Are you aspiring to become a SEBI Grade A Legal Officer? Dive into this comprehensive guide that provides insights into the syllabus, job profile, and study material to help you excel in the examination.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) holds the key responsibility of regulating and developing the securities market in India. SEBI Grade A Legal Officer is a coveted position within the organization, ensuring the proper enforcement of regulations and maintaining market integrity.
But what does it take to secure this role? Let’s explore the syllabus, job profile, and study material that will steer you towards success.
Job Profile for SEBI Grade A Legal Officer
If you want to take the SEBI Grade A Legal Officer 2024 exam, it will be a good idea to understand what the job actually entails.
- Taking care of SEBI’s legal matters
- Approving and amending stock exchange by-laws
- Inspecting accounts of stock exchanges and stockholders
- Recognizing and correcting any malpractices within the securities market
- Educating investors about the securities market
- Suspending security trading of a stock exchange
- Allowing and withdrawing recognition of a stock exchange (when required)
Moreover, it is a good idea to learn more about the Role and Functions of SEBI as an organization and its objectives if you are looking to work with SEBI in the future.
Last year, SEBI invited potential candidates to apply for 25 vacancies of Grade A officers in the legal domain. The recruitment procedure for SEBI legal officers possesses 3 stages: Prelims, Mains, and interview. A candidate has to qualify all of them to get selected.
The most important thing to note is that there are some major changes in the SEBI Exam Pattern and the Syllabus of the SEBI Legal Paper 2 of Phase 1 and 2 exams 2024.
Before we move on to review the syllabus, please ensure you are aware of the SEBI Grade A Legal Officer exam pattern. Last year, the SEBI Grade A Exam pattern was changed. It will be beneficial to have a look at it first.
Refer to the following table to know the updated Exam Pattern of the SEBI Legal 2024:
SEBI Legal Phase 1 Exam Pattern
| Paper | Stream/Subjects | Maximum Marks | Duration | Cut Off |
| Paper 1 | Multiple choice questions on the subjects viz. General Awareness (including some questions related to the Financial Sector of easy to moderate difficulty level), English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Test of Reasoning. | 100 | 60 minutes | 30% |
| Paper 2 | Multiple choice questions on a Specialized subject related to the stream. | 100 | 40 minutes | 40% |
| Aggregate Cut Off | 40% |
Basically, there will be no sectional cut-off in the exam and you have to score at least 40% of the maximum marks to qualify for the SEBI Legal Phase 2 Exam.
SEBI Legal Phase 2 Exam Pattern
Let us remind you here that this is a whole new pattern of the Phase 2 Exam announced by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in their official notification as per previous year.
| Paper | Stream/Subjects | Maximum Marks | Duration | Cut off | Weightage |
| Paper 1 | English (Descriptive Test) to test the drafting skills | 100 | 60 Minutes | 30% | 1/3rd |
Paper 2 | 70 Multiple choice questions of one mark each on Specialized subject related to stream | 100 | 60 Minutes | 40% | 2/3rd |
| 70 Multiple choice questions of one mark each on a Specialized subject related to stream | 60 minutes | ||||
| Aggregate Cut off | 50% |
There will be a sectional cut-off in the Phase 2 Exam of SEBI Legal Officer. You are required to secure minimum cut-off marks in both papers to qualify for the final round of the recruitment process.
General things to remember in papers of both phases:
- All papers are computer-based, make sure you have a fine typing speed.
- There will be a composite time for every section you attempt.
- There will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer you attempt.
- All the papers in both phases can be attempted bilingually except the language paper of English.
SEBI Grade A Legal Officer Syllabus
With all other subjects remaining common, aspirants appearing for the Legal Officer exam will be required to take 2 papers on Professional Knowledge, one in each phase of the exam. As told you earlier, this year, there are some modifications in the Syllabus of Professional Knowledge (Paper 2) of both phases of the SEBI Grade A Legal Exam. It is mandatory for you to know about it from the preparation perspective.
Have a look at the detailed updated Professional Knowledge syllabus in the table below as directed in the SEBI Grade A 2024 notification.
