RBI Grade-B Exam (2023)- A Complete Preparation Guide
RBI grade B exam is conducted by the central bank of the country for the profile of grade B officers. The exam takes place across the country in three phases.
In this article, you will learn about the RBI Grade-B exam and the tips to crack the exam.
Table of Contents
- About RBI Grade-B Exam
- Exam Pattern
- Syllabus
- Examination Fee
- Eligibility Criteria
- Exam Centres
- Tips to crack RBI Grade-B exam
About RBI Grade-B Exam
Working for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the most coveted role for professional aspirants, especially in the finance domain. And thus, to crack the RBI exam, candidates prepare for months prior to the examination. One such exam is the RBI Grade-B exam, which is an open-competitive examination conducted by RBI.
Candidates successful in the exam are inducted into the following departments:
- Officers in Grade B (General)
- Officers in Grade B (Department of Economic and Policy Research)
- Officers in Grade B (Department of Statistics and Information Management)
The following article will uncover all the details of the RBI Officers Grade B entrance exam, including the exam dates, eligibility, exam pattern, and exam syllabus, along with some preparation tips and FAQs.
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RBI Grade-B Exam Pattern
The RBI Grade B exam is conducted in both Hindi and English. It takes place in the following three phases:
1. RBI Grade B Phase-I
RBI Grade B exam duration is of 3 hours. It is conducted in English as well as Hindi.
| Subject | Total Number of Questions | Maximum Marks |
| General Awareness | 80 | 80 |
| English Language | 30 | 30 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 |
| Reasoning Ability | 60 | 60 |
| Total | 200 | 200 |
2. RBI Grade B Phase-II
Candidates who clear Phase I are eligible to attempt the Phase II exam. This phase is 4.5 hours long, with each subject being given 1.5 hours.
| Subject | Type of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration (In Minutes) |
| Economic and Social Issues | Objective | 100 | 90 |
| English Language | Descriptive | 100 | 90 |
| Finance and Management | Objective | 100 | 90 |
3. RBI Grade Phase-II Final Interview Round
After clearing the Phase II exam, candidates will be shortlisted for the interview round, which will be 50 marks. Once the interview round is clear, the final selection round is done through the merit list (comprising Phase II marks and final round marks).
RBI Grade B Exam Syllabus
Below is the detailed RBI Grade B exam syllabus.
RBI Grade Phase I Syllabus
| General Awareness | English Language | Quantitative Aptitude | Reasoning Ability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Affairs | Spotting Error | Quadratic Equation | Puzzle Test and Inequality |
| Banking & Financial | Reading Comprehension | Number Series | Seating Arrangement Linear Arrangement |
| Static GK | Cloze Test | Data Interpretation | Syllogism and Data Sufficiency |
| Economic News | Para jumbles | Miscellaneous Questions | Input-Output Logical / Analytical Reasoning Coding-Decoding |
RBI Grade Phase II Syllabus
1. Topics covered under “Economic and Social Issues”-
- Economic Issues
- Social Issues
2. Topics covered under “English”-
It is a descriptive paper that covers questions to check the writing skills of the candidates.
3. Topics covered under “Finance and Management” –
It includes basic to moderate finance and management-related questions.
RBI Grade B 2023 Application Fee
Find the fee structure of the RBI Grade B exam below.
| Category | Application Fees |
|---|---|
| GEN/OBC | Rs. 850 (Application fees + intimation charges) |
| SC/ST/PWD | Rs. 100 (Only intimation charges) |
RBI Grade B Eligibility Criteria
RBI Grade B exam had defined the below-mentioned criteria.
Nationality
A candidate appearing for the exam must be:
- Citizen of India, or
- A subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or
- Tibetan refugees permanently settled in India (before January 1, 1962), or
- An Indian origin candidate migrated to permanently settle in India from countries – Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, or Vietnam.
Age Limit
- The candidate must be between the age of 21 to 30
- The upper age limit for candidates having M.Phil. qualification is 32 years and for PhD qualification candidates, it is 34 years
- The age limit for the reserved candidate is as per the norms defined by the Government of India
Qualification
The RBI Grade exam eligibility is determined by the qualification mentioned below.
| Post | Minimum Qualification |
|---|---|
| Officers in Grade ‘B’ (DR) – (General) | Minimum 60% marks in aggregate (50% for SC/ST/PWD) or an equivalent grade in bachelor’s degree, and 12th and 10th exams |
RBI Grade B Exam Centers
The RBI Grade B exam centers for Phase I and Phase II are highlighted below.
