EXAM SYLLABUS

Below is the complete and detailed syllabus for RBI Grade B (General Stream) and RBI Grade A Officer (Assistant Manager – General pattern).

RBI Grade B Officer – Detailed Syllabus

Phase I (Prelims) Syllabus

1. General Awareness

Focus is mainly on Banking, Finance and Current Affairs.

Topics include:

Current Affairs (last 6–8 months)

Banking and Financial Awareness

RBI Policies and Functions

Monetary Policy and Repo Rate updates

Budget and Economic Survey

Government Schemes

International Financial Institutions (IMF, World Bank, ADB, etc.)

Static GK (Important Days, Reports, Indices, Awards)

Indian Economy basics

Financial Markets

Currency and Capital Market news

This section carries highest weightage.

2. Reasoning Ability

Puzzles (Floor, Circular, Box based)

Seating Arrangement

Syllogism

Inequality

Blood Relations

Direction Sense

Coding-Decoding

Input-Output

Data Sufficiency

Logical Reasoning

Statement and Conclusion

Cause and Effect

3. English Language

Reading Comprehension

Cloze Test

Error Detection

Sentence Improvement

Para Jumbles

Fill in the Blanks

Vocabulary (Synonyms, Antonyms)

4. Quantitative Aptitude

Data Interpretation (Table, Pie, Line, Caselet)

Simplification and Approximation

Number Series

Quadratic Equations

Percentage

Ratio and Proportion

Profit and Loss

Time and Work

Time, Speed and Distance

Average

Partnership

Simple and Compound Interest

Probability and Permutation basics

Important Preparation Insight

For both Grade B and Grade A:

Current Affairs + RBI updates are crucial.

Phase II preparation should start along with Phase I.

Descriptive writing practice is essential.

Concept clarity in Economics and Finance is mandatory.

EXAM PATTERN

RBI Grade B Officer selection has three stages:

Phase I (Prelims), Phase II (Mains), and Interview.

RBI Grade B – Phase I (Prelims) Format

Mode: Online objective test

Total Marks: 200

Duration: 120 minutes

Negative Marking: 0.25 marks for each wrong answer

Sectional Cut-off: Yes

Overall Cut-off: Yes

Sections in Phase I

General Awareness – 80 marks

Reasoning Ability – 60 marks

English Language – 30 marks

Quantitative Aptitude – 30 marks

Total: 200 marks

Note: Phase I is qualifying for Phase II. Marks are not added in final merit.

RBI Grade A Officer – Exam Format
RBI Grade A (Assistant Manager) recruitment pattern is similar but depends on the department (General, DEPR, DSIM, Rajbhasha, etc.). It usually consists of:

Phase I – Prelims (Objective)

Phase II – Mains (Objective + Descriptive)

Interview

RBI Grade A – Phase I (Prelims) Format

Mode: Online

Total Marks: 200

Duration: 120 minutes

Negative Marking: 0.25 per wrong answer

Typical Sections:

General Awareness

Reasoning

English Language

Quantitative Aptitude

Structure is similar to Grade B Phase I.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The RBI Grade B and Grade A eligibility criteria will be specified in the official notification. It is expected to include details such as age limits, educational qualifications, nationality, and other requirements for different Grade B and Grade A posts. Candidates who fail to meet the prescribed eligibility conditions will not be eligible to apply. After the notification is released, the complete eligibility details will be published on the official RBI website.

1. Nationality

2. Age Limit & Relaxations

3. Educational Qualifications

Nationality

1. A candidate must be either:

2. A citizen of India, or

3. A subject of Nepal, or

4. A subject of Bhutan, or

5. A Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India,

or

A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India. Provided that a candidate belonging to any of the categories at (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India. A candidate in whose case a certificate of eligibility is necessary, may be admitted to the examination, but the offer of appointment may be given only after the necessary eligibility certificate is issued to him/her by the Government of India.

Age Limit & Relaxations

A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years on September 01, 2025 i.e., he/she must have been born not earlier than September 02, 1995 and not later than September 01, 2004.