Updated syllabus of Paper 2 in Phase I of SEBI Grade A Legal Exam
| PHASE I (Paper 2) | ||
| Subject | Topic(s) | Weightage |
Constitution of India | Preamble, Part I, Part III, Part IV, Part IVA, Part V, Part VI, Part VIII, Part IXA, Part IXB, Part XI | 20% |
Contract law | Indian Contract Act, 1872 Sale of Goods Act, 1930 Indian Partnership Act, 1932; Specific Relief Act, 1963. | 25% |
| Code of Civil Procedure (1908) | Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VII, Schedule I | 25% |
| Transfer of Property Act, 1882 | Chapter III, Chapter IV, Chapter V) | |
| Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 | Part I | |
| The Limitation Act, 1963 | ||
| Administrative Law | 20% | |
| Jurisprudence and Interpretation of Statutes | ||
| Important Latin terms and maxims | ||
| Law of Torts and Consumer Protection Act, 2019 10% | 10% | |
Updated syllabus of Paper 2 in Phase II of SEBI Grade A Legal Exam
| PHASE II (Paper 2) | ||
| Subject | Topic(s) | Weightage |
Criminal Law | Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Chapter I, Chapter II, Chapter III, Chapter IV, Chapter V, Chapter VA, Chapter VI, Chapter IX, Chapter XVII, Chapter XXI, Chapter XXII, Chapter XXIII); Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. | 30% |
| Law of Evidence | Indian Evidence Act, 1872 | |
| Corporate Laws | Companies Act, 2013; Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008; Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (Part I, Part II) | 30% |
| Security Laws | Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956;Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 Depositories Act, 1996 Securities and Exchange Board of India (Procedure for Holding Inquiry and Imposing Penalties) Rules, 1995; Securities Appellate Tribunal (Procedure) Rules, 2000 Securities and Exchange Board of India (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to Securities Market) Regulations, 2003; Securities and Exchange Board of India (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011Securities and Exchange Board of India (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015 Securities Contracts (Regulation) (Stock Exchanges and Clearing Corporations) Regulations, 2018Securities and Exchange Board of India (Depositories and Participants) Regulations, 2018. | 40% |
Here weightage is given for the indicative purpose only. This will help you in making an effective SEBI Grade A Legal preparation strategy while evaluating the volume of expected questions from a particular topic in the exam.
Study Material for SEBI Grade A Legal Exam 2024
Your grip on an effective SEBI Grade A Legal preparation depends upon the study material you rely on. It is beneficial for you if you follow expert recommended study material.
Books from Renowned Authors and Publishers
Here is a list of books suggested by our mentors at ixamBee, on which you can rely and make a winning SEBI grade A Legal Exam preparation strategy.
| Book | Author/ Publisher |
| Constitution | Laxmikanth |
| Indian Penal Code | K.D Gaur |
| Code of Criminal Procedure | R.V Kelkar |
| Law of Evidence | Avtar Singh |
| Code of Civil Procedure | C.K Takwani |
| Contract Act | Avtar Singh/ R K Bangia |
| Transfer of Property Act | Avatar Singh |
BeePedia
Being a legal student or professional, you must be already aware of the study approach for the legal/professional section. But most of the aspirants face the real challenge of preparing for General Awareness on sections containing general awareness, current affairs, and other general topics. At ixamBee, we believe in strengthening an aspirant from all perspectives and for all sections.
Therefore we have various resources that you can benefit from, as per your need and comfort. These include mock tests, previous year papers, online courses, and BeePedia. To enhance your Current Affairs game, you can download current affairs for free from our BeePedia section.
Mock Tests & Previous Year Question Papers
Mock tests are considered one of the most effective ways to enhance time management in your exam. There are many free mock tests available online where you can check and evaluate your preparation level. Take SEBI Grade A Legal Officer Mock Tests with ixamBee. These are free and can be retaken as many times as you like.
Likewise, previous year’s question papers are also among the key resources to polish your understanding of the question types. Although, this year the exam pattern and syllabus have been changed you can still have a glance at the previous year’s question papers to introduce yourself with the question style. You must review SEBI Grade A previous years’ question papers so you understand which parts of the exam syllabus need more of your attention.
Get Direct Guidance from Subject Matter Experts
The best way to dedicatedly invest time in the SEBI Grade A Exam preparation strategy is to take personalized guidance from a subject matter specialist. Yes when you get a one-on-one interactive class from mentors, you will be able to perform 50x better than others. The best way to get there is through taking an online course for SEBI Grade A Legal Exam. You can study while being in your comfy place and convenience.
You will benefit from getting mentored by subject matter specialists from head to toe, i.e., from prelims to interviews. At ixamBee, we believe in covering the whole SEBI grade A legal officer syllabus and offering the best to every aspirant. Enrolling in such courses can be the winning move for you to succeed in your exam and become a SEBI Legal Officer.
Conclusion
SEBI legal officer exam 2024 is a great opportunity for Law professionals or students holding a Law degree. Working at SEBI is a dream for many and students prepare for it with full enthusiasm and dedication. At ixamBee, we appreciate the morale of such aspirants who are willing to conquer and perform to their full capacity. Therefore, we have a dedicated faculty who mentors every student with all their mind and heart.