RBI Grade B 2026 Exam Dates and English Pattern

RBI Grade B General Cadre Phase I was held on June 13, 2026, and Phase II was held on July 25. DEPR and DSIM used June 14 for Phase I and July 26 for Phase II. As of August 28, every published written date has passed, so the next General Cadre step is the Phase II result and interview process.

General Cadre Phase I English has 30 questions, 30 marks and 25 minutes. Phase II Paper II is a separate 100-mark English Writing Skills paper with three questions in 90 minutes.

The interview can be taken in Hindi or English. Start a free SpeakShark conversation for general interview delivery, then use RBI's official material for the recruitment examination.

Key takeaways

• General Cadre Phase I ran on June 13, 2026.
• General Cadre Phase II ran on July 25, 2026.
• Phase I English has 30 questions and 30 marks in 25 minutes.
• The 2026 General-category English cut-off was 14.50 out of 30.
• Phase II English Writing Skills has 3 questions, 100 marks and 90 minutes.
• The recruitment advertises 60 vacancies across General, DEPR and DSIM, including 40 General Cadre posts.

In this guide: timeline | streams | Phase I | cut-offs | Phase II | penalty | interview | vacancies | status | research | FAQ

RBI Grade B 2026 exam timeline

The April 29 detailed notice supplied exact dates for all three cadres.

Registration ran from April 29 through May 20 at 6:00 PM. RBI later opened the announced two-day edit route for selected application fields.

The dates belong to Panel Year 2026 under advertisement RBISB/DA/01/2026-27. Searching only "RBI Grade B" can surface older panel years and unrelated Grade B specialist posts.

The official result page confirms that the General Phase I exam was actually held June 13 and its result was dated June 25. This is stronger evidence than repeating a tentative calendar after the event.

General, DEPR and DSIM are different streams

The notice covers three Grade B routes, but their English components are not interchangeable.

This guide gives the detailed question and mark tables for General Cadre, the route with 40 advertised vacancies and the published Phase I English cut-offs.

DEPR and DSIM have specialist postgraduate eligibility and separate Appendix III papers. A General Cadre candidate should not borrow a DEPR or DSIM timetable merely because all three appear in the same notice.

The same source discipline applies across bank recruitment. SBI PO 2026, SBI Junior Associate 2026, and IBPS PO 2026 use different English weights and final-merit formulas.

Application, fees and core eligibility

The application window is closed.

Bank and transaction charges were additional. Charges are non-refundable.

For General Cadre, the age range was 21 through 29 as of April 1, meaning a candidate had attained 21 but not attained 30, subject to the notice's relaxations.

The General Cadre academic routes were:

1. Graduation or an equivalent technical or professional qualification with at least 60% aggregate marks.
2. Postgraduation or an equivalent technical or professional qualification with at least 55% aggregate marks.
3. The lower published thresholds for eligible SC, ST and PwBD applicants where the post was reserved.

General and EWS candidates who had already appeared six times in Phase I for the post were not eligible. The notice did not apply that limit to SC, ST, OBC and PwBD candidates where posts were reserved for them.

General Cadre Phase I English pattern

The official June information handout gives the complete Phase I table.

English accounts for 15% of Phase I questions and marks, but about 21% of the separately timed test period. Thirty questions in 25 minutes allow an average of 50 seconds per question.

English is the only Phase I test not presented bilingually. The other tests are available in Hindi and English.

Candidates must qualify every objective test separately and reach the aggregate threshold. The Board then shortlists for Phase II based on aggregate Phase I marks and vacancy volume.

That structure differs from SBI PO, which published no preliminary sectional cut-off for 2026. It also differs from IBPS CSA, SSC CGL English, and SSC Stenographer English.

Actual 2026 Phase I English cut-offs

RBI published test-wise and aggregate cut-offs after the June 13 examination.

The public table displays dashes for PwBD A and B in this exercise. It is better to preserve that layout than shift values into the wrong disability columns.

The General English threshold was about 48.3% of the section's marks. Clearing 14.50 alone was insufficient because the General candidate also needed every other sectional cut-off and the 108.75 aggregate.

These are realised 2026 cut-offs, not predictions for another panel year. They should not be reused as guaranteed future thresholds.

Phase II English Writing Skills paper

General Cadre Phase II consisted of three 100-mark papers, for 300 marks total.

Paper II alone is one third of Phase II marks. RBI describes its purpose narrowly: assessing writing skills, including expression and understanding of the topic.

The 2026 Appendix II does not publish a fixed task list such as essay, precis and comprehension. Candidates should therefore avoid treating an older handout or coaching pattern as a guaranteed three-task structure for this panel year.

The English paper is typed on a keyboard. Paper I and Paper III descriptive answers can be typed in English or Hindi using the specified keyboard options, while Paper II is the English paper.

For general language development, use English speaking and writing skills, English vocabulary and speaking skills, and beginner speaking mistakes. RBI material determines the actual examination instructions.

Negative marking and qualification

The Phase I information handout states that one quarter of the marks assigned to an objective question is deducted for a wrong answer.

The same notice describes Phase II Papers I and III as partly objective and partly descriptive. Paper II English Writing Skills is wholly descriptive, so it is not a multiple-choice section under the Phase I penalty statement.