The upper age-limit prescribed above will be relaxed:

i) up to a maximum of five years for candidates belonging to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe, if the posts are reserved for them.

ii) up to a maximum of three years in the case of candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates, if the posts are reserved for them.

iii) up to a maximum of five years for ex-employees of banking institutions whose services had to be terminated for reasons of economy or because of bank going into liquidation and personnel retrenched from Government Offices after at least one year's service and currently registered with any Employment Exchange.

iv) up to a maximum of five years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on September 01, 2025 and have been released :

a. on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from September 01, 2025) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency; or

b. on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service; or

c. on invalidment.

v) up to a maximum of five years in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as on September 01, 2025 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months' notice on selection from the date of receipt of offer of appointment.

vi) up to a maximum of 10 years in the case of Gen/ EWS PwBD candidates. For SC/ST PwBD candidates up to a maximum of 15 years and for OBC PwBD candidates up to a maximum of 13 years, subject to reservation of vacancies under the respective post. Relaxation in upper age limit for PwBD will be subject to the posts having been identified suitable for such disabilities.

vii) For candidates possessing M.Phil. and Ph.D. qualification, upper age limit will be 32 and 34 years respectively.

viii) For candidates having experience as an officer in Scheduled Commercial Banks, Public Sector Insurance Companies and All India Financial Institutions (AIFI), as also prior experience in Reserve Bank of India, upper age limit is relaxed to the extent of number of completed years of such experience subject to a maximum of three years. For such candidates, upper age limit should not exceed 33 years including experience. For experience, probationary period will not be reckoned. For details, please refer Note IV below.

ix) For eligible Staff Candidates, as per para 5.16 of RBI Master Circular on Recruitment dated April 01, 2025 and RBI circular CO.HRMD.No. G132 / 17000 /05.01.01 /2013-14 dated June 09, 2014, the relaxation in age limit is according to RBI circular CO. HRMD. No. G-75/ 5599/ 05.01.01/ 2013-2014 dated December 20, 2013.

x) For recruitment to the post of Grade ‘B’ (DR)-DEPR/DSIM cadre, candidates having Master's Degree with Research/Teaching experience at a recognised Indian/Foreign University/Institute will be eligible for relaxation in upper age to the extent of number of years of such experience subject to a maximum of three years. For experience, probationary period will not be reckoned.

Note-I

Candidates belonging to either SC or ST or OBC category, who are also covered under clauses of para 4 (b) (iv), (v) and (vi) above, viz. those coming under the category of Ex-servicemen or PwBD, will be eligible for grant of cumulative age-relaxation under both the categories. Other than these two categories, cumulative age relaxation will not be available either under the above items or in combination with any other items.

Note-II

The term Ex-servicemen will apply to the persons who are defined as Ex-servicemen in the Ex-servicemen (Re-employment in Civil Services and Posts) Rules, 1979, as amended from time to time.

Note-Ill

The age concession under Para 4 (b) (iv) and (v) will not be admissible to Ex-servicemen and Commissioned Officers including ECOs/SSCOs, who are released on own request.

Note-IV

Scheduled Commercial Banks are the Commercial Banks included in the Second Schedule of the RBI Act, 1934.

Public Sector Insurance companies are the companies reckoned by Department of Financial Services (DFS) [(i) Life Insurance Corporation of India, (ii) General Insurance Corporation of India, (iii) The New India Assurance Company Limited, (iv) United India Insurance Company Limited, (v) The Oriental Insurance Company Limited, (vi) National Insurance Company Limited and (vii) Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited.]

All India Financial Institutions (AIFI) are Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), National Housing Bank (NHB), Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID).

For Assistant Manager (Rajbhasha) in Grade ‘A

A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years as on July 01, 2025. Candidates must have been born not earlier than July 02, 1995 and not later than July 01, 2004.

