SEBI Grade A IT Officer: Complete Preparation Guide
SEBI Grade A IT is the Information Technology stream of the Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager) recruitment at the Securities and Exchange Board of India. Selection runs through two online phases and an interview, and the Phase II IT paper is the largest single part of your final merit. Start with the part you need:
SEBI has not released the 2026 notification
As of 4 November 2026, SEBI's Vacancies page lists no Officer Grade A 2026 advertisement, so no exam date, application window or vacancy figure exists for 2026 yet. A date quoted elsewhere does not come from that list.
The previous cycle — Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager) 2025 — held Phase I on 10 January 2026 and Phase II on 21 February 2026.
Starting basic pay
₹62,500
Gross at Mumbai
≈ ₹1,84,000/mo
IT posts, 2025 cycle
22
7 of the 22 IT Officers Selected in SEBI's 2025 Cycle Were Victory Key Students, on Our Own Record
In the 2025 cycle, SEBI filled 22 Information Technology posts from the 14,799 candidates who sat Phase I. Seven of those 22 are on The Victory Key's own record of its students.
TVK Selections
7 / 22
IT officers selected, 2025 cycle
Competition
1 in 673
14,799 sat Phase I for 22 selections
IT paper, Phase II
85.88
Median of all 22 selected, out of 100
Our Proud Achievers (SEBI Grade A 2025)
Where the rank is decided
In Phase II, the IT paper counts for twice as much as the English paper, which makes it about 57% of your final merit. SEBI's Phase II IT syllabus is data structures (40), algorithms (30), object-oriented programming (20) and string manipulation (10). Database, networking and security topics belong to Phase I. Read the Phase II preparation guide.
22, 14,799 and 85.88 are from SEBI's published 2025 results. The count of seven is The Victory Key's own record of its students.
Official Gazette Notification (F. No. 320): SEBI Grade A qualifications for the General, Legal and Research streams have changed, with a 60% graduation rule and CGPA benchmarks. The amendment does not name the IT stream.
At a glance
SEBI Grade A IT — overview
SEBI recruits Officers in Grade A (Assistant Manager) across seven streams, and Information Technology is its own stream — its own Paper 2 in both written phases, its own cut-offs, its own merit list. You are not competing against the General stream.
Selection is three stages: Phase I, an online screening of two objective papers; Phase II, an online main examination with a descriptive English paper and a stream paper; and Phase III, an interview. Phase I marks are used only to shortlist — they are not counted in the final result.
- Post
- Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager), Information Technology stream
- Body
- Securities and Exchange Board of India
- Stages
- Phase I (objective) → Phase II (descriptive + objective) → Phase III (interview)
- Final merit
- Phase II 85% + Interview 15%. Phase I does not count.
- Negative marking
- 1/4 of the marks assigned to the question
- Language
- All papers bilingual (Hindi and English) except the English test
- Probation
- Two years
One Plan, Multiple Opportunities
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Full Notes
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Current cycle
2026 notification status
As of 4 November 2026, SEBI has not published the Officer Grade A 2026 notification. Nothing below is a prediction.
| Event | 2025 cycle (concluded) | 2026 cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Notification | 30 October 2025 | To be declared |
| Application window | 30 Oct – 28 Nov 2025 | To be declared |
| Phase I examination | 10 January 2026 | To be declared |
| Phase II examination | 21 February 2026 | To be declared |
| Phase III interview | Intimated to shortlisted candidates | To be declared |
See the full 2025 numbers: cut-offs, competition and selection marks → Tracking the next advertisement? SEBI Grade A 2026 status →
Who can apply
Eligibility criteria
As advertised in the 2025 cycle, quoted verbatim from the notification.
- Age — must not have exceeded 30 years as on the cut-off date (30 September 2025 in the 2025 cycle). Relaxation, where posts are reserved for them: up to 5 years for SC/ST and up to 3 years for OBC (NCL). The advertisement also lists relaxations for PwBD candidates (10, 13 or 15 years) and ex-servicemen (5 years).
- Experience — none required for the Information Technology stream.
- Nationality — Indian citizens.
Structure
Exam pattern
From the 2025 advertisement, the latest SEBI has published.
Phase I — online screening, both papers objective
| Paper | Subjects | Marks | Duration | Cut-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | General Awareness (including some questions related to the financial sector, of easy to moderate difficulty), English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Test of Reasoning | 100 | 60 min | 30% |
| Paper 2 | Information Technology — stream specialisation | 100 | 40 min | 40% |
| Aggregate | 200 | 100 min | 40% | |
You must clear both paper cut-offs and the aggregate. There is no sectional cut-off inside Paper 1. Phase I marks are then discarded — they decide only who sits Phase II.
