RBI Grade B 2023 Simplified: Detailed Preparation Strategy and Study Plan

RBI Grade B Recruitment 2023: RBI Grade B is a national-level government exam which is conducted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the aspirants who have been looking forward to being a part of the Banking sector.

RBI Grade B 2023 Notification: The Reserve Bank of India announces vacancies for direct recruitment every year for the posts of officers in Grade B (DR) (GENERAL), officers in Grade B (DR) (DEPR) and officers in Grade B (DR) (DSIM).

RBI Grade B 2023 Exam Date: RBI Grade B 2023 notification has been released in Newspaper for 222 Posts and exams will be conducted in the month of July 2023.

Through this Article, we are simplifying the whole RBI Grade B Exam Process including RBI Grade B Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Previous Year Cut off, Books and Study Plan. Read the whole Article you will understand each and everything.

RBI Grade B 2023: Selection Procedure

RBI Grade B exam has three phases namely,

Phase 1: Prelims,
Phase 2: Mains, and
Phase 3: Interview round.

Candidates are required to clear all three phases to get a confirmed post as a Grade B Officer in the Reserve Bank of India. The Final merit list will be based on candidates’ performance in the main exam and interview round.

RBI Grade B Exam Pattern (General) for Phase - I 2023

RBI Grade B Phase I is the primary screening process and hence, the score will not be added for the RBI Grade B Selection process. In the phase I exam, the aspirants have to answer objective-type questions. The exam will be conducted online.

Sections	Number of questions	Maximum marks	Allocated Time
General Awareness	80	80	25 minutes
English Language	30	30	25 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	30	30	25 minutes
Reasoning	60	60	45 minutes
Total	200	200	120 minutes

RBI Grade B Exam Pattern for Phase-II 2023

The Phase-II exam is an objective and descriptive type of online exam. The obtained score from this phase will be added for the RBI Grade B Final selection process. More precisely, the final RBI Grade B Cutoff will be prepared based on Phase-II and the interview score.

Name of Paper	Type of the Paper	Number of Questions	Time Duration	Maximum Marks
Paper–I Economic & Social Issues	50% objective type 50% Descriptive type and the answers will need to be typed with the help of a keyboard	30 Objective Questions & 6 Descriptive Questions, out of which 4 have to be answered	30 minutes (Objective) 90 minutes (Descriptive) Total: 120 minutes	50 (Obj) 50 (Desc) Total: 100
Paper-II: English – Writing Skills	Descriptive Typing and the answers will need to be typed with the help of a keyboard	3 (Descriptive)	90 minutes	100
Paper -III Finance and Management	50% objective type 50% Descriptive type and the answers will need to be typed with the help of a keyboard	30 Objective Questions & 6 Descriptive Questions, out of which 4 have to be answered	30 minutes (Objective) 90 minutes (Descriptive) Total: 120 minutes	50 (Obj) 50 (Desc) Total: 100

RBI Grade B Exam Pattern: Interview (Phase-III)

Based on the aggregate score obtained in the Main exam (Paper-I +Paper-II +Paper-III), candidates will be invited for the interview round.
RBI will decide the minimum cut-off which must be cleared by candidates in order to be shortlisted for the Interview round.
Reserve Bank of India will publish the RBI Grade B result in a PDF format containing the roll number of candidates shortlisted for the interview.
Candidates will receive interview call letters on their registered email ID.
RBI Grade B Interview round will be 75 marks.
Candidates can choose the medium for interview amongst Hindi or English languages.
Final Selection will be based on the candidate's performance in the Phase-II examination and interview.

RBI Grade B Phase 1 Cut-off 2022

Section	Category
Section	General	EWS	OBC	SC	ST
General Awareness	12.00	12.00	8.00	6.25	6.25
Reasoning	9.00	9.00	6.00	4.75	4.75
English Language	4.50	4.50	3.00	2.25	2.25
Quantitative Aptitude	4.50	4.50	3.00	2.25	2.25
Total	63.75	63.75	60.25	55.25	50.75

RBI Grade B Phase 1 Cut-off 2021

Section	General	EWS	OBC	SC	ST	PwBD (OH/HI/VH/MD)
General Awareness	16.00	16.00	12.00	10.25	10.25	10.25
Reasoning	12.00	12.00	9.00	7.75	7.75	7.75
English Language	6.00	6.00	4.50	3.75	3.75	3.75
Quantitative Aptitude	6.00	6.00	4.50	3.75	3.75	3.75
Total	66.75	66.75	63.75	53.50	52.75	52.75

RBI Grade B 2020 Cut-off Phase I

There was no exam conducted by RBI for Grade B Post due to Covid-19.

