RBI Grade B Eligibility Criteria: Age, Qualification and Attempts

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Grade B Officer exam attracts thousands of aspirants every year. Understanding the eligibility criteria—age limits and educational qualifications—is crucial for aspirants to ensure they meet the necessary prerequisites. It also helps candidates to allocate resources efficiently and minimise the risk of disqualification.

In this blog, we’ll explain the complete RBI Grade B eligibility criteria, including age eligibility, education qualification, number of attempts, and more.

RBI Grade B: Eligibility Criteria

RBI Grade B eligibility criteria include two major categories:

1. Age Limit
2. Educational Qualification

Below we’ll explain these RBI Grade B eligibility criteria in detail.

RBI Grade B Age Limit

Knowing the age limit before applying for the RBI Grade B exam is essential to avoid disqualification. The age limit is subcategorized into two limits: upper and lower limits. The details of the same are given below:

The age eligibility for the RBI Grade B exam is based on the cut-off date mentioned in the notification, which is the 1st of the month in which the notification is released.

This means that candidates must fall within a specific age range as per the cut-off date to be eligible for the examination. Let’s take a few examples of RBI Grade B 2024 notification to understand this.

1. If RBI releases the Grade B notification in April 2024: To be eligible, candidates must have been born not earlier than 02-04-1994 and not later than 01-04-2003.
2. If RBI releases the Grade B notification in June 2024: To be eligible, candidates must have been born not earlier than 02-06-1994 and not later than 01-06-2003.

RBI Grade B: Age Limit Relaxation

There is some specific relaxation w.r.t the upper age limit for certain categories. However, there is no age relaxation for the lower limit. The candidate must be above 21 years as of the cut-off date mentioned in the notification.

Important Notes:

• No cumulative age relaxation will be available to any applicant, as provided above.
• The upper age limit for candidates possessing M.Phil. and PhD qualifications will be 32 and 34 years, respectively.

Here is a video explaining the age limit eligibility criteria for the RBI Grade B exam.

Now that you have understood the RBI Grade B age eligibility criteria, let’s take a look at the required educational qualifications.

RBI Grade B Eligibility: Educational Qualification

In addition to adhering to the age limit, meeting the RBI Grade B educational qualification is equally essential. Please consider the below-mentioned points before finding out the educational eligibility.

• A candidate can apply for only one discipline. It means the candidate applying for general discipline cannot apply for specialised discipline and vice versa.
• In case of multiple applications within disciplines, only the latest submitted application will be considered valid, and the fee against all other applications will be forfeited.
• PWBD candidates applying against Unreserved (UR) posts will not be eligible for percentage relaxation in Educational Qualification. However, they may be eligible for age and fee relaxation.
• You must have the required educational qualification by the cut-off date for age. Candidates with results declared after the notification date are ineligible to apply.

In the following table, we have explained the educational qualifications for general discipline.

After getting familiar with the RBI Grade B educational qualifications, let’s understand the Academic Aggregate Score.

Academic Aggregate Score: CGPA or Percentage

Some universities or institutions use Aggregate Grade Points (e.g., CGPA/OGPA/CPI) instead of awarding specific class or percentage marks. In this case, if the university/institute has established criteria for converting Aggregate Grade Points into class and/or percentage marks, those criteria will be accepted and followed.

However, if the university/institute does not provide specific criteria for the conversion of Aggregate Grade Points into class and/or percentage marks, the following procedure will be implemented:

Important Note: Your aggregate grade point or percentage of marks will be calculated over the entire course. If your aggregate grade point (CGPA/OGPA/CPI, etc.) is out of a number other than 10, it will be converted to a scale of 10 and then calculated as shown above.

Now that you are clear about the educational eligibility for the exam, let’s understand whether or not you can apply for the RBI Grade B exam as a final-year student.

Can Final Year Students Apply?

No, final-year students can not apply for the RBI Grade B exam. Your final term/semester/year examination results must have been officially declared on or before the notification date.

Important Note: It is highly recommended to refer to the latest official RBI Grade B notification or the official RBI website for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

With a clear understanding of the RBI Grade B eligibility criteria, let’s now explore the limit on the number of attempts for the exam.

RBI Grade B: Number of Attempts Allowed

Candidates belonging to General Category/EWSs, who have already appeared Six times for the RBI Grade B Phase 1 exam for this post/s in the past are not eligible to apply.