Phase II — online main examination
| Paper | Subjects | Marks | Duration | Cut-off | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | English (Descriptive Test), to test drafting skills | 100 | 60 min | 30% | 1/3 |
| Paper 2 | Information Technology: multiple-choice questions on a mix of logic flow completion, debugging, syntax understanding, program dry-run outputs, data analysis, etc. | 100 | 180 min | 40% | 2/3 |
| Aggregate | 50% | ||||
Final score = TWS (85%) + Interview (15%)
More detail: SEBI Grade A IT syllabus and exam pattern.
What is tested
Syllabus — with SEBI's own topic weightages
SEBI publishes a marks weightage against every topic, and marks these weightages indicative only. They are the best public guide to where the marks may be.
Phase I, Paper 2 — Information Technology
| Topic | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Programming Concepts (Java / C / C++) | 30 | Program control (iteration, recursion, functions), scope of variables, binding of variables and functions, parameter passing, functional and logic programming, OOP concepts, inheritance, class and object, constructors, exception handling |
| Database Concepts | 10 | ER model; relational algebra, tuple calculus, integrity constraints, normal forms; file organization, indexing (B and B+ trees), transactions and concurrency control |
| SQL Queries | 10 | Select, view, truncate, delete, update, alter; inner and outer joins; aggregate functions; union, intersection, except; in and exist clauses; nested queries |
| Data Analytics Languages (Python / R) | 10 | Regex, slicing, data reshaping, dataframes, dictionaries and sets, file management, classes and functions, data mining, lists, importing and exporting data, charts and graphs |
| Algorithms for problem solving | 10 | Tree and graph traversals, connected components, spanning trees, shortest paths, hashing, sorting, searching; greedy, dynamic programming, divide-and-conquer |
| Networking Concepts | 10 | ISO/OSI stack, LAN technologies, TCP/UDP, IP, switches, gateways and routers, application layer protocols (DNS, SMTP, POP, FTP, HTTP), firewalls |
| Information & Cyber Security | 10 | Cyber attacks, software development security, network security, authentication, CIA triad, network audit, systems audit |
| Data warehousing | 5 | Data extraction, cleaning, transformation, loading; metadata, data cube, data mart, data models |
| Shell Programming | 5 | Shell scripting basics, shell variables, script arguments, if statement, loop, return, basic UNIX commands |
Phase II, Paper 2 — Information Technology
| Topic | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Data Structure | 40 | Array, linked list, stack, queue, binary tree, indexing, binary search tree, heap, hashing, matrix, JSON objects |
| Algorithms | 30 | Sorting, searching, greedy algorithms, dynamic programming, backtracking, divide and conquer, pattern searching |
| Object Oriented Programming | 20 | Abstraction, encapsulation, polymorphism, inheritance |
| String Manipulation | 10 | Length, substring, regex, search |
Next: the full syllabus guide, previous year questions and notes by subject.
Pay
Salary and service conditions
From the 2025 advertisement, the latest SEBI has published.
Gross emoluments at Mumbai, at the minimum of the scale
| Without accommodation | ≈ ₹1,84,000 per month |
|---|---|
| With accommodation | ≈ ₹1,43,000 per month |
That figure includes SEBI's contribution to the National Pension Scheme, Grade Allowance, Special Allowance, Dearness Allowance, Family Allowance, Local Allowance, Learning Allowance, Special Grade Allowance and Special Compensatory Allowance.
Other benefits include Leave Fare Concession, medical expenses, eye refraction and knowledge allowances. Residential accommodation is provided subject to availability. Probation is two years. Officers may be posted or transferred to any SEBI office in India, and to any department irrespective of stream.
How you get in
Selection process
- Clear Phase I — 30% in Paper 1, 40% in Paper 2 and 40% aggregate. All candidates who meet it go through.
- Clear Phase II — 30% in Paper 1, 40% in Paper 2 and 50% on the Total Weighted Score.
- Interview — candidates equal to three times the vacancies are shortlisted in order of merit. Marked out of 15. SEBI sets aside up to 3.75 of those marks for post-qualification experience in some streams, but the IT stream lists no experience requirement, and selected IT candidates in 2025 scored from 3 to 15.
- Final merit — Phase II 85% + Interview 15%. Phase I marks are not counted.
From Aspirant to SEBI IT Officer: Simran's First Attempt Strategy
37 min · Watch on YouTube
A long conversation with Simran, a SEBI IT officer, with more chapters on the interview stage than our other SEBI interviews. It covers the day of the interview, the panel, the technical questions and an unexpected trick question, as well as Phase I preparation and common mistakes.
Cost
Application fee
From the 2025 advertisement, the latest SEBI has published.
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Unreserved / OBC / EWS | ₹1,000 application fee cum intimation charges + 18% GST |
| SC / ST / PwBD | ₹100 intimation charges + 18% GST |
A separate online application and a separate fee are required for each stream. The fee is non-refundable, including if you are not shortlisted.
