RBI Grade B officer post is one such post that is aspired by many but only a few who toil hard manage to get it. They say, “Work hard in silence and let your success make the noise”. But in these times of cut-throat competition, in addition to the hard work that one puts into the preparation for the Grade B exam, we would emphasize that smart study is equally important. One must know what to study, how to study when to start the preparation, and, most importantly, what study material to follow. Let us understand here what strategy one needs to follow to complete RBI Grade B Exam Preparation 2022 for Phase 1 and Phase 2.
Table of Contents
- RBI Grade B Preparation Strategy 2022
- I. Facts & Learnings from RBI Gr. B 2021 Exam
- II. What & How to Study?
- II. When to Start?
- III. RBI Grade B Preparation Strategy as per Changed Exam Pattern
- RBI Grade B Crash Course 2022 by Oliveboard
RBI Grade B Preparation Strategy 2022
I. Facts & Learnings from RBI Gr. B 2021 Exam
Before starting let’s take a look at the learnings from the RBI Grade B 2021 exam.
| Facts from 2021 Exam | Learnings/What Now? |
|---|---|
| 1. Current affairs questions asked in the phase-1 GA were lengthy and in-depth knowledge was required to be able to answer them. | a. Detailed preparation of the current affairs section is required & to achieve this exam-oriented approach is important.
b. Prepare simultaneously for both phase-1 and phase-2 CA. |
| 2. Questions asked as part of the Quantitative Aptitude/Reasoning/English sections were of high difficulty level. | a. GA is the key to clear the phase-1 exam as other sections are highly unpredictable, based on the trends seen so far.
b. Make sure to be strong with basics to clear the sectional cut-offs and the overall score needs to be maximized with the help of the GA section. |
| 3. The overall cut-off dropped to an all-time low of 66.75/200 for the General category. | a. Give emphasis on accuracy. Even if the paper seems tough, the paper can be aced provided accuracy is given importance.
b. At the same time maximising attempts is imp. but no guesswork. c. Practice is the key. Take up multiple mock tests. |
| 4. Descriptive questions asked in phase-2 were of moderate difficulty level. The questions did not require an in-depth understanding of the topics. | a. Practice is the key to ace the descriptive questions asked as part of ESI, Descriptive English, FM. b. It is important to learn to structure an answer from the very beginning. c. Knowing important points alone would not help increase the score. Keep practising answer-writing. |
| 5. Many objective type questions asked in phase-2 were concept based. | a. It is important to keep the basics strong.
b. There is a need to finish the imp. chapters that help build the foundation. This will help solve concept related questions easily. |
II. What & How to Study?
Here is the RBI Grade B 2022 Preparation Strategy for each of the Phases. But first, let us skim through the exam pattern.
1. RBI Grade B Exam Pattern: Phase 1 (Online Examination – Objective Type)
| Objective Type Test | No of Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 80 | 80 | 25 Minutes |
| Reasoning | 60 | 60 | 45 Minutes |
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 25 Minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 | 25 Minutes |
| Total | 200 | 200 | 120 Minutes |
Candidates, who secure minimum marks separately for each Test, as prescribed, will be shortlisted for Phase 2 of the examination based on the aggregate marks obtained in Phase 1.
2. RBI Grade B Phase 1 – Important Pointers & Preparation Strategy
i. The key section will be the General Awareness section.
Keep reading the daily current affairs & revising them weekly. The last 6 months of current affairs before the notification are important. Having said that, the three months before the exam will be of utmost importance.
Revision is the key.
Remember your overall scores in phase 1 can be boosted by increasing the GA scores.
ii. Practise is important for the sections of Reasoning, Quants & English. Keep practising the questions regularly say 3 to 4 times a week.
iii. Identify your strengths and play on the same.
iv. Follow this simple flow:
Concept Building & Practice
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v. Attempts and accuracy matter the most. If the difficulty level of the paper is easy to moderate, then attempts need to be sufficiently high to be able to clear the overall cut off.
vi. Sectional timings had been introduced since the 2019 paper. Therefore, it becomes extremely important that we can correctly solve the questions in the time given to us. Here Mock Tests would help you.
vii. Sectional cut-offs will also play a part in your selection. You need to be good enough in each of the four sections to be able to clear the sectional cut-offs and thereby the going on to clear the overall cut off marks.
Current Affairs Coverage for Phase 1
- Prepare current affairs for the last 6-months from the date of the examination.
- But high priority should be given to the current affairs of the last 3 months.
What all topics should be covered in Current Affairs?
- Daily News – For Phase-1 & Phase-2
- Static GK – For Phase-1
- Economic Survey – For Phase-1 & Phase-2
- Union Budget – For Phase-1 & Phase-2
- Census – For Phase-1 & Phase-2
- SECC – For Phase-1 & Phase-2
- Important RBI Notifications, Circulars, Reports – For Phase-2
- Government Schemes – For Phase-1 & Phase-2
Note: Attempt Daily Free Quizzes of Quants, Reasoning, English, and GA on the Oliveboard App and improve upon your weak topics.
