The Reserve Bank of India Services Board (RBISB) released the Admit Card, Information Handout and other exam-day guidelines for the Phase-II Examination for Officers in Grade ‘B’ (Direct Recruit, on Probation) on 15 July 2026 on its official website. This covers three cadres — General, DEPR (Department of Economic and Policy Research), and DSIM (Department of Statistics and Information Management) — for Panel Year 2026. This is for candidates who already cleared Phase-I and are now preparing for the next stage of RBI’s Grade B officer selection.
A separate admit card link and Information Handout has been issued for each of the three cadres. A single admit card covers both shifts of a candidate’s exam day, and no request for change of date, shift, centre, or venue will be entertained. Candidates should check all details in the article below.
Information verified from the official RBI notice dated 15 July 2026, and the Information Handouts for the General, DEPR, and DSIM Cadre Phase-II Examinations.
Quick Summary
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Reserve Bank of India Services Board (RBISB) |
| Exam | Phase-II Examination, Officers Grade ‘B’ (DR), Panel Year 2026 |
| Cadres | General, DEPR, DSIM |
| Admit card release | 15 July 2026 |
| General Cadre exam date | 25 July 2026 (Saturday) |
| DEPR / DSIM Cadre exam date | 26 July 2026 (Sunday) |
| Exam mode | Computer-Based Test (CBT), two shifts, single admit card |
| Official website | www.rbi.org.in |
| Eligibility for Phase-II | Candidates shortlisted in Phase-I only |
| Vacancy count, fees, eligibility criteria | Not mentioned in the documents released for Phase-II |
About RBI Services Board
The Reserve Bank of India Services Board conducts recruitment for officer-level posts in the RBI, including the Grade ‘B’ Direct Recruitment exam. It runs the exam in phases — a Phase-I screening test, followed by this Phase-II exam, and then an interview for candidates who clear both. RBI Grade B is one of the more sought-after banking sector jobs in India because it is a central bank position with long-term career growth inside RBI’s various departments.
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Admit card and Information Handout released | 15 July 2026 |
| Phase-II exam — General Cadre | 25 July 2026 (Saturday) |
| Phase-II exam — DEPR Cadre | 26 July 2026 (Sunday) |
| Phase-II exam — DSIM Cadre | 26 July 2026 (Sunday) |
One timing note from the notice: candidates reporting after the Gate Closing Time will strictly not be allowed to appear in the examination, so the reporting time printed on the individual admit card matters as much as the exam date.
Exam Pattern — General Cadre
The General Cadre Phase-II exam has three papers across two shifts, all in CBT mode.
| Shift | Paper | Subject | Type | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Paper-III | General Finance and Management | Objective | 30 | 50 | 30 min |
| Morning | Paper-III | General Finance and Management | Descriptive (typed) | 6 asked, attempt 4 | 50 | 90 min |
| Afternoon | Paper-I | Economic and Social Issues | Objective | 30 | 50 | 30 min |
| Afternoon | Paper-I | Economic and Social Issues | Descriptive (typed) | 6 asked, attempt 4 | 50 | 90 min |
| Afternoon | Paper-II | English (Writing Skills) | Descriptive (typed) | 3 | 100 | 90 min |
| Total | 300 | 330 min |
Descriptive answers for Paper-I and Paper-III must be typed on the keyboard, not handwritten. For the 15-mark descriptive questions, the word limit is 600 words; for the 10-mark questions, it is 400 words. Objective questions carry a penalty of one-fourth of the marks for each wrong answer. The objective section runs for a fixed 30 minutes and switches automatically to the descriptive section — candidates cannot go back and forth between the two.
Exam Pattern — DEPR Cadre
The DEPR Cadre Phase-II exam has two descriptive papers, both handwritten in an Answer Booklet, across two shifts.
| Shift | Paper | Subject | Type | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Paper-I | Economics | Descriptive (handwritten) | 5 | 100 | 120 min |
| Afternoon | Paper-II | Economics | Descriptive (handwritten) | 5 | 100 | 120 min |
| Total | 200 | 240 min |
Both papers are set bilingually in Hindi and English. Candidates should expect to be at the venue for about 180 minutes per paper once attendance marking, ID verification, and login are factored in, even though the actual writing time is 120 minutes. A non-programmable scientific calculator is permitted and will be made available on screen; physical calculators are not allowed.
Exam Pattern — DSIM Cadre
The DSIM Cadre Phase-II exam has one handwritten paper and one typed paper, across two shifts.
| Shift | Paper | Subject | Type | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Paper-II | Statistics | Descriptive (handwritten) | 5 | 100 | 180 min |
| Afternoon | Paper-III | English (Descriptive, online) | Typed | 3 | 100 | 90 min |
| Total | 200 | 270 min |
Paper-II (Statistics) is bilingual in Hindi and English and answered by hand in the Answer Booklet. Paper-III (English) is in English only and typed using the keyboard. A scientific calculator is permitted for Paper-II only; calculators are not allowed for Paper-III. Candidates should carry a blue or black ballpoint pen for Paper-II.
