Many aspirants who want to clear the IFSCA Grade A 2025 exam in the very first attempt miss the most important part of their preparation and revision. They don’t give enough attention to the important topics. These topics decide your selection. Most candidates spend too much time trying to study the entire syllabus without a strategy. Time is short! And the exam demands complete attention. And then, Paper 1 is qualifying in nature. And it is mandatory to clear it with at least 30% marks. And only those who are smart about their revision move ahead. In this blog, we’ll share the subject-wise important topics for Paper 1, the weightage of each important topic, and a simple strategy to revise smartly in the last 15 Days.
Subject-wise Important Topics for IFSCA Grade A Paper 1
Most aspirants jump randomly between chapters. That approach only wastes time. The smarter way is to pay heed to high-yield topics. The topics that have kept appearing in the previous years’ exams. You should concentrate on all the important topics that make up Paper 1, including General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, and English. This paper asks 100 questions for 100 marks, and gives you a time limit of 1 hour (60 minutes). You need to clear this paper to qualify for the next stage. Below is the list of topics that should be your top priority.
IFSCA Grade A Paper 1-Subject-wise Important Topics (with Category & estimated weightage):
| Section | Category | Topic | Estimated Weightage (marks) |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Numerical Ability | Simplification & Approximation | (6–8) |
| “ | Number Series (Missing/Wrong) | (4–6) | |
| “ | Quadratic Equations | (3–5) | |
| “ | Percentage, Ratio & Proportion | (4–6) | |
| Data Interpretation | Data Interpretation (Tables / Pie / Bar / Line — % focused) | (6–9) | |
| Arithmetic | Profit & Loss, Partnership | (3–5) | |
| “ | Simple & Compound Interest | (1–2) | |
| “ | Time, Speed & Distance; Time & Work | (1–2) | |
| Reasoning Ability | Arrangement & Puzzles | Seating Arrangement & Puzzles (Linear / Circular / Floor) | (8–12) |
| Logical Reasoning | Syllogisms | (3–5) | |
| “ | Inequalities | (3–5) | |
| “ | Blood Relations; Direction & Distance | (3–6) | |
| “ | Order & Ranking | (2–4) | |
| Misc / Optional | Coding–Decoding; Alphanumeric Series (optional) | (0–3) | |
| English Language | Comprehension | Reading Comprehension on finance, economy, and themes | (7–10) |
| Grammar | Error Spotting / Sentence Improvement | (3–5) | |
| Usage | Double / Single Fillers & Cloze Test | (3–5) | |
| Structure | Para Jumbles / Sentence Rearrangement | (2–4) | |
| Vocabulary | Vocabulary / One-word substitution / Usage | (1–3) | |
| General Awareness | Current Affairs | Current Affairs of the last 5 to 6 months, related to banking, finance, and policy | (8–12) |
| Regulatory Updates | RBI/SEBI/IFSCA circulars and regulatory updates | (3–5) | |
| Reports & Data | Key Reports, Indices, Budget highlights | (2–4) | |
| Govt Schemes | Government schemes (financial inclusion, credit schemes) | (2–4) | |
| Static Financial GK | Static GK with financial focus (institutions, IFSCs, IMF/World Bank/BIS) | (1–3) | |
| Appointments / Committees | Important appointments, committees | (0–2) |
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Most Important Topics for Quantitative Aptitude
This section is all about being accurate and solving the questions quickly. Knowldge, speed, and accuracy all matter here equally. To make it easy to understand, most questions that you’ll face in this section will require heavy calculation, but will bother you if you’ve prepared the basics well.
Focus first on Simplification, Approximation, and Number Series. These are direct scoring. Then move on to Quadratic Equations and topics based on percentages. Finally, invest time in Data Interpretation. Especially tables and sets based on graphs.
Plus, practice questions based on formulae on the Arithmetic chapters like Profit & Loss, Interest, and Time-Speed-Distance. They can help you fetch easy marks. Don’t try to cover every arithmetic chapter. Just revise the chapters that were asked in previous years’ papers..
