This page lists RBI Grade B previous year question papers for 10 years, 2015 to 2024, with labelled mock papers for 10 years with no official question paper. RBI Grade B (Reserve Bank of India Grade B Officer) is conducted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and covers Phase I, Phase II (Economic and Social Issues, Finance and Management, and English) and an interview. Pick a year below for the paper, answer key and a timed practice plan; confirm dates and pattern on rbi.org.in.
Explore: Question papers by year · Syllabus & pattern · Pattern changes · FAQ
Year-wise question papers
RBI does not publish Grade B question papers. Each year page has an original mock paper in the pattern candidates reported for that cycle, clearly labelled as a mock, with notes on what Phase I and Phase II tested. There was no Grade B exam in 2020, and that page uses the pattern of the cycles around it.
RBI Grade B 2024
The newest cycle here. Use Phase I for GA timing and Phase II for current ESI and F&M themes.
RBI Grade B 2023
Good for practising ESI and F&M descriptive answers once you have done the objective parts.
RBI Grade B 2022
A full Phase I and Phase II cycle in the current format. Sit it as a second complete set after 2024.
RBI Grade B 2021
Held in early 2021 after the gap year. Useful for the mix of objective and typed answers in Phase II.
RBI Grade B 2020
No exam was held in 2020. The page has a mock paper in the pattern of the neighbouring cycles.
RBI Grade B 2019
The last cycle before the pandemic. A sound first full-length Phase I paper.
RBI Grade B 2018
Use its Phase I for reasoning puzzles and its ESI questions for the economy’s basic concepts.
RBI Grade B 2017
An archive cycle. F&M management questions from here still match the syllabus well.
RBI Grade B 2016
Older GA is out of date, but reasoning, quant and English stay useful for drills.
RBI Grade B 2015
The oldest set here. Read its ESI themes to see which topics RBI keeps returning to.
Want to practise one topic at a time? RBI Grade B topic-wise practice sorts the 260 questions from our labelled mock papers by section and topic.
About RBI Grade B
RBI Grade B is the Reserve Bank of India’s direct recruitment exam for officers in Grade B. Most candidates apply for the General (DR) stream. There are also separate streams for the Department of Economic and Policy Research (DEPR) and the Department of Statistics and Information Management (DSIM), with their own Phase II papers. The pages here cover the General stream.
The selection has three stages. Phase I is a two-hour objective test that screens candidates. Phase II is a full day of three papers: Economic and Social Issues (ESI), English (writing skills) and Finance and Management (F&M). Candidates who do well in Phase II are called for an interview. The final list is based on Phase II and the interview together. Phase I marks only decide whether you get to Phase II.
RBI Grade B is often described as a harder bank PO exam. That is only true of Phase I. Phase II is a different exam altogether. It needs economics, finance and management knowledge, writing in a structured way under time, and familiarity with what the RBI and the government have published in the past year. Old papers are the clearest way to see this split, and to see which reports and themes RBI keeps returning to. The full syllabus is on the RBI Grade B syllabus and pattern page.
About the papers on this site
RBI does not release Grade B question papers or a public answer key. What you find online are memory-based papers that coaching institutes reconstruct from candidates’ recollections. They are helpful for Phase II themes, but the exact wording and numbers are not reliable, and descriptive questions are often paraphrased.
Each year page here has an original mock paper written in the reported pattern and level for that year, marked as a mock. The guide on memory-based and official papers explains how to use reconstructions without trusting them too much.
