RBI Grade B: next exam date, pattern, syllabus and how to apply
RBI Grade B is the Reserve Bank of India's direct recruitment of officers in Grade 'B', run by the Reserve Bank of India Services Board. This guide covers the General cadre. The Panel Year 2026 recruitment is over its written stages (Phase-I on 13 June 2026, Phase-II on 25 July 2026), and as of 20 October 2026 the next notice has not been published. Below: how the dates have run, the exam pattern of both phases, the syllabus, how to apply, and how to use the months before the next notice.
RBI Grade B at a glance
| Conducting body | Reserve Bank of India Services Board |
| What it is for | Officers in Grade 'B' (Direct Recruit), General cadre; DEPR and DSIM cadres have their own scheme |
| Mode | Computer-based test at a centre |
| Stages | Phase-I (200 marks, objective), Phase-II (300 marks, objective and typed descriptive), interview |
| Phase-I | 200 questions, 120 minutes, four separately timed tests |
| Marking | 1/4 of the question's marks taken off for a wrong objective answer |
| Languages | English test in English; other tests in Hindi and English |
| How often | By panel year; the 2026 notice was dated 29 April 2026 |
| Official website | rbi.org.in and opportunities.rbi.org.in |
RBI Grade B exam date
The next RBI Grade B notice is not announced as of 20 October 2026. For reference, the Panel Year 2026 recruitment ran like this, from the Bank's own pages (checked 20 October 2026):
| Step | Panel Year 2026 |
|---|---|
| Advertisement RBISB/DA/01/2026-27 | 29 April 2026 |
| Online applications | 29 April to 20 May 2026 |
| Phase-I | 13 June 2026 |
| Phase-II, General cadre | 25 July 2026 (Saturday) |
The new advertisement will appear on the RBI recruitment page series on rbi.org.in and on opportunities.rbi.org.in. We update our RBI Grade B exam dates page when it does. Do not rely on dates from news or coaching sites until the Bank publishes them.
How to apply for RBI Grade B
- When the notice is out, open it on rbi.org.in or opportunities.rbi.org.in and read the eligibility and the scheme of selection (Appendix II for the General cadre).
- Check eligibility. In 2026: age 21 to 30 on 1 April 2026 (relaxations in the notice); a graduation with 60% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwBD) or a post-graduation with 55% (a pass for SC/ST/PwBD). General and EWS candidates who have already appeared six times in Phase-I cannot apply again.
- Register online through the link in the notice, upload photograph, signature and the other scans, and pay the fee shown in that year's notice.
- Download the Phase-I admit card and the information handout when the Bank posts them.
Keep ready: degree and post-graduation mark sheets with the percentage, category and PwBD certificates, a valid email and mobile number, and a count of how many times you have already sat Phase-I.
RBI Grade B exam pattern
Phase-I (from the Phase-I information handout, Panel Year 2026):
| Test | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 80 | 80 | 25 min |
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 25 min |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 | 25 min |
| Reasoning | 60 | 60 | 45 min |
| Total | 200 | 200 | 120 min |
Every question has five options. The Board sets a minimum for each test and for the total, and only those who clear both go on. Phase-I marks do not enter the final merit list.
Phase-II (from the Phase-II handout):
| Paper | Objective | Descriptive (typed) |
|---|---|---|
| Paper-III: General Finance and Management | 30 questions, 50 marks, 30 min | answer 4 of 6, 50 marks, 90 min |
| Paper-I: Economic and Social Issues | 30 questions, 50 marks, 30 min | answer 4 of 6, 50 marks, 90 min |
| Paper-II: English (writing skills) | none | 3 questions, 100 marks, 90 min |
In the descriptive parts, two answers are of 15 marks (600-word limit) and two of 10 marks (400 words). The Phase-II aggregate decides who is called for interview, and final merit adds Phase-II and the interview.
RBI Grade B syllabus
- General Awareness: banking and the Reserve Bank, the financial system, economy, polity, current affairs.
- English Language: reading comprehension, cloze, error spotting, para rearrangement, vocabulary.
- Quantitative Aptitude: data interpretation, number series, quadratic comparison, arithmetic.
- Reasoning: puzzles and seating, syllogism, inequality, coding, and other verbal reasoning.
- Economic and Social Issues: growth and development, the Indian economy since 1991, monetary and fiscal policy, globalisation, social structure and justice.
- Finance and Management: financial system and markets, risk and governance, management and organisational behaviour, ethics and communication.
- English writing: essay, precis and comprehension.
The handouts do not print a topic-wise Phase-I syllabus; the detailed Phase-II syllabus is in Appendix II of the notice. Our list is on the RBI Grade B syllabus page.
A plan for the months before the notice
The 2026 gap between notice and Phase-I was about six weeks, too short to start from zero. Use the time now:
- Now to January: build Economic and Social Issues and Finance and Management, since they carry most of Phase-II and need reading, not drills. Write one 600-word and one 400-word typed answer each week.
- Every day: 30 minutes of banking and economy news for General Awareness, which is 80 of the 200 Phase-I marks and has only 25 minutes.
- From February: one timed Reasoning set (60 questions in 45 minutes is the tightest clock) and one Quant set a few times a week.
- Once the notice is out: a full RBI Grade B Phase-I mock test every week, analysed test by test, and a typed essay and precis every week for Paper-II.
With 1/4 taken off for each wrong answer, read when guessing pays before deciding how many General Awareness questions to attempt.
Useful links
- RBI Grade B Panel Year 2026 advertisement page (rbi.org.in)
- Phase-II admit card and handout page and the Phase-I handout page
- Free RBI Grade B mock tests
- RBI Grade B syllabus
- RBI Grade B exam dates
- LIC AAO 2026 guide, another officer-level exam with a short notice window
- SBI PO vs IBPS PO
Frequently asked questions
When is the next RBI Grade B exam date?
Not announced as of 20 October 2026. In the last cycle the notice came out on 29 April 2026 and Phase-I was held on 13 June 2026, but the Bank fixes each year's dates in its own notice.
Is there negative marking in RBI Grade B?
Yes. In Phase-I and in the objective parts of Phase-II, a wrong answer takes away one fourth of that question's marks. An unanswered question scores nothing.
How many attempts are allowed for RBI Grade B?
The 2026 notice barred General and EWS candidates who had already appeared six times in Phase-I. Check the next notice for the limit and for other categories.
What is the RBI Grade B eligibility?
In 2026: age 21 to 30 on 1 April 2026, and a graduation with 60% (50% for SC/ST/PwBD) or a post-graduation with 55% (a pass for SC/ST/PwBD), with the relaxations in the notice.
Do Phase-I marks count in the final RBI Grade B merit?
No. Phase-I only shortlists for Phase-II. Final merit is Phase-II plus the interview.
Can I write RBI Grade B in Hindi?
All Phase-I tests except English Language are in Hindi and English, with a language switch during the test. In Phase-II, papers other than English are bilingual, and Hindi answers can be typed in Inscript or Remington (GAIL).