| RBI Grade-B Exam Centers – Phase I | ||
|---|---|---|
| Andaman & Nicobar (Port Blair) |
Andhra Pradesh & Telangana (Guntur, Narasaraopet, Hyderabad, Rangareddy-Kodada, Karimnagar, Warangal, Rajahmundry, Kakinada, Tirupati, Chittoor, Vijaywada, Kanchikacherla, Gudlavalleru, Eluru, Vishakhapatnam, Vizianagaram) |
Arunachal Pradesh (Itanagar, Naharlagun city) |
| Assam (Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar) |
Bihar (Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Patna) |
Chandigarh (Chandigarh) |
| Chattisgarh (Raipur, Bhilai) |
Daman & Diu (Jamnagar) |
Goa (Varna) |
| Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Gandhi Nagar, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara) |
Haryana (Hissar, Karnal, Rohtak) |
Himachal Pradesh (Dharamsala, Shimla) |
| Jammu & Kashmir (Jammu) |
Jharkhand (Bokaro, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Ranchi) |
Karnataka (Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bengaluru, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Tumkur, Gulbarga, Bidar, Hubli, Dharwad, Haliyal, Gadag, Mangalore, Mysore, Mandya, Udipi) |
| Kerala (Kannur, Kasargod, Kochi, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrichur, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Nagercoil) |
Lakshadweep (Kavaratti) |
Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur) |
| Maharashtra (Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Nasik, Pune, Solapur) |
Manipur (Imphal) |
Meghalaya (Shillong) |
| Mizoram (Aizawl) |
Nagaland (Kohima) |
New Delhi (Delhi NCR) |
| Orissa (Balasore, Berhampur (Ganjam), Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur) |
Puducherry (Cuddalore, Villupuram) |
Punjab (Amritsar, Bhatinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali, Patiala) |
| Rajasthan (Ajmer, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur) |
Sikkim (Gangtok, Bardang City) |
Tamil Nadu (Chennai, Vellore, Coimbatore, Erode, Tirupur, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Dindigul Salem, Namakkal, Tiruchirapalli, Perambalur, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Tuticorin) |
| Tripura (Agartala) |
Uttar Pradesh (Agra, Allahabad, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Varanasi) |
Uttarakhand (Dehradun, Haldwani, Nainital, Roorkee City) |
| West Bengal (Berhampore (WB), Durgapur, Kolkata, Greater Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Kalyani, Siliguri) |
||
| RBI Grade-B Exam Centers – Phase II | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ahmedabad | Bengaluru | Bhubaneswar |
| Bhopal | Kolkata | Chandigarh |
| Chennai | Guwahati | Hyderabad |
| Jaipur | Jammu | Kanpur |
| Kochi | Lucknow | Mumbai |
| Nagpur | New Delhi | Patna |
| Pune | Thiruvananthapuram |
Tips for Cracking RBI Grade B Exam
To crack any exam, it is important to be prepared both academically and mentally. You can follow the below given tips to improve your chances of cracking the RBI Grade B exam:
- Go thoroughly with the syllabus to learn every topic that is important from an exam point of view.
- Solve previous years papers to learn what types of questions are frequently asked and which questions are only asked less frequently.
- Take the help of online courses and video tutorials if you are unable to understand concepts through books.
- Watch interviews of successful candidates to understand their strategies.
- Revise your concepts from time to time to ensure you do not miss out on any important details.
- Take mock exams to be prepared for speed test at the examination centre.
- Do read newspapers and magazines to stay updated with current affairs.
Conclusion
All you have to do now is prepare for the RBI Grade-B exam for 2023. To register, the official application forms will be released in January and you have to make the fee payment by February next year. Also, do check out the commonly asked queries below for the RBI Grade B exam.
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FAQs
How to prepare for RBI Grade-B Exam?
Cracking the RBI Grade B exam requires the right strategy. Some of the right preparation tips are: Read everything in detail about RBI and give special attention to its key functions. Deeply understand the RBI syllabus and point out your strengths and weaknesses in every subject. Keep an eye on economic issues, finance industry movements, and current affairs. Take as many RBI grade B previous exam papers and mock tests. Prepare a plan for attempting the number of questions. For example for phase I, you can plan: English - Target 25 questions within 18 minutes GA - Try to attempt 65-75 questions in 20 minutes QA - Solve 15 questions in 20 minutes Reasoning - At least try to solve 35 questions in 25-30 minutes Do not panic and simply take questions that you are confident about.
What is the RBI Grade B officer salary?
RBI offers attractive remuneration, perks, and benefits. Below is the RBI Grade B officer salary break up: Basic salary - Rs. 35,150/ pm In hand salary - Rs. 67,933 (including all benefits and perks)
Is the RBI Grade B exam more difficult than UPSC Civil exams?
Both the exams are different and require a different set of mind for preparation. The RBI Grade B exam level is moderate and thus requires preparations accordingly. But it is not as tough as UPSC civil exams because: RBI Grade B exam has only 1 descriptive paper whereas IAS has around 9 descriptive papers. In the RBI exam, candidates must keep a check on 1-2 years of current affairs whereas, in IAS, no specific year is targeted. Only knowledge of finance and economics is required in the RBI exam, but the IAS exam requires knowledge of all states, cultures, history, etc.
How many retakes can I take for the RBI Grade-B Exam?
A candidate (general category) can take the exam up to 6 times (maximum) however, there is no such bound for OBC and other category candidates.
Does RBI Grade-B Exam have negative marks policy?
Yes, for every incorrect answer, 0.25 marks are deducted.
I am a final year student; can I apply for the exam?
The RBI Grade B application form requires the marks of graduation and thus, one can only apply after clearing graduation.
What type of careers in banking can I expect after passing the RBI Grade B exam?
Grade B officers play important roles as advisors and policy planners. By starting out as an assistant you can give job promotional exams to move up to become a Governor.
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