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Phase 2 is where the merit list is actually written. Phase 1 only decides who gets to sit here. This guide gives you the topic-wise weightage of Paper 2, an honest answer on the coding-test question, an eight-week plan and the four mistakes that most often cost a rank.
Short answer
SEBI Grade A IT Officer Phase 2 has two papers of 100 marks each: Paper 1 is a descriptive English test and Paper 2 is the technical Information Technology paper. Paper 1 carries one-third weightage, Paper 2 carries two-thirds.
Paper 2 weightage: Data Structures 40%, Algorithms 30%, Object Oriented Programming 20%, String Manipulation 10%. Data structures and algorithms together are close to 70% of the paper, which makes them non-negotiable regardless of your background.
Why Phase 2 decides everything: Phase 1 marks are used only to shortlist and carry no weight in the final list. The merit list is Phase 2 at 85% and the interview at 15%. Since Paper 2 is two-thirds of Phase 2, this single technical paper accounts for roughly 57% of your final score.
On the format: the SEBI notification specifies Paper 2 for the IT stream as a coding test of 210 minutes in C++, Java or Python, while memory-based candidate recall also reports conceptual and output-based questions on the same four topics. Prepare for both — the topics are identical either way.
Written by Piyush Wairale, M.Tech (IIT Madras). Last reviewed 3 August 2026. Weightages are indicative. Confirm the paper format and marking scheme in the current official notification at sebi.gov.in.
01 — the structure
Two papers, unequal in weight. Many candidates split their revision evenly between them, which is a straightforward way to lose marks where they count most.
| Paper | What it tests | Marks & time | Weightage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | English descriptive — drafting, précis and essay. You must clear its minimum cut-off, typically 30%. | 100 · 60 min | 1/3 |
| Paper 2 | The technical IT paper — data structures, algorithms, OOP and strings. This is the rank-deciding paper. | 100 · 210 min | 2/3 |
| Then: Interview | Domain depth, communication and suitability. English or Hindi. | 15 marks eq. | 15% |
Do the arithmetic once and it changes your plan. Phase 2 is 85% of the merit list, and Paper 2 is two-thirds of Phase 2. That makes this one technical paper roughly 57% of your final score — more than Paper 1 and the interview combined.
02 — the syllabus
Four topics. Two of them decide the paper. Paper 2 tests core computer science fundamentals with heavy emphasis on problem-solving rather than recall.
| Topic | Key concepts covered | Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| Data Structures | Arrays, linked lists, stack, queue, binary trees, binary search tree, heap, hashing, matrix, indexing, JSON objects. | 40% |
| Algorithms | Sorting, searching, greedy algorithms, dynamic programming, backtracking, divide and conquer, pattern searching. | 30% |
| Object Oriented Programming | Abstraction, encapsulation, polymorphism, inheritance — across C++, Java and Python. | 20% |
| String Manipulation | String length, substring operations, regex, searching. | 10% |
| Total | 100% | |
Key insight: nearly 70% of Paper 2 comes from Algorithms and Data Structures. There is no combination of the other two topics that compensates for weakness here. If you have limited time, this is where all of it goes.
03 — the question everyone asks
You will find both answers online, and the disagreement is genuine rather than careless. Here is what each source actually says.
THE NOTIFICATION SAYS
A coding test, 210 minutes
SEBI's stream-wise pattern lists Paper 2 for the IT stream as a coding test of 100 marks with languages C++, Java and Python, and a duration of 210 minutes — far longer than any other stream's Paper 2.
CANDIDATE RECALL SAYS
Conceptual and output-based questions
Memory-based recall reports questions on complexity, traversals, hashing behaviour and OOP semantics — scenario-driven and tricky rather than definitional.
How to prepare when the format is uncertain
Note what does not change: the four topics and their weightage are identical either way. A candidate who can write a working merge sort can also answer its recurrence and stability; the reverse is not true. So build the harder capability — write code by hand, trace it, reason about complexity — and the objective version becomes easy. Confirm the format for your cycle in the official notification when it is released, and treat the 210-minute duration as the strongest available signal about what SEBI expects.
