Exam Pattern
SIDBI Grade A & B Exam Pattern
Small Industries Development Bank of India: Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager) & Grade B (Manager), General Stream
The SIDBI Grade A & B exam pattern below is checked stage by stage, so one stage cannot inherit another stage's scoring rules.
Phase I
Official Officers Grade A & B 2025-26 pattern| Questions | 200 |
| Total marks | 200 |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0.25 per wrong answer |
| Sections | English Language, Reasoning Aptitude, Quantitative Aptitude, Computer Knowledge, General Awareness, MSMEs: Policy, Regulatory and Legal Framework; Finance and Management, Stream Specific Test |
| Test | Qs | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 |
| Reasoning Aptitude | 25 | 25 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 25 |
| Computer Knowledge | 20 | 20 |
| General Awareness | 20 | 20 |
| MSMEs: Policy, Regulatory and Legal Framework; Finance and Management | 30 | 30 |
| Stream Specific Test | 50 | 50 |
Timing: Single composite 120-minute timer for all seven sections combined: no sectional lock, you can move between sections freely..
Phase I is common to Grade A and Grade B (General Stream) and has seven sections split into two groups: English Language, Reasoning Aptitude, Quantitative Aptitude, and Computer Knowledge are qualifying only, while General Awareness, MSMEs: Policy, Regulatory and Legal Framework; Finance and Management, and the Stream Specific Test (the merit section, worth 100 of the 200 marks) decide the merit ranking used to shortlist candidates for Phase II.
Official source · checked 6 August 2026The SIDBI Grade A & B Phase I exam pattern is 200 questions carrying 200 marks, to be answered in 120 minutes. That works out to about 36 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 7 sections are English Language, Reasoning Aptitude, Quantitative Aptitude, Computer Knowledge, General Awareness, MSMEs: Policy, Regulatory and Legal Framework; Finance and Management and Stream Specific Test. All sections share one composite timer, so you are free to move between them and spend your time where it earns most.
SIDBI Grade A & B Phase I marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1 mark.
- A wrong answer deducts 0.25 marks; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 20% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. A blind guess between four options is right 25% of the time, which is already above that line, so an educated guess is clearly worth making rather than leaving the question blank.
- Worked example: attempt 160 of the 200 questions and get 120 right and 40 wrong, and you score 110 out of 200.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 36 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free SIDBI Grade A & B mock test to see where your time actually goes.
Phase II
Official Officers Grade A & B 2025-26 pattern| Questions | 50 |
| Total marks | 75 |
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0.25 per wrong answer |
| Sections | MSME Finance and Credit Management |
| Test | Qs | Marks | Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSME Finance and Credit Management | 50 | 75 | 60 |
Phase II runs 200 marks across three components: a Descriptive English Language paper (75 marks), and a Paper on MSMEs split into an Objective section (50 questions, 75 marks, 60 minutes) and a Descriptive section (50 marks). Only the objective MSME Finance and Credit Management section is covered here. The Descriptive English paper and the MSME Descriptive section are essay/long-answer format and are not built as MCQ tests.
Official source · checked 27 August 2026The SIDBI Grade A & B Phase II exam pattern is 50 questions carrying 75 marks, to be answered in 60 minutes. That works out to about 72 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. It is a single MSME Finance and Credit Management paper.
SIDBI Grade A & B Phase II marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1.5 marks.
- A wrong answer deducts 0.25 marks; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 14.3% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. A blind guess between four options is right 25% of the time, which is already above that line, so an educated guess is clearly worth making rather than leaving the question blank.
- Worked example: attempt 40 of the 50 questions and get 30 right and 10 wrong, and you score 42.5 out of 75.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 72 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free SIDBI Grade A & B mock test to see where your time actually goes.
SIDBI Grade A & B exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in SIDBI Grade A & B?
SIDBI Grade A & B Phase I deducts 0.25 marks for a wrong answer; SIDBI Grade A & B Phase II deducts 0.25 marks for a wrong answer. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in SIDBI Grade A & B?
SIDBI Grade A & B Phase I has 200 questions, SIDBI Grade A & B Phase II has 50 questions. That leaves about 36 seconds per question in SIDBI Grade A & B Phase I and 72 seconds per question in SIDBI Grade A & B Phase II.
What are the total marks in SIDBI Grade A & B?
SIDBI Grade A & B Phase I is out of 200 marks, SIDBI Grade A & B Phase II is out of 75 marks.
How long is the SIDBI Grade A & B exam?
SIDBI Grade A & B Phase I runs for 120 minutes, SIDBI Grade A & B Phase II runs for 60 minutes.
Does SIDBI Grade A & B have a sectional time limit?
No. Every section shares one composite timer, so you can move between sections freely and give the slower ones more of your time.
How many stages does SIDBI Grade A & B have?
This site covers 2 objective stages: Phase I, Phase II. Each stage is checked against the official notification separately, because scoring rules routinely differ between stages of the same exam.