ICSI CSEET 2022- Admit Card (Available), How to Download, Exam Dates, Exam Pattern

What is CSEET?

 “ICSI CSEET is the qualifying entrance test for registration to the CS Executive Programme” conducted by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. This test is conducted 4 times in a year, mostly in the months of January, May, July & November. It’s a national level examination. The language of the examination is English and the purpose of conducting this exam is to train and certify the candidates who aspire to become Company Secretaries.

CSEET Earlier Notification

Considering the ongoing Pandemic, the mode of conduct of the entrance test was changed from test centres to Remote/ Online Mode. The CSEET  was conducted through REMOTE Proctored Mode instead of conducting through test centres.

ICSI CSEET 2022 Eligibility Criteria

A candidate should check the eligibility criteria before applying for CSEET. For being eligible, the candidate needs to meet the minimum criteria of qualification laid down by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

• A candidate passed / appearing in the Senior Secondary (10+2) Examination or equivalent thereto is eligible to appear in the CSEET.
• All Graduates/ Post Graduates who were hitherto eligible for registration directly to CS Executive Programme, are also required to pass the CSEET to become eligible for registration to Executive Programme.
• Candidates of Indian Nationality can only apply for this test and candidates from foreign nationality are not eligible for the same.
• Candidate below the age of 17 years is also not eligible for appearing in the test.

But there are some exemptions for appearing in CSEET

• Candidates who have passed CS Foundation Programme are exempted from CSEET without any payment of exemption fee.

• Candidates who have passed the Final Examination of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and/or The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) are exempted from CSEET 

Important dates

The CS Executive Entrance Examination was to be conducted on 07^th May 2022 and for June session , it is to be conducted from June 01, 2022. The July session CSEET will be conducted on 09^th July 2022.

The admit card for ICSI CSEET 2022 May session is available on the official website from April 28, 2022 in online mode. Candidates can now download the admit card by entering their registration number and date of birth.

Dates	January 2022 session	May 2022 session	July 2022 session	November  2022 session
Registration start date	October 16, 2021	December 16, 2021 (Started)	April 18, 2022	June 16, 2022
Registration last date	December 15, 2021	April 15, 2022	June 15, 2022	October 15, 2022
Admit Card	December 29, 2021	April 28, 2022	To be announced	To be announced
Mock Test	January 4, 2022	May 4, 2022	To be announced	To be announced
Exam Dates	January 8, 2022	May 7, 2022	July 9, 2022	To be announced
Result date	January 19, 2022	To be announced	To be announced	To be announced

Steps for ICSI CSEET 2022 Registration

1. Opening of website of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India

In order to get registered , first open the website www.icsi.edu  in any web browser

2. Second step would be to click on the icon appearing as “Online Services” on the page opened 

3. After clicking on this button, a dropdown menu will start getting appearing showing different options of all online services being provided by the Institute. Out of all these, we have to click on the “CSEET registration” option.

4.  After clicking the CSEET Registration option, following window will appear with a lot of options and text including certain guidelines, instructions etc

5. Before proceeding further , the student has to ensure that soft copies of the following documents are ready and available in the same computer through which the registration is being done

• Photograph of the candidate
• Signature of the candidate
• Category Certificate (for availing Fee Concession)

6. Guidelines given by the Institute need to be followed before going further  

• All the files should be present in one of the following formats(jpg, jpeg, png, gif, bmp,pdf). 
• The maximum allowed file size is 2 MBs. 
• File size of student photo should be between 20kb to 50kb. 
• File Size of student signature should be between 10kb to 20kb. 

7. Tick the options in the appropriate boxes and proceed further and click the button proceed for registration. After clicking, a new page will be opened

8. All Basic details are required to be filled, which includes following

• Qualification
• Aadhar Card Number
• Title Mr./Ms./Mrs/Mx 
• First Name
• Middle Name
• Last Name
• Gender 
• Category
• Date of Birth 
• Nationality
• Mobile Number
• Re-enter Mobile Number 
• Email Address
• Re-Enter Email Address
• CSEET Exam Center 
• Full Address including Country, State/ Province, District, City, Postal Code 

After filling all the details, click on the next button

9. After this a new page will appear showing following options

After entering the basic details, a unique request id will be generated which the student has to take into account.