See the memory-based questions for yourself →04 — the method
Five steps, ordered by return on the hours you put in. The sequence matters as much as the content.
SEBI does not ask for definitions. Questions are output-based, scenario-driven and conceptually tricky — the kind where you must trace what the code actually does rather than recall what it is called.
Practise coding logic on paper, predicting outputs before you run anything. Reading solutions builds recognition; writing them builds recall, and only recall survives a timed paper.
At 40% of the paper, data structures alone can fetch 35 to 40 marks if prepared properly. Prioritise in this order:
Algorithms are tested through step-by-step execution, time complexity comparison and choice of optimal approach. Because most candidates avoid this topic, it is where a rank is actually built. Go deep on:
Twenty marks is a fifth of the paper, and the questions are conceptual and frequently wrapped around code snippets. Revise:
Ten percent, but the questions are direct and quick — the best marks-per-minute on the paper. Be fluent with regex basics, substring logic, length functions and pattern matching in your chosen language. This is a weekend of work, not a month.
05 — what goes wrong
Solving MCQs without concept clarity
Question banks feel productive because the score goes up. But recognition of a familiar question is not understanding, and Phase 2 phrases things you have not seen before.
Ignoring time complexity and optimisation
Complexity is not a side topic here — it is how SEBI distinguishes a correct answer from the best one. Know the worst, average and best case for everything you study.
Skipping algorithms out of fear
Thirty percent of the paper cannot be written off. Candidates who avoid dynamic programming are competing for the remaining 70 marks against people who are not.
Never revising the fundamentals
Arrays, pointers and recursion underpin everything else. Weakness here shows up as inexplicable errors in tree and graph questions months later.
Remember: SEBI tests fundamentals, not fancy frameworks. Nobody is asking about your microservices experience. They are asking whether you know why a hash table cannot answer a range query.
06 — the schedule
Built for the gap between the Phase 1 result and the Mains, at two to three hours on weekdays and a longer Sunday session. Weight the weeks the way SEBI weights the paper.
| Weeks | Focus | Weekly output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 3 | Data Structures (40%). Arrays and recursion, linked lists, stack and queue, trees and BST, heaps, hashing, matrices, JSON. | Implement each structure from scratch once, without looking. |
| 4 – 5 | Algorithms (30%). Sorting and complexity, searching, greedy, dynamic programming, backtracking, divide and conquer, pattern searching. | A one-page complexity table you wrote yourself. |
| 6 | OOP (20%) + Strings (10%). Polymorphism, inheritance, abstraction across languages; regex, substring and search. | Ten code snippets whose output you predicted correctly. |
| 7 | Full-length timed practice. Two Mains-pattern papers, each followed by a review twice as long as the attempt. | An error log sorted by cause, not by topic. |
| 8 | Revision only. Complexity tables, OOP semantics, regex sheet, your own error log. No new topics. | Re-solve your ten hardest past problems from memory. |
Expert-guided preparation
Phase 2 preparation gets much easier when the study is structured and aligned to the actual pattern. Following one focused roadmap beats assembling six half-finished resources — and in a technical paper, a guided sequence saves weeks of trial and error.
Complete Paper 2 coverage
Algorithms, Data Structures, OOP and String Manipulation — all four topics, weighted the way the paper weights them.
Questions at SEBI Phase 2 level
Not generic MCQs. Output-based and scenario-driven, pitched at the difficulty the Mains actually asks.
Concepts plus problem-solving
Concept-first lectures, LaTeX notes for revision, and coding practice in C++, Java and Python.
Built by an IIT Madras alumnus
Piyush Wairale, M.Tech IIT Madras, has trained 20,000+ aspirants across SEBI, SBI SO, IBPS SO, ISRO, BARC and PSU IT exams.
Common questions
Prepare it in the order the weightage demands, with questions written at the real Phase 2 level.
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