How to prepare
A strategy built around what actually scores
The IT paper is about 57% of your selection
Paper 2 is two-thirds of Phase II, and Phase II is 85% of the final merit. Among the 22 candidates selected in the 2025 cycle, the median Phase II IT score was 85.9 out of 100 — and the median English score was 58. The IT paper is where this exam is won.
For Phase II, put data structures and algorithms first
70 of the 100 marks are DSA, 20 are OOP, 10 are strings. Database, networking and security are not named in SEBI's Phase II IT table, though they are worth 30 in Phase I. Practise the question styles SEBI names: logic flow completion, debugging, syntax understanding, dry-run outputs.
Three hours is a different exam
In our view, a 180-minute paper rewards candidates who can read unfamiliar code carefully, not those who pattern-match quickly. Practise long sittings as well as speed.
Do not discover the descriptive paper in the exam hall
English is a third of Phase II. The lowest English score among 2025's selected IT candidates was 47 and the median was 58, while the minimum to qualify is 30. The paper has an essay, a précis and a comprehension. Write and time one essay and one précis a week.
Phase I is broad, so don't over-specialise early
Programming is 30 marks, but database, SQL, Python/R, algorithms, networking and security are 10 each. You clear Phase I on coverage, then move to data structures, algorithms, OOP and strings for Phase II.
Turn this into a schedule with the 60-day SEBI Grade A IT study plan, and go deeper on the IT paper in the Phase II preparation guide.
AIR 2 - Cracked SEBI Grade A in First Attempt - Strategy by Sushil #sebigradea
Sushil discusses the study approach and preparation techniques utilized to succeed in the SEBI Grade A IT exam on the first attempt. Insights include leveraging online resources, structuring descriptive writing, and managing the various phases of the competitive process effectively while balancing professional commitments.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
When is the SEBI Grade A 2026 notification coming out?
SEBI has not released it. Its Vacancies page lists no 2026 exam date or vacancy figure as of 4 November 2026. The previous cycle was advertised as Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager) 2025, with Phase I on 10 January 2026 and Phase II on 21 February 2026.
Who is eligible for the SEBI Grade A IT stream?
A Bachelor's Degree in Engineering in any branch, or a Bachelor's Degree in any discipline plus a post-graduate qualification of at least two years in computer science, computer applications or information technology. Any engineering branch qualifies — a CS degree is not required. Maximum age 30, relaxable by 5 years for SC/ST and 3 years for OBC (NCL). No work experience is needed.
What is the SEBI Grade A IT exam pattern?
In the 2025 advertisement, three stages. Phase I is an online screening with two objective papers of 100 marks — Paper 1 on general awareness, English, quantitative aptitude and reasoning in 60 minutes, and Paper 2 on information technology in 40 minutes. Phase II has a 60-minute descriptive English paper and a 180-minute IT paper of 100 multiple-choice questions, both 100 marks. Phase III is an interview.
What decides the final merit in SEBI Grade A?
Phase II carries 85% and the interview 15%. Within Phase II, Paper 1 is weighted one-third and Paper 2 two-thirds. Phase I marks are used only to shortlist and do not count towards the final result.
What is the SEBI Grade A salary?
In the 2025 advertisement, the pay scale starts at a basic of ₹62,500 and rises to ₹1,26,100 over 17 years. Gross emoluments at Mumbai at the minimum of the scale are approximately ₹1,84,000 per month without accommodation and ₹1,43,000 per month with accommodation, including SEBI's contribution to the National Pension Scheme and allowances.
How many SEBI Grade A IT vacancies are there?
The 2025 cycle advertised 22 posts in the Information Technology stream: 9 unreserved, 5 OBC (NCL), 4 SC, 2 ST and 2 EWS. Four PwBD posts are within those 22, not extra. SEBI has announced no 2026 figure, and IT posts are not guaranteed in every cycle.
Is there negative marking in SEBI Grade A?
Yes. In the 2025 advertisement, one-quarter of the marks assigned to a question, for both papers in Phase I and for the multiple-choice questions of Paper 2 in Phase II. The penalty is for wrong answers, so unattempted questions carry none.
What is in the SEBI Grade A IT syllabus?
In the 2025 advertisement, Phase I covers programming concepts (30 marks), database concepts, SQL, Python/R data analytics, algorithms, networking, and information and cyber security (10 each), plus data warehousing and shell programming (5 each). Phase II is narrower: data structures (40), algorithms (30), object-oriented programming (20) and string manipulation (10).
What were the SEBI Grade A IT cut-offs?
In the 2025 cycle the Phase II cut-off for the IT stream was 77.00 out of 100 for unreserved candidates, 75.50 for OBC (NCL), 74.16 for SC, 73.17 for EWS and 71.67 for ST — the highest unreserved cut-off of any stream.
Master the IT paper. Win the rank.
Timed SEBI Grade A IT mock tests, tests titled PYQ and a PDF library, in one place.
Last verified against SEBI's Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager) 2025 advertisement: 2026-11-04. Official source: SEBI's 2025 advertisement
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