For candidates with Ph.D. qualification, the upper age limit will be 32 years. The maximum age relaxation applicable to SC/ST and OBC category candidates, even having Ph.D., will be 5 years and 3 years respectively if posts are reserved for them. (Cumulative benefit is not allowed).

For Assistant Manager (Protocol & Security) in Grade ‘A’

A candidate must have attained the age of 25 years and must not have attained the age of 40 years as on July 01, 2025. Candidates must have been born not earlier than July 02, 1985 and not later than July 01, 2000. There is no age relaxation for any category.

Educational Qualifications

Officers in Grade ‘B’ (DR) – General

Graduation in any discipline/technical/professional qualification with 60% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwBD) OR Post-Graduation with 55% marks (pass marks for SC/ST/PwBD)

Officers in Grade ‘B’ (DR) – DEPR

MA/MSc in Economics/Applied Economics/Econometrics/Financial Economics/Business Economics/Industrial Economics/Development Economics/International Economics OR MA/MSc in Finance/Quantitative Finance/Banking/Corporate Finance/International Finance/Agri Business Finance, with 55% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwBD)

Officers in Grade ‘B’ (DR) – DSIM

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The RBI Grade B and Grade A eligibility criteria will be specified in the official notification. It is expected to include details such as age limits, educational qualifications, nationality, and other requirements for different Grade B and Grade A posts. Candidates who fail to meet the prescribed eligibility conditions will not be eligible to apply. After the notification is released, the complete eligibility details will be published on the official RBI website.

1. Nationality

2. Age Limit & Relaxations

3. Educational Qualifications

Nationality

1. A candidate must be either:

2. A citizen of India, or

3. A subject of Nepal, or

4. A subject of Bhutan, or

5. A Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India,

or

A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India. Provided that a candidate belonging to any of the categories at (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India. A candidate in whose case a certificate of eligibility is necessary, may be admitted to the examination, but the offer of appointment may be given only after the necessary eligibility certificate is issued to him/her by the Government of India.

Age Limit & Relaxations

A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years on September 01, 2025 i.e., he/she must have been born not earlier than September 02, 1995 and not later than September 01, 2004.

The upper age-limit prescribed above will be relaxed:

i) up to a maximum of five years for candidates belonging to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe, if the posts are reserved for them.

ii) up to a maximum of three years in the case of candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates, if the posts are reserved for them.

iii) up to a maximum of five years for ex-employees of banking institutions whose services had to be terminated for reasons of economy or because of bank going into liquidation and personnel retrenched from Government Offices after at least one year's service and currently registered with any Employment Exchange.

iv) up to a maximum of five years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on September 01, 2025 and have been released :

a. on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from September 01, 2025) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency; or

b. on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service; or

c. on invalidment.

v) up to a maximum of five years in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as on September 01, 2025 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months' notice on selection from the date of receipt of offer of appointment.

vi) up to a maximum of 10 years in the case of Gen/ EWS PwBD candidates. For SC/ST PwBD candidates up to a maximum of 15 years and for OBC PwBD candidates up to a maximum of 13 years, subject to reservation of vacancies under the respective post. Relaxation in upper age limit for PwBD will be subject to the posts having been identified suitable for such disabilities.

vii) For candidates possessing M.Phil. and Ph.D. qualification, upper age limit will be 32 and 34 years respectively.

viii) For candidates having experience as an officer in Scheduled Commercial Banks, Public Sector Insurance Companies and All India Financial Institutions (AIFI), as also prior experience in Reserve Bank of India, upper age limit is relaxed to the extent of number of completed years of such experience subject to a maximum of three years. For such candidates, upper age limit should not exceed 33 years including experience. For experience, probationary period will not be reckoned. For details, please refer Note IV below.

ix) For eligible Staff Candidates, as per para 5.16 of RBI Master Circular on Recruitment dated April 01, 2025 and RBI circular CO.HRMD.No. G132 / 17000 /05.01.01 /2013-14 dated June 09, 2014, the relaxation in age limit is according to RBI circular CO. HRMD. No. G-75/ 5599/ 05.01.01/ 2013-2014 dated December 20, 2013.

x) For recruitment to the post of Grade ‘B’ (DR)-DEPR/DSIM cadre, candidates having Master's Degree with Research/Teaching experience at a recognised Indian/Foreign University/Institute will be eligible for relaxation in upper age to the extent of number of years of such experience subject to a maximum of three years. For experience, probationary period will not be reckoned.