RBI Grade B 2019 Cut-off Phase I

Category	General Awareness (Total Marks = 80)	Reasoning (Total Marks = 60)	English Language (Total Marks = 30)	Quantitative Aptitude (Total Marks = 30)	Total Marks/ Aggregate = 200
General/ UR/ EWS	20.00	15.00	7.50	7.50	122.00
SC	14.25	10.75	5.25	5.25	108.00
ST	14.25	10.75	5.25	5.25	108.00
OBC	16.00	12.00	6.00	6.00	115.50
PWD (OH/ VH/ HI/ MD)	14.25	10.75	5.25	5.25	108.00

RBI Grade B 2018 Cut-off Phase I

Category	General Awareness (Total Marks = 80)	Reasoning (Total Marks = 60)	English Language (Total Marks = 30)	Quantitative Aptitude (Total Marks = 30)	Total Marks/ Aggregate = 200
General/ UR/ EWS	20.00	15.00	7.50	7.50	105.75
SC	14.25	10.75	5.25	5.25	91.75
ST	14.25	10.75	5.25	5.25	91.75
OBC	16.00	12.00	6.00	6.00	95.75
PWD (OH/ VH/ HI/ MD)	14.25	10.75	5.25	5.25	91.75

RBI Grade B 2021 Cut-off Phase II and Final Cut off

RBI Grade B 2019 Cut-off Phase II and Final Cut off

CUT-OFF MARKS DECIDED BY THE BOARD AT VARIOUS STAGES OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS:
RECRUITMENT STAGE	Category
RECRUITMENT STAGE	GENERAL	OBC	SC	ST	EWS	Pw BD
AGGREGATE CUT – OFF MARKS IN PAPER- I, PAPER II AND PAPER- III (OUT OF TOTAL 300 MARKS).	193.25	188.00	172.25	172.25	193.25	172.25 ( HI, LD, MD) 176.75 (VI)
AGGREGATE MARKS IN WRITTEN EXAMINATION (PAPER- I, II AND III) AND INTERVIEW TAKEN TOGETHER (OUT OF TOTAL 350 MARKS)	238.25	215.50	206.50	194.00	197.00	Gen 215.75 OBC 194.75

RBI Grade B 2023: Prelim Exam Syllabus

Reasoning Ability

Quantitative Aptitude

English Language

Seating Arrangement - Linear, Circular, Rectangular, Parallel, Uncertain, some facing Inside Out and Some facing North-South

Puzzle: Floor and Flat, Box, Scheduling (Days, Months, Year based), Category Based, Ranking Based, Blood Relation based, comparison based, Designation based

Critical Reasoning: Argument – strengthening and wakening, Course of Action, Cause-Effect, Inference and Implicit based Questions.

Other Topics: Syllogism and Reverse Syllogism, Input-Output, New Pattern Coding Decoding, Coded Inequality, Blood Relation, Direction Sense

Data Interpretation: Line, Bar, Pie, Table, Mixed, Missing Graphs and Caselets (Paragraph based DI)

Data Sufficiency

Calculation Based: Approximation, Number Series (Next, Wrong, Missing and Double series), Quadratic Equation, Quantitative Inequality

Arithmetic: Average, Ratio-Proportion, Profit and Loss, Percentage, Partnership, Mixture and Allegation, Time and Work, Time and Distance, Permutation and Combination and Probability etc;

Reading Comprehension

Cloze Test

Para Jumble (Old and New Pattern)

Sentence Completion (Table Based)

Sentence Improvement

Sentence Connector

Vocabulary and Idioms Based Questions

Some new pattern Questions Introduced by IBPS in recent exams.

How to Prepare General Awareness for RBI Grade B

In RBI Grade B 2021 and 2022, 60% of Phase 1 current affairs questions and almost 100% of Phase 2 current affairs questions were from 4 sources:

PIB releases
RBI press release
SEBI press release
Reports and Indices.

In simple terms you need to understand that GA in phase I is not GA, its basically 40-50% Economic and Social Issue and 20% Finance of RBI Grade B Phase II syllabus, same applies in NABARD Grade A as in that exam too, Economics and Social Issue, Agriculture and Rural Development, apart from General Awareness contains many questions from above four sections. These are high "Return on investment" (ROI) current affairs.

