RBI Grade B Syllabus and Exam Pattern (Grade B DR – General)
RBI selects Grade B (DR) General officers through three stages: a Phase-I online exam, a Phase-II online exam and an interview. The RBI Grade B 2027 notification has not been released yet; this page follows RBI's latest official advertisement (Panel Year 2026). Last updated: 5 November 2026.
Selection process at a glance
- Phase-I – Online, objective type. One paper of 200 marks in 120 minutes. Used to shortlist for Phase-II.
- Phase-II – Online, three papers of 100 marks each (300 marks). Objective and descriptive.
- Interview – 75 marks. Shortlisting is based on aggregate Phase-II marks.
Final merit: Phase-II (300) + Interview (75) = 375 marks, plus grace marks where applicable.
Phase-I exam pattern
One objective paper of 200 marks in 120 minutes, with four tests: General Awareness, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning.
- There is a total of 120 minutes, with separate time for each test.
- You must score the minimum marks in each test as well as in aggregate. The aggregate cut-off for Phase-II is decided by the Board in relation to the number of vacancies.
- If the exam is held in more than one session, scores are normalised.
- The number of questions and time for each test are given in the Information Handout, which RBI releases with the admit card.
Phase-II exam pattern
| Paper | Type | Questions | Time | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-I: Economic and Social Issues | Objective | 30 | 30 minutes | 50 |
| Paper-I: Economic and Social Issues | Descriptive (typed) | 6, attempt 4 | 90 minutes | 50 |
| Paper-II: English (Writing Skills) | Descriptive (typed) | 3 | 90 minutes | 100 |
| Paper-III: General Finance and Management | Objective | 30 | 30 minutes | 50 |
| Paper-III: General Finance and Management | Descriptive (typed) | 6, attempt 4 | 90 minutes | 50 |
- In Papers I and III, the 30 objective questions carry 50 marks: some questions carry 2 marks and some carry 1 mark.
- In the descriptive part of Papers I and III, 6 questions are asked and you attempt 4: 2 questions of 15 marks (of varying difficulty) and 2 questions of 10 marks. If you answer more than 4, only the first 4 are evaluated.
- Descriptive answers are typed on a keyboard. Candidates answering in Hindi can use either the Inscript or the Remington (GAIL) keyboard layout.
- All papers in both phases, except the English tests, are set in both Hindi and English.
Interview and final merit
- Final selection is through a merit list made by adding Phase-II marks and Interview marks (and grace marks, as applicable). Phase-I marks are used only for shortlisting.
- Before the interview, candidates go through a Personality Assessment. It carries no marks and is not part of the final selection.
- The interview can be taken in Hindi or English.
Phase-II syllabus
Paper-I: Economic and Social Issues (ESI)
Growth and Development
- Measurement of growth: National Income and per capita income
- Poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation in India
- Sustainable Development and Environmental issues
Indian Economy
- Economic History of India
- Changes in Industrial and Labour Policy, Monetary and Fiscal Policy since reforms of 1991
- Priorities and recommendations of Economic Survey and Union Budget
- Indian Money and Financial Markets: Linkages with the economy
- Role of Indian banks and Reserve Bank in the development process
- Public Finance
- Political Economy
- Industrial Developments in India
- Indian Agriculture
- Services sector in India
Globalization
- Opening up of the Indian Economy
- Balance of Payments, Export-Import Policy
- International Economic Institutions – IMF and World Bank – WTO
- Regional Economic Co-operation
- International Economic Issues
Social Structure in India
- Multiculturalism
- Demographic Trends
- Urbanisation and Migration
- Gender Issues
- Social Justice
Paper-II: English (Writing Skills)
The paper on English is framed to assess writing skills, including expression and understanding of the topic.
Paper-III: General Finance and Management – Finance
Financial System
- Structure and Functions of Financial Institutions
- Functions of Reserve Bank of India
- Banking System in India – Structure and Developments; Financial Institutions – SIDBI, EXIM Bank, NABARD, NHB, NaBFID etc.
- Recent Developments in Global Financial System and its impact on Indian Financial System
- Role of Information Technology in Banking and Finance
- Non-Banking System
- Developments in Digital Payments
Financial Markets
- Primary and Secondary Markets (Forex, Money, Bond, Equity, etc.): functions, instruments, recent developments
General Topics
- Financial Risk Management
- Basics of Derivatives
- Global financial markets and International Banking – broad trends and latest developments
- Financial Inclusion
- Alternate source of finance, private and social cost-benefit, Public-Private Partnership
- Corporate Governance in Banking Sector
- The Union Budget – Concepts, approach and broad trends
- Basics of Accounting and Financial Statements – Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss, Cash Flow Statements, Ratio Analysis (such as Debt to Equity, Debtor Days, Creditor Days, Inventory Turnover, Return on Assets, Return on Equity, etc.)
