Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
RBI Grade B 2026 — Officer in Reserve Bank of India
Quick Information
| Post Name | Officer in Grade B (Direct Recruit) — General, DEPR (Economic & Policy Research), DSIM (Statistics & Information Management) |
| Total Vacancies | 322 |
| Salary | RBI Grade B Officer starting pay: ₹55,000/month basic. Total emoluments (including DA, HRA, CCA) approximately ₹1.25–₹1.50 lakh/month. RBI staff also get staff quarters in major cities, subsidised meals, interest-free staff loans, and LTC. One of the best salary packages in banking at the officer entry level. |
| Organization | Reserve Bank of India (RBI) |
Application Fee
| General | ₹850 |
| OBC | ₹850 |
| SC / ST | ₹100 |
| Women | ₹850 |
| PH / Divyang | ₹100 |
Important Dates
| Start Date | 1 June 2026 |
| Last Date | 21 June 2026 |
| Exam Date | 27 July 2026 |
Eligibility
| Age Limit | 21–30 years as on June 1, 2026. OBC NCL: up to 33 years. SC/ST: up to 35 years. PwBD (UR): up to 40 years. DEPR/DSIM posts have different upper age limits — check notification. |
| Education | General: Bachelor's Degree with minimum 60% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwBD). DEPR: Master's in Economics/Econometrics/Statistics with 55%. DSIM: Master's in Statistics/Mathematical Statistics/OR with 55%. |
Selection Process
- 1**Phase I — Online Screening (200 marks)** | Section | Questions | Marks | |---|---|---| | General Awareness | 80 | 80 | | English | 30 | 30 | | Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 | | Reasoning | 60 | 60 | | **Total** | **200** | **200** | Duration: 2 hours. Negative marking: 0.25 per wrong answer. Shortlists for Phase II. **Phase II — Descriptive + Objective (300 marks)** | Paper | Marks | Duration | |---|---|---| | Paper I: Economic & Social Issues + Finance & Management | 100 | 90 min (descriptive) | | Paper II: English Writing Skills (Essay + Précis + Comprehension) | 100 | 90 min | | Paper III: Finance & Management (MCQ) | 100 | 90 min | **Phase III — Interview (75 marks)** Final merit = Phase II (300) + Interview (75) = 375 marks.
How to Apply
Official Links
What Is RBI Grade B?
RBI Grade B is the entry point for becoming an officer at the Reserve Bank of India — the central bank that regulates India's entire banking system, manages the rupee, controls monetary policy, and supervises every bank in the country. It's not just a job at a bank. It's a job at the institution that governs banks.
Grade B officers work on monetary policy analysis, banking supervision and regulation, foreign exchange management, government securities operations, consumer protection, currency management, and research. The work is intellectually substantive in a way that most banking jobs aren't.
The competition is extremely intense. Roughly 2–3 lakh candidates apply. Around 35,000 clear Phase I and sit Phase II. About 1,000 are called for interviews. And roughly 300 make the final cut. The difficulty is not just the numbers — Phase II is a genuinely hard descriptive exam that tests economic understanding and English writing ability at a post-graduate level.
Streams Available
| Stream | Focus | Minimum Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| General | Banking regulation, supervision, monetary operations, HR | Bachelor's with 60% |
| DEPR (Economic & Policy Research) | Research, monetary policy analysis, reports | Master's in Economics/Econometrics with 55% |
| DSIM (Statistics & Info Management) | Data, statistical analysis, reporting | Master's in Statistics/Maths with 55% |
Most candidates appear for General stream. DEPR and DSIM are specialist streams with lower vacancies.
Vacancy Breakdown 2026
| Category | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| General | ~260 |
| DEPR | ~32 |
| DSIM | ~30 |
| Total | ~322 |
Eligibility
Age (as on June 1, 2026)
- General / EWS: 21–30 years
- OBC (NCL): up to 33 years
- SC / ST: up to 35 years
- PwBD (UR): up to 40 years
Education
- General stream: Bachelor's in any discipline with minimum 60% aggregate marks (50% for SC/ST/PwBD)
- DEPR: Master's in Economics / Econometrics / Statistics with 55%
- DSIM: Master's in Statistics / Mathematical Statistics / Operations Research with 55%
Salary and Benefits
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Basic Pay | ₹55,000/month |
| DA | ~₹32,000/month |
| HRA / Leased Accommodation | ₹8,000–₹12,000/month or staff quarters |
| CCA + Other Allowances | ~₹10,000/month |
| Gross Monthly | ~₹1,05,000–₹1,25,000/month |
Additional benefits: interest-free/subsidised staff loans, LTC, medical expenses reimbursement, pension (defined benefit), concessional canteen, and a structured career in one of India's most prestigious institutions.
Application Fee
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| General / OBC / EWS | ₹850 |
| SC / ST / PwBD / Ex-Sm | ₹100 |
Phase II — The Real Challenge
Phase II is what separates RBI Grade B from other banking exams. It's a 3-paper exam lasting 4.5 hours:
Paper I (ESI + Finance & Management — 100 marks, 90 min descriptive): Economic and Social Issues: Indian economy, growth, development, agriculture, industry, services sector, fiscal policy, monetary policy, inflation, balance of payments, poverty, social sector. Finance: financial markets, banking system, capital markets, NBFCs, regulation, Basel norms. Management: organizational behaviour, leadership, motivation, HR management.
This is not MCQ. You write 200–300 word answers. Clarity, structure, and accuracy all matter.
Paper II (English — 100 marks, 90 min): Essay (500 words), Précis (reduce a passage to 1/3rd), Reading comprehension. Your vocabulary, sentence structure, and ability to write a coherent argument are tested.
Paper III (Finance & Management — 100 marks MCQ, 90 min): Same topics as Paper I but objective format — faster, but requires breadth of knowledge.
Important Dates 2026
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notification | June 2026 |
| Application Closes | June 21, 2026 |
| Phase I (Online Screening) | July 27, 2026 |
| Phase II | August–September 2026 |
| Interview | October–November 2026 |
| Final Result | December 2026 |
Official Links
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| RBI Website | rbi.org.in |
| RBI Opportunities | opportunities.rbi.org.in |