What IFSCA Grade A is
The International Financial Services Centres Authority recruits Assistant Managers at Grade A through this exam, into India’s unified regulator for financial products and services within International Financial Services Centres, notably GIFT City. IFSCA is a relatively new regulatory body formed to bring banking, capital markets, insurance and fund management regulation for these centres under one authority, distinct from SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA, which regulate the same sectors for the rest of India.
Candidates choose one stream at the time of application, General, Legal or IT, and the exact qualification required depends on which stream a candidate has chosen.
Who can apply
For the General stream, a Master’s degree in Economics, Statistics, Commerce, Finance, Management or Law, or a professional qualification such as CA, CFA, CS or ICWA, with at least 60 percent marks (5 percent relaxation for reserved categories), is required. For the Legal stream, a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Law is required, and for the IT stream, a relevant degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or an MCA is required, as specified in the notification. The general age limit is up to 30 years as on the date specified in the notification, with no minimum age criterion for any category, and standard relaxations for reserved categories, persons with disability and ex-servicemen.
How the exam runs
Phase I is an online screening examination with two objective papers of 100 marks each and 60 minutes each: Paper I, common across candidates, and Paper II, specific to the chosen stream, with negative marking of 0.25 marks per wrong answer as specified in the notification. A minimum aggregate score, alongside separate sectional cutoffs, is required to qualify, as the notification specifies.
Phase II combines a stream-specific paper with a Descriptive Writing paper in English, testing depth in the candidate’s chosen stream rather than general aptitude alone.
Candidates who clear Phase II sit an Interview. Final selection combines Phase II marks and Interview marks in the proportion IFSCA specifies each cycle.
Preparing the application
IFSCA specifies exact photograph and signature requirements in each notification rather than a fixed year to year standard, so check the current notification’s dimensions and file size before uploading. The tools on this site can resize your photograph to whatever specific target the notification states.
On exam day
Arrive at least an hour before the reporting time on your admit card, with the printed admit card and a government photo identification matching the name and photo on the admit card. No electronic devices are permitted inside the exam centre.
The official IFSCA website, linked above, carries the current stream-wise vacancies, syllabus, and schedule for the cycle you are applying to.