The confirmation will be sent to the registered mobile number.

10. After noting the registration number, click the next button

11. Then the next information to be filled includes the details regarding fees for CSEET

12. The Registration Fees for appearing in CSEET is Rs.1,000/- (Rupees One Thousand Only) per student per appearance.

ICSI CSEET 2022 Fees schedule- Category wise

Category	Payable fee	Concession %
SC/ST	Rs 500/-	50%
Physically Handicapped	Rs 500/-	50%
Serving / Retired Personnel of Defence Services andParamilitary Forces	Rs 500/-	50%
Students from the North Eastern States, Andaman &Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep & Himachal Pradesh	Rs 500/-	50%
ICSI Staff and Wards / Spouse of ICSI Staff	Rs 250/-	75%
General/OBC	Rs 1000/-	0%
Wards and Widows of Martyrs and Defence ServicePersonnel with Permanent Disability	Nil	100%
ICLS Officers/ Officers & Staff of MCA and affiliatedoffices (NCLT, SFIO and CCI)	Nil	100%
Students from the Union Territories of Jammu &Kashmir and Ladakh	Nil	100%

After entering the fees amount, click on the next button

13. Uploading of Mandatory Documents

a. Photo

b. Signatures

c. ID Proof

d. DOB Certificate

e. 10+2 Marksheet/ Certificate

Rest will depend upon the type of category of student who is applying for.

14. Undertaking given on the page has to be ticked by the student before proceeding further. After that click on the option given as “Next” to proceed further.

15. Next Step would be preview of Application made by the student to cross check all the details entered by the student.

16. Then Click on the confirmation button to proceed further

17. After this, another screen will appear which will include the Payment options

Several payment methods can be utilized to pay the registration fees for CSEET 2021. The CSEET registration fees 2021 can be paid using online means. Candidates need to pay the fees for CSEET 2021 using the following payment methods.

1. Axis Bank- Credit/Debit Card
2. Kotak Bank- Credit/Debit Card, Internet Banking, UPI, Wallets
3. Bill Desk- Credit/Debit Card, Internet Banking, Wallets, Cash Cards, UPI
4. Challan- Challan can be generated at any branch of Canara Bank

The Steps for ICSI CSEET 2022 Registration fees payment are as given below:

• Choose the preferred payment method
• You will be redirected to a payment gateway
• Fill in the required payment details
• Pay the fees for CSEET 2021.

A transaction id will be generated and informed to candidate.

18. After Payment, final step of registration will be completed. Candidates will be notified through SMS or email regarding the final registration. The schedule for appearing in CSEET will be informed over email.

Modes of appearing in ICSI CSEET 2022 Test

Candidates are allowed to appear for the test through their own laptop/ desktop from home/such other convenient place. Candidates shall not be allowed to appear through smart phone (mobile)/tablet etc.

What is REMOTE Proctored Mode?

This type of mode of examination means writing the exam in a remote area/ location. The integrity of the exam has to be ensured. All the prerequisites of the normal mode of exam has to be maintained in parallel.

Also this mode facilitates the monitoring of students sitting at a remote location. This means that they can be monitored through video mode also.

What are the essentials to be ensured for this mode of examination?

• Students can use their own laptop/ computers for appearing in this exam
• Students can decide their location for appearing in this test
• Students are not allowed to use smart phones for appearing in this test
• Uninterrupted power supplies are to be arranged by the students themselves
• Ensuring continuous internet connectivity will also be the responsibility of the students

Technical Requirements/ Specifications for REMOTE Proctored Mode of CSEET examination

1. Time limits-

• Logging into portal 30 mins before the time specified for the commencement of the test.
• No candidate will be allowed to enter into test after lapse of 15 mins of commencement of test
• Students cannot leave before expiry of 90 mins of commencement of test

2. Reference Material not allowed

• Any book/ study material is not allowed to be kept by any student during test
• Handwritten/ printed notes area also not allowed
• Any electronic device such as smartphones/ pagers/ digital diary/ scientific or programmable calculator can also not be used
• Additional Laptop and/or Blue tooth devices, Plamtops/Smart Watches or Health bands are not allowed

3. Technical requirements w.r.t. laptops/ desktop being used by the student for appearing in test

ICSI has prescribed various technical specifications w.r.t. 

