure I am thorough in these 30 marks and for the governance part there are 11 chapters which I covered based on the scanner weightage and previous years repeated questions which covers 50 marks. With regard to various countries governance aspects try to make notes of every country to a five mark answer and then study that which will be easier to complete.  While presenting answers I wrote everything point wise and kept it as precise as possible.

 

Tax paper – Apart from ICSI material I followed Bangars Tax laws book both for GST, Customs and Direct Tax. Make sure to practice GST sums as much as possible and be thorough with the provisions of the law. Concentrate on Customs equally as questions can be asked from customs beyond the weightage given (which is 10 marks).

 

Drafting paper – This is where we can score more. Initially read the book completely twice and understand the drafts. Practice drafts on your own repeatedly which will make it easy to remember points for each draft as well as manage the time constraint in the exam.

Raja Nila: 

Corporate governance : This paper has been divided into 3 parts. The concept of Risk management and Ethics should be covered first as you can score more in this area. Don’t omit even a single lesson and use institute material only. 

Advance Tax Laws : This paper is too vast , so start preparing and practicing this paper from day 1. Apart from institute material , I referred Bangar's Tax Laws book for this paper and it helped me a lot. Practicing sums are also equally important so that you will get time management. Don’t omit theory part in Direct tax portion. 

Drafting : Drafting will be the scoring paper for almost everyone. The main thing is practice and draft at least one document or letter daily. The paper will be lengthy and if you have writing and drafting practices daily then it will be easy for you to give your best within 3 hours. But don’t omit any theory part. Pleadings part will be some what tough so revise it well twice or thrice before exams.

4.       Second module- This module you had cleared recently; This group has been pretty challenging for many students. Why? How did you prepare and present for this module?

 Kiran:

This module was indeed a challenge for me as I could not clear this in first attempt. The reason why I found it challenging was this module requires more in-depth knowledge on various aspects of Company law, SEBI etc. and various case laws and case studies are also a part of the syllabus and covering the entire syllabus requires more time compared to the other two groups.

 

SACMDD paper – The paper had two parts – first part consisted of 40 marks and seven chapters , which I decided to be thorough on and the second part of 60 marks I prepared based on the previous year question paper weightage and questions.

 

CRILW paper – I focused more on the Insolvency part which covered 50% and for the first part I made sure to have knowledge on mergers and amalgamations (Section 230-240 of Companies Act)

 

RCD paper – This paper was actually a challenge as it had many case laws and provisions of various Acts. I made sure to study all the major case laws as questions were asked from it.

Raja Nila: 

To be frank , I got exactly 150 in this module and yes , it has been pretty challenging for me too. To begin with Secretarial audit , it will be very easy to study but as it is the core paper for our profession, I think the valuation may be some what strict in this particular paper and scoring in this paper is quite challenging. Next coming to Corporate restructuring and insolvency, first try to cover the insolvency portion thoroughly as it is a new concept for us ( So that we have only basics and very easy to cover ) Part A is very vast but you should not omit even a single lesson. All are equally important and practice some sums from CS executive book ( company accounts book ) The last one is Resolution of corporate disputes. This paper has many Case laws. The book seems to be small but quite tough. Practice case laws as much as possible. Try to remember sections for this particular paper. Revision is very important for this paper. 

5.       Third module – Please share your inputs paper wise. Open book exam how to approach?

 Kiran:

CFLSE paper - I focused on listing part as it covered 40 marks and to be thorough in SEBI(LODR) and SEBI(ICDR) regulations as these were the prime areas which were tested in the exam.

 

MDCS paper – I followed Inspire academy notes and the ICSI material. Make sure to take as many bare acts as possible as the Question No: 1 can be asked from any area (In my attempt it came from Labor law, since my elective paper was also labor law it was easy as I had the ICSI material in hand). Questions 2-6 will be from the ICSI material based on the case studies and the additional case study given the back of the material.

 

The format to write answer in the exam:

1)      Brief Facts – Facts to be written from the question given

2)      Decision – Decision as given by the Court or Tribunal for that particular case law

3)      Reason – The reasons for passing the judgment

4)      Conclusion – As per your thoughts whether the person can appeal or cannot appeal for the given case

 

Elective Paper was Labor law for which I followed ICSI material and previous year question Papers

Raja Nila : 

Corporate funding and Listing: First cover the Part B ( listing ) . This will be the scoring part. ICDR portions will be too vast but don’t omit anything. Just try to understand the concepts thoroughly as questions will be surely asked from this portion. 

MCS : In this paper , all the case laws will be asked from the institute material only. Don’t forget to go through the supplements issued by ICSI at least once. Prepare index . The main thing is to find out the case laws from the book. I used YES academy material for format and it will be very easy to study. The open book paper will always be too lengthy and so the time management will be the key factor. The main thing is how much you present it within the given 3 hours. 

Elective paper : My elective paper was labor laws and practice. Most of the questions asked are direct from institute material. I referred my executive book too ( Industrial labor law – old syllabus). Prepare index and take bare Act with you. Quote case laws as much as possible

 

Srijit Kurup

For Tax Vivek Gaba is the best ( Hindi ). Virtual videos

For Drafting,  i used to study from Book called drafting chalisa  ( by Praveen Chaudhary)

I used to study the formats of deeds,  Agreement etc from this book only..

For Elective subject of Insurance,  i covered the study material only and Study material  helped me a lot

6.       What is your future career plans?

Kiran:

Future career plan is to gain enough experience and network and start my own firm and guide aspiring students to become Company Secretaries.

Raja Nila: 

I am planning to go for employment for the next few years and gain experience and knowledge. Then thought of setting up my own office .