- Inflation: definition, trends, estimates, consequences and remedies (control); WPI and CPI – components and trends; striking a balance between inflation and growth through monetary and fiscal policies
Paper-III: General Finance and Management – Management
Fundamentals of Management & Organizational Behaviour
- Introduction to management; evolution of management thought: Scientific, Administrative, Human Relations and Systems approach; management functions and managerial roles; Nudge theory
- Organizational behaviour: meaning and concept; Personality (factors, Big Five model); reinforcement; Perception and perceptual errors
- Motivation: content theories (Maslow, Alderfer ERG, McClelland, Herzberg) and process theories (Adams equity theory, Vroom expectancy theory)
- Leadership: Trait, Behavioural, Contingency, Charismatic, Transactional and Transformational; Emotional Intelligence
- Interpersonal relationships: Transactional Analysis, Johari Window; Conflict: sources, types, management
- Organizational Change: Kurt Lewin theory; Organizational Development: strategies for change, theories of planned change (Lewin, Action research, Positive model)
Ethics at the Workplace and Corporate Governance
- Meaning of ethics; why ethical problems occur in business
- Theories of ethics: Utilitarianism, rights and duties, justice and fairness, ethics of care, virtue ethics, teleological theories, egoism, relativism
- Moral issues in business: ethics in compliance, finance, human resources, marketing, etc.
- Ethical principles in business: organization structure and ethics, role of the Board of Directors, best practices in ethics programmes, code of ethics, code of conduct
- Corporate Governance: factors affecting it and its mechanisms
- Communication: steps in the process, channels, oral vs written, verbal vs non-verbal, upward/downward/lateral, barriers, role of IT
Reference material suggested by RBI (indicative)
Economic and Social Issues
- Indian Economy: Uma Kapila (series of books)
- Indian Economy: Misra & Puri (latest edition)
- Growth and Development: Debraj Ray
- Sociology: C.N. Shankar Rao
- Public Finance: K K Andley and Sundaram
- Prominent financial newspapers
- Magazines, periodicals and bulletins including RBI Bulletins, EPW, India Today
- Reports: World Development Report, Economic Survey of India, RBI Annual Report, Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India, Report on Currency and Finance, IMF World Economic Outlook
- Material from the RBI and BIS websites
Finance
- Monetary Theory and Public Policy: Kenneth Kurihara
- Indian Economy: Mishra & Puri
- Economic Growth and Development: Meier and Baldwin
- Financial Management: Prasanna Chandra
- International Business: Hill and Jain
- Major financial newspapers
- RBI Annual Report, Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India, Report on Currency and Finance
- Economic Survey
- Material from the RBI website
Management
- Management: Stephen P. Robbins & Mary Coulter
- Organisational Behaviour: Stephen P. Robbins, Judge T.A. and Vohra
- Human Resource Management: Dessler Gary and Varkkey Biju
- Fundamentals of Human Resource Management: Decenzo and Robbins
- Business Ethics – Concepts and Cases: Velasquez Manuel G
- Business Ethics – An Indian Perspective: Fernando A.C.
- Business Ethics: Crane Andrew & Matten Dirk
- Business Ethics & Corporate Governance: Ghosh B N
Vacancies and dates in the last cycle (2026)
- Grade B (DR) – General: 40
- Grade B (DR) – DEPR: 10
- Grade B (DR) – DSIM: 10
- Online application window: April 29 – May 20, 2026
- Phase-I (General): June 13, 2026
- Phase-II (General): July 25, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Are Phase-I marks counted in the RBI Grade B final merit list?
No. Phase-I is used only to shortlist candidates for Phase-II. The final merit list adds Phase-II marks (300) and Interview marks (75), plus grace marks where applicable.
How many descriptive questions are there in RBI Grade B Phase-II?
In the 2026 pattern, Papers I (ESI) and III (Finance and Management) each have 6 descriptive questions, of which you attempt 4: two of 15 marks and two of 10 marks. Paper II (English Writing Skills) has 3 descriptive questions for 100 marks.
Are RBI Grade B descriptive answers handwritten or typed?
Typed. Phase-II descriptive answers are typed on a keyboard. Candidates answering in Hindi can use the Inscript or Remington (GAIL) layout.
How many marks is the RBI Grade B interview?
The interview carries 75 marks. Candidates also go through a Personality Assessment before the interview, which carries no marks.
Has the RBI Grade B 2027 notification been released?
Not yet, as of 5 November 2026. This page follows RBI's latest advertisement (Panel Year 2026) and will be updated when RBI releases the 2027 advertisement on its website.