Phase I scores may be normalised if multiple sessions are used. RBI publishes corrected and equated scores to address minor difficulty differences between sessions.

A practical sequence is:

1. Protect each separately timed Phase I test.
2. Clear English and the other sectional thresholds, not only the aggregate.
3. Avoid random objective attempts when no option can be eliminated.
4. Allocate all 90 Paper II minutes across the three typed responses.
5. Prioritise clear reasoning and topic understanding over decorative vocabulary.

Personality assessment and interview

RBI shortlists General Cadre candidates for interview using the aggregate of all three Phase II papers.

The interview carries 75 marks. Candidates can choose Hindi or English for the interview.

Before the interview, the candidate must complete a Personality Assessment conducted by RBI. It receives no marks and does not become a separate final-selection component.

Final merit adds:

Applicable grace marks under extant RBI rules may also be included. Phase I marks do not enter this final combination.

For general spoken delivery, practise English job interview role plays, office small talk, and English conversation topics for adults. Start free speaking practice for communication, not prediction of RBI interview questions.

RBI Grade B 2026 vacancies

The official notice lists 60 vacancies across the three cadres.

PwBD reservation is horizontal and sits within overall vacancies. Its category values should not be added again to 60.

Vacancy volume matters because RBI says both the Phase I aggregate threshold and Phase II interview-shortlisting threshold are decided in relation to the number of vacancies.

What candidates should check next

General Cadre candidates who sat Phase II should use this sequence:

1. Open RBI Opportunities rather than the general RBI public-information site.
2. Check Results for a Grade B General Cadre Phase II notice tied to Panel Year 2026.
3. Confirm the advertisement number RBISB/DA/01/2026-27.
4. Look for the roll-number list and interview call-letter instructions.
5. Check the registered email account for the interview call letter.
6. Complete the Personality Assessment when RBI directs it.
7. Verify interview date, centre and document requirements from the call letter.

RBI warns that recruitment notices, call letters, interview schedules and results are published through its official opportunities site. Fake appointment communications should be cross-checked there.

For source discipline, see questions before booking an English test. For general practice, use the free speaking-level check, practice speaking alone, or English speaking apps for India jobs.

How we researched this guide

On August 28, 2026, we opened the official RBI Opportunities notice through the existing browser profile. We downloaded Appendix II and the June Phase I English information handout, then checked the official General Cadre Phase I result and cut-off table.

The detailed notice supplied all six written dates, fees, eligibility and vacancies. Appendix II supplied the 300-mark Phase II pattern, the 100-mark English Writing Skills paper and the 75-mark interview. The result page supplied realised 2026 English and aggregate cut-offs.

We preserved the official wording where it limits Paper II to writing skills, expression and topic understanding. We did not invent a fixed task list, copy protected questions, predict the Phase II cut-off or use SpeakShark customer data.

We are a speaking improvement tool. We are not an exam preparation provider, and we are not affiliated with RBI, IBPS, the Government of India or any exam board. For test format, booking and official practice material, go to the exam body directly. Use SpeakShark to make your spoken English stronger, and use official material to learn the test.

FAQ

For General Cadre, Phase I ran June 13 and Phase II ran July 25, 2026. DEPR and DSIM Phase I ran June 14, with Phase II on July 26. As of August 28, both written phases are complete and candidates should monitor RBI Opportunities for the Phase II result and interview instructions.

The General Cadre Phase I English Language test has 30 questions worth 30 marks and a separate 25-minute timer. The full Phase I paper has 200 questions and 200 marks in 120 minutes. Candidates must clear every test cut-off and the aggregate cut-off to reach Phase II.

For the June 13 General Cadre Phase I exam, the English cut-off was 14.50 for General, 11.25 for EWS, 12.75 for OBC, 12.00 for SC and 10.75 for ST. The published PwBD columns with values showed 10.00 and 5.50 for the relevant categories.

General Cadre Paper II is English Writing Skills, a descriptive paper typed on a keyboard. It has three questions, 100 marks and 90 minutes. RBI says it assesses writing skills, including expression and understanding of the topic, rather than publishing a fixed list of essay, precis or comprehension task labels.

Yes, in the objective tests. The Phase I information handout says one quarter of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for a wrong answer. Phase II also contains objective parts in Papers I and III, while the 100-mark English Writing Skills paper is descriptive rather than an objective multiple-choice test.

General Cadre candidates are shortlisted for interview using the aggregate of all three Phase II papers. The interview carries 75 marks. Final merit adds Phase II marks and interview marks, plus any applicable grace marks under RBI rules. Phase I is a screening stage and does not enter the final total.

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Sources

1. RBI Grade B 2026 detailed notice, checked for dates, eligibility, fees and vacancies.
2. RBI General Cadre Appendix II, checked for Phase I, Phase II and interview structure.
3. RBI Phase I call-letter and handout page, checked for the confirmed June 13 date.
4. RBI Phase I English information handout, checked for questions, timers and negative marking.
5. RBI General Cadre Phase I cut-offs, checked for realised 2026 thresholds.
6. RBI official results index, checked for the current recruitment status.
7. SpeakShark pricing, checked for current free and paid options.

RBI dates, results, cut-offs, vacancies, interview centres and call-letter instructions can change. Confirm advertisement RBISB/DA/01/2026-27 before acting.