Banking Awareness: Complete Topic List and Revision Plan

Banking awareness looks like a wall of facts, but it is really about ten connected chapters. Once you see the map, the section stops feeling random. This is the exhaustive reference: every chapter that shows up in bank, insurance and regulatory exams, how each one is usually asked, what to prioritise, two revision plans and 25 practice questions with answers.

It goes deeper than our shorter guide on how to prepare the banking awareness section, so keep that for the quick overview and use this page as your checklist. One rule applies throughout: policy rates, limits, premiums and similar figures change. Where a number is time-sensitive, this guide tells you to check the latest source instead of quoting it.

How banking awareness is asked across exams

The section appears under different names: banking awareness, financial awareness, economy and banking, or the finance and economy portion of general awareness. The depth changes with the exam.

Exam family	Typical depth	What dominates
Clerk and PO (IBPS, SBI)	Factual, one-line questions	RBI basics, banking terms, schemes, abbreviations, recent news
Regional Rural Banks and cooperative banks	Factual plus structure	Types of banks, RRB and cooperative set-up, schemes
Insurance (LIC, NIACL and similar)	Factual plus insurance basics	Insurance and pension chapters, IRDAI, economy basics
Regulatory and development bank grades (RBI, SEBI, NABARD)	Conceptual, explanatory	Monetary policy, financial markets, regulation, economy, committees

Exact marks, question counts and syllabus lines change between notifications, so always read the latest official syllabus before you finalise your list. The chapters below are the common core that almost every exam draws from.

Questions come in a few recurring shapes:

• Direct fact: "Which body regulates the pension sector?"
• Match the pair: a scheme or institution matched with its year, purpose or regulator.
• Statement based: "Which of the following statements is correct?" with two or three claims about CRR, SLR or a scheme.
• Odd one out and full forms: abbreviations, headquarters, regulators.
• Current-affairs hybrids: a recent policy decision wrapped around a static concept.

The practical lesson: static facts are the stable base, and current affairs sit on top of them. A recent change to a policy tool is only understandable if the tool itself is clear.

Chapter 1: Structure of the Indian banking system

This is the map for everything else. Think in layers: the RBI at the top as central bank and regulator, then scheduled commercial banks, cooperative banks, and a separate group of development institutions.

• Scheduled banks: banks listed in the Second Schedule of the RBI Act, 1934. Scheduled banks include commercial banks and scheduled cooperative banks.
• Commercial banks: public sector banks, private sector banks, foreign banks, small finance banks, payments banks and Regional Rural Banks.
• Cooperative banks: urban cooperative banks, plus the rural cooperative credit structure.
• Development and specialised institutions: NABARD, SIDBI, EXIM Bank, NHB and similar bodies.

Milestones that get asked: RBI began operations on 1 April 1935 and was nationalised on 1 January 1949. The Banking Regulation Act, 1949 is the main law governing commercial banks. The Imperial Bank became the State Bank of India in 1955. Fourteen large banks were nationalised in 1969 and six more in 1980. Regional Rural Banks came after a working group chaired by M. Narasimham in 1975 and the RRB Act of 1976. The count of public sector banks has fallen through mergers since 2017, so check the latest number rather than memorising one from an old capsule.

How it is asked: year of an event, which Act governs what, and the number of banks nationalised in each round. Memory aid: 1935 RBI, 1949 nationalised and Banking Regulation Act, 1955 SBI, 1969 fourteen, 1980 six.

Chapter 2: RBI functions and monetary policy tools

This is the single highest-yield chapter. Treat it as the core of the whole section.

Functions of the RBI

• Sole authority for issuing banknotes, apart from the one-rupee note and coins, which the government issues.
• Banker to the government, both Centre and states, and manager of public debt.
• Banker to banks and lender of last resort.
• Regulator and supervisor of banks and non-banking financial companies.
• Regulator of payment and settlement systems.
• Custodian of foreign exchange reserves and manager of foreign exchange under FEMA, 1999.
• Monetary authority: sets policy to keep price stability while supporting growth.

The Monetary Policy Committee

The MPC has six members: three from the RBI (the Governor, who chairs it, a Deputy Governor and one officer) and three external members appointed by the central government. It meets at least four times a year, and the Governor has a casting vote in case of a tie. The inflation target is set by the government in consultation with the RBI and is based on consumer price inflation. The exact target and band are reviewed from time to time, so check the current figures in the latest notification.

