How To Prepare for SEBI Grade A Officer

An organization like SEBI is considered to be one of the reputed institutes in the country. When we talk about the most prestigious examinations that take place nationwide, the exam for SEBI Grade A comes to mind. 

Lakhs of aspirants apply each year for this exam which is also one of the reasons for its competitive nature.   

To begin with, SEBI is the apex regulatory body of the security market of India. It is handled with the task of protecting the interest of investors and furthering the development of the securities market of India.  

Given the responsibilities that come with working at SEBI, only a few candidates are selected to become SEBI Grade A officers in the final recruitment process.

Hence, having a strategic preparation plan is extremely essential to clearing the SEBI Grade A exam.

A preparation strategy should provide room for thorough coverage of the syllabus and ample time for multiple revision of the same.  

Now, having been a mentor for so many years now and interacting with so many students, I am well – aware of the factors that aspirants must keep in mind while preparing for an exam like SEBI Grade A.  

So, I can safely say that without a well – rounded preparation strategy, it becomes slightly difficult to head in the right direction!  

Therefore, if you are planning to prepare for SEBI Grade A 2024, then I have good news for you regarding that, as on the page I will discuss the preparation strategy with you that you can effectively utilize to ace this exam.  

Thus, without wasting any more of your time, let us dive right in.

Preparation Strategy: SEBI Grade A Phase 1 & 2

In this section, I have divided the SEBI Grade A preparation strategy into several topics.
Along with this, I have also included a time-bound, detailed, and subject-wise study plan below that you can use to schedule your SEBI Grade A exam preparation.
By carefully going through each point and following the preparation strategy, you shall move closer to clearing this exam.  

The study plan has also been given in a tabular form which shall be easier for you to understand.  

Now, let us start with the most important topics related to the SEBI Grade A exam preparation:

Study Sequence

1. When you start with your preparation, take at least 3 mocks of both Phase 1 and 2 to identify your strong and weak areas. Score < 50% shall be considered weak.
2. Categorize subjects falling under strong and weak categories, after carefully evaluating which of them you are strong in and which of them you are weak in. Be honest.
3. Create a Study Timeline: Divide the preparation time into week-wise phases. Select 2 subjects at a time, one that you are strong in, and the other you are weak in. You can also use the timetable given by me below. It is divided into morning and evening shifts.
4. Brush up on Current Affairs: You can make use of ‘Spotlight’, and ‘Finance Current Affairs’ to study current affairs. If you have limited time, start with current affairs when you are done with at-least 50% of your syllabus. Do not begin your preparation with current affairs.
5. Practice Writing: Attempt a test of Essay every week to improve your writing skills.

Important Techniques

1. Schedule your day before leaving the bed in the morning and stick to this as far as possible.
2. Revise either daily or weekly, depending on your timetable. Working aspirants can follow weekly revision schedule and students can follow a daily revision schedule.
3. Analyze previous year’s paper: It would help in listing the important static part of Subjects and indicate the Shifting trends/Changing patterns.
4. Self-Assessment: Always observe yourself, you are the best guide of yourself. You must know where you lack and how much time you need to devote to a topic.
5. Don’t devote too much time to reading the newspaper. Current affairs magazines are more helpful before interviews. Argumentation and opinions help in the interview stage more. You can rely on monthly magazines for Phase 1 and Phase 2.

Approach to mocks

1. Writing mocks every week is very important. Mocks can be sectional or comprehensive, depending on the stage of your preparation. You can start with sectional tests of SEBI Phase 1 and Phase 2. When the examination is 1 month away, you can begin comprehensive mocks.
2. Sectional as well as comprehensive tests help by improving time management skills of the aspirant.
3. Mock analysis is as important as mocks itself. You can analyse mocks by dividing your answers into 3 parts- correct, incorrect and not answered. You need to work on questions that got correct by fluke and the answers that got wrong due to silly mistakes. Try to minimize these two.

Here’s a couple of Free Mock Tests, covering both Phase-1 and Phase-2 of SEBI Grade A. These Mock Tests are personally designed by me.

4. Work on elimination technique to score higher and also enhance your accuracy. Under elimination, you eliminate all options before finalizing your answer choice. It is certainly more time consuming but more accurate as well. (Elimination is not always successful in quant and reasoning. If you have arrived at the right answer by solving a question, no need to apply elimination)

Do’s and Don’ts

1. Cramming Wisely: Question papers have become a mix of concepts and facts – this needs a holistic approach wherein you are cramming and understanding concepts together.
2. Limited Sources: The source is like an old trusted friend, which will always help you in your time of need. There is no time for reading new books, which our brain usually forced us to do, decide on a few and stick with them.
3. Aptitude tests: Don’t forget to practice the Aptitude mock test as it has emerged as a villain. Cover aspects like comprehension, mental ability, and logical reasoning while taking aptitude tests.
4. Time Management: Do not spend your energy by talking and discussing unusually. Avoid stressful people and follow Eat, Sleep, Study & Meditate strategy for better results.
5. Say no to Facebook, Instagram, Web series or any other social media platform which can easily distract you.
6. Do not use your phone while studying. If you don’t have a laptop, get an old laptop or desktop. Phones aren’t meant to study. Keep your phone in another room or in a drawer while studying. This is rule 101.

These are all the important points that you’d need to be mindful of while preparing for the SEBI Grade A exam.

Now it is time for me to share with you the Day-wise study plan that I have designed for you all in the form of tables, but before we go over to that, let me just list out some salient points that will help you understand the study plan better.

Day-Wise Study Plan

1. The plan has been divided into- Phase 1 Quant, Reasoning and English; Phase 2 Finance Theory & Numerical; Phase 2 Management; Phase 2 Companies Act & Costing; Phase 2 Accounts & Economics. Based on your priority, you can pick up any one of it. 
2. If you have ample time with you, it is advisable to start with Phase 2 subjects of Finance & Management, followed by Companies Act & Costing, then Accounts & Economics and finally Phase 1 QRE. However, you can also start with Phase 1 QRE, if you feel that you are very weak in the same.
3. Pick up a maximum of 2 subjects in one day, as described in the study plan. Do not pick up more than 2 subjects at one point. 
4. If you are a working aspirant, divide your study session into 2 slots- morning and evening. Begin your study session early in the morning as provided in the below study plan. After leaving the office at 6 PM, take a nap rest for 1 hour. Start studying by 8 PM and give only 3 hours.  
5. Repeat the cycle after you have completed your syllabus once. In the second reading, start with current affairs too. You need to cover Phase 1 and Phase 2 current affairs together.

Phase 1 (Paper 1) – STUDY PLAN (Quant, Reasoning & English)

In the table below, I have provided a day-wise study plan with proper segregation of topics in a simplified manner. This will help you with comprehensive coverage as well as multiple revisions of the syllabus. 

Phase 1 & Phase 2 (Paper 2) – STUDY PLAN (Finance, Management, Commerce & Accountancy, Costing, Companies Act and Economics )

Conclusion

On this page, we have discussed everything you need to know about SEBI Grade A exam preparation strategy, which includes study sequence, do’s and don’ts in preparation, and a day-wise study plan. This will help you comprehensively cover the syllabus and be ready for the exam. Having said that, I’d like you to know that I have full confidence in your ability to crack the SEBI Grade A Exam. Wish you all the best for future.  

Never stop learning!!