The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is an elite regulatory body responsible for the regulation and supervision of the securities and commodity markets in India. Originally, it was established in 1988 and given statutory powers in 1992. Since then, SEBI has had a rather important role to play when it comes to protecting interests of investors in the stock markets. Its establishment has brought about more transparency, and has helped bring about the development of the capital market. Working with SEBI is a matter of professional pride and is a gateway to a rewarding career with immense responsibilities and opportunities.
The SEBI Grade A exam stands as one of the most popular recruitment exams for aspirants seeking a secure job. It is a well-known fact that SEBI is highly competitive and brings forth a lot of hopefuls annually when the recruitment details are out. The SEBI Grade A exam tests a candidate on so many subjects from Finance, Economics, Law, Management, and General Awareness, depending on the stream they apply for. They need to be really prepared to crack this examination through such a comprehensive selection process, including a preliminary exam, main exam, and interview, in order to have their name appear in the final merit list.
With increasing competition for the 2025 cycle, it is pertinent that aspirants adopt holistic preparation strategies to ace the SEBI Grade A exam. That includes details of the recent exam pattern and syllabus analysis, practice through mock tests, and time management during the exam. In this blog, we take you through proven preparation strategies tailor-made for the SEBI Grade A 2025 exam and equip you with all the tools needed to succeed and realize your dream of becoming a Grade A officer at SEBI.
SEBI Grade A Eligibility Criteria
The SEBI Grade A eligibility criteria focuses on important aspects like age, educational qualifications, and nationality all of which is expected to be similar for all the different streams. Applicants must fulfill the different criteria if they are hoping to be chosen for the recruitment process. The age limit for candidates is expected to remain consistent with previous years. During the last recruitment process in 2024, the upper age limit was set at 30 years for general category applicants. Those in the reserved categories will have age relaxations as per government norms. This means that those aspirants belonging to SC/ST categories may receive a relaxation of 5 years, while OBC candidates may receive a 3-year relaxation.
Besides the age criteria, educational qualifications are also important for the SEBI Grade A Exam. For the General stream, candidates need a Master’s degree in any discipline or professional qualifications like CA, CFA, CS, or CWA. They may also require some specific bachelor’s degrees are also acceptable for general stream vacancies. Similarly, streams like Legal, IT, Research, and Official Language require degrees specific to those streams so that applicants have the technical expertise needed for the role. The best part is that SEBI does not ask for minimum percentage marks criteria for any of the eligible educational qualifications!!
Last of the eligibility criteria says that candidates must be Indian citizens. In addition to these requirements if there are any changes to the SEBI Grade A qualifications, it will be mentioned in the SEBI Grade A Notification 2025 when it is released. In the meantime, take a closer look at the details of the eligibility from the table below:
| Eligibility Criteria | Details |
| Age Limit | Up to 30 years |
| Educational Qualification | General Stream – Master’s Degree (any discipline), Bachelors Law Degree, Engineering Degree, CA/CFA/CS/CWA, Other streams – depending upon the stream applied for. |
| Minimum marks in educational qualification | No minimum marks required |
| Citizenship | Indian citizens only |
| Work Experience | No work experience is required |
SEBI Grade A Exam Pattern & Syllabus
While waiting for the new recruitment notification, aspirants can focus on preparing for the 2025 exam by taking a closer look at the SEBI Grade A Syllabus and Exam Pattern. The SEBI Grade A exam typically consists of two papers in Phase 1 and two papers in Phase 2, along with an interview. In Phase 1, the candidate can expect Paper 1 to be General Awareness (with a focus on Financial Awareness), Quantitative Aptitude, English Language, and Logical Reasoning. This paper is common for all streams. In the meantime, Paper 2 is expected to test subject-specific knowledge in subjects of Commerce, Accountancy, Management, Finance, Costing, Economics, and the Companies Act. Phase 1 will continue to remain a qualifying stage, and marks will be taken for shortlisting candidates for Phase 2. The qualifying cut-off in SEBI Phase 1 is generic and not merit based, which makes it easy to qualify for the next Phase of the written exam.
