What RBI Grade B is
RBI Grade B recruits officers directly into the Reserve Bank of India, India’s central bank, a genuinely different role from a public sector commercial bank posting. Where IBPS PO and SBI PO place you inside a branch network serving customers, RBI Grade B places you inside the institution that regulates the entire banking system, sets monetary policy and issues currency. It is widely regarded as one of the most competitive exams in the banking and finance space precisely because the role and the institution carry that weight.
Who can apply
A bachelor’s degree with a minimum aggregate percentage specified in the notification is required; the exact percentage and any accepted equivalent qualification should be confirmed there, since RBI applies a more specific academic bar than a plain pass. The general age band is 21 to 30 years as on the 1st of September of the examination year, with standard relaxations for reserved categories and persons with disability.
How the exam runs
The exam runs in three stages, more demanding at each than the equivalent stage in IBPS PO or SBI PO. Phase 1 is a two hour test of two hundred questions across General Awareness, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning, with a quarter mark penalty for each wrong answer.
Phase 2 covers Economic and Social Issues, English in a writing skills format rather than pure comprehension, and Finance and Management, testing depth of subject knowledge relevant to a central bank role rather than general banking awareness.
Candidates who clear both written phases proceed to an Interview. Final selection combines Phase 2 marks and interview marks in a ratio the notification specifies.
Preparing the application
Photograph and signature specifications match the rest of the banking exam family: a JPEG photograph between 20 and 50 kilobytes and a JPEG signature between 10 and 20 kilobytes, resizable in your browser using the tools on this site.
The application fee is typically 850 rupees for general and OBC candidates and 100 rupees for SC, ST and PwD candidates, confirmed against the current notification since fees are revised periodically.
On exam day
Arrive at least an hour before the reporting time on your admit card, with the printed e-admit card, a government photo identification, one recent passport size photograph and a black or blue ballpoint pen. No electronic devices are permitted inside the hall.
The official RBI website, linked above, carries the current notification, the specific academic percentage requirement and exact dates for the cycle you are applying to.