Failed RBI Grade B? Here's Your Recovery Plan

Pro tip: Contact the exam provider directly for their specific retake policy.

• Treating Paper II on English Writing Skills as a low-effort paper because it has no syllabus list.
  Paper II carries 100 marks, the same as Paper I and Paper III, which makes it a third of the Phase II total. Write one full timed essay a day. The absence of a syllabus means the marks come from expression and structure, both of which improve only with drafted practice.
• Preparing descriptive answers by hand and discovering typing speed only on exam day.
  Every descriptive answer in Paper I, Paper II and Paper III is typed on a keyboard. Candidates who intend to answer in Hindi must also practise on either the Inscript or the Remington GAIL layout, because those are the only two layouts RBI provides.
• Chasing a high Phase I score and treating it as progress towards selection.
  Phase I marks do not enter the final merit list. The merit list is built by adding Phase II marks out of 300 and Interview marks out of 75. Once you can reliably clear the per-test minimums, move your hours to Economic and Social Issues, General Finance and Management, and writing practice.
• Studying Paper I from a generic Indian economy course rather than RBI's published syllabus.
  The syllabus is specific down to headings such as poverty alleviation and employment generation, social justice, and gender issues. RBI even names the books it expects. Work from the Appendix-II text in the advertisement and tick off each heading rather than following a coaching sequence.
• Skipping the management half of Paper III because the finance half feels more relevant to a central bank.
  The management section is worth roughly half of Paper III and is the most learnable content in the whole syllabus, because RBI lists the theories by name: Maslow, Alderfer, McClelland, Herzberg, Adams, Vroom, Lewin, Johari Window and Transactional Analysis. Memorising named models converts directly into descriptive marks.
• Attempting more than four descriptive questions in Paper I or Paper III to hedge against a weak answer.
  Only the first four answers are evaluated. Extra answers cost time and earn nothing. Pick your four early, note that two carry 15 marks and two carry 10, and budget the 90 descriptive minutes accordingly.
• Assuming a strong aggregate in Phase I covers a weak individual test.
  Candidates must secure minimum marks separately for each test as well as in aggregate. A candidate with a very high General Awareness score and a Quantitative Aptitude score below the test minimum is eliminated at Phase I regardless of the total.
• Waiting until after selection to raise the question of higher starting emoluments.
  RBI considers requests for advance increments based on higher qualification or special experience only at the Interview stage, and the information has to be furnished in the appropriate column of the Bio-data Form. The Board will not entertain any request received after the Interview.
• Carrying a single photocopy of the photo ID to Phase II.
  Phase II runs in two or three shifts and a photocopy must be surrendered at each shift, so carry two or three copies. One copy is enough for Phase I. Ration cards and learner's driving licences are not accepted as identity proof at all.

• Three phases: Phase 1, Phase 2, Interview
• Prioritise the Economic and Social Issues paper
• Finance and Management in Phase 2
• English writing skills tested
• Study RBI annual reports and policies
• Prestigious career in central banking