Quantitative tools

Tool	What it is	Effect when raised
Repo rate	Rate at which RBI lends to banks against securities	Borrowing costs rise, credit tightens
Standing Deposit Facility (SDF)	Banks park surplus funds with RBI without collateral; floor of the corridor	Absorbs liquidity
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF)	Overnight borrowing by banks in emergencies, using securities from their SLR holdings; ceiling of the corridor	Raises the ceiling cost of funds
Bank rate	Long-term lending rate of RBI; aligned with the MSF rate	Penal and benchmark rate rises
CRR	Share of a bank's net demand and time liabilities kept as cash with RBI; no interest paid	Less money available to lend
SLR	Share of liabilities a bank keeps with itself as cash, gold or approved securities	Less money available to lend
Open Market Operations (OMO)	RBI buys or sells government securities	Selling absorbs liquidity, buying releases it

The Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) is the umbrella for daily liquidity operations. It has been in use since 2000. The policy corridor is built around the repo rate with the SDF below it and the MSF above it. The SDF was introduced in April 2022 as the new floor. Do not memorise the actual policy rate values; they change at every policy meeting.

Qualitative tools

Margin requirements, moral suasion and selective credit controls. These influence the use and direction of credit rather than its overall volume.

Loan pricing benchmarks

The sequence of benchmarks is a favourite statement-based topic: Base Rate (2010), then MCLR (2016), then external benchmark linked lending for floating-rate retail and MSME loans from October 2019, where the repo rate is the commonly used benchmark. Common traps: CRR is kept with the RBI while SLR is kept with the bank itself, CRR earns no interest, and a rate hike reduces liquidity while a rate cut increases it.

Memory aid: picture a corridor, SDF on the floor, repo in the middle, MSF on the ceiling. For CRR versus SLR: C for central bank, S for self.

Chapter 3: Types of banks and financial institutions

Exams love this chapter because every type has one defining rule.

• Public and private sector banks: differ in ownership; both are covered by the Banking Regulation Act.
• Foreign banks: operate in India through branches or wholly owned subsidiaries.
• Regional Rural Banks: set up to serve rural areas; ownership is shared among the Centre, the state and the sponsor bank, with the Centre holding the largest share (half).
• Small finance banks: serve unserved and underserved segments. They carry a higher priority sector lending target than other banks, which is a favourite fact.
• Payments banks: accept deposits and offer payments services but cannot lend or issue credit cards. A cap per customer applies to deposits; check the current limit.
• Cooperative banks: the short-term rural structure is three-tier: Primary Agricultural Credit Societies at village level, District Central Cooperative Banks, and State Cooperative Banks. Urban cooperative banks are regulated by the RBI for banking functions.
• Development institutions: NABARD for agriculture and rural development (1982), SIDBI for small industries (1990), EXIM Bank for foreign trade (1982), NHB for housing finance (1988).
• NBFCs: lend and invest but cannot accept demand deposits and are not part of the payment and settlement cycle in the same way as banks.

How it is asked: "Which institution does X?", "which type of bank cannot lend?", and parent-regulator pairs. Priority sector lending is its own sub-topic: banks must direct a set share of adjusted net bank credit to sectors such as agriculture, micro and small enterprises, and weaker sections. Check the current targets in the RBI directions.

Chapter 4: Payment and settlement systems

One of the most frequently updated chapters, and one where students lose easy marks. Regulation comes from the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, with the RBI as the authority.

• NPCI: the National Payments Corporation of India, set up in 2008 as a not-for-profit company. It runs UPI, IMPS, RuPay, NACH, FASTag and Bharat Bill Payment System.
• RTGS: real-time gross settlement for large-value payments, with a minimum of Rs 2 lakh and no upper limit in the standard RTGS channel.
• NEFT: settles in batches; no minimum amount. Both NEFT and RTGS now run round the clock, every day.
• IMPS: instant interbank transfers, around the clock.
• UPI: launched in 2016 by NPCI; real-time payments through a virtual payment address. Related products include UPI Lite and UPI123PAY for feature phones.
• Cheque Truncation System: images replace physical movement of cheques.
• Prepaid payment instruments: wallets, gift cards and similar, regulated by the RBI.
• CBDC: the digital rupee (e-rupee) pilots began in late 2022, wholesale first and then retail.

How it is asked: minimum or maximum limits, availability timings, full forms, which entity operates which system. Trap: do not quote transaction limits from memory unless you have confirmed the current RBI circular, because limits are revised.

Chapter 5: Financial inclusion

This chapter is scheme heavy and very predictable. Keep a one-line card for each.