Note-I

Candidates belonging to either SC or ST or OBC category, who are also covered under clauses of para 4 (b) (iv), (v) and (vi) above, viz. those coming under the category of Ex-servicemen or PwBD, will be eligible for grant of cumulative age-relaxation under both the categories. Other than these two categories, cumulative age relaxation will not be available either under the above items or in combination with any other items.

Note-II

The term Ex-servicemen will apply to the persons who are defined as Ex-servicemen in the Ex-servicemen (Re-employment in Civil Services and Posts) Rules, 1979, as amended from time to time.

Note-Ill

The age concession under Para 4 (b) (iv) and (v) will not be admissible to Ex-servicemen and Commissioned Officers including ECOs/SSCOs, who are released on own request.

Note-IV

Scheduled Commercial Banks are the Commercial Banks included in the Second Schedule of the RBI Act, 1934.

Public Sector Insurance companies are the companies reckoned by Department of Financial Services (DFS) [(i) Life Insurance Corporation of India, (ii) General Insurance Corporation of India, (iii) The New India Assurance Company Limited, (iv) United India Insurance Company Limited, (v) The Oriental Insurance Company Limited, (vi) National Insurance Company Limited and (vii) Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited.]

All India Financial Institutions (AIFI) are Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), National Housing Bank (NHB), Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID).

For Assistant Manager (Rajbhasha) in Grade ‘A

A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years as on July 01, 2025. Candidates must have been born not earlier than July 02, 1995 and not later than July 01, 2004.

For candidates with Ph.D. qualification, the upper age limit will be 32 years. The maximum age relaxation applicable to SC/ST and OBC category candidates, even having Ph.D., will be 5 years and 3 years respectively if posts are reserved for them. (Cumulative benefit is not allowed).

For Assistant Manager (Protocol & Security) in Grade ‘A’

A candidate must have attained the age of 25 years and must not have attained the age of 40 years as on July 01, 2025. Candidates must have been born not earlier than July 02, 1985 and not later than July 01, 2000. There is no age relaxation for any category.

Educational Qualifications

Officers in Grade ‘B’ (DR) – General

Graduation in any discipline/technical/professional qualification with 60% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwBD) OR Post-Graduation with 55% marks (pass marks for SC/ST/PwBD)

Officers in Grade ‘B’ (DR) – DEPR

MA/MSc in Economics/Applied Economics/Econometrics/Financial Economics/Business Economics/Industrial Economics/Development Economics/International Economics OR MA/MSc in Finance/Quantitative Finance/Banking/Corporate Finance/International Finance/Agri Business Finance, with 55% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwBD)

Officers in Grade ‘B’ (DR) – DSIM

Master’s Degree with 55% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwBD) in Statistics/Mathematics/Quantitative Economics/Econometrics/Informatics/Data Science/AI/ML/Big Data Analytics OR 4-year Bachelor’s Degree in the same fields with 60% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwBD).

Essential

Officers in Grade 'B' (DR) - DEPR

a) MA/ MSc in Economics or MA/ MSc in courses such as Quantitative Economics, Mathematical Economics, Applied Economics, Econometrics, Financial Economics, Business Economics, Agricultural Economics, Industrial Economics, Development Economics and International Economics (where "Economics" is the principal constituent* of the curriculum/ syllabus)

OR

b) MA/ MSc in Finance or MA/ MSc in courses such as Quantitative Finance, Mathematical Finance, Quantitative Techniques, International Finance, Business Finance, Banking and Trade Finance, International and Trade Finance, Corporate Finance, Project and Infrastructure Finance, Agri Business Finance (where "Finance" is the principal constituent* of the curriculum / syllabus).

c) For a) and b) above, minimum 55 per cent marks or an equivalent grade is required in aggregate of all semesters / years from a recognized Indian or Foreign University / Institute.

