This page describes the selection scheme for Officers Scale-I (Assistant Manager) in Regional Rural Banks, as set out by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) for CRP RRBs XV, the cycle notified on 1 September 2026. It is the newest notified cycle as of 13 November 2026. Every figure comes from an IBPS document listed in the sources. IBPS reserves the right to change the structure and the dates, so check ibps.in before you rely on any of them. Our own comments and arithmetic are labelled.
Stages at a glance
| Stage | Mode | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Online Preliminary Examination | Computer-based, objective | Shortlisting for the Main Examination. Marks are not carried forward |
| Online Main Examination | Computer-based, objective | Shortlisting for interview and 80% of the final score |
| Common Interview | In person, coordinated by Nodal RRBs with NABARD and IBPS | 100 marks, 20% of the final score |
| Provisional allotment | By IBPS, within the RRBs of the State or UT you applied for | Merit and reservation rules decide it |
Dates (per IBPS):
- Online registration and fee payment: 1 September to 21 September 2026 in the notification, extended to 27 September 2026 by the corrigendum of 21 September.
- Pre-Exam Training (PET): November 2026. The PET link for Scale-I was posted on 11 November 2026.
- Preliminary examination: November or December 2026 in the notification. The IBPS calendar of 16 January 2026 gives 21 and 22 November 2026. Call letters and the information handout were posted on 9 November 2026.
- Main examination: December 2026 or January 2027 in the notification. The calendar gives 20 December 2026.
- Result of the Main Examination and interview call letters: January 2027. Interviews: January or February 2027. Provisional allotment: February or March 2027.
All of these are marked tentative by IBPS. Your own date, shift and venue are on your call letter.
Post, vacancies and eligibility
- Post: Officer Scale-I (Assistant Manager), a Group "A" officer post in the Regional Rural Banks. 28 RRBs take part, one in each listed State or UT.
- Vacancies: the updated Annexure I as on 25 September 2026 adds up to 4,256 indicative vacancies for Officer Scale-I (General 1,752, OBC 1,139, SC 627, EWS 420, ST 318; the total is our addition of the 28 bank rows). IBPS says these are indicative and that allotment follows the actual vacancies the RRBs report. State-wise figures are on the cut-off page.
- Age: above 18 and below 30 years as on 1 September 2026, that is, born not earlier than 2 September 1996 and not later than 1 September 2008 (both dates inclusive). Relaxation: 5 years for SC and ST, 3 years for OBC (non-creamy layer), 10 years for PwBD, and 5 years for eligible ex-servicemen commissioned officers.
- Education: a bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university, or its equivalent, with the result declared on or before 21 September 2026. The notification gives preference to degrees in Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Science, Agricultural Engineering, Pisciculture, Agricultural Marketing and Cooperation, Information Technology, Management, Law, Economics or Accountancy. Working knowledge of computers is desirable.
- Local language: proficiency in the local language prescribed by the RRB is essential. If you studied that language in Class VIII or above, you are treated as proficient. If not, the notification gives six months from joining to acquire it, which the RRB's board can extend within the probation period.
- Fee: Rs 850 (including GST) for most candidates and Rs 175 for SC, ST and PwBD candidates. The two-day edit window after registration costs Rs 200 for everyone.
- One officer post only: you can apply for Office Assistant and for one officer post, but not for more than one of Scale-I, Scale-II and Scale-III.
The extension corrigendum changed only the registration dates. It says all other terms remain unchanged, so the age and qualification dates above stand.
Preliminary Examination
| Test | Questions | Marks | Time (separately timed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning | 40 | 40 | 25 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 40 | 40 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 80 | 80 | 45 minutes |
- Objective, multiple choice. The information handout says each question has five answer options and one correct answer.
- Negative marking: one fourth of the marks assigned to the question for each wrong answer. With one mark per question that is 0.25 (arithmetic). Blank questions cost nothing.
- Sectional cut-off: you have to qualify in both tests by securing the minimum cut-off marks. IBPS then shortlists an "adequate number" of candidates in each category for Mains.
- Sectional timing: each test has its own time. You can move between questions only inside the test that is running.
- Medium: English and Hindi everywhere, plus the State's language where IBPS lists one, for example Telugu in Andhra Pradesh, Marathi and Konkani in Maharashtra, Bengali in West Bengal. You pick the medium in the application, and you can switch the language on screen during the exam.
- Time at the venue: about 110 minutes including entry, login and instructions, according to the handout.
- Compensatory time: 20 minutes for every hour of the exam for candidates with disabilities who are eligible for it.
- No calculator, mobile phone, watch or written material. Rough sheets are given at the venue and collected at the end.