Scheme	One-line fact
PM Jan Dhan Yojana (2014)	Basic bank account for every household, with a RuPay debit card and accident cover, aimed at banking the unbanked
PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana	Life cover for death due to any cause; ages 18 to 50; sum assured Rs 2 lakh
PM Suraksha Bima Yojana	Accidental death and disability cover; ages 18 to 70
Atal Pension Yojana (2015)	Guaranteed pension for unorganised sector workers; entry ages 18 to 40; pension of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 a month
MUDRA (2015)	Refinance and loans for micro enterprises in three categories: Shishu, Kishore and Tarun
Stand-Up India (2016)	Bank loans for SC, ST and women entrepreneurs for greenfield enterprises
PM SVANidhi (2020)	Working capital loans for street vendors
Kisan Credit Card	Short-term farm credit; introduced in 1998

Other concepts: the business correspondent model, SHG-bank linkage promoted by NABARD, Direct Benefit Transfer, the JAM trinity (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) and RBI's Financial Inclusion Index. Premium amounts and some limits get revised, so check them before the exam. How it is asked: match scheme with target group, age limits, launch year and the ministry or body behind it.

Chapter 6: Insurance basics

For bank exams this is a short chapter. For LIC, NIACL and regulatory exams it is a full one.

• Laws and bodies: the Insurance Act, 1938, the nationalisation of life insurance in 1956 creating LIC, nationalisation of general insurance in 1972 with GIC as the holding body, and the IRDA Act, 1999 that created the regulator, IRDAI. The regulator is headquartered in Hyderabad.
• Life versus general: life insurance covers human life (term, endowment, whole life, ULIP); general insurance covers non-life risks such as health, motor, fire and marine.
• Principles: utmost good faith, insurable interest, indemnity, subrogation, contribution and proximate cause.
• Terms: premium, sum assured, nominee, surrender value, lapse, grace period, free-look period, reinsurance, bancassurance.
• Recent law: the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Act was passed by Parliament in December 2025. It raised the foreign direct investment limit in insurers from 74 per cent to 100 per cent and amended the Insurance Act, the LIC Act and the IRDA Act. Check the latest notification for effective dates and rules.

How it is asked: match the principle with its meaning, identify the regulator, and tell life from general products. Trap: indemnity applies to general insurance such as fire and motor; a life policy is not an indemnity contract because a life cannot be valued in money in the same way.

Chapter 7: Pension basics

• NPS: started for central government employees (except the armed forces) in January 2004 and opened to all citizens in 2009. It has Tier I (the pension account) and Tier II (a voluntary savings account).
• PFRDA: regulator of pensions. It began under an administrative order in 2003 and got statutory backing through the PFRDA Act, 2013.
• EPFO: runs the Employees' Provident Fund under the EPF and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.
• Small savings: PPF (a 15-year account, started in 1968) and Sukanya Samriddhi (2015, for the girl child). The interest rates on these are reset by the government every quarter, so never memorise them.
• Atal Pension Yojana: covered above; administered through PFRDA.

Pension rules have been revised in recent years, including new options for government employees, so read the latest notifications rather than relying on an older capsule.

Chapter 8: SEBI, IRDAI, PFRDA and the regulator map

Regulator questions are easy marks if you keep one table in your head.

Sector	Regulator	Key fact
Banks, NBFCs, payments, forex	RBI	RBI Act 1934, Banking Regulation Act 1949, FEMA 1999
Securities market	SEBI	Set up administratively in 1988; statutory under the SEBI Act, 1992; HQ Mumbai
Insurance	IRDAI	IRDA Act 1999; HQ Hyderabad
Pensions	PFRDA	PFRDA Act 2013; regulates NPS
Deposit insurance	DICGC	Subsidiary of RBI; insures deposits up to Rs 5 lakh per depositor per bank, in force since February 2020

SEBI has quasi-legislative, quasi-judicial and executive powers. Appeals against its orders go to the Securities Appellate Tribunal. The Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) is the forum for coordination between regulators.

Chapter 9: Financial markets

Money market versus capital market

The money market deals in short-term funds up to one year; the capital market deals in long-term funds.

• Money market instruments: treasury bills (91, 182 and 364 days), commercial paper, certificates of deposit, call and notice money, repos.
• Capital market: equity shares, debentures and bonds, government dated securities.

Primary and secondary markets

The primary market is where new securities are issued: IPO, FPO, rights issue, private placement, QIP and offer for sale. The secondary market is where existing securities trade on exchanges such as BSE and NSE. Trading in shares settles on a T+1 basis. Depositories (NSDL and CDSL) hold shares in electronic form.