Officers in Grade 'B' (DR) - DSIM

a. Master's Degree with a minimum 55% marks in aggregate of all semesters/ years or an equivalent grade/ CGPA in Statistics / Mathematics/ Mathematical Statistics/ Applied Statistics/ Quantitative Economics/ Econometrics/ Informatics or any other related branches of these areas from a recognized Indian/ Foreign University/ Institute approved/ recognized by Government/ UGC/ AICTE;

OR

b. Master's Degree with a minimum 55% marks in aggregate of all semesters/ years or an equivalent grade/ CGPA in Data Science / Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning/ Big Data Analytics or any other related branches of these areas from a recognized Indian/ Foreign University/ Institute approved/ recognized by Government/ UGC/ AICTE;

OR

c. Four-year Bachelor's Degree with a minimum 60% marks in aggregate of all semesters/ years or an equivalent grade/ CGPA in Statistics / Mathematical Statistics/ Applied Statistics/ Quantitative Economics/ Econometrics/ Informatics/ Data Science/ Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning/ Big Data Analytics or any other related branches of these areas from a recognized Indian/ Foreign University/ Institute approved/ recognized by Government/ UGC/ AICTE.

For Assistant Manager (Rajbhasha) in Grade ‘A

Essential: (i) Second Class Master's Degree in Hindi/ Hindi Translation with English as a subject at the bachelor’s degree level; OR (ii) Second Class Master's Degree in English with Hindi as a subject at the bachelor’s degree level along with Post graduation diploma in translation; OR (iii) Second Class Master's Degree in Sanskrit / Economics / Commerce with English and Hindi as subjects at the bachelor’s degree level along with Post graduation diploma in translation. (In lieu of a subject of Hindi at bachelor’s degree level, one may have recognized Hindi qualification equivalent to a bachelor’s degree); OR (iv) Master's Degree in both English and Hindi/ Hindi Translation, of which one must be Second Class.

Desirable: Knowledge of bi-lingual word processing.

For Assistant Manager (Protocol & Security) in Grade ‘A’

The candidate should be an Officer with a minimum of ten years (five years in case of PwBD candidates) of Commissioned Service in the regular Army/Navy/Air Force holding a valid Ex-Serviceman Identity Card.

Note: Short Service Commissioned Officers should have rendered at least ten years continuous Military Service and have been released on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from the cut-off date specified, i.e., on or before July 01, 2025) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency or on account of physical disability or have been released on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service or on invalidment.

IMPORTANT DATES

The Reserve Bank of India Services Board (RBISB) is expected to announce recruitment for Grade B and Grade A posts in 2026. As per the usual schedule followed by RBI, the online registration process is likely to be conducted in July 2026, while the written examination is tentatively expected to be held in August 2026. The admit cards will be released on the official RBI website around one week before the examination date. However, the RBI Services Board reserves the right to modify or revise the dates and schedule at any stage, and candidates are advised to regularly check the official website for the latest updates.

EXAM ANALYSIS

RBI Grade B Last Conducted Exam (2025)

Phase I: Preliminary Examination

The RBI Grade B Phase I (Prelims) for 2025 was conducted on 18th October 2025 for General and 19th October 2025 for DEPR/DSIM streams.

Shift & Timing Details:

The Prelims were conducted in single shift format (National level test).

Reporting time was set about one hour before exam start.

Exam timing was 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM for both days.

Duration was 2 hours (120 minutes) in total.

This format was common across exam centres, and candidates needed to be present well before reporting time for verification.

RBI Grade B Phase I Pattern (2025)

The Phase I (Prelims) was an objective online exam covering major sections aimed at evaluating core aptitude and domain knowledge.