3. RBI Grade B Exam Pattern: Phase 2 – Online Examination
| Name of Paper | Type of Paper | Proposed Time (Minutes) |
Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-I: Economic and Social Issues |
50% Objective Type + 50% Descriptive, answers to be typed with the help of the keyboard |
30 + 90 Total-120 Minutes |
50 + 50 Total-100 |
| Paper-II: English (Writing Skills) |
Descriptive, answers to be typed with the help of the keyboard | 90 Minutes | 100 |
| Paper-III: Finance and Management |
50% Objective Type + 50% Descriptive, answers to be typed. with the help of the keyboard | 30 + 90 Total-120 Minutes |
50 + 50 Total-100 |
For both Paper I and III, there will be 30 questions and 50 marks for Objective questions (some questions carrying 2 marks each and some carrying 1 mark each).
Note:
- In the case of Descriptive questions, 6 questions will be asked, of which candidates will be required to attempt 4 questions (2 of 15 marks each (with difficulty level) and 2 of 10 marks each). In case, the candidate answers more than 4 questions in descriptive, the first 4 shall be evaluated.
- All question papers (in both the Phases, except the test of English) will be set bilingually in Hindi and English.
4. RBI Grade B Phase 2 – Important Pointers & Preparation Strategy
4.1. Economics and Social Issues:
i. Current Affairs has the maximum weightage in ESI.
ii. Clear your basics of the topics given in the syllabus and simultaneously keep track of current affairs.
iii. Current Affairs Coverage for Phase 2
- Prepare current affairs for the last 6-months from the date of the examination.
- But last 8-10 months current affairs should be referred for important indices, reports & Schemes.
iv. Other Important Topics to be covered are:
- Latest Government Schemes & Other old important Schemes
- Latest Union Budget & Economic Survey
- Census & SECC
- Important RBI Notifications & Circulars
4.2. Finance:
i. There has been a change in the trend in the type of questions being asked these days. The weightage for numerical has been decreasing. More emphasis is being given to basic concepts linked to current affairs.
ii. Have a firm grip over the topics of the syllabus accompanied by a dose of Finance current affairs. Keep reading a business newspaper.
iii. Important Topics to Cover are:
- Time Value of Money
- Bonds
- Risk Management
- Functions of RBI
- Finance Commission
- FRBM & Inflation
- Corporate Governance
- Primary & Secondary Markets
- Derivatives
- Income Statement & Balance Sheet
- FinTech
4.3. Management:
i. Now this section is quite easy to prepare. Cover the topics given in the syllabus and then keep revising through reading and solving MCQs.
ii. Important Topics to be covered are:
- Fundamental of Management
- Organizational Behaviour
- Leadership
- Motivation
- Communication
- General Management
- Human Resource Development
- Corporate Governance
- Theory of Ethics
4.4. Descriptive Paper:
i. Start reading the editorials of the English newspapers.
ii. Practise 1 Essay, 1 Precis, and 1 Reading Comprehension every week.
How to Approach ESI & FM Descriptive Papers of RBI Grade B?
I. Categories of the Topic for Desc. Questions
Descriptive questions for both ESI & FM can be categorised into three categories:
1. Completely Static Questions (concepts based)
2. Completely Current Affairs Based Questions (current affairs related to the topics of the syllabus)
3. Static + Current Affairs Based Questions
4. Opinions Based Questions (Mostly on Social Issues)
II. Approach for Economic & Social Issues (ESI) Descriptive Paper
Step 01: Get a grip on all imp. concepts. List them down and make sure to understand each one.
Step 02: Expect questions related to Current Affairs, so track all the important events, reports, schemes, and policies and have key points ready for these. Coverage: Last 6 months.
Step 03: Make a list of imp. points mentioned in the Union Budget and Economic Survey. Note the points such that you can use them for any type of questions asked from these two sources.
Step 04: For opinion-based questions which would mostly be asked from the Social Issues section, you need to justify the stand you take. Do not spend time preparing points for these. You can use a few data points noted down while studying current affairs for these answers.
Step 05: Practice at least 12-15 answers before you go for the examination.
Start out by Practising Free Descriptive Tests for ESI
Download RBI Gr. B 2021 Ph-2 Memory Based Questions Here
Approach for Finance & Management (F&M) Descriptive Paper
Step-01: Start with the Management section. The desc. ques. from this section would be static in nature. Be thorough with the concepts.
Step-02: While reading each chapter, note down key words for each chapter (as part of various theories/concepts).
Step-03: For the Finance section, make a list of current affairs-related topics (in news lately) and static topics and write down keywords for each one.