How the exam has changed
The three-phase structure and the three Phase II papers have been in place across this decade. What has changed is the calendar, with no exam in 2020, and the details of timing in each phase.
| Cycle | Phase I | Phase II | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–2019 | 200 marks in 120 minutes across General Awareness, Reasoning, English and Quantitative Aptitude | ESI, English and F&M, 100 marks each | Sectional timing and the objective-descriptive split in Phase II varied in older cycles; check each year page |
| 2020 | No exam held | No exam held | The next cycle was held in early 2021 |
| 2021–2024 | General Awareness 80 questions in 25 minutes, Reasoning 60 in 45 minutes, English 30 in 25 minutes, Quantitative Aptitude 30 in 25 minutes. 200 marks, 120 minutes | ESI and F&M: 50 marks objective in 30 minutes plus 50 marks descriptive in 90 minutes. English: 100 marks, fully descriptive, 90 minutes. Answers typed on a keyboard | Interview of 75 marks; final list from Phase II plus interview |
Wrong answers in the objective parts carry a penalty of a quarter of the question’s marks. Phase I has sectional cut-offs as well as an overall cut-off, and Phase II has minimum marks set out in each advertisement. Read the current advertisement before setting your timers, since RBI announces the pattern afresh each cycle.
Two details matter when you practise. Phase I gives General Awareness 80 of the 200 marks, which makes it more like a GA exam with an aptitude section than a bank PO paper. And in Phase II, the descriptive answers are typed, not handwritten. If you only practise writing by hand, the real exam will feel slower than you expect.
What the papers show, phase by phase
Phase I: General Awareness
GA is the largest section in Phase I and the one that most often decides who goes through. Past papers show a steady pattern. Most questions come from the six months or so before the exam: RBI policy and circulars, government schemes, appointments, international organisations, reports and indices, defence exercises, sports and awards. Static GK is a small part.
Because GA has only 25 minutes for 80 questions, you either know an answer or you do not. Use past papers to learn the categories of question RBI asks, then build your current affairs notes along those lines in your own cycle. A common mistake is reading every news item equally. Past papers show that banking, economy and RBI-related news are worth far more of your time than general news.
Phase I: Reasoning, English and Quantitative Aptitude
Reasoning in Phase I is at least SBI PO Mains level. Expect long puzzles and seating arrangements, plus syllogisms, inequalities, coding and logical reasoning. It has 60 questions in 45 minutes, so you cannot attempt everything. Practise picking the puzzles you can finish.
English has 30 questions in 25 minutes, mostly reading comprehension and vocabulary in context, with some cloze and error questions. Quant has 30 questions in 25 minutes, with DI, arithmetic and some approximation or series.
These three sections need a minimum score each. Many candidates clear GA well and miss the cut-off in Reasoning or Quant because they spent too long on one puzzle or DI set. When you review a Phase I paper, note the time you spent on each set as well as your score.
Phase II: Economic and Social Issues
ESI covers growth and development, inflation, employment, poverty and inclusion, demographics, globalisation, the external sector, and social issues like education, health and gender. Recent papers lean heavily on current data and policy: the Union Budget, the Economic Survey, RBI’s Monetary Policy Statements and the Annual Report.
For every ESI question in a past paper, ask where the answer came from. You will see the same sources again and again. That list becomes your reading list. In descriptive answers, examiners want structure and specifics: a short introduction, three or four clear points, a recent scheme or figure, and a one-line conclusion. General points without data score poorly.
Phase II: Finance and Management
The Finance part covers the financial system, markets and instruments, banking regulation, Basel norms, risk management, financial inclusion, fintech and digital payments, and RBI’s role. The Management part covers leadership, motivation, communication, organisational behaviour, HR and corporate governance. Management questions have changed less over the years, so older papers are still useful for them. Finance questions often follow recent RBI regulations and should be practised from newer years.
A common error in F&M is mixing up similar terms, such as different types of capital buffer, or the tools of monetary policy. Keep a one-page note for each group of such terms, and test yourself on it before each paper.
Phase II: English (writing skills)
This paper has an essay, a précis and a reading comprehension, all typed. The topics for essays tend to come from economics, technology, society and governance. A précis must keep the meaning of the passage in about a third of its length, and students often lose marks by adding their own views or going over the limit.
Practise one essay and one précis a week once Phase I is close. Typing speed and editing on screen are part of the skill.
Interview
The interview carries 75 marks and leans on your knowledge of economics, banking, RBI functions and your own background. Past papers are of little direct help here.
Notes on recent years
2024 is the closest you have to the next cycle. Use its Phase I for GA timing and its Phase II for the current mix of ESI and F&M themes.