Phase I Structure:

General Awareness: 80 marks

English Language: 30 marks

Quantitative Aptitude: 30 marks

Reasoning Ability: 60 marks

Total Marks: 200

Duration: 120 minutes

Negative Marking: 0.25 marks per wrong answer

Candidates needed to clear sectional and overall cut-off to qualify for Phase II.

Difficulty Trend:

Overall difficulty was Moderate across all sections.

General Awareness carried significant weight with emphasis on current affairs especially banking, finance and economic developments over the last months.

Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude were concept-based but moderate.

RBI Grade B Phase II / Mains (2025)

After qualifying Prelims, candidates appeared in Phase II (Main Examination) on:

6th December 2025 for General stream

7th December 2025 for DEPR & DSIM streams

Structure of Phase II (Mains) 2025

The Phase II exam included three papers:

Economic and Social Issues (Objective + Descriptive) – 100 marks, 90 minutes

English (Writing Skills) – 100 marks, 90 minutes (Descriptive)

Finance and Management (Objective + Descriptive) – 100 marks, 90 minutes

Total: 300 marks

Descriptive writing elements in Papers I and II tested analytical writing and application skills.

Difficulty & Trend:

Phase II combined objective and descriptive formats, making it Moderate to Difficult depending on candidate preparation.

Economic and Social Issues required strong conceptual clarity of economic concepts and current policy updates.

English writing skills were critical due to extended descriptive requirement.

Phase II results for 2025 were released on 19th January 2026 for candidates who appeared in December Mains.

RBI Grade B Interview (2025)

Candidates who cleared Phase II were called for the Interview (Phase III). Interview marks are usually 75, and final selection is based on combined marks of Phase II and Interview.

Final results are typically declared after interview evaluation.

Expected 2026 RBI Grade B Exam Schedule

Based on last year’s cycle and typical RBI timelines:

Notification: Expected around September – October 2026.

Phase I (Prelims): Likely October 2026.

Phase II (Mains): Likely December 2026.

Interview: Early 2027.

(Official dates for 2026 will be released with the RBI notification on rbi.org.in; this prediction follows the 2025 cycle pattern.)

RBI Grade A Officer (2025 Final Result)

For RBI Grade A Officer (Assistant Manager) in 2025, a separate recruitment was also conducted. The exam was held on 16th August 2025, and the final results were declared on 17th December 2025.

The Grade A recruitment generally follows a similar Phase I and Phase II pattern with interview, but fewer posts and a slightly different syllabus focusing more on financial management and specialized areas.

Key Patterns & Expectations for 2026

RBI Grade B Phase I (Prelims)

Expected to be a 2-hour online objective test with similar section makeup.

Strong focus on General Awareness, Reasoning, Quant, English.

Strong performance in Phase I is essential for Mains eligibility.

RBI Grade B Phase II (Mains)

Multi-paper format with descriptive and objective parts.

Emphasis on deeper economic issues, finance theory, analytical writing and management concepts.

Shift & Timing Expectations

Prelim Single Shift: Likely mid-afternoon slot (2:00 PM to 4:00 PM) based on 2025 pattern.

Phase II Mains: Separate days per stream, usually morning to evening spread (depending on the number of papers).

Difficulty Insights

Phase I tends to be Moderate but competitive due to limited vacancies.

Phase II (Mains) is Moderate to Difficult with significant descriptive focus.

Final Preparation Insights for 2026

Start with basics for General Awareness as it has high weightage and evolves every year.

In Prelims, focus on speed plus accuracy, especially in reasoning and quantitative.

For Mains, prepare descriptive writing, economics concepts and management principles thoroughly.

Review past year papers and mock tests to align with expected difficulty levels.

STUDY TIPS

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) conducts the Grade A and Grade B recruitment examinations through the RBI Services Board (RBISB) to select officers in different specialized fields. These exams are national-level, highly competitive, and held once every year.

Bare Acts First – Always start with original bare acts of laws, mark key sections, and link them with case laws.

Case-Law Capsules – Prepare short cards of 40–50 landmark cases using a simple format (Facts–Issue–Rule–Conclusion).

