RBI Grade B Exam Pattern 2027 for Phase 1, Phase 2 & Interview

RBI is a prestigious organization that works towards regulating our economy. Every year thousands of students apply for the Grade B examination, which serves as a first step to the Reserve Bank of India.

It is very important to go through the pattern of the examination and the marking scheme to get a good idea of what the examination requires and how good your current knowledge on the topics is.

It helps in understanding the resources that will be required to prepare for the exam as well as helps in making a long-term plan for the duration of the preparation.

The RBI Grade B exam is conducted in three stages, which are phase 1, phase 2, and the interview.

In the below article, we will be talking about the pattern, marking scheme, and subjects in detail.

RBI Grade B Selection Process 2027

The examination consists of three phases, which are designed to check the complete set of skills of the aspirant.

Phase 1

This is the preliminary examination, which examines the candidates’ Quantitative, Reasoning, GA, and English abilities. It only consists of objective questions. This is just a screening exam; those marks are not counted in the final cutoff.

Phase 2

This is referred to as the ‘mains’ examination. It tests the candidate’s knowledge of Economics & Social Issues, Finance & Management, and English. It consists of MCQs as well as descriptive questions.

Interview

Candidates will be shortlisted for the interview based on the aggregate of marks obtained in Phase 2. The interview is of 75 marks, for which the candidate is called in to the allotted RBI office.

Also, the candidate may opt for an interview either in Hindi or English.

RBI Grade B Phase 1 Exam Pattern

The phase 1 exam consists of four sections, with each section having a sectional time. As a result, candidates are unable to switch between sections.

The format of the exam is briefly explained below –

• The total questions asked in the phase 1 examination are 200, divided into four sections.
• The total marks of the phase 1 exam are 200 marks
• The total duration of the exam is 120 minutes.
• There is sectional timing in the exam; for quantitative aptitude it is 25 mins, for reasoning ability it is 45 mins, for English it is 25 mins, and 25 mins are allotted for General Awareness.
• The questions are all objective in nature, there are no descriptive questions asked in this phase.

RBI Grade B Phase 2 Pattern

Paper 1: Economics and Social Issues

• This paper has both descriptive and MCQ based questions. 
• There are 30 objective questions of 50 marks, which are to be attempted in a duration of 30 mins.
• In the descriptive part there are 6 questions out of which 4 need to be attempted, totaling to 50 marks and the time duration given is of 90 mins.
• Hence, the total marks of this paper are 100 marks and total time given is 120 mins.

Paper 2: English Descriptive

• This paper is to test the writing skills of the candidate. 
• There are no MCQs in this section. 
• The descriptive part consists of three questions, which are a precis, an essay, and a reading comprehension passage. 
• All three questions need to be compulsorily attempted by the candidate
• The total marks for this section are 100 marks, and time allotted is 90 mins.

Paper 3: Finance and Management

• This section has descriptive and objective sections as well. 
• The objective section consists of 30 questions of 50 marks in total to be attempted in a 30 min duration.
• In the descriptive section there are 6 questions, out of which 4 need to be answered, totaling 50 marks.
• This section totals 100 marks, and the total time is 120 minutes.

RBI Grade B Interview Pattern

• The interview is of 75 marks, which the candidate can opt to give in Hindi or English. 
• Before the interview a psychometric test is conducted, which is not counted towards the final marks.
• The interview takes 20-45 minutes and is conducted by a panel of 4-5 members.
• The candidates are invited to designated RBI offices for the interview.

RBI Grade B Marking scheme

• In phase 1, each question is for 1 mark, and there is negative marking of 1/4th for each wrong question, ie, 0.25 is deducted.
• In phase 2, in the objective part, there is a combination of 1-marker and 2-marker questions, with 1-marker questions carrying a negative marking of 0.25 for each wrong answer and 2-marker questions having a 0.50 deduction for each wrong answer. 
• There are no marks deducted for leaving a question unanswered in the objective questions of Phase 1 and Phase 2.
• There is no negative marking in the descriptive part of the RBI Grade B Phase 2 exam. Because answers are typed out in a subjective format rather than chosen from multiple-choice options, point deductions do not apply to written responses

Below we have a summary of the marking scheme, which is followed by the RBI.

Important changes in RBI Grade B Exam Pattern

In 2021 a couple of changes were introduced in the RBI Grade B pattern; they are all listed below:

• Descriptive sections were introduced in Paper 1 (ESI) and Paper 3 (FM)
  which then reduced the objective section to 50% of the paper.
• The time duration allotted to Paper 1 and Paper 3 was consequently increased from 90 mins to 120 mins.
• Weightage for the final interview stage was raised from 50 marks to 75 marks.
• In the interview stage a psychometric test was also introduced.

After 2021 there has not been a change in the pattern of the examination but the RBI exam has become very dynamic in terms of the difficulty levels and the kind of questions asked in both phase 1 and phase 2 of different years.

Therefore, the cutoffs have been quite dynamic too being influenced by the difficulty of the paper and also the number of vacancies.

Common mistakes made by candidates

• Having too many sources for GA – Candidates are advised to follow one good source for GA and not dabble in multiple sources, as it affects the quality of their revision. They may also end up devoting too much time to GA and not prepare well for QRE.
• Focusing mainly on PIB and RBI circulars for phase 1 GA – Candidates are advised to learn the general GA section of their sources as well and, if possible, add a newspaper to remain aware of the day to day happenings. Since the RBI paper is very dynamic, questions can be asked from any domain of GA
• Guessing too many answers in case of MCQs – It is advised to candidates not to rely too much on guesswork; instead, give a lot of mocks, which will help you encounter a lot of different questions and develop a deeper understanding of the exam. Guessing too many questions can backfire in the form of too much negative marking.
• Not reading reports properly – Candidates should read all the relevant reports related to the RBI and international institutions. They should also focus on the Union Budget and Economic Survey.
• Not practicing answer writing – Some of the candidates who reach phase 2 do not place/understand the importance of practicing answer writing. Since the test is completely online, it is important for the candidate to develop a good typing speed and also get habitual with typing on the computer keyboard.
• Focusing too much on phase 2 as opposed to phase 1 – In the early days of preparation, it is advised to the candidates to strengthen their QRE section and then start the preparation for phase 2. Since RBI’s exam has become dynamic, a lot of changes are seen every year in terms of the difficulty level of the questions asked in phase 1, hence, it is best to develop clarity of QRE concepts, and then the candidates can keep practicing the same and also prepare for phase 2 side-by-side.