2022 and 2023 both used the current structure, with typed descriptive answers in ESI, F&M and English. They are good for full Phase II practice days.
2021 came after the gap in 2020 and was held in early 2021. It is still a good Phase II practice set, especially for the format of typed answers.
2015 to 2019 are older cycles. Reasoning, Quant and English questions and the management part of F&M are still useful. GA and much of ESI are out of date, so use them only to see what kinds of themes RBI picks.
Using old papers at different stages of preparation
With six months or more to go
Start Phase II reading early. ESI and F&M need months of steady reading, and they are where final ranks are decided. Use past Phase II papers to build your source list and your notes. Practise Phase I sections once a week to build speed.
Two to three months before Phase I
Move to full Phase I papers two or three times a week, with sectional timers. Track your GA score separately, because it carries the most weight. Keep at least an hour a day for ESI and F&M. Start typing one descriptive answer every few days.
Between Phase I and Phase II
The gap is usually short, a few weeks at most. Sit full Phase II days: ESI, English and F&M one after another, with their real timings. Refresh your notes with the latest budget, survey and policy figures. Write more descriptive answers and re-write the weakest ones.
Before the interview
Read RBI’s recent publications and the news on monetary policy and banking. Prepare to talk about your own degree and work experience clearly.
Mistakes students make with past papers
The biggest mistake is preparing for Grade B as if it were a harder bank PO exam. Phase I may look like one, but Phase II decides selection, and it needs economics, finance and writing preparation that bank PO candidates do not usually have.
The second is leaving Phase II until after Phase I. If the two phases are only a few weeks apart, there is not enough time to read for ESI and F&M from scratch.
Students also practise descriptive answers by hand instead of typing them, ignore the précis rules, and rely on old GA questions as if they were still current. In GA and ESI, last year’s facts are useful only as examples of the kind of thing RBI asks.
FAQ
Does RBI release Grade B question papers?
No. RBI does not publish its Grade B question papers or a public answer key. Papers online are memory-based reconstructions. The year pages here have original mock papers in each cycle’s reported pattern, clearly marked as mocks.
Was there an RBI Grade B exam in 2020?
No. RBI did not hold a Grade B exam in 2020. The next cycle was held in early 2021. The 2020 page on this site has a mock paper in the pattern of the neighbouring cycles.
What is the RBI Grade B Phase I pattern?
In recent cycles Phase I has had 200 questions for 200 marks in 120 minutes: General Awareness 80 questions in 25 minutes, Reasoning 60 in 45 minutes, English 30 in 25 minutes and Quantitative Aptitude 30 in 25 minutes. It is a screening stage with sectional and overall cut-offs.
What is in RBI Grade B Phase II?
Three papers of 100 marks each: Economic and Social Issues, English (writing skills) and Finance and Management. In recent cycles ESI and F&M have been half objective and half descriptive, and English fully descriptive. Descriptive answers are typed on a keyboard.
How is the final RBI Grade B merit list made?
The final list is based on Phase II marks plus the interview, which carries 75 marks. Phase I marks only decide whether you move to Phase II.
Are older RBI Grade B papers still useful?
Partly. Reasoning, Quant, English and the management part of F&M age well. Old GA and ESI questions are out of date in their facts, but they show the kinds of themes RBI picks, which helps you plan your reading for the current cycle.
Can bank PO preparation help with RBI Grade B?
For Phase I Reasoning, Quant and English, yes. Phase I GA needs much more RBI and economy focus than a bank PO GA section. Phase II needs separate preparation in economics, finance, management and writing.
How should I practise ESI and F&M descriptive answers?
Type them against the clock. Use a short introduction, three or four points with a recent fact or scheme, and a one-line conclusion. Start a few months before Phase II and re-write your weakest answers after comparing them with your notes.
Where to get the official papers
RBI posts Grade B advertisements, notices and results on rbi.org.in, under its recruitment pages and the RBI Services Board. It does not publish the question papers. Use the current advertisement for the pattern, stream-wise papers and eligibility. We add notes and mock papers for each cycle, but the official advertisement is the final word.