RBI Grade B
Direct recruitment of Grade B officers into the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the central bank — the most sought-after regulatory job in the banking space, with streams for General, the Department of Economic and Policy Research (DEPR) and the Department of Statistics and Information Management (DSIM).
Eligibility
For the General post: a Bachelor's degree with at least 60% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwBD). DEPR and DSIM streams require a Master's in Economics or Statistics (or specified equivalents) with prescribed marks. Age 21–30 years, extendable to 32/34 for candidates with M.Phil./Ph.D. General (unreserved) candidates get a maximum of six attempts for the General post.
Age limit: 21–30 years (up to 32/34 with M.Phil./Ph.D.; relaxations as per category)
Exam pattern
Three stages (General stream). Phase I: a single 200-mark, 2-hour objective paper — General Awareness 80, Reasoning 60, English 30, Quantitative Aptitude 30 — with sectional and overall cut-offs; qualifying only. Phase II: three 100-mark papers — Economic & Social Issues (half objective, half descriptive), English Writing Skills (fully descriptive, typed) and Finance & Management (half objective, half descriptive). Interview carries 75 marks. Final merit is Phase II (300) plus Interview (75); wrong objective answers cost 0.25 marks.
Syllabus at a glance
Phase I stresses current affairs, the economy and banking within a large General Awareness section, alongside reasoning, English and basic quant. Phase II covers Economic & Social Issues (growth, poverty, reforms, social justice), Finance (financial system, markets, regulation, budget) and Management (leadership, motivation, HR concepts, corporate governance), plus descriptive English. Primary sources — the Economic Survey, Union Budget and RBI's own reports — are central.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Phase II (Mains), 2026 cycle | 25–26 Jul 2026 (25 Jul General; 26 Jul DEPR/DSIM) | confirmed |
| Phase II result | Aug 2026 | expected |
| Interviews | Sep–Oct 2026 | expected |
| Final result | Oct–Nov 2026 | expected |
| Next (2027) notification | Apr 2027 | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- Indian Economy — Ramesh Singh
- The Indian Financial System — Bharati V. Pathak
- Organizational Behaviour — Stephen P. Robbins
- Economic Survey (latest edition) — Ministry of Finance, Government of India
- Descriptive English — S.P. Bakshi & Richa Sharma
How toppers play it
- Phase I is decided by the 80-mark General Awareness section — six months of current affairs plus Economic Survey and RBI-report highlights beat aptitude grinding.
- Phase II is half descriptive and fully typed: write and type two practice answers a week on ESI and Finance & Management themes from day one.
- Quote primary sources (RBI Annual Report, Monetary Policy Report, Economic Survey data) in descriptive answers — examiners reward specificity over generic essays.
- With only about 60 posts, aim well above cut-off buffers; do not neglect the Finance & Management objective half, which is the most score-elastic paper.
- Track your attempts: unreserved candidates get six shots at the General post, so enter each cycle with a mock-verified plan.