• type of Windows, 
• operating systems, 
• RAM, 
• Memory, 
• Processor, 
• Web camera, 
• Screen resolution
• Browser to be used 
• Microphone
• Graphics
• Multimedia support
• Internet Connection
• Antivirus and many more

Which need to be checked and confirmed by every student. 

All the relevant  details can be taken from the official notification released by ICSI https://www.icsi.edu/media/webmodules/COMPANY_SECRETARY_EXECUTIVE_ENTRANCE_TEST%20CSEET.pdf 

4. Documents required

A candidate applying for CSEET should also upload certain set of mandatory documents while getting himself registered. The list has been finalised by the ICSI along with the specifications of size, type, version etc.

1. Photograph of the candidate
2. Signature of the candidate
3. Certificate of Date of Birth
4. Admit Card/ Hall ticket if appearing in 10+2 examination
5. Pass Certificate of 10+2 examination
6. Category certificate applicable to candidate appearing from special category

5. Procedure of Test

• Log in through secured id and password given by ICSI. These will come through email and SMS
• Completing the process of Identity verification. This can be done through facial recognition. Then candidate will be required to submit admit card and other details as required for appearing in the exam
• Candidate can not violate any rules during exam. If it happens then system will automatically collect data. The test will be cancelled immediately. 
• Live proctors would be there. They can chat with the test takers during exam.
• ICSI has also shared helpline numbers for facing any difficulty in examination
• No bio breaks will be allowed during test
• Starting of the test will take place with the “Sign in” option given on the sheet
• Ending of the test will be done when a candidate clicks “End task” option given on the screen
• Navigational instructions will also follow in the same manner i.e. going to previous question, next, marking as read etc
• Test summary will be presented once the candidate clicks the option “End Test”
• Colour Scheme given by ICSI in the test

Questions which are not visited	Marked in white colour
Questions which are not answered	Marked in red colour
Questions which have been answered	Marked in Green Colour
Questions which are not answered and marked for review	Marked in Orange Colour
Questions which are answered and marked	Marked in Blue colour along with tag

Students can change the response for any question  before submitting the test by marking a new response. If the student wants to clear the previous type , then he can click the “clear” button.

Changes in the format of CSEET Exam

Prior to this notification the CSEET was to be conducted including following-

• Computer based test of 120 minutes consisting of various questions 
• Viva Voce of 15 mins on Presentation and Communication Skills

But in this notification, the requirement of Viva Voce has been done away with. 

The new break up for computer based CSEET in MCQ pattern of 140 minutes would be as under

Subject	Questions	1 marks + 2 marks ques	Total marks
Business Communication	35	20 + 15	50
Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning	35	20 + 15	50
Economic and Business Environment	35	20 + 15	50
Current Affairs	35	20 + 15	50
Total	140		200

CSEET Syllabus

Business Communication	Essentials of Good EnglishCommunicationBusiness Correspondence
Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning	Constitution of IndiaIndian Contract Act & Law of TortsElements of Company Secretaries LegislationElements of Company lawLogical ReasoningVerbal ReasoningNon verbal Reasoning
Economic and Business Environment	Basics of Demand and SupplyForms of Market CompetitionNational Income Accounting and related conceptsIndian Union BudgetIndian Financial MarketsIndian EconomyIndian EconomyBusiness EnvironmentKey Government Institutions
Current Affairs and Presentation and Communication Skills	Current Affairs of National and International SignificancePresentation skillsWritten Communication SkillsOral Communication Skills

