IFSCA Grade A Exam Pattern 2026
To do well in the IFSCA Assistant Manager exam, it is essential that you are well acquainted with the IFSCA Grade A exam pattern 2026. The exam pattern IFSCA exam will consist of three phases:
- Phase 1- Online Exam
- Phase 2- Online Exam
- Phase 3- Interview
Let’s look at the IFSCA Grade A exam pattern 2026 in detail below.
IFSCA Grade A Phase 1 Exam Pattern
Phase 1 of the IFSCA Grade A exam comprises 2 papers, which will consist of multiple-choice questions. You are required to secure a minimum cut-off of 30% in Paper 1 and 40% in Paper 2. Apart from that, you also need to secure an aggregate cut-off of 40% in the Phase 1 exam to be shortlisted for the next phase, i.e Phase 2.
Furthermore, the IFSCA Grade A Phase 1 exam will be qualifying in nature and marks obtained by the candidates in Phase 1 will not be counted for final selection. Please refer to the table below for more details on the IFSCA Grade A Phase 1 exam pattern 2026.
| Paper | Subject | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration | Cut Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | General awareness (financial sector) | 25 | 25 | 1 hour | 30% |
| English language | 25 | 25 | |||
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 25 | |||
| Test of Reasoning | 25 | 25 | |||
| Total | 100 | 100 | |||
| Paper 2 | General knowledge, Current events of national and international importance, Economic and social development (sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, and demographics), Commerce, Accountancy, Management, Finance and costing, Indian Economy, Global Economy, Five-year plans, Central Government’s initiatives/ Schemes in the financial sector. | 50 | 100 | 1 hour | 40% |
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IFSCA Grade A Phase 2 Exam Pattern
Phase 2 of the IFSCA Assistant Manager also comprises 2 papers. Paper 1 will consist of a Descriptive English Test, while Paper 2 will consist of multiple-choice questions.
The minimum cut-off for Paper 1 is 30%, and for Paper 2 the minimum cut-off is 40%. Furthermore, you also need to secure an aggregate cut-off of 40% in Phase 2 to be shortlisted for the Interview. The details of the IFSCA Grade A Phase 2 exam pattern are given below.
| Paper | Subject | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration | Cut Off | Weightage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Precis Writing | 35 | 100 | 1 hour | 30% | 1/3rd |
| Essay Writing | 30 | |||||
| Comprehension | 35 | |||||
| Total | 100 | 100 | ||||
| Paper 2 | IFSCA Act, Union Budget, Economic Survey, Banking, Capital Market, Insurance, Pension Funds, Bullion, GIFT City, GIFT IFSC, IFSCA, Global Financial Centres etc. | 50 | 100 | 1 hour | 40% | 2/3rd |
IFSCA Grade A Interview
Candidates who qualify for the Phase 2 exam, will be called for the third and final round, i.e Interview. Candidates up to 3 times the number of vacancies will be called for an interview. The weightage of marks obtained in Phase 2 and Interview will be 85:15.
IFSCA Grade A Marking Scheme
The IFSCA Grade A Phase 1 exam will have objective-type questions in both papers, whereas, in the case of Phase 2, only Paper 2 will have objective-type questions. The IFSCA Grade A exam will carry a negative marking for every wrong answer. Refer to the table below for more information on the IFSCA Assistant Manager marking scheme.
IFSCA Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager) Marking Scheme 2026
| Marking Scheme | Considered Marks |
|---|---|
| For correct answers |
|
| For wrong answers | -0.25/ 1/4 of marks assigned to the question |
| For not attempted | 0 (no marks) |
Exam language
It is important to note that all questions in IFSCA Grade A exam, except the Test of English Language in Phase 1 & Descriptive Test of English in Phase 2, will be bilingual i.e. in English and Hindi.
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