RBI Grade B Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme: Phases, Scores and Penalties

You can clear a screening stage without carrying its marks into final merit. That distinction matters when reading the RBI Grade B pattern. This guide maps the General-cadre stages, explains negative marking and compares worked scores.

Reference: RBI's 2026 documentation underpins this guide; the notification and paper-specific handouts applicable to your attempt control any changes.

RBI Grade B selection stages: what each stage decides

Under RBI's Panel Year 2026 notice, Appendix II, Phase I screens candidates for Phase II. Phase II written performance leads to interview shortlisting. Final merit combines Phase II and interview marks, with applicable grace marks under RBI's rules. Phase I marks are not added.

“Qualifying” still requires serious preparation: both test-wise and aggregate minimum marks matter. A strong total cannot cancel failure to meet a required test minimum. Build section-level competence alongside your overall score.

This article covers RBI Grade B (DR) General, excluding DEPR and DSIM. The Banking & Insurance preparation options help you compare resources; RBI defines the examination itself.

Phase I pattern: four separately timed tests

RBI's 2026 Phase I information handout specified the following distribution:

The questions and marks each total 80 + 30 + 30 + 60 = 200. The timers total 25 + 25 + 25 + 45 = 120 minutes.

These are separate time windows. You cannot treat them as a freely transferable two-hour budget or practise four equal 30-minute blocks. Match each section's clock during mocks.

General Awareness carries 80/200 × 100 = 40% of available Phase I marks. That explains its scoring weight, but does not prescribe 40% of your study time. Your weak areas also need attention.

Negative marking: calculate net marks, not attempts

The 2026 Phase I handout specifies a deduction of one-quarter of the marks assigned to a wrong answer. Here, each question carries one mark, so the penalty is 1 × ¼ = 0.25 mark.

Consider two constructed Quantitative Aptitude performances, each covering 30 questions:

• Candidate A: 20 correct, 4 wrong, 6 blank. Attempts = 20 + 4 = 24. Attempt accuracy = 20/24 × 100 = 83.33%, rounded. Wrong-answer cost = 4 × 0.25 = 1. Raw net = 20 − 1 = 19 marks.

• Candidate B: 19 correct, 1 wrong, 10 blank. Attempts = 19 + 1 = 20. Attempt accuracy = 19/20 × 100 = 95%. Wrong-answer cost = 1 × 0.25 = 0.25. Raw net = 19 − 0.25 = 18.75 marks.

Blanks contribute no earned marks here. A leads by 19 − 18.75 = 0.25 mark, despite lower accuracy. Neither attempts nor accuracy alone determines net score.

These are raw mock calculations, not qualifying predictions or normalised scores. Appendix II provides for equipercentile normalisation where multiple sessions apply.

Phase II pattern: objective knowledge and typed answers

RBI's Panel Year 2026 notice, Appendix II, gives this written-paper structure:

Written marks total 100 + 100 + 100 = 300. The paper durations do not describe one continuous sitting.

ESI and FM each contain 30 objective questions worth 50 marks, including one- and two-mark items. Each descriptive component offers six questions; attempt four: 2 × 15 + 2 × 10 = 30 + 20 = 50 marks. RBI specifies that the first four are evaluated if more are answered. Read the Phase II handout for its penalty instructions.

Recognising an MCQ answer differs from typing a coherent explanation. Practise both. The RBI Grade B syllabus guide covers subject-level preparation.

Interview and final merit: which marks are added?

Appendix II assigns 75 marks to the interview. The personality assessment carries no marks and is outside final selection criteria. The ordinary framework is 300 + 75 = 375, with any applicable grace marks handled under RBI's stated rules.

Take this constructed example, assuming no applicable grace marks:

• Phase II: 61 + 66 + 58 = 127 + 58 = 185.

• Interview: 49; combined score = 185 + 49 = 234.

• Adding an illustrative Phase I score of 105 gives 234 + 105 = 339, which is the wrong merit calculation.

These figures are not cutoffs or selection guarantees. Keep separate trackers for Phase I qualification and Phase II/interview performance.

Turn the pattern into a measurable practice session

Try this constructed 180-minute practice session: a 120-minute Phase I mock, 40 minutes of review and a 20-minute typed-answer drill. The total is 120 + 40 + 20 = 180.

Split review into 15 minutes identifying wrong-answer causes, 15 re-solving missed questions and 10 checking skipped-question selection: 15 + 15 + 10 = 40. Record attempts, correct answers, wrong answers, raw net and time. Choose one repair task from the evidence.

For typing, use 3 + 14 + 3 = 20 minutes for outlining, writing and checking. This drill does not replace a full Phase II mock. Use the RBI Grade B preparation strategy for a longer plan.

Before your next mock: verify the rule and choose the resource

Confirm your cadre and panel year, match marks and section timers, read the actual paper's penalty instructions and check descriptive answer limits. Calculate raw mock scores separately from published cutoffs.

The SBI PO Prelims course for shared aptitude foundations supports English, Quant and Reasoning practice, but it is an SBI course and does not establish RBI General Awareness, ESI or FM coverage. Use it for those shared foundations and plan separately for RBI-specific demands.

Complete one correctly timed mock and review its error cost before deciding what to practise next.