Paper wise Important Topics and Coverage

Paper	Topic	Important Parts to be Covered
Business Communication	Essentials of Good English	English Grammar and its usage-Noun, Pronouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions, Interjection, Voice, Articles, Tenses, Prefix and Suffix, Punctuations etc.Enriching Vocabulary-Choice of words, Synonyms and Antonyms• Common errors in English• Words with multiple meaning• One word substitution• Words frequently mis-spelt• Homophones• Idioms and phrases• Proverbs• Abbreviations• Para jumbles• Sentence completion• Sentence arrangement• Sentence correction• Foreign words and phrases commonly used• Comprehension of passage and art of Summarizing
	Communication	Concept of Communication, Meaning and Significance ofGood CommunicationBusiness Communication- Principles and ProcessMeans of Communication- Written, Oral, Visual, AudiovisualChoice of Modes of CommunicationCommunication Networks- Vertical, Circuit, Chain, Wheel, StarCommonly used Mediums of Digital Communication- Email,SMS, Voice mail, Multimedia, Teleconferencing, MobilePhone Conversation, Video Conferencing etc.Listening Skills-Types, Purpose, Steps to EffectiveListening, Barriers to Effective Listening and Ways to overcome the BarriersBarriers to Effective Communication and Ways to overcome the Barriers
	Business Correspondence	Business Letters – Its Essentials, Parts, Types, SalutationsPositive Messages, Negative Messages and PersuasiveMessagesBusiness Reports, Inter and Intra-departmentalCommunication- Office Orders, Office Circulars,Memorandum, Office Notes, Management InformationSystem (MIS)Concept of Web, Internet and E-correspondenceIntranet- Benefit and PurposeEmail – Features, Procedure to Write a Formal Email, EmailEtiquettesEssential Elements of Email- Subject line, Formal Greeting,Target Audience (Reader), Clarity and Conciseness, FormalClosing, Proof reading, FeedbackAdvantages and Disadvantages of Email
	Common Business Terminologies	Terms defined under various Laws, Rules and Regulations including Financial and Non-Financial terms and expressions.
Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning	Indian Constitution	Preamble• Citizenship• Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties• Directive Principles of State Policy• State under Constitution• President and GovernorsCouncil of Ministers and Prime Minister•Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and Legislative Assembly,Legislative Council• Supreme Court and High Courts• Landmark Amendment in Constitution• List of subjects-Centre, State and Concurrent
	Elements of General Laws (Indian Contract Act and Law of Torts)	Law of ContractLaw of TortsOffer, Acceptance, Consideration andCompetency to Contract.AgreementTypes of Contract: Void, Voidable, UnenforceablePerformance of ContractFrustration of ContractQuasi ContractBreach of Contract and RemediesBasics of TortsSpecific DefensesNuisance and NegligenceStrict, Absolute and Vicarious LiabilityTrespassMalicious Prosecution
	Elements of Company Secretaries Legislation	Meaning and Nature of Company• Types of Companies• Incorporation of a Company• Types of capital• Board of Directors -(Concept, Appointment andRemoval of Directors)• Board Meetings & Shareholders MeetingsCorporate Social Responsibility• Business Ethics• Ethical Dilemma
	Legal Reasoning	Legal Fundamentals and Terms• Legal Problems – Reading and understanding a case• Legal Terminology and Maxims• Legal Reasoning-(a) Reasoning by Analogy(b) Inductive and Deductive Reasoning• Questions of Fact (or factual issues)• Questions of Law (or legal issues)• Landmark Judgments of Supreme Court and High Court• Reading Comprehension
	Logical Reasoning	Calendars• Cause and Effect Reasoning• Clocks• Coding and Decoding• Deriving Conclusion from Passages• Drawing Inference• Number Test• Sequence and Series• Statement and Assumptions
