SOF International Company Secretaries Olympiad (ICSO) exam is conducted in partnership with The Institute of Company Secretaries of India. It was started with the sole goal of promoting subjects like Science, Mathematics, English, Computer Education, General Knowledge and Professional Courses.

What is ICSO?

• SOF International Company Secretaries Olympiad (ICSO) exam is conducted in partnership with The Institute of Company Secretaries of India, which is basically a statutory body under the administrative control of The Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi.
• Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) is primarily an educational organisation that promotes academic competition and helps in instilling a competitive spirit in school children.
• It was started by prominent academicians, media personalities and scientists with the sole goal of promoting subjects like Science, Mathematics, English, Computer Education, General Knowledge and Professional Courses.
• The ICSO exam initiated by the foundation makes the process of learning interesting and interactive, wherein you are able to put your skills, memory, talent and knowledge to the test.

How to apply

Eligibility Criteria for ICSO

• All students belonging to Classes 11 and 12 from Commerce, Science and Humanities stream are eligible to appear for the International Company Secretaries Olympiad (ICSO).
• The foundation does not have any other eligibility criteria like minimum marks for the exam.

Registration for ICSO

• The SOF ICSO can be given by students of classes 11 and 12.
• The prospectus that includes the registration forms are sent to all schools registered with SOF as per the scheduled time.
• Schools that are not registered with the foundation can also request for a prospectus by sending across an email at [email protected]/ or by making a phone call. The respective schools need to return the registration forms to SOF.
• The coordinating teacher of the school generates your roll number.
• A copy of these roll numbers clubbed with the Students' Registration Sheet (SRS) and School Registration Form (SRF) will be sent to the Foundation's office, after they are filled in and completed, by the due date.
• The foundation then registers the students and the applicant school.
• The question papers and guidelines for conducting the examination are also dispatched.
• As per the guidelines, any school can get registered as a center for SOF ICSO and there is absolutely no fee required from the institution to become a registered examination centre.
• However, there needs to be a registration of a minimum of 5 students for SOF ICSO from each school for feasibility reasons.
• You can register through your school only, as any kind of individual registrations is not accepted.

Application Fee for ICSO

• For registration, there is a charge of Rs 125 including 18% GST, for the examination and that amount is payable if you belong to a school in India, Nepal, Bangladesh or Bhutan.
• Exceptions are made, if you are suffering from any major physical disabilities or if your parent was martyred during defence operations.
• Additionally, the school can also collect an amount upto Rs 25 for the purpose of the honorarium of the incharge, remuneration given to teachers, study material supplied by SOF and other miscellaneous expenses.

Admit Card for ICSO

SOF would be uploading the admit card for The International Company Secretaries Olympiad on its official site http://www.sofworld.org/icso soon. Please note that the server of the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOFWORLD), could be slow or there may be a problem due to overload. For that reason, it is advisable to not wait until the last date for downloading the admit card for ICSO exam.

Exam Dates for ICSO

Update you as soon as possible.

Syllabus for ICSO

Section 1: Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning

Section 2: Economics

Section 3: Business Studies

Section 4: Accountancy

Section – 5:

1. Higher order thinking questions (Syllabus as per Section-2, Section-3 and Section-4)

Class-12 Syllabus

Section 1: Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning

Section 2: Economics

Section 3: Business Studies

Section 4: Accountancy

Section – 5:

1. Higher order thinking questions (Syllabus as per Section-2, Section-3 and Section-4)

Exam Pattern for ICSO

• The ICSO test is conducted during school hours in your school.
• The exam is a written test of 60 minutes, which includes 50 objective-type (multiple choice) questions for Class 11 and Class 12.
• There are separate question papers for each class.
• The medium of the test is English.
• For setting the test papers, CBSE, ICSE/ISC and State Board syllabi are followed.

Here is the detailed exam pattern for the ICSO:

It’s for a total of 60 marks and this exam pattern is applicable for classes 11th and 12th.

How to prepare

Preparation Tips for ICSO

• Practice is the key: Practice as much as you can. 70% of your ICSO preparation comprises of practice. Agarwal offers over 3.5 lakh questions in our question bank to help you learn and strengthen concepts in each chapter.
• Take All-India Level mock tests: Give time-bound mock tests in a completely exam-like environment to improve your efficiency at attempting questions. Agarwal offers an All-India Test Series that lets you compete with other students from all over India.
• Clear all your doubts: Don't get stuck with doubts. Discuss and clarify them with Subject Experts at Agarwal to get an instant reply.
• Study from the best sources: NCERT and several recommended books for ICSO are the minimum resources you need. Agarwal offers the best study material from all over the web to help you prepare better.
• Revision is important: When you go through a formula or concept, maintain revision notes in the form of bullet points. Revision will be useful when the exam is close and a good revision pattern will take less time. Normally, without these notes, you would have to go through the entire chapter to understand important points once again.