For Phase 2, the pattern is expected to be similar to previous years. Paper 1 is expected to be a Descriptive English paper aimed at assessing the drafting and writing ability. This paper on Descriptive English will carry 1/3rd weightage. Paper 2 is domain-specific, and the candidates have to show technical knowledge in the chosen domain. The good part is that the syllabus of Paper 2 in Phase 1 and Phase 2 is the same. This subject-specific paper will contribute 2/3rd weightage to the aggregate total of Phase 2. The aggregate cut-off for this stage is expected to remain at 50%. Details on the SEBI Grade A Exam Pattern has been provided in the table below:
| Phase | Paper | Subjects | Marks | Duration |
| Phase 1 | Paper 1 | General Awareness (incl. Financial Awareness), Quantitative Aptitude, English, Reasoning | 100 | 60 minutes |
| Paper 2 | For General Stream (Commerce, Accountancy, Management, Finance, Costing, Economics, Companies Act) | 100 | 40 minutes | |
| Phase 2 | Paper 1 | Descriptive English: Essay, Précis, Comprehension | 100 | 60 minutes |
| Paper 2 | For General Stream (Commerce, Accountancy, Management, Finance, Costing, Economics, Companies Act) | 100 | 40 minutes | |
| Interview | Final selection based on combined Phase 2 and interview performance | |||
The SEBI Grade A 2025 Syllabus will be very much similar to that of the previous years, which will cover topics in two phases. As apparent from the exam pattern above, you will tested on almost 10 subjects across Phase 1 and 2. You will be tested for your aptitude in mathematical skills, language proficiency, awareness of financial and economic developments, and logical reasoning through Quantitative Aptitude, English Language, General Awareness, and Reasoning Ability. Your language proficiency is further tested for drafting and writing skills in Phase 2 through the Descriptive English paper consisting of essay writing, précis writing, and comprehension. While your domain or professional knowledge will be tested in both the Phase 1 and Phase 2 on various subjects. The table below provides a brief idea about the syllabus for the exam:
| Section | Topics |
| General Awareness | Monetary Policies, Banking and Financial Awareness, Economic Terms, Current Affairs, Static GK, Financial and Economic News, Government Schemes. Agreement & Deals, Banking Terms- rates & processes, National Institutions, BeePedia |
| English | Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Passage Making, Error Spotting, Jumble Words, Sentence Framing, Fill in the blanks |
| Reasoning | Puzzles, Seating Arrangement- Circular, Square & Linear, Data Sufficiency, Directions and Distance, Coding Decoding, Blood relations, Inequality, Syllogism, Machine input and output, Verbal Reasoning, Ordering and Ranking, Arrangement and Pattern, Scheduling, Distance and Direction, Ranking |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Simplification and approximation, Number Series, Quadratic Equation, Number System / HCF & LCM, Ratio and Proportion, Average, Partnership, Ages, Percentage, Profit & Loss, Time, Speed & Distance, Problems on Trains, Boat and Stream, Time & Work / Pipes and Cisterns, Simple and Compound Interest, Mixture & Allegations, Permutation and Combination, Probability, Data Interpretation (DI), Caselet DI and Data Sufficiency |
| Commerce & Accountancy | Accounting as a financial information system. Accounting Standards specifically refer to Accounting for Depreciation, Inventories, Revenue Recognition, Fixed Assets, Foreign Exchange Transactions, Investments. Cash Flow Statement, Fund flow statement, Financial statement analysis; Ratio analysis. Accounting for Share Capital Transactions including Bonus Shares, Right Shares. Employees Stock Option and Buy-Back of Securities. Preparation and Presentation of Company Final Accounts |
