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RBI Grade B 2026: Exam Pattern & Syllabus
RBI Grade B 2026: Exam Pattern & Syllabus
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Grade B Officer recruitment is one of the most prestigious and competitive examinations in the Indian banking sector. Unlike standard banking exams, the RBI Grade B curriculum is deeply conceptual, demanding a solid grasp of economics, financial markets, and management practices, alongside analytical writing skills.
The selection process is structured into three progressive stages: Phase 1 (Prelims), Phase 2 (Mains), and the Interview.
RBI Grade B 2026 Exam Pattern
Phase 1: Online Objective Test (Prelims)
Phase 1 serves entirely as a screening test. To qualify for Phase 2, you must clear both the individual sectional cut-offs and the overall aggregate cut-off.
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Section / Subject
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Number of Questions
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Maximum Marks
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Sectional Time Allocation
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General Awareness (GA)
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80
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80
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25 Minutes
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Reasoning Ability
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60
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60
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45 Minutes
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English Language
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30
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30
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25 Minutes
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Quantitative Aptitude
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30
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30
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25 Minutes
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Total
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200 Questions
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200 Marks
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2 Hours (120 Minutes)
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# Marking Rules: Each correct answer awards +1 mark. There is a penalty of 0.25 marks for every incorrect response. The General Awareness and Reasoning sections alone account for 70% of the total marks.
Phase 2: Online Objective & Descriptive Test (Mains)
Phase 2 is the core merit-deciding phase. The papers are conducted across multiple shifts, and all are mandatory.
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Paper
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Subject / Component
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Type of Examination
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Max Marks
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Duration
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Paper I
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Economic & Social Issues (ESI)
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50% Objective (30 Qs)
50% Descriptive (4 out of 6 Qs)*
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50
50
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30 Minutes
90 Minutes
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Paper II
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English (Writing Skills)
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100% Descriptive (3 tasks: Essay, Precis, RC)
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100
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90 Minutes
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Paper III
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Finance & Management (FM)
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50% Objective (30 Qs)
50% Descriptive (4 out of 6 Qs)*
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50
50
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30 Minutes
90 Minutes
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Total
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Phase 2 Aggregate Score
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300 Marks
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5.5 Hours
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Phase 3: Interview (75 Marks)
- Candidates are shortlisted for the interview based on their aggregate score out of 300 in Phase 2.
- The interview carries a 20% weightage in the final merit listing, evaluating your personality, educational background, communication skills, and awareness of contemporary central banking operations.
Detailed Subject-Wise Syllabus (General Stream)
Phase 1: Preliminary Topics
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Section
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Key Syllabus Focus Areas
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General Awareness
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• Banking & Financial Sector: RBI functions, recent monetary policy updates, monetary instruments (Repo, Reverse Repo, CRR, SLR), Basel norms, and financial inclusion.
• National & International Events: Union Budget 2026 allocations, Economic Survey analysis, major central government welfare schemes, summits, international loan agreements, index rankings, and important sports/national awards.
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Reasoning Ability
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• Analytical & Puzzle-based: Complex seating arrangements (circular, linear, square), floor/box puzzles, scheduling, and machine input-output.
• Logical Reasoning: Syllogisms, inequalities (direct & coded), blood relations, data sufficiency, coding-decoding, and critical reasoning (statement-assumption, cause & effect).
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Quantitative Aptitude
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• Data Interpretation (DI): Bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, tabular data, and arithmetic caselets.
• Arithmetic & Algebra: Percentage, profit & loss, simple & compound interest, time & work, time-speed-distance, probability, permutations & combinations, and quadratic equations.
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English Language
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• Comprehension & Vocabulary: Reading comprehension, cloze tests, error spotting, phrase replacement, sentence connectors, and para jumbles.
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Phase 2: Mains Topics
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Paper
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Complete Syllabus Breakdown
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Paper I:
Economic & Social Issues (ESI)
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• Growth & Development: National income accounting (GDP, GNP, NNP, GVA), human development indicators (HDI), sustainable development goals (SDGs), and poverty alleviation schemes.
• Indian Economy: Economic history, monetary & fiscal policies since 1991, structural changes in industrial & labour policy, Union Budget concepts, and infrastructure developments.
• Globalization: Trade liberalization, Balance of Payments (BOP), Export-Import policies, and international economic bodies (IMF, World Bank, WTO).
• Social Structure in India: Demographic trends, urbanization, migration, gender issues, social justice/positive discrimination policies, health, and education sectors.
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Paper II:
Descriptive English
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• Essay Writing: Analytical essays focusing on economic and financial current affairs, public policy, or social developments.
• Precis Writing: Summarizing a complex, long passage into a structured, concise summary (~one-third length).
• Reading Comprehension: Answering advanced analytical questions based on a provided text passage.
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Paper III (a):
Finance
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• Financial System: Regulators of banks & financial systems (RBI, SEBI), structure & concerns of the Indian banking sector, and developmental institutions (SIDBI, EXIM, NABARD, NHB).
• Financial Markets: Primary and secondary markets (Forex, Money, Bond, Equity markets) — their functions and recent legal developments.
• General Finance Topics: Risk management in banking, basics of financial derivatives, inflation types and monetary tracking (CPI, WPI), FinTech growth, and corporate governance codes.
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Paper III (b):
Management
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• Fundamentals of Management: Evolution of management thoughts (scientific, administrative, human relations), management functions, and organizational roles.
• Organizational Behaviour (OB): Factors affecting personality (Big Five Model), perception errors, content theories of motivation (Maslow, Herzberg, Alderfer, McClelland), and process theories (Vroom, Adams).
• Leadership & Skills: Leadership theories (trait, behavioral, contingency, transformational), power & authority dynamics, emotional intelligence (EQ), conflict management, and Nudge theory.
• Ethics & Corporate Governance: Ethical frameworks in management, combating administrative corruption, and the role of e-governance.
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