	Verbal Reasoning	Alphabet Test• Alpha Numeric Sequence Puzzle• Analogy• Assertion and Reason• Blood Relations• Decision Making• Inserting Missing Characters• Logical Sequence Test• Logical Venn Diagram• Number, Ranking and Time Sequence Test• Syllogism• Truth Tellers and Liars
	Non-Verbal Reasoning	Analytical Reasoning• Classification• Completion of Incomplete Pattern• Figure Matrix• Grouping of Identical Figures• Mirror Image• Rule Detection• Numeric and Alphabet Series
Economic and Business Environment	Basics of Demand and Supply and Forms of Market Competition	Theory of Demand and SupplyEquilibrium PriceElasticity of Demand and Supply and other relatedconceptsIncrease and Decrease in Demand and Expansionand Contraction of DemandForms of Market Competition- Monopoly, Duopoly,Oligopoly, Perfect Competition and MonopolisticCompetition
	National Income Accounting and Related Concepts	Meaning and methods to compute National Income• Key variables of National Income (GNP, GDP, NNP,NDP etc.)
	Indian Union Budget	Key terminologies / heads covered under the budgetRevenue and Capital BudgetMajor components of Revenue and Capital BudgetMeaning of Fiscal DeficitComponents/ Variables covered under Fiscal Deficit
	Indian Financial Markets	Overview of Indian Financial EcosystemKey facets of Indian financial systemGrowth of Financial InstitutionsPublic and private sector banksIndustrial Finance Corporation of India, SmallIndustries Development Bank of IndiaRegional Rural BanksCooperative BanksNon-Banking Finance CompaniesBasics of Capital Market: Types of Shares andDebenturesFinancial assistance scenario for Small and MediumEnterprises and Start-Ups.
	Indian Economy	Primary (Agriculture and allied activities)Secondary (Manufacturing)Tertiary (Services):Current scenario of agriculture and allied activities in IndiaAgricultural and Industrial Policies of IndiaCurrent scenario of services sector in IndiaBalance of PaymentsComponents of Balance of PaymentsFavorable and Unfavorable Balance of TradeForeign Investments in India- Types and Flows
	Entrepreneurship Scenario	Government initiatives to foster entrepreneurshipNeed for entrepreneurship in IndiaBottlenecks in entrepreneurial growth
	Business Environment	Overview of Business EnvironmentFeatures and factors influencing business environmentTypes of environment: Economic environment,Socio-cultural environment, Political environment,Legal and Technological environmentEase of Doing Business Index by World Bank forIndia and Department for Promotion of Industry andInternal Trade (DPIIT) for States
	Key Government Institutions	Basic awareness about various institutions and regulatory bodies in India such as NITI Aayog, MCA, SEBI, RBI, IBBI, CCI, NCLT/NCLAT etc
Current Affairs and Presentation and Communication Skills	Current Affairs	Current affairs of national and internationalimportance relating to:• International bodies (ASEAN, BRICS, SAARC, G-20,BIMSTEC, etc.)• Organizations like, RBI, NABARD, CCI, IBBI, IMF,OECD, ADB, World Bank, etc.• Summits and conferences• Current development in Banking and Finance(digital banking, govt. initiatives, financialinclusion, etc.)• Current development in stock markets• Recent important judgments passed by SupremeCourt and High Courts of India, Tribunals• Current affairs related to CS Institute/Professionand regulatory bodies• Current updates on environment, bio-diversity,climate change and sustainable development• Latest developments in science and technology,IT, Computers and Space science• Business personalities and leaders• Committees and appointments• Art and culture• Books and their authors• Awards and honours• Sports• Current political scenario• Initiatives/ schemes of the government• Language and national symbolsGovernance and ethics• International diplomacy
	Listening Skills	Questions based on audio clips– Monologue– Dialogue• Grammar Test• Vocabulary Test
	Written Communication Skills	Writing on a given topic• Correcting a given paragraph• Short Note writing• Essay writing• Precis writing
	Oral Communication Skills	Candidates are expected to:– Answer a question– Speak on a given topic– Explain the given term