Documents and Items to Carry
Based on the general instructions common to all three Information Handouts:
- Admit card, with a recent passport-size photograph pasted on it (preferably the same one uploaded during registration)
- Original valid Photo ID, plus one photocopy of the same document — carrying only one of the two is not enough
- Accepted Photo IDs: PAN Card, Passport, Permanent Driving Licence, Voter’s Card with photo, Bank Passbook with photo, Photo ID issued by a Gazetted Officer or a People’s Representative on official letterhead, a recognised College/University ID card, Aadhaar or e-Aadhaar with photo, a Government/PSU employee ID, or a Bar Council ID with photo
- Ration Card and Learner’s Driving Licence are not accepted as ID proof
- RBI staff candidates must bring their RBI-issued ID card and a photocopy of it
- A blue or black ballpoint pen, for the cadres and papers with a handwritten Answer Booklet
The name on the admit card must exactly match the name on the Photo ID. A mismatch means the candidate will not be allowed to appear, unless they carry a Gazette Notification, marriage certificate, or affidavit explaining a name change.
Dress Code and Security Checks
Metal detectors will be used at the venue, so the handouts recommend:
- Light clothing without metal items such as zippers or metal buttons
- Half sleeves, with no big buttons, badges, or brooches that could hide a device
- No metal ornaments
Candidates wearing customary or religious dress or ornaments, and PwBD candidates, are advised to reach the centre well before the reporting time so frisking can be done properly.
Biometric data (thumb impression) and a photograph will be captured at the venue before the exam starts. Coated, dirty, or moist fingers can cause a mismatch, so the handouts advise washing and drying hands beforehand.
Items Not Allowed
Physical calculators, books, notebooks, written notes, pagers, and mobile phones (with or without a camera) are banned inside the exam hall. Where a calculator is permitted for a specific paper, it is provided on screen by the system — candidates should not bring their own.
Facility for PwBD Candidates
Candidates with benchmark disabilities, and candidates with a disability under 40% who have difficulty writing, can use a scribe or compensatory time. The handouts direct such candidates to download and read the separate instructions for this facility from the RBI website before the exam.
How to Download the Admit Card
- Go to the relevant admit card link for your cadre (General, DEPR, or DSIM) from the table below.
- Log in using the credentials sent to you by RBI/IBPS for registration.
- Download and print the admit card.
- Paste your photograph on it and keep it ready along with your original and photocopied Photo ID.
Important Links
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| Admit Card — General Cadre Phase-II | Direct login portal |
| Admit Card — DEPR Cadre Phase-II | Direct login portal |
| Admit Card — DSIM Cadre Phase-II | Direct login portal |
| Information Handout — General Cadre (English) | Official PDF |
| Information Handout — DEPR Cadre (English) | Official PDF |
| Information Handout — DSIM Cadre (English) | Official PDF |
Hindi versions of each Information Handout, and the separate PwBD scribe/compensatory-time instructions, are also listed on the RBI notice page, though their direct URLs are not part of the source material for this article. Check the official RBI website (www.rbi.org.in) for those links.
What Candidates Should Do Now
This is added guidance based on the exam-day details above, not part of the official notice. Confirm any centre-specific query with RBI.
Candidates should download the admit card as soon as possible and check the printed reporting time, shift, and venue address carefully, since no change is allowed after issue. The handouts recommend visiting the exam venue a day in advance if it is unfamiliar, to avoid last-minute delays on exam day. General Cadre candidates, who type all their answers, may want extra typing practice under time pressure, while DEPR and DSIM candidates writing by hand should practise within the given word limits, since supplementary sheets are not provided.
FAQs
Is a separate admit card needed for each shift? No. RBI has issued a single admit card that covers both shifts for each cadre. Candidates should carry the same admit card for the morning and afternoon papers on their exam day.
Can a candidate request a different exam date or centre? No. The notice states clearly that no request for change of date, shift, centre, or venue will be entertained.
Are vacancy numbers or eligibility criteria given in this notice? No. This release covers only the Phase-II admit card, exam pattern, and exam-day instructions. Vacancy count, salary, and detailed eligibility would have been part of the original Phase-I recruitment notification, not this document.
What happens if a candidate’s photo ID name doesn’t match the admit card? They will not be allowed to appear for the exam, unless they carry a Gazette Notification, marriage certificate, or affidavit as proof of a legal name change.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandeep Khati is the founder of India Job Alerts and a B.Tech in Computer Science from JGEC (2010). He started his career as a Systems Engineer at TCS and has been active in digital publishing since 2011, beginning with SearchDarjeeling.com(2011) and working as a web developer and designer at Darjeeling Informatics. Launched in April 2025, India Job Alerts is his most focused project — dedicated to publishing verified government and PSU job notifications for West Bengal, Sikkim, and All-India candidates. Every post is cross-checked against official notifications before publishing.. Know more