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RBI Grade B exam: pattern, eligibility and how to prepare

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 8 Oct 2026 · 8 min read

The RBI Grade B (DR) General exam has three stages. Phase I is a single 200-mark online objective paper of 120 minutes. Phase II has three online papers of 100 marks each: Economic & Social Issues (ESI), English Writing Skills, and Finance & Management (F&M). The last stage is an interview of 75 marks. Final merit adds Phase II and the interview, and Phase I marks are not counted. In the 2026 cycle (advertisement RBISB/DA/01/2026-27), RBI moved the exam to the spring and summer: Phase I was on 13 June and Phase II on 25 July 2026.

This page covers the General cadre of Grade B. The DEPR and DSIM cadres are advertised alongside it and are not covered here. Where this page says a detail is not stated, that is because the advertisement does not give it, and we would rather say so than guess.

RBI Grade B at a glance

Phase I: the qualifying round

Phase I has four tests: General Awareness, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning. It is one 200-mark paper of 120 minutes, with each test timed separately. You need to clear a minimum in each test and the aggregate cut-off. The marks are used only to decide who goes to Phase II.

The advertisement does not give the per-test question counts, the per-test marks or the negative-marking rule. The question counts are in the information handout for the cycle, and the marking rule should be confirmed there or in the exam instructions, so this page does not state any of them. Read the handout as soon as RBI publishes it, because it tells you how to split the 120 minutes.

Phase II: three papers, 300 marks

How Phase II works in practice:

• Descriptive answers are typed. You choose four answers from six questions in the descriptive part of ESI and F&M; the four add up to 50 marks (the advertisement shows two answers of 15 marks and two of 10). If you write more than four, only the first four are evaluated.
• Objective questions in Papers I and III carry 1 or 2 marks each.
• Time per descriptive answer works out to about 22 minutes on average (90 minutes for four answers), a little more for the 15-markers and less for the 10-markers.
• Language. Papers are bilingual, Hindi and English, except the English paper. Hindi typing uses the Inscript or Remington (GAIL) layout.

For the English paper, the advertisement gives three descriptive questions in 90 minutes, about 30 minutes each. It does not set out the question types, so confirm them in the information handout; essay, précis and comprehension-based writing are the usual formats to practise. The descriptive writing guide explains the typing and structure routine that applies to any typed writing test.

Phase II syllabus headings

Interview and final merit

The interview carries 75 marks and can be taken in Hindi or English. Before it there is a personality assessment, which carries no marks. Final merit combines the 300 Phase II marks and the 75 interview marks, a total of 375, and Phase I plays no part.

Because the marks are added, a mark at the interview is worth exactly one mark in Phase II. A 10-mark swing in any Phase II paper or in the interview moves your total by 2.7 percentage points. The interview is 20% of the maximum, so it matters, but a strong Phase II comes first. Our bank PO interview preparation page covers interview themes that apply across bank and RBI boards.

Eligibility

The marks threshold is what catches people out. IBPS PO, for example, sets no minimum percentage in graduation, while Grade B asks for 60% in aggregate. Check your own result against it before anything else. The bank exam eligibility page compares this with the PO and clerk rules.

Pay in the 2026 advertisement: a starting basic of ₹78,450 a month in the Grade B scale, with initial gross emoluments of about ₹1,54,936 a month without house rent allowance, and HRA at 15% of pay where bank quarters are not provided. NPS is mandatory. Pay is revised and varies by cycle, so treat this as an indication.

When is the exam? The cycle has moved

The 2026 cycle was notified in April and held in June and July. The previous cycle (Panel Year 2025, advertised on 10 September 2025) is reported to have held Phase II on 6 December 2025. So do not assume an autumn exam. RBI has not confirmed the next window in anything we have verified; watch the RBI Opportunities site and rbi.org.in. The gap between Phase I and Phase II in 2026 was six weeks (13 June to 25 July), which means Phase II study cannot wait for the Phase I result.

How to prepare

1. Treat Phase I as a bank-exam prelims. Quant, Reasoning, English and general awareness: use the quantitative aptitude, reasoning ability, English language and banking awareness guides. It is a qualifying gate, so aim for a safe margin and spend the rest of your time on Phase II.
2. Start ESI and F&M early. They are conceptual and descriptive, and they take months to build. For ESI, work from the Economic Survey, the Union Budget and basic economics texts, plus a steady newspaper habit for social-sector issues. For F&M, learn how the financial system and markets work, what the RBI does, and the management basics named in the headings above. RBI's own publications, such as the monetary policy statements, the Financial Stability Report and the annual report, are widely used sources.
3. Practise typed answers from the start. Write one full descriptive answer a day, typed, within the time limit: about 20 to 25 minutes for ESI and F&M answers. Review them against a checklist of structure, data and argument.
4. Build the interview profile in the last two months: your graduation subjects, economy and finance current affairs, and your views on RBI's role.

Both phases reward the same habit, which is regular timed practice followed by honest review.

Using PrepMatic for the Phase I tests

PrepMatic's bank-exam practice is objective. Its free assessment, about 15 untimed questions, shows your weakest subjects, and the study plan spreads your preparation across your exam date, daily hours and study days. Custom mocks let you choose subjects, number of questions, duration and difficulty, and they can be focused on your weak subjects. Phase II descriptive papers need another route, since PrepMatic does not evaluate descriptive answers: practise typed answers and review them yourself or with a mentor.

Frequently asked questions

What is the RBI Grade B exam pattern?

Phase I is one 200-mark paper of 120 minutes covering General Awareness, English, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning. Phase II has three 100-mark papers (ESI, English Writing Skills and F&M), and the interview carries 75 marks. Final merit is Phase II plus the interview.

Is there negative marking in RBI Grade B Phase I?

The 2026 advertisement does not state it, so this page does not either. Check the information handout and the exam instructions for the cycle before you plan how many questions to attempt.

Do Phase I marks count in the final RBI Grade B merit list?

No. Phase I is qualifying. Final merit is Phase II marks plus interview marks.

How many attempts do I get in RBI Grade B?

General and EWS candidates are not eligible after six appearances in Phase I for this post. The advertisement sets no such limit for SC, ST, OBC and PwBD candidates.

Can a fresher apply for RBI Grade B?

Yes. The advertisement encourages candidates with no prior experience to apply. You need graduation with at least 60% (or post-graduation with at least 55%), and you must be within the age limit.

Is RBI Grade B held between October and December?

Not in 2026. That cycle was notified in April, with Phase I on 13 June and Phase II on 25 July. RBI decides each year's schedule, so wait for its notice rather than assuming one.

Official sources

• RBI Grade B (DR) General, DEPR and DSIM advertisement, Panel Year 2026: eligibility, pattern, pay and syllabus headings.
• RBI Opportunities: recruitment notices, information handouts and results.
• Reserve Bank of India: press releases and publications used for ESI and F&M.

Confirm every detail in the latest RBI notification and information handout, because the cycle, the dates and the pattern can change.

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