RBI Grade B 2024 Syllabus & Exam Pattern (Phase 1, Phase 2 & Interview Round)

Knowing the most basic factors of an exam is highly important, especially when preparing for an exam like RBI Grade B, which is associated with an extensive syllabus. 

While keeping this factor in mind, preparing well is essential if you are determined to clear this exam.   

One of the first steps that you must take is to familiarize yourself with the syllabus and the exam pattern. 

During exam time, there are chances for you will be surprised if you are asked questions from unexpected topics. When, in fact, having a proper understanding of the syllabus would have helped them identify that particular topic.  

Hence, you must properly go through the syllabus before you sit down to prepare for the exam, as it will not just help in knowing the key topics but also in strategizing your preparation accordingly.  

Another important aspect that you must know well is the exam pattern of RBI Grade B.  

By carefully going through the exam pattern, you will get insights into the structure and format of the exam. It will help you learn about marking scheme, type of question, time limit, and weightage of different topics.  

So, when you are better aware of these aspects, it prepares you well for the exam and you know how to attempt each section within the time limit.

To help you understand these two factors in detail, I am going to discuss everything you need to know RBI Grade B syllabus and exam pattern in the section below.

So, without further ado, let’s get started! 

RBI Grade B 2024 Exam Pattern (Phase-Wise) 

As the notification for RBI Grade B 2024 has been released, you can go through the latest exam pattern that has been provided along with it.     

You will get an idea about factors such as the number of questions, the time limit, and the marking scheme for the exam.  

The whole exam is divided into 3 Phases. I have mentioned the phases below: 

Phase 1  

• Objective in nature: – The Phase 1 exam contains 4 sections and objective – based questions are asked in the exam.  
• No. of questions: – It consists of total 200 questions for 200 marks.  
• Time duration: – A total of 120 minutes (2 hours) is given to complete the exam along with sectional cutoff.  

 Phase 2  

• • Objective & Descriptive in nature: – The Phase 2 exam consists of 3 papers, and it contains both objective and descriptive based questions.  
  • Total Marks: – All the 3 papers constitute a total of 300 marks in the exam.  
  • Time duration: – A total of 330 minutes (3 hours and 30 minutes) is allotted to attempt all questions.

Interview 

• Nature of questions: – The Interview is the final stage and consists of questions related to candidate’s personal details, educational background, RBI, current affairs, etc. 
• Total marks: – The Interview consists of total 75 marks.  
• Weightage: – This last stage comprises 20% weightage in the final selection.   

Before moving forward, I would like to tell all my students that while studying hard is important but there is one thing even more important than that and that is studying smart. This can also be seen from the way they have structured the exam. 

The initial two phases – Prelims (Phase 1) and Mains Exam (Phase 2) are computer-based written exams. 

To know other important details related to the exam, you must also check the detailed RBI Grade B notification 2024.  

RBI Grade B Exam Pattern Phase 1 (Subjects, Questions & Marks)

The Phase 1 exam is computer – based exam and is qualifying in nature. The marks scored in Phase 1 are not considered in the final selection.

Let us start by discussing the exam pattern of the RBI Grade B exam with the division of each phase. Prelims also called Phase 1 has 4 subjects mentioned below:

To ensure you are suitable to appear for exam, you must carefully go through the RBI Grade B eligibility 2024, which I have provided in a simplified manner. 

RBI Grade B Exam Pattern Phase 2 (Subjects, Questions & Marks)

According to the RBI Grade B exam pattern, the Phase 2 exam is divided into 3 subjects and consists of both objective and descriptive section. Like Phase 1, the Phase 2 exam too is computer – based.

Economics & Social Issues (ESI) and Finance & Management (FM) are the two objective & subjective papers in RBI Grade B Phase 2 examination.

On the other hand, the complete descriptive paper is of English in which you are asked an Essay, Precis and Reading Comprehension.

• For both Economic & Social Issues and Finance & Management, the RBI Grade B exam pattern states that there will be 30 questions and 50 marks for Objective questions (some questions carrying 2 marks each and some carrying 1 mark each).  
• For descriptive answers, candidates will be required to attempt only 4 questions (2 of 15 marks each and 2 of 10 marks each).  
• In case, candidate answers more than 4 questions in descriptive, the first 4 shall be evaluated. 

To ensure successful submission of your registration form, you can refer to RBI Grade B steps to apply online and learn about the application process in detail.  

RBI Grade B Interview

RBI Grade B Interview is the third and final stage of the exam process. The interview round will be held after you subsequently clear the Phase 1 and Phase 2 exams.  

• The applicants who will clear the minimum sectional cut off and the overall cut off will be called for the interview round. 
• The RBI Grade B Interview constitutes a total of 75 marks and carries the weightage of 20% in the final selection. 
• The candidates have an option to choose the interview language, i.e., either Hindi or English as per their convenience.  
• The Interview consists of a 5 – member panel of senior officers who will ask questions related to applicant’s personal details, educational background, RBI, news of national and international importance, etc..  

If the candidate manages to clear the Interview and the Group discussion, then they must show up for the medical test, which is done to assess their fitness.  

