RBI Grade B Study Plan 2021-22 – For Phase 1 & Phase 2

RBI Grade B Exam is one of the most prestigious exams in the country. It is conducted every year for the recruitment of Grade ‘B’ officers (Managers) in the apex bank of the country. Stating the obvious, the RBI Grade B is a highly competitive exam and it requires dedicated and sincere preparation to clear this exam. The RBI Grade B Recruitment Notification 2021-22 can be announced any time by the end of the year 2021. Starting the preparations early will be the key to ace the exam. In this blog, we will give you the detailed RBI Grade B Study Plan 2021-22 and RBI Grade B Preparation Strategy for both Phase 1 and 2 Exams.

Have a look at the RBI Grade B 2021-22 Online Course Offerings Here

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RBI Grade B Study Plan

It is advisable to simultaneously prepare for the Phase-I and Phase-II exams, instead of waiting for the Phase-I exam to get over and then beginning with Phase-II preparation.

You must be thinking why?

i. Because after the Phase-I Exam gets over and suppose you clear the exam, there won’t be enough time left to prepare well for the Phase-II exam

ii. The selection process is such that the Phase-I exam being an aptitude test can be prepared for and improved upon in comparatively shorter time duration. The Phase-II exam, on the other hand, comprises subjects like Economics & Social Issues and Finance & Management. These topics require persistent focus and attention.

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I. RBI Grade B Exam Pattern

Before jumping on to the preparation strategy and study plan, let us first have a look at the exam pattern and syllabus of RBI Grade B 2021. 

1.1. RBI Grade B Exam Pattern 2021

Scheme of Selection for Officers in Grade B (DR)-General – 2021

RBI Grade B Exam Pattern: Phase-I (Online Examination – Objective Type)

Candidates, who secure minimum marks separately for each Test, as prescribed, will be shortlisted for Phase-II of the examination based on the aggregate marks obtained in Phase-I.

Take RBI Grade B Phase-1 Free Mock Test Here & check your preparation level.

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1.2. RBI Grade B Exam Pattern: Phase-II – Online Examination

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, 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.

Have a look at the RBI Grade B Cracker Course covering all aspects of the Exam

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II. RBI Grade B Syllabus 

2.1. General Awareness

This section has the highest weightage in the RBI Grade B Phase-I Exam, accounting for 40% of the total marks. Given the nature of the topic, this can be one of the most scoring sections in the exam. And the only key to scoring high here is: daily preparation, reading newspapers, and staying abreast with all the important current affairs especially those concerned with the world of Banking, Finance, and the Economy.

General Awareness Important Topics

Based on the last few years’ papers, some important topics in this section are:-

i. RBI (RBI related Current Affairs & Basic Functions & Responsibilities of RBI)

ii. Cabinet ministers and their constituencies (Read constituencies of all popular MPs of opposition)

iii. Government welfare schemes (Mudra, Ujala, etc)

iv. Banking terms

v. Countries and their currencies

vi. Current affairs for the last 6 months (Read events related to financial institutions carefully)

vii. States of India – CM, Governor, and latest events related to the state

viii. Dams, National parks, Thermal power plants, Nuclear power plant

General awareness is a vast and highly factual section. The factual nature of current affairs makes them very confusing, so make sure you revise them 2 to 3 times before the exam.

This will make sure that you score above average in this section.

Everyone prepares well for Quant, English & Reasoning sections but this section, if you prepare well, can catapult you to that top 3.5 percentile of selected aspirants!

Check RBI Grade B Current Affair Capsules Here

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2.2. Reasoning

To be comfortable with this section, one needs to practice various question types daily.

Some important topics for the reasoning section are:-

i. Critical Reasoning

ii. Statements and Conclusions

iii. Puzzle test

iv. Coding and decoding

v. Input-output

vi. Classification

vii. Analogy

viii. Series test

ix. Seating arrangement

x. Statements and Assumptions

Test your Reasoning Capabilities by taking a Sectional Test Here

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2.3. English Language

The success mantra for this section is undoubted, reading! If you are a regular reader of the newspaper, your knowledge of English will be sufficient for this section. Work on your vocabulary and learn new words daily to increase your confidence level and thus the chances of scoring high in this section. Important topics for this section are:-

i. Reading Comprehension

ii. Cloze Test

iii. Spotting Error

iv. Fill in the blanks

v. Para-jumbles

vi. Sentence Improvement

vii. Vocabulary

3 simple steps to ace this section are:-

i. Understand Grammar Rules and bring them into daily use.

ii. Read a newspaper or any book (for speed reading and making reading long paragraphs comfortable).

iii. Practice all types of questions.