Read About GA Preparation In Detail: Click Here

RBI Grade B 2023 Syllabus: Economics and Social Issue

Units and Sections

Topics under Units and Sections

Growth and Development

Measurement of growth - GDP, GNP, NDP, NNP
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
Economic reforms Since 1991
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

Budget and Economic Survey

Recommendation of Latest Budget and Economic Survey of 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
Urbanization and Migration
Gender Issues
Social Justice: Positive Discrimination in favor of the under privileged
Social Movements
Indian Political System
Human Development
Social Sectors in India
Health and Education

RBI Grade B 2023 Syllabus: Finance

Units and Sections	Topics under Units and Sections
RBI and Its Functions	Reserve Bank of India- Functions and conduct of monetary policy
Regulators of Financial Sector and All India Financial Institution	Regulators of Banks and Financial Institutions: RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, PFRDA, IBBI, NFRA, IFSCA, NCLT, SAT All India Financial Institution: NHBs, EXIM Bank, NABARD, NaBDFI, SIDBI
Banking System in India	Structure and concerns
Financial Markets	Primary and Secondary Markets (Forex, Money, Bond, Equity, etc.), functions, instruments, recent developments.
General Topics	Impact of the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-08 and the Indian response Risk Management in Banking Sector Basics of Derivatives Financial Inclusion Alternate source of finance: private and social cost-benefit, Public-Private Partnership Corporate Governance in Banking Sector Role of e-governance in addressing issues of corruption and inefficiency in the government sector FinTech WPI, CPI - components and trends
Current Affairs Based Topics	RBI Annual Report, Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India, etc. Material sourced from RBI website - Speech, Notification, Circulars and MPC Details etc Global financial markets and International Banking – broad trends and latest developments Changing landscape of banking sector The Union Budget – Concepts, approach and broad trends

RBI Grade B 2023 Syllabus: Management, Ethics and Corporate Governance

Units and Sections	Topics under Units and Sections
Introduction to management	Evolution of management thought: Scientific, Administrative, Human Relations and Systems approach to management Management functions and Managerial roles Nudge theory
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).
Leadership	Concept and Importance Theories - Trait, Behavioral, Contingency, Charismatic, Transactional and Transformational Leadership
Organization and Organization Development	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)
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
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.
Corporate Governance	Factors affecting Corporate Governance; Mechanisms of Corporate Governance

What changes must be brought in the RBI grade B preparation after the new pattern?

Change in Mindset – It is no more a 3-month preparation examination. It is a job at the Central Bank, it is a serious business. However, some commentators previous termed it as 3–6-month preparation examination. Start with your graduation or as early as possible.

Study in detail – Since the examination is no more a guess work anymore, you need to start studying in detail. you need to know details like facts, numbers and also reasons and history of any particular news items. While studying any news or related item make short pointers Importance, Reason, Advantages, Consequences, Challenges, Steps from Govt in this direction and what can be the possible way forward. It helps in building opinions and revision.

Develop reading habit – For this, follow quality websites like the Business Line, Business Standard, Live Mint, centralbanking.com, and also read some books not related to your preparation but related to Indian banking/finance industry. It helps in developing interest around the job you are aspiring. Plus, only if you are a good reader then only you can be a good writer.

Typing Answer or Articles – Start writing or rather typing. You need to match your thinking speed with your tying speed (Yeah, it important). This can only happen if you practice. Many of the youngsters are not used to keyboard typing and this can negatively impact their chances. Another reason for typing is to test yourself.

Don’t keep it pending for the last three months, or to get “right topics” to answer. You shall start it “right now”, start writing summaries or critical analysis of anything you get on the internet/newspaper. It will only and only improve your ability to tackle questions “which you haven’t studied” in the exam.
Don’t really wait for the assessment of your written answers from experts or coaching centers, use your friends, put it in telegram groups for open assessment. Accept the criticism and build on it.

Profile building – If you are sitting at home and doing nothing except preparation. It would be better to do any online course.

Courses - You should join online course only when you have made significant progress in your preparation and you have clarity about or are in ‘revision only’ mode.

What are the Books and Study Materials needed for Phase I

Subjects	Books
English Language	Ace English Language Book by Adda247 or English Simplified by Oliveboard. Do more reading in English, if you are weak in this section Sectional Mock test and Practice Quiz can also help.
Reasoning Ability	Puzzle by Ankush Lamba, Puneet Sharma and Puzzle Book by Oliveboard Use the YouTube videos of above educators to learn concepts. Attempt Sectional and Full Length Mock Test after learning basics of doing practice.
Quantitative Aptitude	Data Interpretation Book by Adda247 or Oliveboard Quant Check List and Monthly magazine by Ashish Arora, freely available on his telegram channel.

Books and Study Materials for RBI Grade B Phase II

Economics - Indian Economy by Vivek Singh
Finance - M Y Khan and RBI FAQ
Management - L M Prasad, Summary Sheet or Master Notes and Search Topics like Emotional Intelligence, Organization on Google
Ethics and Corporate Governance - Summary Sheet or Master Notes and Search Google to make notes.

Apart from these you don't need anything, your motto should be limited source and unlimited revision.

RBI Grade B : Chapters from Indian Economy by Vivek Singh