Syllabus & pattern at a glance
RBI selects Grade B (DR) General officers through Phase I, Phase II and an interview. Phase I is a screening test. The final merit list adds Phase II marks (out of 300) to interview marks (out of 75).
Phase I exam pattern
Four objective tests, each with its own timer, for 200 marks in 120 minutes. You must reach the minimum the Board sets in every test and clear the aggregate cut-off. Phase I marks are used only to shortlist candidates for Phase II.
| Test | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 80 | 25 min |
| English Language | 30 | 25 min |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 25 min |
| Reasoning | 60 | 45 min |
| Total | 200 (200 marks) | 120 min |
RBI’s Phase I information handout gives each test as many marks as it has questions (General Awareness 80, English 30, Quantitative Aptitude 30, Reasoning 60). Every question has five options.
Phase I syllabus, test by test
For Phase I, RBI publishes only the test names, timings and marks. Tap a test to see the topics commonly tested under it. Use them as a study checklist; they are not an official list.
General Awareness is the largest test in Phase I (80 of 200 marks) but has the same 25 minutes as English and Quantitative Aptitude. Reasoning has the longest timer, at 45 minutes for 60 questions.
Phase II exam pattern
Three compulsory papers on one day, in two shifts, for 300 marks in 330 minutes. Papers I and III open with a 30-minute objective part and then switch automatically to a 90-minute descriptive part that you type on the keyboard. Paper II is descriptive throughout.
| Phase II paper | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| I · Economic & Social Issues — objective | 30 | 50 | 30 min |
| I · Economic & Social Issues — descriptive | 6 asked, answer 4 | 50 | 90 min |
| II · English (Writing Skills) — descriptive | 3 | 100 | 90 min |
| III · General Finance & Management — objective | 30 | 50 | 30 min |
| III · General Finance & Management — descriptive | 6 asked, answer 4 | 50 | 90 min |
| Total | — | 300 | 330 min |
Phase II syllabus, paper by paper
Unlike Phase I, Phase II has a published syllabus. The topics below follow Appendix II of the RBI advertisement, and Paper III is split into its finance and management parts.
Appendix II also suggests reading for Papers I and III, which RBI calls indicative rather than prescribed. It includes RBI’s Annual Report, Bulletins and Report on Trend and Progress of Banking, the Economic Survey, the World Development Report, financial newspapers and standard economics and management textbooks. For Paper II, RBI says the paper tests writing skills, including expression and understanding of the topic. The Phase II handout adds that it may include essay, précis and comprehension. Source: advertisement PDF, Appendix II.
How marks are split across papers
RBI does not publish topic-wise weightage. It does fix the marks for each test and paper. Phase I (200 marks) only shortlists. Phase II (300 marks) and the interview (75 marks) decide the merit list.
General Awareness
Quant & Reasoning
Economic & Social Issues · Finance & Management
English
Crack RBI Grade B with your own daily plan
Daily targets, PYQ-style practice sets & timed mocks — built around the RBI Grade B Phase I pattern.
Turn this syllabus into a daily plan
A topic list only helps once it’s in order. JobSafal breaks the RBI Grade B syllabus into short daily targets you can actually finish, and gives you timed objective practice for Phase I.
Syllabus as daily targets
Topics split into small daily targets, so you always know what to study next.
PYQ-style practice sets
Six timed objective sets for RBI Grade B, for Phase I-style practice against the clock.
Timed mocks
Practise in a timed test interface, with analysis after every attempt.
English & Hindi
Notes and practice in both languages. In the exam, the English test and Paper II are in English only.
