Applying for RBI Exam (Grade B)? Here's the Exam Pattern and Syllabus

RBI, The Reserve Bank of India since its nationalization in 1949, has been working as a premier regulator of India’s financial system. Therefore, working in RBI has become an aspiration for millions of young people in India. RBI offers multiple channels to secure a job at different levels of functioning in the system, one of which is the RBI Exam for Grade B positions. 

About the RBI (GRADE B) Exam:

RBI (Grade B) Exam, India’s one of the most renowned banking services exams, aims at recruiting young talents to entry-level positions in the RBI. The Grade B RBI exam is conducted for the roles of (Grade B) DR for General, DR for DEPR, and DR for DSIM streams. 

The role of an RBI (Grade B level) officer is to work as an on-ground personnel and oversee the functioning of India’s leading banks. The officer is expected to inspect the credit appraisal system of banks, review KYC AML guidelines, inspect cash vaults, and supervise the overall functioning of the bank’s branch under his/her jurisdiction as per the Banking Regulations Act of 1949. 

The position of a Grade B officer is of utmost significance as it involves safeguarding the public interest and deposits of the bank’s customers. 

If you are passionate about the banking sector, please check: IBPS PO Exam

RBI (Grade B) Exam Pattern:

RBI (Grade B) Exam is conducted by the Reserve Bank of India itself, with the exam being held in online mode and three phases. Phase 1 of this RBI exam is the objective type or the preliminary examination, phase 2 is a mixed exam i.e., both objective and subjective type or the mains, and phase 3 is the final or the interview round. 

RBI Exam (Grade B) - Phase 1 Pattern & Syllabus

This phase of the examination holds 200 objective-type questions with -0.25 negative marks on every wrong answer. The duration of this phase is 120 minutes or 2 hours for maximum marks of 200. 

Syllabus of Grade B RBI examination - Phase 1

1. English Language: Grammar, Vocabulary, Error Spotting, Reading Comprehension, Passage Making, Jumble Words, Fill in the Blanks, Sentence Framing, Idioms & Phrases, Preposition Rules, Tenses Rules, Cloze Test.

2. Quantitative Aptitude: Ratio and Proportion, Average, Time and Work, Speed, Distance, and Time, Mixture and Allegations, Stocks and Shares, Percentage, Permutation and Combination, Algebra, Trigonometry, Data Interpretation, Mensuration, Probability, Set Theory.

3. General Awareness: Current Affairs, Financial System, Indian Banking System, Monetary Plans, National Institutions, Banking Terms & Abbreviations, Banking Awareness.

4. Reasoning: Inequality, Coding and Decoding, Syllogism, Machine Input Output, Data Sufficiency, Circular Arrangement, Linear Arrangement, Floor Puzzle, Scheduling, Verbal Reasoning, Ordering and Ranking, Arrangement and Pattern, Blood Relations, Direction and Distance. 

RBI Exam (Grade B) - Phase 2 Pattern & Syllabus

This phase of the examination is called Mains, and it contains a total of 100 questions, (60 objective types and 4 subjective types). The exam is divided into three subject sections i.e., Economics & Social Issues (ESI), Finance & Management (FM), and English Language, with a 25% negative marking for wrong answers. Maximum marks for this part of the exam are 300 Marks in a duration of 330 minutes. 

Syllabus of Grade B RBI examination - Phase 2

1. Economics and Social Issues: Growth and Development, Economic Reforms in India, Globalization, Social Structure in India. 

2. Finance: Indian Financial System, Financial Markets, Risk Management, Basics of Derivatives, Development in the Financial Sector, Union Budget, Inflation. 

3. Management: Role of Manager, Human Resource Development, Motivation, Morale, Communication, Corporate Governance. 

Please note: Many times students get confused between the RBI Assistant Exam, RBI Grade B Exam, and RBI Grade C exam. All these exams although conducted for recruitment in the Reserve Bank of India, hold different significance, rules, and syllabi. 

This year, 2024’s RBI Exam has been conducted, with the phase 2 admit cards rolled out in October 2024, but for the RBI exam 2025, you can surely keep the above information handy. All the best!

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