Section Anchors – Create one-page sheets for each statute with 15–20 most important sections.

Answer Templates – For descriptive law answers: Definition ? Section/Case ? Application ? Conclusion.

Legal Drafting Drills – Practise daily drafting of notices, petitions, and agreements in 10–15 minutes.

English Mastery – Essays: intro–body–conclusion; Precis: one-third length, original tone; Letters: concise and professional.

Protocol & Security as SOPs – Convert every topic into a flow chart/checklist (e.g., “Bomb threat SOP”).

Risk Matrix Practice – Always analyse: Asset ? Threat ? Vulnerability ? Countermeasure.

Fire & Safety Snapshot – Memorize fire triangle, extinguisher types, PASS method, NBC standards.

CCTV & Hardware Quick Notes – Tabulate gadgets (scanner, detector, camera) with purpose, limits, false-alarm ratio.

Weekly Testing Loop – 2 sectional tests, 1 writing task, 1 SOP scenario every week.

Interview Readiness – Collect 8–10 STAR stories of your achievements in law/security, and practise concise delivery.

STUDY PLANS

Six-Month Plan (24 weeks)

Weeks 1–10: Foundations – Laws (Constitutional, Admin, Procedural), Security Basics, English essays & precis.

Weeks 11–16: Integration – Financial Laws, Interpretation, SOPs for Fire, Risk, CCTV, Manpower.

Weeks 17–22: Advanced Practice – Drafting, SOP writing, Case-law review, weekly full mocks.

Weeks 23–24: Peak Prep – 3 mocks/week, light revision, interview prep.

Three-Month Plan (12 weeks)

Weeks 1–2: Core Laws + Security Basics + English practice.

Weeks 3–6: Financial/Procedural Laws + Risk Assessment, Fire Safety, CCTV.

Weeks 7–9: Mixed mocks, Descriptive answers, SOP scenarios.

Weeks 10–12: Full mocks 2–3/week, quick revision, interview prep.

One-Month Crash Plan (4 weeks)

Week 1: Constitutional + Procedural Law; Security Basics; English essays.

Week 2: Financial Laws + Drafting; Security Gadgets & Fire Safety.

Week 3: Full mocks alternate days; SOP drills.

Week 4: Light revision, 2 mocks, interview answers, rest and routine.

OVERVIEW

The Reserve Bank of India Grade ‘B’ and Grade ‘A’ Examination 2026, conducted by the RBI Services Board (RBISB), is expected to be held to recruit eligible candidates for Grade ‘B’ posts (Legal Officer and Manager – Technical Civil/Electrical) and Grade ‘A’ posts (Assistant Manager – Rajbhasha and Assistant Manager – Protocol & Security) in the Reserve Bank of India. This is a highly competitive national-level examination that is usually conducted once a year and attracts a large number of aspirants from across the country. Based on previous recruitment trends, the RBI Grade A and B exams consistently receive a very high number of applications, making the selection process extremely competitive. Candidates are therefore advised to prepare strategically and stay updated with the official notifications for the 2026 cycle.

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process for RBI Grade B and Grade A and A 2026 consists of three stages. First, you will take the Phase 1 (Prelims) exam. If you score well enough, you move on to Phase 2 (Mains), which is more challenging and includes both objective and descriptive questions. If you perform well in the Mains, you'll be called for an Interview. Your final selection is based on your performance in both Phase 2 and the Interview.

Phase I – Preliminary Examination

This is an online objective test that includes sections on General Awareness, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability. Candidates who clear the Phase I cut-off are shortlisted for Phase II.

Phase II – Main Examination

Phase II consists of descriptive and objective papers, depending on the stream. It includes Economic & Social Issues (ESI), English (Writing Skills), and Finance & Management (FM). Only candidates qualifying Phase II are called for the interview.

Phase III – Interview

The final stage is a personal interview, which evaluates the candidate’s personality, communication skills, subject knowledge, and suitability for the role of an RBI Grade B Officer.