Most Important Topics for Reasoning Ability
Reasoning is a section where many aspirants lose time. Puzzles and Seating Arrangements can eat up half of your exam if you are not careful. Practice them, but also balance your attempts with short and direct topics like Syllogisms, Inequality, Blood Relations, and Direction-based questions. These give quick marks in less time. Coding-Decoding and Alphanumeric Series are optional, so prepare them only if you have extra time. The trick is to attempt easy, short questions first and then move to puzzles.
Most Important Topics for English Language
English is qualifying but cannot be ignored. Be ready to face Reading Comprehension, mostly around finance, economy, or general issues. So, keep improving your speed of comprehending the passages via daily practice.
Plus, some questions make appearances in the exam again and again and are scored based on grammar, like:
- Error Spotting
- Sentence Improvement
- Fill-in-the-Blanks
So, to master them, you must master the rules of Subject-Verb Agreement and Parts of Speech.
Then, there are topics like Para Jumbles and Cloze Tests that test your understanding of the concepts. Don’t waste time mugging up rare words. Instead, practice commonly used vocabulary that helps in the RC and Cloze Test.
Most Important Topics for General Awareness
General Awareness often decides whether you qualify for Paper 1. Cover the last 6 months’ current affairs with special attention to the economy, finance, and international developments. Revise RBI and SEBI updates, recent reports, indices, and government schemes. Make notes and revise them weekly. Practice daily quizzes and monthly PDFs to retain facts. Static GK is less in number, but prepare for financial awareness basics like monetary policy, committees, and financial institutions. Regular revision is the key to scoring in GA.
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Simple Strategy to Revise Smartly in the Last 15 Days
Many aspirants keep studying till the last day without a plan. But revision is your biggest weapon now. The last 15-day revision strategy should be all about consolidating what you already know. Don’t chase new chapters. Focus only on high-weightage areas.
Solve 1–2 mock tests every week, and analyze your mistakes. Then, revise short notes. Use active recall instead of passive reading. Your aim should be to reach 40–45 good attempts with accuracy. That is enough to comfortably clear the cutoff.
Why Previous Year Papers Matter
Past year papers give you clarity on the pattern, difficulty, and repeated topics. Without them, you may waste time over-preparing irrelevant chapters. So, get and solve previous years’ papers, specifically those of the years 2023 and 2024. Attempt them in an exam-like environment and go through the solutions carefully.
Learn where you lost time. Add these mistakes to your mistakes notebook (if you’ve made one) and revise them before the exam. This practice not only builds confidence but also helps you handle pressure during the real test.
Result-Oriented Strategy for Phase 1 Paper 1
Paper 1 is not about attempting all 100 questions. It’s about smart attempts. Avoid random guessing. Attempt 40 to 45 questions with accuracy. Manage your time by dividing it across four sections. Don’t let one weak section break your flow.
If General Awareness is tough, balance with Reasoning or Quant. If English takes time, compensate with GA. So, flexibility is the key to a good strategy here. Remember, Paper 1 is qualifying. But without clearing it, you cannot reach Paper 2. So give it the seriousness it deserves.
Final Words
Most candidates preparing for the IFSCA Grade A put all their effort into Paper 2. But Paper 1 is the gatekeeper. If you don’t clear it, you can’t even reach Paper 2. So, spend your energy smartly. Pay heed to important topics, revise daily, and practice mock tests regularly. Monitor your progress and keep short notes ready. Clearing Paper 1 is about discipline, accuracy, and smart selection of questions. If you follow the strategy above, you’ll move into Phase 2 with full confidence.
FAQs
You need to score at least 30% marks in Paper 1 to qualify for the next stage.
General Awareness section has the highest weightage. It is, therefore, often the deciding section. So, pay attention to the last 5 to 6 months’ current affairs with financial updates to make the most of it.
No. Even though it’s qualifying, you must clear it. Revise grammar rules, practice comprehension, and keep your basics strong.
Aiming for 40 to 45 accurate attempts out of 100 is a safe strategy to clear the cutoff comfortably.
They are extremely useful. They show the pattern, repeated topics, and difficulty level. Solving them saves time and boosts confidence.
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