Take a Free English Langauge Sectional Test for RBI Grade B Exam

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2.4. Quantitative Aptitude

Practice. That’s the only thing that will help you achieve the speed and accuracy levels required for acing this section. Prepare a topic-wise quick problem-solving tips and tricks notebook and practice a lot of questions of each type. Make short notes of things that you think you might forget. Some important topics for this section are:-

i. Data Interpretation

ii. Time and work

iii. and distance

iv. Age problems

v.  Percentage

vi. Ratios proportions

vii. Quadratic equations

viii. Profit and Loss

ix. Partnership

x. and streams

xi. Probability

xii. Permutation and Combinations

Test your Quantitative Ability by taking a sectional test.

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III. RBI Grade B Phase-II Syllabus & Preparation Tips

3.1. Economic and Social Issues

Going through the sample paper released by RBI will give you a good idea of the kind of questions asked in the examination. This will also help you understand how deep you need to go into the topics while preparing. The type of questions asked in the ESI section can be broadly classified as:

i. Static: Conceptual questions that test basic knowledge of different concepts of macroeconomics like national income, the repo rate, bank rate, fiscal deficit, revenue deficit, budget, inflation, banking sector in India, etc.

ii. Dynamic: Questions based on current affairs related to Economic & Social issues.

Read about Facts & Learnings from RBI Gr. B 2021-22 Exam

The topics to be prepared for ESI are listed below.

• Growth and Development
• Measurement of growth: National Income and per capita income
• Poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation in India
• Sustainable Development and Environmental issues
• Economic Reforms in India
• Industrial and Labour Policy
• Monetary and Fiscal Policy
• Privatization
• Role of Economic Planning
• Globalization
• Opening up of the Indian Economy
• Balance of Payments
• Export-Import Policy
• International Economic Institutions
• IMF and World Bank
• WTO
• Regional Economic Cooperation
• Social Structure in India
• Multiculturalism
• Demographic Trends
• Urbanization and Migration
• Gender Issues
• Social Justice: Positive Discrimination in favour of the underprivileged
• Social Movements
• Indian Political System
• Human Development
• Social Sectors in India, Health, and Education

Explore ESI Notes & Video Lessons Here

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3.2. Finance and Management

This is one of the toughest parts of the exam owing to the technical nature. Most people do not have a background in finance and management, so this is the paper you need to prepare for the most. The difficulty level of the 2017 & 2021-21 paper was very high. The topics to be prepared for F&M are listed below.

3.2.1. Financial System

• Regulators of Banks and Financial Institutions
• Reserve Bank of India- functions, and conduct monetary policy
• Banking System in India – Structure and concerns, Financial Institutions – SIDBI, EXIM Bank, NABARD, NHB, etc, Changing landscape of banking
• Impact of the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-08 and the Indian response

3.2.2. Financial Markets

• Primary and Secondary Markets (Forex, Money, Bond, Equity, etc.), functions, instruments, recent developments.

3.2.3. General Topics

• Risk Management in Banking Sector
• Basics of Derivatives
• Global financial markets and International Banking – broad trends and latest
• Financial Inclusion
• Alternate source of finance, private and social cost-benefit, Public-Private Partnership
• Corporate Governance in Banking Sector, the role of e-governance in addressing issues of corruption and inefficiency in the government
• The Union Budget – Concepts, approach, and broad trends
• Inflation: Definition, trends, estimates, consequences, and remedies (control): WPI, CPI – components and trends; striking a balance between inflation and growth through monetary and fiscal policies.
• FinTech

3.2.4. Management

Fundamentals of Management & Organizational Behaviour: Introduction to management; Evolution of management thought: Scientific, Administrative, Human Relations, and Systems approach to management; Management functions and Managerial roles; Nudge theory

Meaning & concept of organizational behaviour; Personality: meaning, factors affecting personality, Big five model of personality; the concept of reinforcement; Perception: concept, perceptual errors. Motivation: Concept, importance, Content theories (Maslow’s need theory, Alderfer’s ERG theory, McCllelands’ theory of needs, Herzberg’s two-factor theory) & Process theories (Adams equity theory, Vroom’s expectancy theory).

Leadership: Concept, Theories (Trait, Behavioural, Contingency, Charismatic, Transactional and Transformational Leadership; Emotional Intelligence: Concept, Importance, Dimensions. Analysis of Interpersonal Relationship: Transactional Analysis, Johari Window; Conflict: Concept, Sources, Types, Management of Conflict; Organizational Change: Concept, Kurt Lewin Theory of Change; Organizational Development (OD): Organisational Change, Strategies for Change, Theories of Planned Change (Lewin’s change model, Action research model, Positive model).

Ethics at the Workplace and Corporate Governance:

Meaning of ethics, why ethical problems occur in business.