To appear for RBI Grade B Interview, the candidates need to download the call letter which will be sent on the individual email of the applicants who have cleared the Phase 2 Exam. 

If you wish to know which documents you must carry to the exam hall, you can go through the RBI Grade B admit card  and read important instructions.    

Toppers’ Interview Round Strategy

To help you in your RBI Grade B Interview preparation, I have aligned a few past year toppers’ interviews who were my students. They are the ones who actually made it to the final selection. 

So, you can watch their interviews and gain some valuable experiences here. For your convenience, we have also shared videos with their strategies below. 

• The first one on the list is Karnima Arora, while teaching as a mentor in AJC Edutech, she managed to clear RBI Grade B 2023 exam in her second attempt.  

Preparation Strategy & Interview 

• The second one is RBI Grade B 2023 All India Rank 42, Varsha Nayak who was working in SBI for the past 4 years and managed to clear the ‘Grade B’ Exam with impressive rank! 

Preparation Strategy & Interview 

• Next on the list is youngest RBI Grade B officer Rishabh Kashyap who managed to crack RBI Grade B 2023 examination just after freshly graduating from college! 

Preparation Strategy & Interview  

• Well, we all are aware of the challenges that lie for the aspirants who are working but dare to aim for bigger goals! Yes, we have one such example.

Joining the list, we have AIR 88 RBI Grade B Topper Kamalpreet Singh who cleared the RBI Grade B 2023 exam while working in Bank of India.

Preparation Strategy & Interview

Along with this, you can go through the RBI Grade B day wise study plan & prep tips which I have curated.

RBI Grade B 2024 Final Selection

The final selection or the merit list of the candidate is decided by combining the marks scored by the candidate in the Phase 2 exam and the Interview.  

So, the higher you score in the Phase 2 and the Interview round combined, more will be your chances of getting selected as an RBI Grade B officer.  

The list of final selected candidates will made available on the official RBI website within approximately 2-3 weeks after the RBI Grade B 2024 Interview is over.  

RBI Grade B Syllabus 2024

If you are planning to prepare for RBI Grade B 2024, since the notification for the same is not out yet, you can lay hold of the latest syllabus provided as per the last year notification.  

You can download RBI Grade B Official Syllabus PDF attached here.  

The RBI Grade B Exam is conducted in three phases – Phase 1, Phase 2 and the Interview.

The Phase 1 syllabus consists of 4 sections. Whereas the Phase 2 syllabus comprises 3 papers.  

There are three streams made available by the RBI for candidates to choose any one from these. These streams are as follows: 

• General Stream 
• DEPR or “Department of Economic & Policy Research” stream  
• DSIM or “Department of Statistics and Information Management” stream. 

Now the majority of the aspirants opt for the General stream. As for the DEPR and DSIM streams, they are opted for by the candidates specializing in Economics and Statistics, respectively. 

To know what functions an RBI officer performs, you can read more about the same by clicking on RBI Grade B job profile.

In the sections below, I have mentioned in detail the latest syllabus for the RBI Grade B exams of all the 3 streams.  

RBI Grade B Officer Syllabus Phase 1 (Prelims)

The RBI Grade B Phase 1 Syllabus 2024 is composed of 4 sections: General Awareness, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude & Reasoning Ability. 

All four sections are equally important as the Phase 1 exam not only consists of both overall and sectional cutoff. 

Let’s talk about each section one by one. The topics given in each of the sections are as follows: 

RBI Grade B Officer Syllabus Phase 2 (Mains)

The RBI Grade B Phase 2 Syllabus 2024 is divided into 3 Papers – Paper 1 Economic & Social Issues (ESI), Paper 2 English descriptive and Paper 3 Finance & Management (FM).  

All three papers carry equal importance because there are sectional cut offs in addition to the overall cut off. I have provided below the updated syllabus for RBI Grade B 2024: 

Paper-I: Economic and Social Issues (ESI) Syllabus

• Growth and Development, Measurement of growth: National Income and per capita income
• Poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation in India
• Sustainable Development and Environmental issues
• Economic Reforms in India, Industrial and Labour Policy, Monetary and Fiscal Policy, Privatization, Role of Economic Planning
• 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
• Social Structure in India, Multiculturalism, Demographic Trends, Urbanization and Migration, Gender Issues
• Social Justice: Positive Discrimination in favor of the underprivileged, Social Movements

Paper-II: English Descriptive (Writing Skills) Syllabus

The English Descriptive paper will be designed to test the writing skills of candidates including expression and understanding of the topic.

You are asked to write an Essay and Precis in this paper and also solve a few questions based on a given comprehension.

To provide some examples of the kind of essays that are asked in the English paper, here are some of the topics that were asked in the 2024 RBI Grade B phase 2 English paper:

• Future of BPO industries in India
• Importance of Creative thinking in business.
• An ounce of prevention is a pound worth of cure.
• Pros & Cons of teaching Computer Language/Coding to school Students.

Paper-III: Finance Syllabus

RBI Grade B Phase 2 Paper 3 is the Finance & Management (FM) paper. To simplify, I have provided the Finance and Management Details separately. The key topics from the Finance syllabus are listed below:

(a) 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 Payment 

(b) Financial Markets

Primary and Secondary Markets (Forex, Money, Bond, Equity, etc.)- functions, instruments, recent developments.