Mutual funds and other basics

Mutual funds are regulated by SEBI. Know NAV, SIP, expense ratio, exit load and the idea that an ELSS fund carries a three-year lock-in. Know the headline indices: Sensex (BSE) and Nifty (NSE). Also learn bull versus bear markets, circuit breakers and what a short sale is.

Foreign exchange

FEMA 1999 replaced FERA 1973. Know the parts of forex reserves (foreign currency assets, gold, SDRs, reserve position at the IMF), the difference between current and capital account convertibility, and basic ideas such as depreciation and appreciation. Reserve levels and exchange rates change daily, so treat any figure in an old capsule as stale.

How it is asked: "Which of these is a money market instrument?", which body regulates what, full forms, and who operates which exchange or depository.

Chapter 10: Budget and economy basics

• Budget and Constitution: the annual financial statement is under Article 112; the Consolidated Fund is Article 266 and the Contingency Fund Article 267; a Money Bill is defined in Article 110. The Union Budget is presented on 1 February.
• Deficits: fiscal deficit equals total expenditure minus total receipts excluding borrowings. Revenue deficit equals revenue expenditure minus revenue receipts. Primary deficit equals fiscal deficit minus interest payments.
• FRBM Act 2003: sets fiscal responsibility targets.
• Taxes: direct (income tax, corporate tax) versus indirect. GST began on 1 July 2017 through the 101st Amendment, and the GST Council comes from Article 279A.
• Inflation: CPI versus WPI; inflation, deflation and disinflation; the effect of demand-pull and cost-push causes.
• Growth measures: GDP, GVA, nominal versus real, per capita income. The base year of the national accounts is revised periodically, so check the current base year.
• Institutions: NITI Aayog (2015), which replaced the Planning Commission; Finance Commission under Article 280; the Economic Survey released before the Budget.

For regulatory exams, add the basics of money supply (M0 to M3), the multiplier idea, the balance of payments and the role of the WTO, IMF and World Bank. How it is asked: definitions and formulas in statement form, and Article numbers. Memory aid: "Fiscal deficit eats everything except borrowing; primary deficit spits out interest."

Chapter 11: Banking terms, concepts and laws

Daily banking

• KYC and CKYC: customer identification, with a central registry to avoid repeating it.
• Cheques: a cheque is valid for three months from its date; crossing, endorsement, and dishonour under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
• Codes: IFSC has 11 characters, with the fifth character a zero; MICR is for cheque processing; SWIFT for international messaging.
• Facilities: overdraft, cash credit, term loan, demand draft, bank guarantee, letter of credit, lien, hypothecation, pledge and mortgage.
• Accounts: savings, current, recurring, fixed, BSBD (basic savings bank deposit); Nostro, Vostro and Loro accounts.

Asset quality and recovery

• An asset becomes an NPA when interest or principal stays overdue for more than 90 days. NPAs are classified as sub-standard, doubtful and loss assets. Special mention accounts (SMA-0, SMA-1, SMA-2) are early warning stages before NPA status.
• Recovery routes: SARFAESI Act 2002, Debt Recovery Tribunals (from the 1993 Act), the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016, Lok Adalats, asset reconstruction companies, and the National Asset Reconstruction Company set up in 2021.
• Prompt Corrective Action is the RBI framework for weak banks, triggered by capital, asset quality and profitability indicators.

Capital and Basel

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision sits at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel. Basel III was the response to the 2008 crisis. Capital adequacy is measured by the capital to risk-weighted assets ratio, split into Tier 1 and Tier 2. The RBI minimum total ratio is nine per cent, plus a capital conservation buffer. Domestic Systemically Important Banks must hold extra capital; the list is updated by the RBI, so check the latest one.

Consumer protection

The RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 brought earlier ombudsman schemes under one framework. Credit information companies work under the Credit Information Companies Regulation Act, 2005, and credit scores come from them. Know also inoperative accounts and unclaimed deposits, which move to a fund managed by the RBI after ten years.

High-yield areas ranked

1. RBI functions, MPC, monetary tools: the most repeated chapter across all exams.
2. Schemes and financial inclusion: predictable one-line facts.
3. Types of banks and development institutions: year, purpose, parent.
4. Payment systems: limits, timings, operators; revise last because it changes.
5. Regulators and insurance and pension bodies: an easy table to master.
6. Banking terms and NPA recovery: especially for officer and regulatory exams.
7. Budget and economy: deficits and Articles for all, depth for regulatory exams.
8. Financial markets: instruments, SEBI role, indices.