Step-04: While writing the answers, make sure you are building your answers around these keywords.
Step-05: Practice at least 12-15 answers before you go for the examination.
Start out by Practising Free Descriptive Tests for F&M
Download RBI Gr. B 2021 Ph-2 Memory Based Questions Here
Expert Guidance for Descriptive Papers
Practice RBI Grade B – Descriptive Answer-Writing with our expert faculty: For ESI, FM & Descriptive English Get expert guidance for your exhaustive preparation of RBI Grade B Phase 1 & Phase 2.
Enol Here for RBI Grade B Phase 2 Mock Tests.
II. When to Start?
Start right from today. The sooner the better.
III. RBI Grade B Preparation Strategy as per Changed Exam Pattern
| Imp. Prep. Pointers for Phase-1 & Phase-2 Subjects | |
|---|---|
| Phase-1 GA Coverage | 1. Give high priority to the CA of the last 3 months prior to the exam.
2. For Schemes, Reports & Indices, focus on the last 8 months of CA prior to the exam. 3. As of today. Start reading CA from Jan 2021. |
| Phase-1: Quants, Reasoning & English | 1. Revise the Basics & then jump on to practising a variety of ques. For each of these subjects.
2. Practice from topic & sectional tests. 3. Practice some high difficulty level puzzles & DI. |
| Phase-2 Subjects | 1. Prepare simultaneously for Phase-1 & Phase-2. You only have 3 weeks b/w Phase-1 & 2.
2. The last 1 week before the Phase-1 paper, focus completely on Phase-1 prep. 3. Keep reading the static portion as well as keep covering CA. |
| Management | 1. Cover all the chapters given in the syllabus.
2. Have a clear understanding of the concepts to be able to write descriptive as well as answer objective answers. |
| ESI | 1. Brush up on your basic concepts. Current affairs would dominate here.2. Know the latest development (CA) related to the topics given in the syllabus.
3. Desc. Ques. can be of three types: Completely static, Static + Current Affairs + Completely Current Affairs Based or Opinion Based. 4. Cover the latest Budget, Eco. Survey & Govt. Schemes. |
| Finance | 1. Again, get your concepts strong. Cover all the topics given in the syllabus.2. Follow current affairs related to the topics in the Finance syllabus.
3. Cover the past year obj.+ desc. ques. to get a clear understanding of the types of questions being asked. |
| Mock Tests | 1. There is no alternative to practice.
2. Practice Phase-1 Mock Tests + Topic + Sectional Tests + High-level puzzles & DI. 3. Take Phase-2 Mock Tests (Objective + Descriptive). 4. Analyse your mock tests and go through the solutions thoroughly. |
For an elaborate strategy for RBI Grade B 2022, do watch the following video here.
Have a look at the detailed preparation strategy by Oliveboard Expert here.
RBI Grade B Crash Course 2022 by Oliveboard
If you are someone who is aiming to crack RBI Grade B Exam and are confused about how to go about the preparation, Oliveboard has come up with RBI Grade B Online Crash Course to help you ace the RBI Grade B exam for sincere aspirants. Read below what is included in the Course.
Oliveboard offers the best RBI Grade B Online Coaching that can help you prepare comprehensively for the exam. Oliveboard’s RBI Grade B Online Crash Course 2022 will be your one-stop destination for all your preparation needs.
Go through free RBI Grade B study materials PDFs and take up RBI Grade B Free mock tests online.
1. Course Details
RBI Grade B Cracker is designed to cover the complete syllabus for the 3 most important subjects: GA for Phase 1 and Objective + Descriptive portions of ESI + F&M for Phase 2 exam.
Not just that, it also includes Mock Tests & Live Strategy Sessions for English, Quant & Reasoning for Phase 1. The course aims to complete your preparation in time for the release of the official notification.
1.1. Features:
RBI Grade B 2022 Cracker Course Offerings:
- ESI & FM Revision Sheets
- 100+ LIVE Revision Classes
- Phase-I CA Capsules (RBI BOLT)
- ESI & FM Videos + Notes + 75+ Topic Tests
- Phase-II CA Capsules + Desc. Eng Prep
- 40 Obj. Mock Tests (Ph-I & II)
- 10 Descriptive Mock Tests with Evaluation
- Descriptive Model Q&A
1.2. How to Enroll for the RBI Grade B Online Course 2022?
Sign up or log in using the link given below. You will be redirected to the payments page. Read the course offerings and subscribe to RBI Grade B 2022 Cracker Course.
Now that you are aware of the RBI Grade B Online Classes, why wait?
Get Started with RBI Grade B 2022 Online Crash Course comprising LIVE Classes, Video Lessons, Detailed Study Notes & All-India Mock Tests for Phase 1 & Phase 2.
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Is bolt magazine enough to cover phase 1gk and what about phase 2 GK?