One of the most esteemed institutions in the nation is the RBI. It regulates the country’s financial sector to support the stability and expansion of the Indian economy.
A career with the RBI offers countless chances for professional and personal development. Its long history of excellence and influence enables people to leave a lasting impression on the nation’s economy.
It is crucial to have a rational grasp of the fundamentals of an exam, particularly for one with a comprehensive syllabus like RBI Grade B. Being well-prepared is essential if you’re motivated to pass this test.

Start by becoming acquainted with the exam format and syllabus. Without this, you may be taken aback by inquiries about unexpected subjects. Understanding the syllabus thoroughly will enable you to recognize these topics and make efficient preparations.

Knowing the exam pattern is crucial, as it offers a clearer picture of the format, scoring system, question types, time constraints, and topic weighting. As a result, you’ll be able to approach each section with greater confidence and manage your time more efficiently.
Remember to review the curriculum before starting your studies. This can help you properly arrange your preparation and highlight key subjects.

In the part below, I’ll go over all you need to know about the RBI Grade B syllabus and test pattern to help you comprehend. Let’s now explore the specifics and the format of the test!

The Phase-Wise Exam Pattern for RBI Grade B 2025

Although the official RBI Grade B 2025 Notification has not yet been made public, the format of the exam is probably going to be comparable to that of prior years.
Therefore, knowing the pattern is essential to your study plan if you’re getting ready for the test.

You may get a fair idea of what to expect if you are studying for the RBI Grade B Exam 2025 by looking at the exam pattern.

You can better plan your preparation if you have a thorough understanding of the exam’s structure, including the number of questions, time constraints, and marking scheme.

There are three stages to the exam, which are listed below:

Phase 1 :

Objective in character: There are four sections in the Phase 1 exam, and the questions are objective-based.
Question count: There are 200 questions in all, for 200 points.
There is a sectional cutoff, and a total of 120 minutes (2 hours) is allotted for finishing the exam.

Phase 2 :

Objective and descriptive: There are both objective and descriptive-based questions on the three exams that make up the Phase 2 test.
Total Marks: The exam’s three papers add up to 300 total points.
Time allotment: Five hours and thirty minutes, or 330 minutes, are given to try every question.

Interview:

Type of questions asked: The last step is the interview, which includes questions on the candidate’s personal information, educational background, RBI, current events, etc.

Total points:  There are 75 points awarded for the interview.
Weighting:  This final step accounts for 20% of the final selection.

Before continuing, I want to emphasize to all of my pupils that while studying hard is vital, studying smart is much more crucial. Additionally, this is evident from the exam’s design.

Prelims (Phase 1) and the Mains Exam (Phase 2) are computer-based written examinations.

You must also review the comprehensive RBI Grade B announcement 2025 in order to learn more crucial information about the test.

Phase 1 of the RBI Grade B Exam Pattern (Subjects, Questions, and Marks)
The initial step in the selection process for the RBI Grade B Officer job profile is the RBI Grade B Exam Phase 1. To move on to the next phase, though, you must pass it.

This stage assesses your proficiency in four areas:

general awareness

reasoning ability

numerical aptitude

English language

Here is a thorough rundown of everything you need to know before taking the test:

Number of Questions: There are 200 questions in the paper.
Total Points: The RBI Grade B Phase 1 test has a 200-mark maximum score.
Time Allotted: One hundred and twenty minutes is the time allotted to finish the exam.
Exam Mode: The test is administered using a computer-based online format.
Marking System: For every right response, candidates will receive one mark.
For every wrong response, 0.25 points are subtracted as negative marking.
Cut-off Criteria: To be eligible for Phase 2, candidates must meet both an overall cut-off and minimum sectional cut-offs.

To proceed, make sure you meet both the sectional and overall cutoffs.

You must carefully review the RBI Grade B eligibility 2025, which I have provided in an easy-to-understand format, to make sure you are qualified to take the test.

Phase 2 of the RBI Grade B Exam Pattern (Subjects, Questions, and Marks)

The secondary stage is the Phase 2 exam, and your performance on the RBI Grade B Phase 2 exam significantly influences your chances of getting to the final interview.

It consists of three papers: English, Finance and Management (FM), and Economic and Social Issues (ESI).

While the third is a fully descriptive English assignment that assesses your writing abilities, the first two are a combination of objective and subjective questions.

This comprehensive guide will help you comprehend what might be covered in Phase 2 and how to adequately prepare:

Total number of Questions: There are sixty objective and fifteen subjective questions in the RBI Grade B Phase 2 exam.
Overall Score: The exam has a total score of 300, with 100 points awarded for each paper.
Time: A total of 270 minutes has been allotted to finish the exam.
Exam Mode: This is the format for the RBI Grade B Phase 2 exam:
In a computer-based structure, the objective papers are administered online.
Your responses must be written on paper (pen and paper format) for the offline descriptive exam.

The objective papers in Phase 2 are subject to negative marking, and each wrong response will result in a 0.25 mark deduction. The descriptive paper, however, does not receive a failing grade.

Termination. To be eligible for the interview, candidates must meet the minimal sectional cut-offs for English, FM, and ESI papers. Additionally, to advance to the interview stage, an overall cut-off must be met across all three papers.

Please take note that the cut-off is subject to change annually based on the top scores.

Note:

• According to the RBI Grade B exam format, there will be 30 questions and 50 marks for objective questions (1 mark for some questions and 2 points for others) for both Economic & Social Issues and Finance & Management.
• There will only be four questions for applicants to attempt for descriptive answers (2 of 15 marks each and 2 of 10 marks each).
• The first four descriptive questions will be assessed if the candidate responds to more than four.