CSEET Books which can be referred

Considering this exam to be highly competitive and on national level, every student must prepare to qualify the same. ICSI has not exclusively recommended any of the reference books for preparing the examination and scoring excellent marks subject wise. Although this is not an exhaustive list but students can definitely score good marks by referring these study books.

For instance

• For preparing the questions w.r.t Company Law, students can refer books from Taxmann publishers
• Even they can also find really good Multiple Choice Questions on Company Law from this publisher
• The conceptual understanding regarding Business Communication can be made from the ICSI study material only
• For understanding Business and Commercial laws, students can refer books of CS Anoop Jain 
• For updating the knowledge w.r.t. current affairs, any periodicals, newspapers or journals can serve the purpose

Although students can also refer some of the previous year question papers for preparing well in the exam and consequently they can also prepare along with the speed and meeting the timeline requirement of clearing the exam.

Passing Criteria

Candidates are required to secure a minimum of 40% marks in each part, i.e., Paper- 1, Paper -2, Paper -3 and Paper -4 separately as the case may be, and 50% marks in aggregate of all parts put together for passing the Test . There will be no negative marking for wrong answers. The minimum CS Executive Entrance Test percentage to be scored is 50%.

But are we really prepared to crack this exam?

This exam being one of the most important exam for entering into this course of such a prestigious Institute of India. Hence this requires adequate preparation, learning and planning. The students are required to plan the study in such a manner that the goal can be achieved and they should be able to crack this in 1^st attempt itself.

Following methodology is suggested for achieving the passing criteria and cracking the exam

1. Understanding the CSEET Syllabus
2. Making a Study Plan
3. Journals and CSEET Bulleteins released by ICSI
4. Books
5. Attending Classes
6. Giving Mock Tests periodically
7. Self Practice

1. Understanding Syllabus

ICSI has prescribed detailed syllabus w.r.t. each paper and content which will be part of the test. Following are the topics and subjects which are required to be part of the test. Students are expected to understand and have a proper grip on the topics. A proper SWOT analysis should be done by the students w.r.t. topics. The focus should be more on the topics/ subjects which seems tough or difficult for them.

2. Making a Study Plan

This is another important prerequisite wherein students are expected to frame their daily learning hours. Making a proper time table has always been helpful for cracking any examination. Hence it would also help here as well. These days a lot of teachers and mentors are using their You tube channels. This will also suggest students to derive their hourly or daily study routine. They can spread their topics over the span of next few days till 08^th May 2021.

Students can also decide on the basis of the days of the week for allocation purpose. For example they can study each subject on hourly basis or each subject per day basis during the week.

3. Journals and CSEET Bulletins released by ICSI

ICSI releases monthly journals and newsletters for helping students preparing for this exam. Students should regularly refer these study materials for meeting the requirements of this exam. Further this will also help them to understand the latest trends of this examination. The recent topics, case laws, examples of Industry practices and various other relevant material can be found and referred through theses journals.

4. Books which can be referred

This national level exam is considered as highly competitive. Every student must prepare to qualify the same. ICSI has not exclusively recommended any of the reference books for preparing the examination. For  scoring excellent marks subject wise, students can select good books. Although this is not an exhaustive list but students can definitely score good marks by referring these study books.

For instance

• For preparing the questions w.r.t Company Law, students can refer books from Taxmann publishers
• Even they can also find really good Multiple Choice Questions on Company Law from this publisher
• The conceptual understanding regarding Business Communication can be made from the ICSI study material only
• For understanding Business and Commercial laws, students can refer books of CS Anoop Jain 
• For updating the knowledge w.r.t. current affairs, any periodicals, newspapers or journals can serve the purpose

Students can also refer some of the previous year question papers for preparing well in the exam. Consequently they can also prepare along with the speed and meeting the timeline requirement of clearing the exam.

5. Attending Classes

These days , various websites and you tube channels prescribe various modes of study and chapter wise/ topic wise/ importance wise notes for the reference of students. ICSI also on regular basis plan various types of classes and sessions for the better understanding of students. 

Students can chose wisely what type of class they want to enrol into. They can decide which can help them to understand the topics or which can help them clearing their doubts.

6. Giving Mock Tests periodically

Mock tests usually help students to get familiar with the style of examination or attempting the actual question paper. As this is now an online paper and which can be given by sitting at home also, hence it can be a bit difficult for students to create examination type atmosphere at home. But with the mock tests they can also assess their speed of solving questions and can also ascertain the accuracy level used in the performance.

Various types of mock tests are available on various online platforms- some paid and some unpaid. Students can select any one but they should practice as much as they can.

7. Self Practice

It is generally said that “Practice makes a man perfect”. This means that with regular practice of solving questions on their own , students can really reach a level of accuracy along with speed. It’s very important that they should focus on self practice even after performing mock tests or online classes. Self practice and continuity of the same is one of the essential keys to be successful in this examination.

Registration Fees

The registration fees for appearing in CSEET is Rs. 1000/- per student per appearance. There are some concessions also applicable w.r.t. Registration fees, which are as under-

Documents required

A candidate applying for CSEET should also upload a certain set of mandatory documents while getting himself registered. The list has been finalized by the ICSI along with the specifications of size, type, version etc.

7. Photograph of the candidate
8. Signature of the candidate
9. Certificate of Date of Birth
10. Admit Card/ Hall ticket if appearing in 10+2 examination
11. Pass Certificate of 10+2 examination
12. Category certificate applicable to candidate appearing from special category