How RBI Grade B selection works
The RBI Services Board recruits Grade B (DR) General officers through online exams in two phases and an interview. You need the minimum marks in every Phase I test, and a high enough aggregate, to reach Phase II. Your aggregate in the three Phase II papers decides whether you’re shortlisted for the interview. The final merit list is drawn on Phase II and interview marks together.
Stage-by-stage flow
- Phase I: online objective testFour separately timed tests. You must clear the minimum in each test and the aggregate cut-off, which the Board fixes in relation to the number of vacancies. Phase I marks don’t carry forward.
- Phase II: three papers in two shiftsPapers I and III each have a 30-minute objective part followed by a 90-minute descriptive part typed on the keyboard. Paper II (English) is fully descriptive. The interview shortlist is drawn on the aggregate of all three papers.
- Personality assessmentAn online assessment for candidates shortlisted for the interview, sent by e-mail and to be completed within five days. It carries no marks.
- Interview & document check75 marks. RBI verifies your eligibility and original documents at this stage.
- Final merit & selectionPhase II marks plus interview marks, with grace marks as applicable under the rules. Phase I marks are not added.
Phase I — the screening test
A 120-minute online objective test for 200 marks, with four separately timed tests: General Awareness (80 questions, 80 marks, 25 minutes), English Language (30 questions, 30 marks, 25 minutes), Quantitative Aptitude (30 questions, 30 marks, 25 minutes) and Reasoning (60 questions, 60 marks, 45 minutes). Each question has five options, and a wrong answer costs one-fourth of that question’s marks. You need the minimum the Board sets in each test as well as in the aggregate, and the Phase II shortlist is drawn on aggregate marks in relation to the vacancies. The 2026 Phase I for the General cadre was held on 13 June, and its result came out in June 2026.
Phase II — the decider
Held on 25 July 2026 in two shifts, with a single admit card for both, and you must sit every paper. The morning shift is Paper III, General Finance and Management. The afternoon shift is Paper I, Economic and Social Issues, followed straight away by Paper II, English (Writing Skills), with no break in between. Papers I and III each open with 30 objective questions worth 50 marks in 30 minutes; some questions carry 1 mark and some 2. The paper then switches automatically to a 90-minute descriptive part typed on the keyboard. Six questions are asked and you answer four: two of 15 marks (600-word limit) and two of 10 marks (400-word limit). Paper II has three descriptive questions for 100 marks in 90 minutes. That is 300 marks over 330 minutes in all. The interview shortlist is drawn on the aggregate of the three papers. The General cadre’s Phase II result, with the interview shortlist, came out in August 2026.
Personality assessment
Candidates shortlisted for the interview receive a link to an online personality assessment, with instructions, on their registered e-mail. It must be completed within five days of receiving that e-mail. The advertisement says it carries no marks and is not part of the final selection.
Interview, documents & biodata
The interview carries 75 marks, and you can take it in Hindi or English. Call letters with the date, time and venue are e-mailed from noreply.samadhan@rbi.org.in, and the Board decides the interview centre. Before the interview, shortlisted General candidates had to e-mail their biodata and scanned documents to documentsrbisb@rbi.org.in by 2 September 2026 (DEPR by 4 September, DSIM by 10 September). On the day, bring the printed call letter with a recent photograph on it, your original documents and one self-attested set. That includes your matriculation certificate (the only accepted proof of date of birth), mark sheets and degree, and any OBC (non-creamy layer), SC/ST, EWS or PwBD certificate you claimed. RBI checks eligibility only at this stage. If you don’t meet it, you won’t be allowed to sit the interview.
RBI has not published interview dates for the 2026 cycle. Employees of government, PSU or autonomous bodies who did not inform their employer when applying must submit a No Objection Certificate. Requests to change the interview date, time or venue are not entertained.
Final merit & joining
For the General cadre, the merit list is drawn on Phase II marks (out of 300) plus interview marks (out of 75), with grace marks as applicable under the rules. Phase I marks aren’t added. The Board sets the minimum qualifying standards in the exam and the interview in relation to the vacancies. RBI has not said when the 2026 final result will be published. Phase II and interview marks appear on RBI’s website only after the final result. Selected officers start on a basic pay of ₹78,450 a month, serve two years on probation (extendable up to four) and can be posted anywhere in India. The DEPR and DSIM streams work differently: their Phase I marks also count in the final total.
Crack RBI Grade B with your own daily plan
Daily targets, PYQ practice sets & timed mocks — to the latest pattern.
Clear Phase I with room to spare
Only Phase II and the interview build your rank, but you have to clear every Phase I test to get there. JobSafal’s objective practice is built around the four Phase I tests, so no section holds you back.
Phase I-first plan
Daily targets across all four Phase I tests, so none falls below the minimum.
Full CBT mocks
Real-interface objective mocks with rank comparison.
Date alerts
Advertisement, exam and result reminders.
PYQ practice sets
Phase I-style objective practice sets, solved and tagged by test.