To make sure your registration form is submitted successfully, you can apply online and get detailed information about the application procedure by consulting the RBI Grade B instructions.

RBI Grade B Interview

In the exam process, the third and last step is the RBI Grade B Interview. After you pass the Phase 1 and Phase 2 tests, you will move on to the interview stage.

Minimum Cut-offs: Candidates who meet both the overall and minimum sectional cut-offs will be invited to the interview stage.
Final Score for the Interview: With a total score of 75, the RBI Grade B Interview accounts for 20% of the final selection.

Selection of Language: Depending on their preference, candidates can select Hindi or English as the interview language.

Five senior officers will interview the applicant and ask questions on their personal information, educational history, RBI, news of national and international significance, and other topics.

Test of Psychometrics for Grade B RBI

Before the interview, the candidate must go through a personality test that the bank will administer. For the same, no points will be awarded, and it won’t be included in the final selection criterion.

Mode: You can complete the psychometric test from home because it is administered online.

You have the option to take the test in English or any of the nine other Indian languages that you would like.

Approximately 100–120 questions will be asked to assess your behavior and personality.

Marks: The psychometric test incurs no points.

Time Limit: Typically, it takes 15 to 20 minutes to finish the test.

The system keeps track of your time, even though there isn’t a set time restriction, this information will be included in the final report.
To determine their fitness, the candidate must appear for the medical test after passing the interview and group discussion.

Candidates must download the call letter, which will be delivered to each applicant’s email if they pass the Phase 2 Exam, to attend the RBI Grade B Interview.

You can read the vital instructions on the RBI Grade B admit card and find out which documents you need to bring to the exam room.

Syllabus for RBI Grade B Exams

Detailed Syllabus for RBI Grade B

When it comes to finding the best sources for any exam, the two best friends of an aspirant are-

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS PAPER

SYLLABUS

Resources for phase 1

Recommended Books

Quantitative Aptitude –

This book, named Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma, is best for building fundamentals in a step-by-step manner, but it does not adhere to the  RBI Grade B syllabus alone, so it needs to be complemented with PYQs for comprehensive coverage.

Reasoning –

The recommended book for reasoning is Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by RS Agarwal, but since it is relevant for multiple exams, you need to sort out relevant topics based on PYQs.

English Language –

There is no specific book to prepare for the English Language; the more you read, the more you learn. However, these 2 books, Objective General English by SP Bakshi and Word Power – Made Easy, can be referred to align your preparation according to the exam pattern of RBI Grade B and to improve your vocabulary.

General Awareness (GA) –

General Awareness is divided into static and current affairs. It is very difficult to define the syllabus of GA, hence you need to have a keen observation of what is going on in your surroundings and is relevant for the exam. How to cover it then? Through The Hindu and PIB, or if you find it difficult making notes out of it, then any good compilation of current affairs (relevant for RBI Grade B exam) is the best way to cover General Awareness. Static GA is to be derived from current affairs, and you must Google Search to find out the important static aspects of current news.

What are the other sources?

Books for Quant & Reasoning are only for concept building. The best way to prepare for these subjects is to practice as many questions and attempt as many mock tests as you can.

For English, develop a decent vocabulary through an editorial section of The Hindu/The Indian Express and reading Yojana magazine (will help in current affairs as well)

Resources for Phase 2: Recommended Books

Books for Management–

⦁             Principles & Practice of Management by LM Prasad

⦁             Organizational Behaviour by LM Prasad and Organizational Behaviour by Stephen P Robins (Indian Version edited by Niharika Bohra)

⦁             Business Ethics & Corporate Governance by BN Ghosh – For Ethics & Corporate Governance

Books for Finance–

⦁             Principles of Practices of Banking by Macmillan Education (Read only Module A & C)

⦁             Bank Financial Management by Macmillan Education (Read only Module A & B)

⦁             Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh (Mainly for Inflation & Union Budget)

Books for Economic & Social Issues–

⦁             Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh (Read only those chapters that are mentioned in the syllabus)

⦁             Social Problems in India by Ram Ahuja – (Requires selective study, as mainly current-oriented questions are asked)

Books for Descriptive English –

⦁ There are no specific books that can be suggested for Descriptive English. To improve your writing skills, you can start reading PIB (will help in collecting good points for the essay), Yojana magazine will help in English as well as current affairs and editorials from The Hindu or Indian Express (will help in building command over the language). What are the other sources?

Finance:

⦁             FAQs & Speeches on the RBI Website

⦁             Investopedia website

⦁             Notifications (Factual Data) on the RBI Website

⦁             Livemint newspaper (Editorial Section)

Magazines(for descriptive part) – Capital Market & Business India

Summaries of – Economic Survey, Union Budget, RBI Annual Report, Report on Trends in banking industry by RBI & Financial Stability Report

Economics & Social Issues:

⦁             PIB (past 6 months)

⦁             The Hindu (Editorial Section)

⦁             Magazines (only if time permits) – The Economist and Economic & Political Weekly

In conclusion,

You may better organize your study and concentrate on subjects like weighting, time limit, and the sum of all phases’ marks now that you are familiar with the RBI Grade B Exam Pattern and syllabus.
Keep a good outlook and be constant in your efforts. Keep in mind that perseverance and a methodical approach are necessary for success.

Your potential is something I believe in!

Remain inspired, keep moving forward, and good things will come.

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