RBI Grade B (DR-General) is one of India's most coveted government jobs. The salary, profile and exposure are arguably the best in any banking job — and the exam difficulty reflects that. This guide covers Phase I, Phase II (three papers) and the interview, with timelines and resources.
Phase I — 4-month build
Phase I is your typical objective Prelims: GA, English, Quant, Reasoning. GA carries 80 of 200 marks — disproportionately high. Spend 40% of Phase I prep on GA, 20% each on the other three.
- GA: Read Economic Survey + RBI Annual Report + Yojana magazine. Last 1-year banking-economy news is non-negotiable.
- English: standard sectional book (Arihant) + 1 RC passage daily.
- Quant: Practice Prelims-level questions only (no Mains tricks). DI is high-yield.
- Reasoning: Puzzles + syllogism + coding. Practice sets, not random questions.
Phase II Paper I — ESI (Economic & Social Issues)
ESI is reading-heavy. Cover NCERT Class 11 + 12 Economics first (3 weeks), then move to:
- Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh — 5th to 8th edition.
- Economic Survey — last 2 volumes (focus on chapters 1-4 + sectoral chapters).
- RBI Bulletin + Annual Report — at least the executive summaries.
- Yojana + Kurukshetra magazines — useful for descriptive answers.
Phase II Paper II — Descriptive English
Practice ONE letter + ONE précis + ONE essay weekly. Get them peer-reviewed if possible. The marking rewards clarity and structure over vocabulary fireworks.
Phase II Paper III — Finance & Management
F&M is the differentiator. Use:
- NCERT 11/12 Business Studies — for management basics.
- Mishkin (Financial Markets & Institutions) — for finance theory.
- I.M. Pandey (Financial Management) — for working capital + cost of capital.
- RBI website (Financial Markets section) — for current market practices.
Interview
RBI interviews lean heavily on your bio-data form, current economic affairs, and your stated optional subject in academic background. Mock interviews from 3 different panels. Read The Hindu and Mint daily.