RBI Examinations (Assistant & Grade B) — Eligibility, Syllabus & Exam Pattern
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), as the country's central bank, conducts its own highly prestigious recruitment examinations. The two most prominent exams are for the posts of RBI Assistant and the coveted RBI Grade B Officer. While both require a Bachelor's degree, their roles, responsibilities, and selection processes are vastly different. The Assistant exam focuses on clerical duties, while the Grade B exam recruits for managerial and policy-making roles.
📌 Eligibility Criteria
Nationality
A candidate for both posts must be a citizen of India.
1. RBI Assistant
- Age Limit: 20 to 28 years.
- Educational Qualification: A Bachelor's degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks and knowledge of word processing on a PC.
2. RBI Grade B Officer
- Age Limit: 21 to 30 years.
- Educational Qualification:
- Grade B (General - DR): A Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 60% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwBD).
- Grade B (DEPR): A Master's degree in Economics / Econometrics / Quantitative Economics or related fields with 55% marks.
- Grade B (DSIM): A Master's degree in Statistics / Mathematical Statistics / Statistics & Informatics or related fields with 55% marks.
Age relaxation is available for reserved categories (OBC, SC/ST, PwBD) as per government rules for both posts.
✍️ Exam Syllabus & Pattern
1. RBI Assistant
Preliminary Exam (100 Marks)
| Subject | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 mins |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 mins |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 mins |
Main Exam (200 Marks)
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Test of Reasoning | 40 | 40 |
| Test of English Language | 40 | 40 |
| Test of Numerical Ability | 40 | 40 |
| Test of General Awareness | 40 | 40 |
| Test of Computer Knowledge | 40 | 40 |
Language Proficiency Test (LPT)
Candidates who clear the main exam must qualify a local language test for the region they have applied from. This is qualifying in nature.
2. RBI Grade B Officer
Phase-I: Preliminary Exam (Objective - 200 Marks)
| Subject | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 80 | 80 | 120 mins (Composite) |
| Reasoning | 60 | 60 | |
| English Language | 30 | 30 | |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 |
Phase-II: Main Exam (300 Marks)
This stage has different papers depending on the stream:
- For General (DR) Stream:
- Paper-I: Economic and Social Issues (50% Objective + 50% Descriptive) - 100 Marks
- Paper-II: English (Writing Skills - Descriptive) - 100 Marks
- Paper-III: Finance and Management (50% Objective + 50% Descriptive) - 100 Marks
- For DEPR & DSIM Streams: Three descriptive papers of 100 marks each, including two papers on the specialized subject (Economics/Statistics) and one on English Writing Skills.
Phase-III: Interview (75 Marks)
Candidates who clear Phase-II are shortlisted for a personal interview.
General Syllabus for Common & Key Subjects
- Reasoning Ability: Puzzles, Seating Arrangements, Syllogism, Blood Relations, Coding-Decoding.
- Quantitative/Numerical Ability: Data Interpretation, Simplification, Number Series, Arithmetic problems.
- English Language: Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Error Spotting, and for descriptive papers, Essay & Letter/Précis Writing.
- General Awareness: Banking & Financial Awareness, Current Affairs (last 6-8 months), Static GK.
- Economic & Social Issues (Grade B): Growth and Development, Indian Economy, Globalization, Social Structure in India.
- Finance & Management (Grade B): Financial System, General Topics in Finance, and Management theories.
👉 Note
- For full official syllabus & eligibility, refer to RBI official website.
☞ Tip for Aspirants: Always refer to the latest official notification for syllabus and eligibility details as they may change year to year.