RBI Grade B Exam Pattern
For RBI Grade B (DR-General), the selection process has 3 stages:
1. Phase I (Prelims) – Qualifying
2. Phase II (Mains) – Merit determining
3. Interview – Merit determining
Final merit = Phase II (300 marks) + Interview (75 marks) = 375 marks.
Phase I (Prelims)
Section Questions Marks
General Awareness 80 80
Reasoning 60 60
English Language 30 30
Quantitative Aptitude 30 30
Total 200 200
• Duration: 120 minutes
• Objective MCQs
• Negative marking: 0.25 marks for each wrong answer
• Sectional as well as overall cut-offs generally apply.
Phase I Syllabus
General Awareness (Most Important Section)
• Current Affairs (last 6–12 months)
• RBI notifications and reports
• Monetary Policy
• Banking Awareness
• Financial Awareness
• Government Schemes
• Budget & Economic Survey
• International Organizations (IMF, World Bank, WTO, ADB)
• Static GK
• Business & Economy News
Quantitative Aptitude
• Simplification
• Percentage
• Profit & Loss
• Ratio & Proportion
• Time & Work
• Time, Speed & Distance
• Simple & Compound Interest
• Data Interpretation
• Number Series
• Probability
• Permutation & Combination
• Quadratic Equations
Reasoning
• Seating Arrangement
• Puzzles
• Blood Relations
• Coding-Decoding
• Syllogism
• Input-Output
• Inequalities
• Direction Sense
• Data Sufficiency
• Logical Reasoning
English Language
• Reading Comprehension
• Cloze Test
• Error Detection
• Para Jumbles
• Fill in the Blanks
• Vocabulary
• Sentence Improvement
Phase II (Mains)
There are 3 papers, each carrying 100 marks.
Paper Subject Marks
Paper I Economic & Social Issues (ESI) 100
Paper II English (Writing Skills) 100
Paper III Finance & Management (FM) 100
Total = 300 marks
Paper I: Economic & Social Issues (ESI)
Indian Economy
• Economic Development
• Sustainable Development
• Globalization
• Poverty & Unemployment
• Inflation
• Monetary and Fiscal Policy
Social Issues
• Education
• Health
• Demographics
• Gender Issues
• Urbanization
• Social Justice
Important Areas
• Budget
• Economic Survey
• SDGs
• Agriculture
• MSMEs
• Financial Inclusion
• Digital Economy
Paper II: English (Writing Skills)
Descriptive paper.
Questions generally include:
• Essay Writing
• Precis Writing
• Reading Comprehension
• Business/Official Writing
Topics usually revolve around:
• Economy
• Banking
• Finance
• Technology
• Governance
• Social Issues
Paper III: Finance & Management (FM)
Finance
Financial System
• Indian Financial System
• Financial Markets
• Financial Institutions
Banking
• RBI Functions
• Monetary Policy
• Basel Norms
• Risk Management
• NPA
• Financial Inclusion
Corporate Finance
• Cost of Capital
• Capital Structure
• Working Capital
• Financial Statements
Management
Principles of Management
• Fayol
• Taylor
• Planning
• Organizing
• Staffing
• Directing
• Controlling
Organizational Behaviour
• Motivation
• Leadership
• Communication
• Decision Making
• Team Building
Human Resource Management
• Recruitment
• Training
• Performance Appraisal
Ethics & Corporate Governance
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Business Ethics
• Governance Framework
Interview (75 Marks)
The panel typically asks questions on:
• Graduation subject
• Work experience (if any)
• Current economic issues
• Banking and Finance
• RBI functions
• Monetary Policy
• Why RBI?
• Personal profile and hobbies
Reserve Bank of India focuses heavily on Economics, Banking, Finance, Current Affairs,
and Analytical Ability, making it quite different from SSC, IB ACIO, or UPSC. Candidates
with strong command over the economy and current affairs usually gain a significant
advantage.
For a UPSC aspirant like you, ESI and current affairs overlap substantially with GS-II and
GS-III, which can reduce preparation time compared to other banking exams.
RBI Grade B Material
For RBI Grade B Phase II, you do not need many books. The key is covering the syllabus from a
few high-quality sources and revising them repeatedly.
Paper I: Economic & Social Issues (ESI)
1. NCERTs (Foundation)
• Class 11 Economics (Indian Economic Development)
• Class 12 Macroeconomics
Purpose:
• Inflation
• GDP
• Monetary policy
• Fiscal policy
• Growth & development basics
2. Economic Survey (Most Important)
Government of India Economic Survey
Focus on:
• Growth trends
• Employment
• Agriculture
• Social sector
• Digital economy
• Climate issues
For RBI, summaries are sufficient.
3. Union Budget
Government of India Budget Highlights
Focus:
• Fiscal deficit
• Government expenditure
• Welfare schemes
• Infrastructure initiatives
4. RBI Publications (Gold Mine)
Reserve Bank of India
Must read:
• Annual Report
• Monetary Policy Statements
• Financial Stability Report (summary)
• Report on Currency & Finance (selective)
5. Standard Book
Indian Economy
• Indian Economy
OR
• Indian Economy
For UPSC aspirants, Ramesh Singh is enough.