This ranking is our planning suggestion based on the recurring themes of the syllabus, not an official weightage. Verify against the previous papers of your own exam.

30-day revision plan

Use this if you already know the basics and need a compact pass. Study about 60 to 90 minutes a day, with current affairs on top.

Days	Focus	Output
1-3	Structure of banking, types of banks	One-page map of bank types and their key rules
4-8	RBI functions, MPC, all policy tools	Table of tools with effect of raising and cutting
9-11	Payment systems	Card of operators, limits (verified), timings
12-14	Financial inclusion schemes	Scheme table with age, cover, launch year
15-17	Insurance and pension	Principles list, regulator and law list
18-20	SEBI, IRDAI, PFRDA, markets	Regulator table, instruments sorted by market
21-23	Budget and economy	Deficit formulas, Articles, tax basics
24-26	Banking terms, NPAs, Basel	Glossary of 60 terms in your own words
27-28	Full-length mocks, section only	Error log by chapter
29-30	Revise error log and weak chapters	No new topics

60-day revision plan

Use this when you are starting from scratch or aiming at a regulatory exam. It adds a second pass and conceptual depth.

• Days 1-20, learn: cover chapters 1 to 7 at about two days a chapter, making a one-page note for each. Read the explanation, not just the capsule.
• Days 21-35, learn and connect: cover chapters 8 to 11 and link them to what you learned earlier. For example, trace how a repo rate change flows through lending rates to inflation.
• Days 36-45, first revision: reread the one-page notes, then do chapter-wise questions. Keep a running error log with the reason for each mistake: forgot, confused, misread.
• Days 46-55, test: take sectional tests and full mocks. Review every wrong answer and every lucky guess.
• Days 56-60, final pass: only the error log, the scheme table, the regulator table, the tools table and the last two months of current affairs.

For both plans, keep a small daily slot for current affairs: policy changes, new schemes, appointments and committee reports. Link each item back to its static chapter so the news has a place to land.

Common mistakes

• Memorising policy rates, deposit caps or transaction limits from old notes. Check the source.
• Learning capsules without the underlying concept, which fails on statement-based questions.
• Mixing up CRR and SLR, bank rate and repo rate, or fiscal and primary deficit.
• Ignoring current affairs until the last week.
• Reading once and never testing. Retrieval beats rereading.

25 PYQ-style practice questions

These are original practice questions written in the style of past papers, not actual exam questions. Try them first, then check the answer key.

1. The Reserve Bank of India was established under which Act? (a) Banking Regulation Act 1949 (b) RBI Act 1934 (c) FEMA 1999 (d) Companies Act
2. Which facility forms the floor of the LAF corridor? (a) MSF (b) Bank rate (c) Standing Deposit Facility (d) CRR
3. Which rate forms the ceiling of the policy corridor? (a) Marginal Standing Facility rate (b) SDF rate (c) CRR (d) MCLR
4. Cash Reserve Ratio is maintained by banks (a) with themselves in gold (b) with the RBI in cash (c) in government securities (d) with other banks
5. Which of these is NOT an allowed form of SLR holding? (a) Cash (b) Gold (c) Government securities (d) Equity shares of private companies
6. How many members does the Monetary Policy Committee have? (a) 4 (b) 5 (c) 6 (d) 7
7. The setting up of Regional Rural Banks followed the recommendation of (a) Nachiket Mor (b) Narasimham Working Group (c) Rangarajan (d) Kelkar
8. Which type of bank cannot give loans? (a) Small finance bank (b) Payments bank (c) Regional rural bank (d) Cooperative bank
9. RuPay is a product of (a) RBI (b) SEBI (c) NPCI (d) IRDAI
10. The minimum amount for an RTGS transaction is (a) Rs 50,000 (b) Rs 1 lakh (c) Rs 2 lakh (d) no minimum
11. PM Jan Dhan Yojana was launched in (a) 2012 (b) 2014 (c) 2016 (d) 2018
12. Entry age for the Atal Pension Yojana is (a) 18 to 40 (b) 18 to 50 (c) 21 to 60 (d) 18 to 70
13. Which scheme gives life cover for death due to any cause? (a) PMSBY (b) PMJJBY (c) APY (d) MUDRA
14. DICGC insures deposits up to what amount per depositor per bank? (a) Rs 1 lakh (b) Rs 2 lakh (c) Rs 5 lakh (d) Rs 10 lakh
15. After paying a claim, an insurer's right to recover from a third party is called (a) contribution (b) subrogation (c) indemnity (d) proximate cause
16. IRDAI is headquartered in (a) Mumbai (b) New Delhi (c) Hyderabad (d) Chennai
17. SEBI received statutory powers in (a) 1988 (b) 1992 (c) 1999 (d) 2013
18. PFRDA regulates (a) mutual funds (b) NPS (c) cooperative banks (d) payment systems
19. Fiscal deficit equals (a) total expenditure minus total receipts excluding borrowings (b) revenue expenditure minus revenue receipts (c) primary deficit plus capital receipts (d) total receipts minus total expenditure
20. Primary deficit equals (a) fiscal deficit plus interest payments (b) fiscal deficit minus interest payments (c) revenue deficit minus interest (d) fiscal deficit minus capital expenditure
21. The annual financial statement (Budget) is covered by which Article? (a) 110 (b) 112 (c) 266 (d) 280
22. The GST Council is established under (a) Article 246A (b) Article 265 (c) Article 279A (d) Article 280
23. An asset is classified as NPA when payments stay overdue for more than (a) 30 days (b) 60 days (c) 90 days (d) 180 days
24. Under RBI norms, the minimum total capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (before buffers) is (a) 8 per cent (b) 9 per cent (c) 12 per cent (d) 15 per cent
25. Which of these is a money market instrument? (a) Treasury bill (b) Debenture (c) Equity share (d) Preference share

