Want a career in banking? Then, you know that there is no better option than the country's top financial regulator -the RBI (Reserve Bank of India). Although, recruitment to the central bank is not an easy nut to crack. In this article, we have covered the entire RBI Assistant Exam Guide i.e. exam dates, eligibility, syllabus, vacancies, etc.

The RBI Assistant Exam Overview:

The RBI Assistant exam is an entry-level recruitment exercise which recruits people across different branches and sub-offices for the Reserve Bank across the country. The organisation recruits candidates on a state by state basis, which means that the vacancies are open state-wise for general candidates and candidates from reserved categories in those states.

This year's mains were due on 28 March 2020 however they got postponed due to the nationwide lockdown on account of the coronavirus.

Salary structure:

The basic pay for an RBI assistant is Rs 15,060 per month. They receive other perks including DA, HRA, CCA, TA etc, which are applicable from time to time. Adding these, the approximate salary that an assistant of RBI draws comes out to be Rs 32,000 per month including all perks and allowances.

The RBI Assistant Exam Notification:

Expect an exam notification by December, though total positions depend on the number of vacancies available for the post. For instance, the notification advertised for 926 assistant posts. The RBI Assistant exam occurs online, after submission of an application. 

The RBI assistant exam fee is Rs 450 for General/OBC/EWS while for SC/ST/PWD/EXS it is Rs 50.

RBI Assistant Application process:

Next, let's look at how to apply for the position of an RBI assistant. After the notice, RBI invites applications on its online entry-level exam for a month. 

For this year's recruitment, RBI released the notification in December last year (2019). The applications are filed online, and this year the date was extended till January 24.

To apply, one needs to follow these steps:

1. Visit the official website - https://www.rbi.org.in/
2. Click and open the new registration option to fill the application form online.
3. Fill in your details and upload all required documents. One need to fill the form carefully as you cannot edit or change these later. 
4. Add scanned copies of your passport-size photographs and signature.
5. Pay the requisite application fee.

After this, wait for the admit cards, which come through a fortnight ahead of the RBI assistant exam date. Candidates should check the official RBI Assistant Exam Notification.

The admit cards come through on mail. They are also available for download from the specified date on the online portal of RBI.

RBI Assistant eligibility criteria:

To apply for the RBI's assistant exam, you need to clear specific eligibility criteria which include age and educational parameters. As these are mainly entry-level positions, they do not require any minimum years of professional experience.

Age Criteria:

Like other government sector exams, the RBI assistant exams also look for candidates between 20-28 years. There are age relaxations for candidates who belong to specific, reserved categories.

The age relaxation holds for:

1. SC/ST candidates - a relaxation of 5 years, which allows candidates who are up to 33-years old to apply.
2. Other backward classes(OBC) - a relaxation of 3 years, which enables candidates to apply till the age of 31.
3. Persons with disabilities (PWD) - a relaxation of 10 years for the general category, 13 years for OBC category and 15 years for SC/ST category.
4. Ex-servicemen - a relaxation of 3 years alongside the period of their service in the armed forces (up to 50 years).
5. Divorced women/ widows/ women judicially separated and have not married - age relaxation of 10 years.
6. Domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir from the year January 1980 to December 31 1989 - age relaxation of 5 years.
7. Prior RBI experience - Total work experience subject to three years.

Educational qualifications:

The minimum educational qualifications for an RBI assistant exam is a bachelor's degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks. There is a relaxation here for SC/ST/PWD candidates, who need basic passing marks to qualify.

The candidate should also know how to use a word processor on a PC.

RBI Assistant Exam syllabus:

The clerical position requires one to be proficient in basic English, numerical abilities and word processing. So, the entrance exam tests candidates on these parameters.

The exam is conducted in 3 stages which includes 

1. Preliminary

2. Mains 

3. Language proficiency test

The preliminary exam takes place mostly in February, which is followed by the mains exam in the following month.

The typical syllabus for both the preliminary and mains exam includes the following sections:

1. English language
2. Numerical Ability
3. Reasoning Ability

Beyond these, the mains exam also includes a test on computer awareness and general awareness. 

The next step is a language proficiency test, which assesses the candidate's command on the local language of their area of posting.

RBI Assistant Exam Pattern:

Let's now discuss the exam pattern for this exercise. The exam pattern for the preliminary exam includes:-

1. Reasoning Ability -35 questions 
2. Numerical Ability - 35 questions
3. English Language - 30 questions

It is an online examination and there are a total of 100 questions in the preliminary exam.

Candidates should refer to the article below for the Mains Exam syllabus:

IBPS PO Mains Exam Pattern 2020

The exam pattern and syllabus of mains exam includes:-

1. Reasoning Ability - 40 questions 
2. English Language - 40 questions
3. Quantitative Aptitude - 40 questions
4. General awareness - 40 questions
5. Computer knowledge - 40 questions

So, there are a total of 200 questions in the mains exam. There is also a negative marking of 0.25 for every wrong answer.

RBI Assistant Exam Selection Procedure:

What you need to keep in mind as far as the RBI assistant exam selection process is concerned is that each stage is a qualifying round in itself. To get selected for the further rounds, candidates need to clear the sectional cut-offs for each stage/subject plus the overall cut-off in each phase (prelims and mains) of the examination.

The selection of the candidate for the merit list entirely depends on his/her score in the mains exam. There is no interview process for the exam, unlike other exams. The selection purely depends on the score attained in the mains exam.

RBI Assistant Exam Results & Cut Off:

RBI releases the cut offs once the results are out. Candidates who clear the prelims exam are allowed to appear for the mains exam. For this, they need to check the official notification of RBI.

This was the complete RBI Assistant Exam Guide that one should know to clear the exams without any hassle.

All The Best To All The Aspirants!