The SEBI Grade A (2024) Phase 2 Exam just got over on 31 August 2024.
And now is the time to gear up for the 2025 attempt and make no stone unturned in becoming the Assistant Manager at SEBI.
While the 2024 Phase 2 exam’s overall difficulty level was on the moderate side, the English section, specifically Essay topics, was more nuanced and complex than in previous years.
So, preparing with full dedication and investing hours daily in Accounts, Finance, and Management is just the half battle won. Scoring well in the English section is equally important for your selection as the other syllabus topics.
Aspirants do fear this English section, as the essay topics asked in exams seem unpredictable and random to them. And there is no specific resource to prepare from.
In this blog we will analyze Essay questions asked in the SEBI Grade A Phase 2 Exam, to make you aware that essay topics asked in exams are not at all random. After reading this blog you will get a clear idea on how to prepare for so-called unpredictable essay topics and what resources you can follow if you don’t feel confident about the essays asked in Regulatory/ Banking exams.
But before analyzing the trend of the previous year’s essay topics, first look at the exam pattern of SEBI Grade A Phase 2 English Paper (Paper -1)
Exam Pattern:
Paper 1 – English
Duration: 60 minutes
Total Marks: 100 marks
Cutoff = 30%
Weightage = 1/3
The essay will be of 30 marks. You will be given 4 topics out of which you have to choose 1 topic and write an essay of 250-270 words.
Ideally, you should target to finish it in 20 minutes. Then the rest 40 minutes would be for Precis & Reading Comprehension.
Analysis of Essay topics:
Below are the last 3-year (2020, 2022, and 2024) essay topics asked in the SEBI Grade A exam.
In the Essay Topics Asked section,you will find the various questions asked in respective years, and to the right is Context/Prevailing Issues, highlights from where those questions were drawn. Whether they were from the static part of your syllabus or they hold relevance to the contemporary issues prevailing at that time.
Have a look at these topics and their contexts. Then we will discuss what are the 3 key takeaways that will help you in your essay preparation.
| Year | Essay Topics Asked | Context/Prevailing Issues |
| 2020 | 1. Importance of teamwork in an organization. | Management |
| 2. Pros and Cons of Mergers and acquisitions of companies. | Finance | |
| 3. Fake news and how to identify them. | Misinformation on social media during the COVID and election times. | |
| 4. Role of technology in detecting and preventing financial fraud. | Increased online transactions through UPI initially led to financial fraud due to less awareness. | |
| 2022 | 1. Asset Reconstruction Companies | Financial stress in various companies, rising NPAs (Finance). |
| 2. Role of Banks in Financial Literacy | Financial Themes/ Economics and Social Issues | |
| 3. Mental health and its impacts should be discussed. | Lockdowns, isolation, and uncertainty contributed to rising anxiety and depression. | |
| 4. Techno-stress; and its impacts on students and teachers in the education sector. | Shift to online Classes and unable to adopt technology in a useful way | |
| 2024 | 1. How would Organisations & Managers Develop Organisational Culture? | Management |
| 2. Social Healthcare Expenditure: How can banks push Social Healthcare Expenditure at the root of the country? | Financial Themes/ Economics and Social Issues | |
| 3. Environmental, Social & Government Norms: How They Impact Global Business | May 2024 – SEBI’s Consultation Paper on BRSR Aims to Ease ESG Compliance | |
| 4. Machine Learning vs. Human Beings: Can Machines Replace Human Beings? | Recent advancements in generative AI like OpenAI & the fear of unemployment in various sectors due to automation. |
Key Takeaways:
The questions asked in the previous 3 years were a combination of both static (theoretical) and current topics (contemporary issues).
Specifically, if you look at Questions 1 and 2 of all three previous years, they were from the static part of the SEBI Grade A syllabus.
The first type of static question generally focuses on Management theoretical topics related to organizations and their management, which could easily be answered by reading static notes and connecting them with real-life examples.
The second type of static question is related to Finance/ Financial themes (like questions on mergers and acquisition and asset reconstruction companies) or related to Economic and Social Issues (questions like the role of financial literacy and Social Healthcare Expenditure).
While Questions 3 and 4 were from the contemporary issues impacting lives in a society.
In Question 3 across all years, you can observe the trend of asking one question based on contemporary issues that relate to social relevance and public awareness (like Fake news and how to identify it, Mental health and its impact, and Environmental, Social & Governance Norms).
Questions like these test your awareness of India and the world on how well you are updated with current affairs. These questions also assess your clarity of thought in expressing views on issues that impact society as a whole.
Now, the last topic is Question 4, the questions asked in all 3 previous years test your understanding of the technological impacts on our lives. Whether the question is on the Role of technology in preventing financial fraud, Techno-stress on students and teachers, and Machine Learning vs. Humans. These questions specifically explore the challenges and concerns of upcoming technological advancements, how they would impact our daily lives, and how prepared we are to adapt to these changes.
Conclusion
As you can see the Essay Section of the SEBI Grade A exam isn’t as unpredictable as it might seem to aspirants. The questions asked are based on recurring themes that could be easily prepared with the right resources, proper guidance and mentorship, and practicing well.
