5 Common Mistakes to avoid for SEBI Grade A exam 2024

For SEBI Grade A | 03rd April 2024 – 10 mins read

“When you look deep within and show eagerness to work on your shortcomings, you shall find the strength to unlock your full potential.”

– Chetan Bansal

There is often a perception that lies amongst common people like you and me that the lives of successful people are quite easy and smooth-going.

However, that is far from the truth. The journey to achieving great success has never been easy, nor is it devoid of roadblocks.

The same truth holds for aspirants preparing for the SEBI Grade A exam. You must have heard of the phrase “to err is human.” Well, we all can vouch for that!

The only difference that distinguishes toppers from aspirants is their willingness to learn from their past mistakes and their determination to rectify their flaws.

Well, I am sure many of you too possess the determination to prepare your best but feel stuck due to your own limited beliefs or missteps that you might be taking in your exam journey.

And so, having been a mentor for many years now, I want to discuss some common mistakes that you, as an aspirant, can avoid during your SEBI Grade A preparation.

One of the most frequently repeated mistakes I see aspirants make is waiting for the notification to arrive in order to get started!

However, this doesn’t end here.

To learn more about other major mistakes you must be aware of, go through the entire blog.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s begin.

Mistake No. 01: Believing in Commerce Vs Non-Commerce Myth

When it comes to the eligibility requirements, it is important to note that SEBI makes no distinction between commerce and non-commerce students.

Now, you can go through the detailed eligibility criteria mandated by SEBI for different streams in order to appear for the exam.

However, since the majority of the subjects are commerce-related, it is mistakenly assumed by many aspirants that commerce students have an edge over others in the exam.

And that, my friend, is a myth!

Let me tell you that the toppers who have previously managed to clear the exam have been from a non-commerce background.

Hence, do not make the mistake of assuming otherwise, and believe in yourself confidently.

Mistake No. 02: Having no study plan or strategy

There is a famous quote that goes, Failing to strategize is strategizing to fail. One cannot agree on this more.

This is another common mistake that I see many aspirants commit, i.e., they don’t have a proper strategy in place to cover the syllabus.

As a result of this, they end up spending too much time on a single subject!

You must curate a detailed timetable, divide the subjects, and further the chapters you must cover within the time specified.

Before you begin to strategize your preparation, you must be well versed with the exam syllabus.

Well, have no worries; you can check the latest SEBI Grade A syllabus for Phase 1 and Phase 2, which I have provided in a systematic manner.

Mistake No. 03: Studying from too many resources

When it comes to referring to books and sources to study, I always suggest aspirants go for quality over quantity.

I understand that since the syllabus for the SEBI Grade A exam is quite comprehensive, the aspirants might assume studying from various books is the way to go.

But that is not the case!

You see referring to multiple sources ends up taking too much time with little output in return.

It is much better that you study from a concise booklist to gain conceptual clarity while also ensuring effective retention of the same information.

Apart from the booklist, you must refer to the comprehensive resources, keeping in mind the latest exam pattern.

For that, you can refer to SEBI Grade A free material that I have compiled for you to cover the syllabus

Mistake No. 04: Giving unequal focus on subjects

I am sure you are aware that the Paper 2 syllabus of both Phase 1 and Phase 2 comprises 6 subjects like Commerce & Accountancy, Management, Finance, Costing, and the Companies Act.

It is important to remember that all of these subjects carry equal weightage in the exam.

And so, placing emphasis on one subject over the other could prove to be unfavourable in your preparation.

It is understandable when you want to improve in a particular subject, but avoid focusing too much on a single subject.

Apart from this, many aspirants sideline the importance of practicing answer-writing for English descriptive section.

You must be aware that this section consists of 1/3rd weightage in the final merit.

Therefore, do not leave the section for the last and practice answer-writing.

When you cover all the subjects comprehensively, you can be sure to score marks that will give you an edge over others.

Mistake No. 05: Ignoring Regular Revision

It doesn’t suffice if you just cover the syllabus just once.Given the extensive nature of the various subjects, you are required to go through it multiple times.

To ensure effective retention of such vast information, you must make sure to revise on a regular basis.When I talk about regular revision, I suggest my students perform daily as well as weekly revision.

Apart from this, how you revise also makes a lot of difference!

So, while revising, you must make use of short notes and visual aids like mind maps, flowcharts and mnemonics.

Incorporate these techniques, and you will notice that it will take a lot less time to revise comprehensively.

Apart from these tips, you can refer to the detailed SEBI Grade A preparation strategy that will guide you the right way!

My advice to the aspirants

Lastly, my advice for the aspirants is to seriously consider these mistakes and make sure not to commit them during your exam preparation.

However, keeping in mind, every aspirant has a different approach, curate your own strategy after identifying your own strengths and weaknesses.

But make sure to follow a concise booklist, do consistent revision, and cover the syllabus comprehensively along with mock tests.

To conclude, I would like to suggest that avoiding these mistakes and instead following the tips mentioned above will increase your chances of success in this exam.

 

So, work on your shortcomings, prepare thoroughly, and stay confident, and I assure you that your dreams of becoming the future SEBI Grade A officer are not that far away.

 

I wish you the utmost success in your exam preparations, and may your aspirations soar to new heights, for the human spirit that knows no bounds in terms of potential very much lies in you!