Answer key

1. (b) The RBI was set up under the RBI Act, 1934.
2. (c) The SDF is the floor; it needs no collateral.
3. (a) The MSF rate is the ceiling.
4. (b) CRR is held with the RBI in cash.
5. (d) Private company equity is not allowed; SLR is cash, gold and approved securities.
6. (c) Six: three from the RBI and three external.
7. (b) The Narasimham Working Group of 1975.
8. (b) Payments banks cannot lend.
9. (c) RuPay belongs to NPCI.
10. (c) Rs 2 lakh minimum, no maximum in the standard channel.
11. (b) Announced in August 2014.
12. (a) 18 to 40 years.
13. (b) PMJJBY covers death from any cause; PMSBY covers accidents.
14. (c) Rs 5 lakh since February 2020. If the limit has changed again, check the latest circular.
15. (b) Subrogation.
16. (c) Hyderabad.
17. (b) The SEBI Act, 1992.
18. (b) PFRDA regulates the National Pension System.
19. (a) Total expenditure minus total receipts excluding borrowings.
20. (b) Fiscal deficit minus interest payments.
21. (b) Article 112.
22. (c) Article 279A, inserted by the 101st Amendment.
23. (c) More than 90 days.
24. (b) Nine per cent, with a capital conservation buffer on top.
25. (a) Treasury bills are short-term money market instruments.

Frequently asked questions

How many chapters should I cover for banking awareness? Ten to eleven, as listed above. Spend the most time on RBI and monetary policy, schemes and types of banks.

Is current affairs separate from banking awareness? Treat them as linked. Current affairs add new policies and schemes, while the static chapters give you the concept needed to understand them.

Should I memorise repo rate and other numbers? No. They change often and exams usually test the latest value from the latest news. Keep a small note updated just before the exam.

What is the best resource for banking awareness? Official sources such as the RBI website and press releases for facts, and a good capsule for structure. Always cross-check numbers.

How many questions come from banking awareness? It depends on the exam and the year. Check the latest notification and the previous paper analysis for your exam.

Is the 30-day plan enough for a beginner? It is tight. A beginner should choose the 60-day plan, or use the 30-day plan only for the revision pass after a first read.

Do regulatory exams like RBI Grade B need more depth? Yes. They ask conceptual and descriptive questions, so add reasoning on monetary policy, inflation, financial stability and regulation.

How do I remember abbreviations and committees? Group them by chapter and test yourself weekly, instead of learning one long alphabetical list.

How do I avoid mixing up similar terms? Make comparison tables: CRR versus SLR, repo versus bank rate, fiscal versus primary deficit, life versus general insurance.

How often should I take mocks for this section? From the second half of your plan, at least one sectional test every few days and a full-length mock every week.

Closing

Banking awareness rewards a clear map, a few comparison tables and steady revision. Learn the chapters in order, keep time-sensitive numbers in a separate note, and test yourself early. Practise with full-length mocks and sectional tests on Pareeksha, log every wrong answer by chapter, and revise that log until the mistakes stop repeating.