Main Examination
| Test | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning | 40 | 50 | 30 minutes |
| Computer Knowledge | 40 | 20 | 15 minutes |
| General Awareness | 40 | 40 | 15 minutes |
| English Language or Hindi Language | 40 | 40 | 30 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 40 | 50 | 30 minutes |
| Total | 200 | 200 | 120 minutes |
- You choose English Language or Hindi Language, not both. The language test is set in that language; the other tests follow your chosen medium.
- Marks per question differ between tests. Dividing marks by questions gives 1.25 for Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude, 1 for General Awareness and the language test, and 0.5 for Computer Knowledge (arithmetic).
- The same one-fourth penalty applies. That works out to about 0.31 per wrong answer in Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude, 0.25 in General Awareness and the language test, and about 0.13 in Computer Knowledge (arithmetic).
- Minimum score in each test: each candidate has to obtain a minimum score in each test of the Main Examination to be considered for interview. The notification adds that passing each test is not enough: your total also has to be high enough in the order of merit.
- You must bring the stamped Prelims call letter to the Main Examination, along with the Mains call letter.
Scores and normalisation
- If a stage runs in more than one session, the corrected scores are normalised using the equi-percentile method.
- Scores are taken up to two decimal points.
- For Officers Scale-I, only the Main Examination marks are used for interview shortlisting and final merit.
- Scores of the Main Examination are not shared with shortlisted candidates until the interview process is complete.
Interview and final score
- IBPS calls for interview an adequate number of candidates in each category, not exceeding three times the declared vacancies in each State, subject to availability.
- The interview carries 100 marks. Minimum qualifying marks will not be less than 40%, or 35% for SC, ST, OBC and PwBD candidates.
- The weightage of the online examination and the interview is 80:20. The combined final score is built from the Main Examination score and the interview score.
- You have to qualify in both the Main Examination and the interview, and be high enough in merit, to be considered for provisional allotment.
- Documents are checked at the interview: degree and mark sheets (result declared by 21 September 2026), category certificates in the prescribed format, a photo identity proof, and a No Objection Certificate if you work for a government body or public sector undertaking.
Arithmetic, not an IBPS statement: if 200 Mains marks become 80 points and 100 interview marks become 20 points, one Mains mark is worth 0.4 of a final point and one interview mark is worth 0.2. A candidate who is 10 Mains marks ahead keeps that lead unless the other candidate scores 20 more interview marks.
Provisional allotment
- For Scale-I, allotment is restricted to the RRBs of the State or UT you opted for. Since each listed State or UT has one participating RRB in this cycle, your State choice is in effect your bank choice (our reading of Table A).
- A reserved-category candidate selected on general standards is counted against an unreserved post.
- Tie-break: if two candidates have the same score, the candidate senior in age is placed higher.
- A reserve list is kept. The process expires one year after the date of provisional allotment, or when a fresh allotment is made, whichever is earlier.
- Appointment, document verification and joining are decided by the allotted RRB, not by IBPS.
What this means for your attempt
These are arithmetic consequences of the scheme and our comments, not IBPS advice.
- Prelims pace: 25 minutes for 40 Reasoning questions is 37.5 seconds each. 20 minutes for 40 Quantitative Aptitude questions is 30 seconds each. Few candidates can finish all 80, so choosing which questions to leave is part of the paper.
- Guessing: with five options, +1 for a right answer and -0.25 for a wrong one, a blind guess has an expected value of zero. Once you can rule out one option, a guess has a small positive expectation.
- Both tests must be cleared. A very high Reasoning score cannot rescue a Quantitative Aptitude score below the minimum, and the reverse.
- Mains pace: 45 seconds per question in Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and the language test, and 22.5 seconds per question in Computer Knowledge and General Awareness.
- Where Mains marks sit: Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude are 100 of the 200 marks. Computer Knowledge has as many questions as the others but only 20 marks.
Practise in this format: a free 10-question mini-mock is available to try. Full Prelims-pattern mocks and topic practice are Pro; see the banking test series.
What this page does not have
- The pay scale and allowances of an Officer Scale-I. The CRP RRBs XV notification does not state them, so we have not reproduced a figure.
- Your exact exam date, shift and centre. They are on the call letter. The list of centres is in Annexure II of the notification.
- The minimum cut-off marks for each test. IBPS fixes them after the exam and they are not in the notification. See cut-offs.
- The number of answer options in the Main Examination. The Prelims handout says five; the Mains handout was not published when we checked.
- The schemes for Office Assistant, Officer Scale-II and Scale-III, which are different papers under the same notification.
Related: Syllabus · Cut-offs · Preparation strategy