RBI Assistant - Pattern, Syllabus & Mock Tests
RBI Assistant is the Reserve Bank of India's recruitment for the post of Assistant, open to graduates. The latest advertisement is for Panel Year 2025, published on 16 February 2026, with 650 posts across 17 recruiting offices. Selection is through an online Preliminary Examination, an online Main Examination and a qualifying Language Proficiency Test in the local language of the office you apply to. Prelims has 100 questions in 60 minutes, with one-fourth of a mark deducted for each wrong answer. The guide and mocks here are for Prelims.
Under 10 minutes · no account needed · real percentile at the end
What is the RBI Assistant exam pattern?
Prelims has English Language (30), Numerical Ability (35) and Reasoning Ability (35), one mark each, and the advertisement gives each test 20 minutes. One-fourth of a mark is deducted for each wrong answer, and you must qualify in each test separately. About 10 times the vacancies are shortlisted for the Main Examination, which has 200 questions in 135 minutes: Reasoning, English Language, Numerical Ability, General Awareness and Computer Knowledge, 40 each. Candidates shortlisted from Mains take a mandatory, qualifying Language Proficiency Test. There is no interview in the advertisement.
| Section | Questions | Max Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 |
Full exam pattern: Tier-wise marks, timers and qualifying rules →
What is the RBI Assistant syllabus?
RBI's advertisement names the tests but prints no topic-wise syllabus, and RBI does not release its question papers. As a working list of ours: Numerical Ability covers simplification and approximation, number series, percentage, ratio, average, profit and loss, interest, time and work, time and distance, data interpretation and quadratic equations. Reasoning covers seating arrangements and puzzles, syllogism, inequalities, coding and decoding, blood relations, directions and series. English covers reading comprehension, error spotting, cloze test, fill in the blanks and para jumbles. General Awareness and Computer Knowledge are tested only in the Main Examination.
Complete syllabus, subject by subject →
What is a good RBI Assistant cut-off?
RBI publishes a separate cut-off for each recruiting office and category, with the marksheets. In the Prelims of Panel Year 2025 (held in April 2026) the General cut-off on the total ran from 90.25 out of 100 in Mumbai to 96.75 in Chandigarh. Sectional cut-offs for General and EWS were 12.00 in English Language, 14.00 in Numerical Ability and 14.00 in Reasoning Ability. The Mains cut-off for Panel Year 2025 was not out as of 13 November 2026. Final merit is on Main Examination marks, subject to qualifying the Language Proficiency Test.
Official cut-offs and vacancies →
How should I prepare for RBI Assistant?
Reasoning and Numerical Ability are 70 of the 100 Prelims marks, at about 34 seconds a question, so calculation speed and puzzle selection matter most. With General cut-offs above 90 in every office, accuracy counts for more than attempts: four wrong answers cancel one right answer. Guess only after eliminating at least one option. Start General Awareness and Computer Knowledge early, because they are 80 of 200 marks in Mains. Apply only to an office whose local language you can read, write and speak.
Preparation strategy built on the marks and timers →
Frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in RBI Assistant?
Yes. One-fourth of a mark is deducted for every wrong answer in both the Preliminary and the Main Examination.
What is the qualification and age limit for RBI Assistant?
For Panel Year 2025: a bachelor's degree in any discipline with at least 50% marks in aggregate (pass class for SC, ST and PwBD) and knowledge of word processing on a PC. Age 20 to 28 years as on 1 February 2026, with 5 years relaxation for SC and ST and 3 years for OBC.
Is there an interview in RBI Assistant?
No interview is listed. Selection is through the Preliminary Examination, the Main Examination and a qualifying Language Proficiency Test, followed by medical fitness and verification of certificates.
What is the Language Proficiency Test?
A mandatory qualifying test in the official or local language of the state under your recruiting office, for example Marathi or Konkani for Mumbai and Hindi for New Delhi. A candidate who is not proficient is disqualified.
What is the salary of an RBI Assistant?
The Panel Year 2025 advertisement gives a starting basic pay of Rs 29,000 a month and initial monthly gross emoluments of approximately Rs 58,514 without House Rent Allowance.