However, no such restriction applies to SC/ST/OBC/PwBD candidates if the posts are reserved for them. They are eligible to apply for the exam as long as their age, including any applicable age relaxation, falls within the permissible limit.

Check out the video explaining the RBI Grade B eligibility criteria in detail.

Now that you have understood how many times you can attempt the RBI Grade B exam, let’s look at the 2024 notification.

RBI Grade B 2024 Notification

As per the past trends, the RBI Grade B 2024 Notification is expected in March/April 2024. However, it’s essential to consider that external factors, such as the General Elections (expected to be held from April to May) and the SEBI exam, can impact the notification timeline.

How General Elections Can Impact the RBI Grade B Exam

The 2024 General Election is anticipated from April to May across India. This timing can impact the RBI Grade B Notification as organisations tend to avoid scheduling exams during elections to respect citizens’ voting rights. As the RBI Grade B exam needs at least 90 days, with a 60-day gap between notification and Phase 1 and a further 30-day gap between Phase 1 and Phase 2, the election period might affect the exam schedule.

RBI Grade B Important Dates

Given that exams are unlikely to be scheduled during the general election period, i.e., from April to May, it leads to three possible scenarios. Below are the tentative expected dates for the RBI Grade B Exam 2024:

Important Notes:

• The third scenario (June 2024 notification) is the more plausible one, as it avoids the complications associated with the general election 2024.
• The above-mentioned exam dates are tentative. These are referred from the past years’ exams and can vary according to the 2024 RBI Grade B notification.
• Aspirants are advised to stay updated with any official announcement by the RBI and adapt their preparation strategies accordingly.

For detailed information, please refer to our article titled “RBI Grade B Notification 2024,” where we provide a comprehensive overview of the anticipated notification dates for the year 2024.

After knowing the important dates, it’s time to look at the number of vacancies expected in 2024.

RBI Grade B 2024 Notification: Vacancies

As per the past years’ trends, the number of RBI Grade B vacancies has consistently increased over the years. Here is the analysis of the past years’ vacancies of RBI Grade B:

So, based on the trends from previous years, a significant number of vacancies are anticipated for 2024. We can expect about 200+ vacancies in the year 2024.

As of now, the specific number of vacancies for the RBI Grade B 2024 exam has not been released. The RBI Grade B notification will provide details about the vacancies available for the upcoming recruitment cycle of 2024. Aspirants are advised to keep an eye on the official notification for the most accurate and updated vacancy information.

Here is a video explaining the RBI Grade B Notification in detail.

After getting familiar with the RBI Grade B notification, let’s understand how to apply for the exam in step-by-step detail.

How to Apply for the RBI Grade B Exam

Follow the below-mentioned steps to apply for the RBI Grade B Exam 2024.

Step 1: Visit the RBI’s Official Website, i.e., https://www.rbi.org.in/

Step 2: Click Opportunities@RBI on the Homepage

Step 3: Hover your cursor on the “Current Vacancy” section and click on the “Vacancy” sub-section.

Step 4: Find and Click on the RBI Grade B Notification for the specific year you are applying for.

Step 5: Click on the “Apply Online” Link

Step 6: Click on the “Click here for New Registration”

Step 7: Collect the Prerequisites

1. Photograph (4.5cm x 3.5cm) (20 to 50 kb)
2. Signature (with black ink) (10 to 20 kb)
3. Left thumb impression (on white paper with black or blue ink)
4. A handwritten declaration (on white paper with black ink)

Step 8: Fill in the Application Form. It is a 6-step process mentioned below:

1. Fill in the basic personal information
2. Upload photo & signature
3. Enter personal and qualification details
4. Carefully review all the information provided before proceeding.
5. Upload scanned copies of your left thumb impression and handwritten declaration.
6. Pay the required application fee through the provided payment gateway.

Step 9: Log in with your credentials and check your “paid” payment status.

Step 10: Download the application or take its print for future reference.

Here is a video explaining how to fill out the RBI Grade B application form in detail.

Conclusion

A thorough understanding of the RBI Grade B eligibility criteria is essential for aspirants. From age limits and educational qualifications to the number of attempts allowed, each factor is crucial to a candidate’s eligibility. Adhering to these requirements not only ensures eligibility for the exam but also allows candidates to tailor their preparation strategy accordingly. Aspirants are advised to review and align themselves with these criteria carefully.

FAQs