(c) General Topics Syllabus

• Risk Management in Banking Sector
• 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 role of e-governance in addressing issues of corruption and inefficiency in the government 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, CPI – components and trends; striking a balance between inflation and growth through monetary and fiscal policies.
• FinTech

Paper-III: Management Syllabus

(a) Fundamentals of Management & Organizational Behaviour

1. Introduction to management:

• Evolution of management thought: Scientific, Administrative, Human Relations and Systems approach to management;  
• Management functions and Managerial roles;  
• Nudge theory
  

2. Meaning & concept of organizational behaviour:

• Personality: meaning, factors affecting personality, Big five model of personality; concept of reinforcement;  
• Perception: concept, perceptual errors.  
• Motivation: Concept, importance, Content theories (Maslow’s need theory, Alderfers’ ERG theory, McCllelands’ theory of needs, Herzberg’s two factor theory) & Process theories (Adams equity theory, Vrooms expectancy theory). 

3. Leadership: 

• Concept, Theories (Trait, Behavioural, Contingency, Charismatic, Transactional and Transformational Leadership); 
• Emotional Intelligence: Concept, Importance, Dimensions.  
• Analysis of Interpersonal Relationship: Transactional Analysis, Johari Window;  
• Conflict: Concept, Sources, Types, Management of Conflict; 
• Organizational Change: Concept, Kurt Lewin Theory of Change; 
• Organizational Development (OD): Organizational Change, Strategies for Change, Theories of Planned Change (Lewin’s change model, Action research model, Positive model). 

(b) Ethics at the Workplace & Corporate Governance 

1. Ethics: 

• Meaning of ethics, why ethical problems occur in business. 
• Theories of ethics: Utilitarianism: weighing social cost and benefits, Rights and duties, Justice and fairness, ethics of care, integrating utility, rights, justice and caring,  
• An alternative to moral principles: virtue ethics, teleological theories, egoism theory, relativism theory,  
• Moral issues in business: Ethics in Compliance, Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, etc.  
• Ethical Principles in Business: introduction, Organization Structure and Ethics, Role of Board of Directors, Best Practices in Ethics Programme, Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, etc.
  

2. Corporate Governance:

• Factors affecting Corporate Governance;  
• Mechanisms of Corporate Governance
  

3. Communication:

• Steps in the Communication Process;  
• Communication Channels;  
• Oral versus Written Communication;  
• Verbal versus non-verbal Communication;  
• upward, downward and lateral communication;  
• Barriers to Communication,  
• Role of Information Technology.

You can go through the RBI Grade B previous year papers to know what type of questions are generally asked in the exam.  

RBI Grade B Officer DEPR Syllabus:

The syllabus for the DEPR stream is set according to the role of the DEPR Cadre officers of RBI, which is to take care of the economic policies and analysis aspect of the RBI.

The RBI Grade B officer DEPR syllabus is as follows:

1. Papers on Economics would be of the standard that is concurrent with those of Master’s Degree examination in Economics of any Central University in India.
2. The English paper shall be set in a way so as to assess your writing skills including expression and understanding of a topic.

Let me also include the list of suggested study material for the same:

RBI publications like:

• Annual Reports
• Monetary Policy Report.
• Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India.
• Financial Stability Report.
• Economic Survey published by the Government of India of the past 2 years.

RBI Grade B Officer DSIM Syllabus:

The syllabus for the DSIM stream is set according to the role of the DSIM Cadre officers of RBI, which is to take care of the collection, compilation, and Statistical analysis & interpretation of all data related to banking, corporates, and the external sector among a host of other things.

The Paper 1 is conducted online and comprises multiple-choice questions.

Whereas the Paper 2 and Paper 3 are descriptive based exams where the candidates are required to type in the answers using the keyboard. 

The RBI Grade B officer DSIM syllabus is as follows

• Paper 1: Questions covering Probability: Probability Definition, Large and small sample theory, Analysis of Variance, Estimation, Standard distribution, Testing of Hypotheses, Estimation, Multivariate analysis, Stochastic Processes.
• Paper 2: Questions covering (i) Statistical Inference: Estimation, Testing of hypothesis and Non-parametric Test, (ii) Linear Models and Economic Statistics, (iii) Probability and Sampling, (iv) Stochastic Processes, (v) Multivariate analysis and (vi) Numerical Analysis and Basic Computer Techniques. Sufficient choices will be given for candidates to attempt the required number of questions from any three or more of the above six groups.
• Paper 3: The English paper shall be set in a way so as to assess your writing skills including expression and understanding of a topic.

With that, we come to the end of the section of the RBI Grade B syllabus.

Conclusion

So far you have read about RBI Grade B exam pattern which will help you familiarize with factors like weightage, time limit and total marks of all phases.

Also, the page talked about the RBI Grade B syllabus for three phases that shall help you identify and prioritize the important topics you must cover in your exam prep.

With this, I wish you all the best for future. 

Keep Learning & Stay motivated!