6. Current Affairs
Best Source:
• AffairsCloud RBI Grade B Capsules
• EduTap Monthly PDFs
• Anuj Jindal Monthly PDFs
Focus on:
• Banking
• Economy
• RBI
• International reports
Paper III: Finance & Management (FM)
This is where most UPSC aspirants struggle.
Finance
Best Source
Finance Notes
• EduTap FM Notes
These are considered the most comprehensive RBI-specific source.
Cover:
• Financial Markets
• Financial Institutions
• Financial System
• Basel Norms
• Risk Management
• NPA
• Monetary Policy
Supplementary Sources
RBI Website
Study:
• Functions of RBI
• Monetary Policy Framework
• Banking Regulation
Finance Chapters from
• Principles and Practices of Banking (selective reading)
Useful for:
• Banking System
• Financial Markets
• Banking Operations
Management
Best Book
• Organizational Behaviour (selective)
Read:
• Motivation
• Leadership
• Communication
• Team Dynamics
Easier Alternative
Most RBI toppers use:
• EduTap Management Notes
instead of reading Robbins cover to cover.
English (Paper II)
No separate book required.
Practice:
• Essays on Economy, Banking, Governance
• Precis Writing
• Reading Comprehension
Best Sources:
• Editorials from The Hindu
• Editorials from Business Standard
If You Are a UPSC Aspirant
Your shortest path would be:
ESI
1. NCERT Macro Economics
2. Ramesh Singh
3. Economic Survey Summary
4. Budget Summary
5. RBI Reports
6. Monthly Current Affairs
FM
1. EduTap FM Notes (primary source)
2. RBI Website documents
3. Previous Year Questions
English
1. Weekly essay practice
2. Editorial reading
This combination covers roughly 90–95% of what successful RBI Grade B candidates use,
without drowning in excessive material.
Overlap topics b/w both Exams
There is a good overlap (around 50–60%) between RBI Grade B and SEBI Grade A, especially in
Economics, Finance, Management, and Current Affairs. The main difference is that RBI focuses
on Banking & Macroeconomics, while SEBI focuses on Capital Markets & Securities
Regulation.
Common Topics (Prepare Once, Useful for Both)
Economics
• Inflation
• GDP
• Fiscal Policy
• Monetary Policy
• Unemployment
• Economic Growth
• Globalization
• Financial Inclusion
• Budget
• Economic Survey
Finance
• Financial System
• Financial Markets
• Financial Institutions
• Money Market
• Risk Management
• Basel Norms
• Banking Fundamentals
Management
• Henri Fayol
• F.W. Taylor
• Maslow
• Herzberg
• McGregor
• Leadership
• Motivation
• Communication
• HRM
• Organizational Behaviour
Current Affairs
• RBI updates
• Banking news
• Economy
• International organizations
• Government schemes
RBI Grade B Exclusive Topics
Banking & Central Banking
• Functions of RBI
• Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)
• CRR, SLR, Repo Rate
• Financial Stability
• Currency Management
• RBI Reports
• Development Economics
Economic & Social Issues (ESI)
• Poverty
• Education
• Health
• Demographics
• Sustainable Development
• SDGs
• Social Sector Schemes
These topics are heavily asked in RBI but receive much less attention in SEBI.
SEBI Grade A Exclusive Topics
Securities Market
• Primary Market
• Secondary Market
• IPO
• FPO
• Rights Issue
• Bonus Issue
• Buyback
Capital Market Instruments
• Equity Shares
• Preference Shares
• Debentures
• Bonds
Mutual Funds
• NAV
• SIP
• ETF
• Fund Categories
Derivatives
• Futures
• Options
• Swaps
• Hedging
SEBI Regulations
• Insider Trading
• Investor Protection
• Listing Obligations
• Market Intermediaries
Commerce & Accountancy
• Journal
• Ledger
• Trial Balance
• Financial Statements
• Ratio Analysis
Costing
• Marginal Costing
• Break-even Analysis
• Budgeting
Companies Act
• MOA
• AOA
• Directors
• Share Capital
• Corporate Governance
Comparison Table
Area RBI Grade B SEBI Grade A
Economics Very High High
Banking Very High Moderate
Area RBI Grade B SEBI Grade A
Finance High Very High
Management Moderate High
Capital Markets Low–Moderate Very High
Accountancy Not Asked High
Costing Not Asked Moderate
Companies Act Not Asked High
Social Issues Very High Low
RBI Reports Very High Moderate
SEBI Regulations Not Asked Very High
For a UPSC Aspirant
Your existing preparation already covers much of:
• Economics
• Governance
• Social Issues
• Current Affairs
• Descriptive Writing
So:
RBI Grade B
You would mainly add:
• Banking
• RBI Reports
• Finance
SEBI Grade A
You would additionally need:
• Capital Markets
• Accountancy
• Costing
• Companies Act
• SEBI Regulations
That's why many UPSC aspirants find RBI Grade B easier to transition into, while SEBI Grade A
requires learning several completely new subjects. The overlap is substantial, but SEBI has a
wider professional/technical syllabus.