Failed SEBI Grade A? Here's Your Recovery Plan

Pro tip: Contact the exam provider directly for their specific retake policy.

• Treating the Phase I score as the thing to maximise, and burning preparation time on aptitude drills at the expense of the stream subject.
  SEBI states that Phase I marks are used only for shortlisting and are not counted for final selection. Clear the 30 percent, 40 percent and 40 percent thresholds, then put the remaining hours into Phase II Paper 2, which carries two thirds of the Phase II weight and feeds the 85 percent that Phase II contributes to the final score.
• Guessing freely on Phase I because it is only a screening test, without accounting for the penalty.
  Both Phase I papers deduct one fourth of the marks assigned to a question for every wrong answer. Measure personal accuracy on uncertain questions during practice, and only attempt a doubtful question when the historical hit rate on that category is above the break-even point that the one fourth penalty implies.
• Reading the entire Companies Act, 2013 because it is listed in the syllabus.
  SEBI names only Chapters III, IV, VIII, X, XI, XII and XXVII. Read those seven chapters to section level and skip the rest. The time saved is better spent on Commerce and Accountancy, which is the largest of the six General stream blocks.
• Preparing the General stream Paper 2 syllabus twice, once for Phase I and again for Phase II.
  The advertisement labels the General stream syllabus for Paper 2 as a common syllabus for both phases. The difference between the two sittings is duration and depth, 40 minutes in Phase I against 90 minutes in Phase II, so treat Phase I as a speed test on material already covered rather than as a separate course.
• Practising the Phase II English paper by writing on paper.
  Phase II Paper 1 is delivered online and answers are typed. Practise precis and essay writing directly into a text editor with a 60 minute timer, and measure typing throughput on prose. Legal stream candidates who want to answer in Hindi should specifically practise on the Inscript or Remington (GAIL) layout, since those are the two layouts SEBI provides.
• Applying to several streams without submitting a separate application and fee for each.
  SEBI requires a separate online application and a separate fee for each stream. Candidates who submit one application and expect it to cover multiple streams find themselves registered for only one. Where a candidate has applied in multiple streams, Paper 2 in Phase II is run in different shifts to allow both to be taken.
• Claiming post-qualification experience in the interview without having entered it in the online application form.
  SEBI awards up to 3.75 marks for relevant post-qualification experience, but only to Legal, Engineering (Electrical) and Engineering (Civil) candidates who filled those details in the online application form. Experience mentioned for the first time at the interview earns nothing, and false claims can cancel candidature at any stage.
• Studying Management as general reasoning about workplaces rather than as a named-theory subject.
  The syllabus lists leadership theories, theories of motivation and the distinction between a successful leader and an effective leader. Build a table pairing each named theory with its originator and its central claim, because the questions test recognition of the named model rather than judgement about management practice.
• Arriving at the centre at the exam start time printed on the call letter.
  The reporting time is earlier than the start time, and SEBI uses it for Aadhaar-linked biometric authentication, biometric and photo capture, document collection and instructions. Candidates who report after the specified reporting time are not permitted to take the examination.

• Two phases plus interview
• Securities market knowledge essential
• Study SEBI regulations and guidelines
• Company law and economics important
• Legal and IT streams available
• Highly competitive but fewer applicants than RBI