Theories of ethics: Utilitarianism: weighing social cost and benefits, rights and duties, Justice and fairness, ethics of care, integrating utility, rights, justice and caring, An alternative to moral principles: virtue ethics, teleological theories, egoism theory, relativism theory, Moral issues in business:

Ethics in Compliance, Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, etc. Ethical Principles in Business: introduction, Organization Structure, and Ethics, Role of Board of Directors, Best Practices in Ethics Programme, Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, etc.

Corporate Governance: Factors affecting Corporate Governance; Mechanisms of Corporate Governance

Communication: Steps in the Communication Process; Communication Channels; Oral versus Written Communication; Verbal versus non-verbal Communication; upward, downward and lateral communication; Barriers to Communication, Role of Information Technology.

Explore Finance & Management Notes & Video Lessons Here

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IV. RBI Grade B Study Plan – For Phase-I & Phase-II

1. Preparation Plan as Per Changed Exam Pattern

Take ESI and F&M Topic Tests Here

Get expert guidance for your exhaustive preparation of RBI Grade B Phase-1 & Phase-2. 

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2. RBI Grade B Study Plan – Phase 1 Exam

RBI Grade B 2021 Notification had announced a total of 322 vacancies, the highest to date!

We can expect a similar trend this year too with the RBI Gr. B Notification 2021-2022.

Day-Wise Phase-1 Study Plan 

This is a basic 30 Days Plan to Brush up on your Basics of Quants, Reasoning, English & GA

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3. Mock Tests Schedule 

You can take a few mock tests while you are in your preparation phase. But please take a few mock tests after the notification is announced so that you keep working on your weak subjects as per the score and analysis of the mock tests.
We will update the mock test schedule after the notification.

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4. How many months of Current Affairs should be covered for the RBI Grade B Phase-1 exam?

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

Read RBI Grade B Current Affairs Capsules Here

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5. RBI Grade B Study Plan – Phase 2 Exam

For Phase-II preparation, you must understand that the syllabus is vast and requires specialized knowledge. Hence, it’s not something that you should start preparing for only after the Phase-I results have been declared. 

We will update the study plan schedule after the notification.

Attend the Classes/ Video Lectures for the below-mentioned topics under the RBI Grade B 2021 Cracker Course.

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What to Study to RBI Grade B Phase-2?

Economic & Social Issues

Objective Paper

You might expect objective questions from the following topics: 

Get thorough with the basic concepts (fundamentals).

• Cover these basic chapters of ESI & FM like
• Measurement of Growth – Various Indicators like GDP, GNP, NNP, National Income, etc.
• What is Monetary and Fiscal Policy?
• Various tools used by RBI (as part of Monetary policy) and the Government as part of Fiscal Policy.
• Balance of Payments
• Industrial & Labour Policy 
• Sustainable Development
• Indian Political System (important articles)

Descriptive Paper

You might expect some descriptive questions from the following topics:

• Poverty Alleviation6
• Employment Generation
• Changes in Industrial Policy & Labour Policy
• Monetary & Fiscal Policy 
• Priorities & recommendations of Economic Survey& Union Budget.
• Indian Agriculture
• Export & Import Policy
• Human Development 
• Social Sectors in India 
• Health & Education

Finance 

Objective Paper

• Primary & Secondary Markets (Forex, Money, Bond, Equity, etc); functions, instruments, recent development
• Risk management in the Banking sector – Types of risks, Basel norms
• Basics of Derivatives – Forwards, Futures, Options (call & put option)
• Inflation: Definition, CPI & WPI
• Miscellaneous – Capital budgeting & break-even leverage (only concept)
• Current Affairs – Starting from August 2020 (Finance in news)

Descriptive Paper

• Corporate Governance in the Banking sector – Recent developments & Important committees
• PPP model (Alternate Sources of Finance)
• Impact of Global Financial Crisis of 2007-08 and the Indian response
• Financial Inclusion and financial technology
• Changing landscape in the banking sector – the merger of banks; privatisation; disinvestment; new types of banks (payment & finance banks); views on large corporate houses getting banking license (RBI license)

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How to Approach ESI & FM Descriptive Papers of RBI Grade B?

Let us dig deeper into the descriptive papers for Economic & Social Issues and Finance & Management. 