| Management | Management: its nature and scope; The Management Processes; Planning, Organization, Staffing, Directing and Controlling. The Role of a Manager in an Organization. Leadership: The Tasks of a Leader. Leadership Styles; Leadership Theories; A successful Leader versus an effective Leader. Human Resource Development: Concept of HRD; Goals of HRD. Motivation, Morale and Incentives: Theories of Motivation; How Managers Motivate; Concept of Morale; Factors determining morale; Role of Incentives in Building up Morale. Communication: Steps in the Communication Process; Communication Channels; Oral versus Written Communication; Verbal versus non-verbal Communication; upward, downward and lateral communication; Barriers to Communication, Role of Information Technology. |
| Finance | Financial System, Financial Markets, Basics of Derivatives: Forward, Futures and Swap. Recent Developments in the Financial Sector. Financial Inclusion- use of technology. Alternate source of finance, private and social cost-benefit, Public-Private Partnership. Direct and Indirect taxes; Non-tax sources of Revenue, GST, Finance Commission, Fiscal Policy, Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM). Inflation: Definition, trends, estimates, consequences, and remedies (control): WPI, CPI – components and trends. |
| Costing | Overview of Cost and Management Accounting – Introduction to Cost and Management Accounting, Objectives and Scope of Cost and Management Accounting, Methods of Costing – Single Output/ Unit Costing, Job Costing, Batch Costing, Contract Costing, Process/ Operation Costing, Costing of Service Sectors, Basics of Cost Control and Analysis – Standard Costing.Marginal Costing. Budget and Budgetary Control, Lean System and Innovation |
| Companies Act | The Companies Act, 2013 – Specific reference to Chapter III, Chapter IV, Chapter VIII, Chapter X, Chapter XI, Chapter XII and Chapter XXVII. |
| Economics | Demand and Supply, Market Structures, National Income: Concepts and Measurement, Classical & Keynesian Approach Determination of output and employment, Consumption Function, Investment Function, Multiplier and Accelerator, Demand and Supply for Money , IS – LM, Inflation and Phillips Curve, Business Cycles, Balance of Payments, Foreign Exchange Markets, Inflation, Monetary and Fiscal Policy, Non-banking Financial Institutions. |
Phew! That was a long table! It almost feels exhausting going through the table, then how does one really manage the time to prepare for all these comprehensively. Some may say its impossible to prepare for this exam along with a full time job. Well Eric Swargowari will disagree with you. Eric, who??
Eric Swargowari is an experienced banker who recently cleared the SEBI Grade A exam in 2024. How did he do it? His simple answer – time management and strategizing keeping in mind your strengths. His top three success mantras include:
- Consistent effort and discipline in following a structured plan.
- Relying on ixamBee’s resources for focused guidance and mock tests.
- Staying motivated through small milestones during preparation.
You can hear him directly here :
Summing Up
SEBI Grade A provides a stable career for those keen on upping their ante in the recruitment cycle for 2025. Aspirants hoping to appear for the exam in 2025 can get inspired from Eric’s inspirational journey and be assured of the rewards that consistency and an actual strategy can provide. In addition to this, ixamBee also offers aspirants with the right tools ranging from the SEBI Grade A Online Course and the SEBI Grade A Mock Tests to prepare aspirants like Eric for the exam.
At ixamBee, we specialize in providing comprehensive online courses for government exams and online courses for government jobs. Our expertly designed courses for government jobs cater to a wide range of upcoming government exams. Whether you’re preparing for specific courses for government exams or seeking general guidance, ixamBee offers the resources like Beepedia previous year papers, SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, SSC MTS and other mock tests to succeed in exams like RBI Grade B, SEBI Grade A, NABARD Grade A, RRB NTPC, SSC MTS, NIACL Assistant, and more.
Also Read:
How to Prepare for SEBI Grade A Interview: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to Decide Which Government Exam You Should Prepare For?
Most Common Subjects in Government Exams and Tips to Ace Them