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)

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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, 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

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III. 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 keywords 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

Descriptive English Preparation

Sections that can be asked in the Descriptive English Paper:

• Essay Writing
• Precis’ Writing
• Reading Comprehension

Take a look at the essay-writing topics + fodder material here

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7. Strategy for RBI Grade B Preparation

In general, while preparing for the exam, you must decide on the following things:-

• Order of attempting various sections
• Time to be spent on each section
• Number of questions to be attempted

Things to be kept in Mind while Preparing

1. Understand that all the 3 things mentioned above are dynamic and would vary from person to person, or sometimes even paper to paper, based on the difficulty level. Attempting a substantial number of mock tests (both sectional & full-length) would help you decide on the above-mentioned things. 
2. Do remember, the mock tests mentioned in the study plan will serve their purpose only if you analyze them and devote sufficient time to that analysis, instead of simply taking a mock test.
3. Understand, that the goal is to clear the individual sectional cutoffs first and then to maximize your overall score. Clearing sectional cutoffs requires a basic level of proficiency in each of the sections whereas, for maximizing the overall score, one can capitalize on their strengths.
4. Apart from the subject knowledge, your time management skills play an equally important role in the exam. Taking mock tests will also provide you with a situation where you can practice making such important decisions, and thus be better prepared for the actual exam.

Once you’ve done all that we’ve mentioned in the above RBI Grade B Study Plan, rest assured that your preparation is complete. Just be confident, and go ace that exam.

Have a look at the detailed preparation strategy by Oliveboard Expert here.

All the Best!

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Download Free RBI Grade B PDF eBooks Here

Register here for free and download the Free eBooks PDF for RBI Grade B Preparation.

1. RBI Grade B Sample Descriptive Questions for ESI & FM
2. GDP Forecasts for India & the World PDF
3. RBI Grade B 2021 GA Marathon MCQs PDF
4. Sustainable Development & Environmental Issues MCQs
5. Poverty Alleviation MCQs
6. Summary of Union Budget 2021-22 PDF
7. Balance of Payments (BoP) MCQs
8. Measurement of National Income – MCQs
9. FRBM Act – Notes & PDF for RBI Grade B Exam
10. Human Development – ESI Notes PDF for RBI Grade B Exam
11. 100 Most Important MCQs for Union Budget 2020-21
12. 50 Management Revision MCQs for RBI & SEBI
13. 100 Finance MCQs for RBI Grade B & SEBI Grade A 
14. RBI Grade B 2020 Topic Test on Government Schemes and Reports-Indices
15. Finance Current Affairs One Liners – September – November 2020
16. Management MCQs – RBI Grade B & SEBI Grade A
17. RBI Grade B 2020 Model Test Paper 
18. Finance Current Affairs One Liners – January-August 2020
19. Free PDF: Union Budget: Terms & Definitions
20. Free RBI Grade B ESI Model Test Paper
21. Free RBI Grade B FM Model Test Paper
22. Introduction to Corporate Governance
23. Financial Inclusion
24. RBI Grade B Phase 2 (ESI & FM) Model Test Paper 
25. Communication: Process, Types & Models
26. Inflation: Causes & Types
27. RBI Grade B January 2020 GA
28. Leadership Theories
29. National Income Accounting
30. Basics of Finance
31. Basics of Economics
32. Basics of Bonds
33. Time Value of Money (TVM)
34. Balance of Payments (BoP)
35. Financial/Accounting Ratios
36. Basics of Derivatives
37. Introduction to Financial/Securities Markets
38. Prompt Corrective Action Framework (PCA)
39. Alternate Sources of Finance 
40. Banking Regulations & Basel Accords
41. Credit Rating Agencies in India 

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RBI Grade B Online Course 2021-22 by Oliveboard

If you are someone who is aiming for the RBI Grade B Exam and are confused about how to start or go about the preparation, Oliveboard has come up with RBI Grade B Online Cracker Course to help you ace the RBI Grade B exam for serious aspirants. Read below what is included in the Course.

Oliveboard offers the best RBI Grade B Online Coaching for you all which will help you crack the exam with ease in your first attempt.

Do join for your RBI Grade B 2021-22 exhaustive preparation.

Go through free RBI Grade B study materials PDFs and take up RBI Grade B Free mock tests online.

Oliveboard’s RBI Grade B Online Course 2021-22 will be your one-stop destination for all your preparation needs

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 2021-22

Crash Course Offerings

Video Lessons & Study Notes	Mock Tests
1. 90+ Video Classes for ESI & FM 2. LIVE + Revision Sessions for ESI & FM 3. 10+ Descriptive English Classes 4. Detailed Study Notes ESI & FM 5. Current Affairs Capsules & Past Year Papers	1. 6 Descriptive Mock Tests (ESI & FM) 2. 30 Objective Mock Tests (15 – ESI & 15 – FM) 3. 10 Full-Length Mock Tests for Phase 1 4. Topic Tests for each chapter of ESI & FM (1 Markers & 2 Markers)

 *We will get your ESI & FM descriptive answers evaluated!

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1.2. How to enrol for the RBI Grade B Online Course 2021-22?

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 2021-22 Cracker Course. 

Now that you are aware of the RBI Grade B Online Classes, why wait?

Get Started with RBI Grade B 2021-22 Online Course comprising Video Lessons, Detailed Study Notes & All-India Mock Tests for Phase-1 & Phase-2.

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