Banking has become one of the most challenging sectors in the country. It is a well-paid, secure and satisfying career prospect. Openings are available in banks at various levels, from Bank Clerical to Probationary Officers (PO). Often it is perceived as a career option for commerce/economics students, but in reality, a majority of bank officers are from different streams of education. Bright graduates from any subject can get entry in the Public Sector Banks through an All India Examination conducted by them. The exam is a stepping-stone for a career in the Banking Industry.

The Indian banking can be broadly categorized into Nationalized (government owned), Private banks and Specialized banking institutions. The Reserve Bank of India www.rbi.org.in acts a centralized monitoringbody in the Indian financial sector.

The Reserve Bank of India was established on April 1, 1935, as the Central Bank of the country, in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 with its Central Office at Mumbai. RBI is governed by the Central Board, which is appointed/nominated by the Government of India for a period of four years and there are four Local Boards one each for the four regions of the country in Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai and New Delhi. The function of Central Board is to look after general superintendence and direction of the Bank's affairs, and the Local Boards is to advise the Central Board on local matters and to represent territorial and economic interests of local cooperative and indigenous banks.

The Recruitment to Reserve Bank Officers 'Grade 'A'/'B' exam is conducted by Reserve Bank of India Service Board, Mumbai.

Eligibility

Educational Qualifications : A First Class Bachelor's Degree with a minimum of 60% marks or an equivalent grade OR ii) A Second Class Master's Degree with a minimum of 55% marks or an equivalent grade OR iii) A Doctorate Degree with 50% marks in Master's Degree or equivalent grade OR iv) Chartered/Cost Accountant/Company Secretary (ACS) with a Bachelor's Degree OR v) A Post Graduate Diploma in Management from IIM only.

SC/ST/PH candidates having second class with a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent grade in Bachelor's Degree examination OR having a Post-graduate Degree or equivalent recognized qualification, are eligible to apply.

Age : Between 21 and 30 years. For candidates possessing M.Phil./Ph.D. qualification, upper age limit will be 31 and 33 years respectively. For candidates having experience as an officer in Commercial Bank/Financial Institution in Public Sector, upper age limit is relaxed to the extent of number of years of such experience subject to a maximum of three years. For such candidates, upper age limit should not exceed 33 years including experience. For experience, probationary period will not be reckoned.

Upper Age limit is relaxable by : (a) 3 years in the case of OBC candidates. (b) 5 years in the case of: i) SC/ ST candidates, ii) Ex-employees of banking institutions whose services had to be terminated for reasons of economy or as a result of bank going into liquidation and personnel retrenched from Government Offices after at least one year's service and applying through Employment Exchanges, iii) Ex-servicemen (including Emergency Commissioned Officers/Short Service Commissioned Officers) provided applicants have rendered at least five years continuous Military Service and have been released on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency or/on account of physical disability or have been released on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service or on invalidment, iv) Emergency Commissioned Officers/Short Service Commissioned Officers who have completed their initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service but whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues certificates that they would be released on selection within three months from the date of receipt of offer of appointment, v) Candidates who had ordinarily been domiciled in Kashmir Division of the State of Jammu and Kashmir between 1st January, 1980 and 31st December, 1989. (c) 10 years for PH (Gen.); 13 years for PH (OBC) and 15 years for PH (SC/ST) candidate.

Application

Application form can be obtained by paying Rs.100/- by Demand Draft favouring Reserve Bank of India and payable at Mumbai. No fee is payable by SC/ST/PH candidates. However, candidates from un-banked areas may pay fee by crossed Indian Postal Orders in favour of Reserve Bank of India payable at GPO, Mumbai. Fees sent separately not accompanied with proper application or payment in any other manner will not be accepted. Fees once paid will not be refunded.

Applications should be forwarded to the GENERAL MANAGER, RBI SERVICES BOARD, Reserve Bank of India Building, Post Box No. 4618, Opp. Mumbai Central Railway Station, Mumbai - 400 008. by ordinary post. Application in closed covers, may also be deposited in the box specially kept for the purpose at the Board's Office at Reserve Bank of India Building, Ground Floor, Opp. Mumbai Central Railway Station, Byculla, Mumbai-400 008.

The Format of the Application Form given below should not itself be used as Application. The Application should be strictly in conformity with the format, must be typed or neatly hand-written in Hindi or English on a good quality white fullscap paper and duly affixed with a signed latest passport size photograph. Application not in the prescribed format shall be rejected. Name and Address should be written in capital letters in English only, since processing is computerized. iv) Candidates should write their name and address on the reverse of the Demand Draft and in the space provided for the purpose on the Postal Orders (if fee is payable) and enclose them to the application with a pin (should not be stapled). Candidates should ensure that all the entries have been correctly filled in and the Application submitted is duly signed. On the cover containing the Application, the post applied for, should be indicated.

General Instructions

• Candidates should not enclose any certificates or copies thereof with the application. If at any stage it is found that any information in the application is false, the board has the permit to terminate the candidate.
• All educational qualifications must have been obtained from recognised universities/institutions in India or abroad. If grades are awarded instead of marks, candidates should clearly indicate its numerical equivalent.
• Application not accompanied by prescribed fees (unless exempted) OR Incomplete Application will be rejected by the board.
• Candidates already in service of Govt./Quasi-Govt. Organisations and Public Sector Banks /Undertakings will have to produce a "No Objection Certificate" from their employer, at the time of Interview. Before appointment in RBI, a proper discharge certificate from the employer will have to be produced. If the Application is required to be routed through the employer and in the process it reaches the Board's Office after the due date, it will not be considered even though submitted to the employer before the due date. In such cases, application marked ‘Advance Copy' should be sent to the Board's Office direct, together with fee and the regular copy (without fee) should be routed directly through the employer.
• Candidates can select only one centre and must indicate its name and code number in the Application. Centre and dates of Written Exam are liable to be changed at the Board's discretion. In the event of cancellation of Written Exam at any centre, the Board may at its discretion, allot an alternative centre to the candidates concerned. Candidates admitted to the Written Exam will be intimated dates, time-table and venue of Written Exam , through Admission Letters (AL). Candidates will not be admitted to the Written Exam without ‘AL’. Request for change of centre will not be entertained.
• Candidates will have to appear for the Written Exam at their expense.
• Change of address, if any, should be informed to the Board immediately.
• If a candidate does not receive Admission Letters for Written Exam or any other communication from the Board, he/she should contact the in-charge of the RBI office, (SBI office in case of Agartala, Aizawl, Imphal, Itanagar, Kohima, Port Blair and Shillong) during office hours, at the Examination Centre indicated in the Application along with a passport size signed photograph, one day before the date of examination for necessary guidance.
• The posts are also open to the employees of RBI (Staff Candidates) who satisfy the eligibility criteria separately stipulated by the Bank.
• Board shall not entertain requests from the candidates seeking advice about their eligibility to apply.
• Canvassing in any form will be a disqualification.
• In all matters regarding Eligibility, conduct of examinations, interviews, assessment, prescribing minimum qualifying standards in Written Exam and interview, in relation to number of vacancies and communication of result, the board's decision shall be final and binding on the candidates and no correspondence shall be entertained in this regard.

Exam Dates

Selection to the posts is done through Written Examinations (WE) and Interview. Written exam will be held in two phases as under:

Phase I (Objective Type Test): This Paper is of 3 hours duration for 200 marks. The Paper consists tests of i) General Awareness ii) English Language iii) Quantitative Aptitude and iv) Reasoning. Candidates have to secure minimum marks separately for each test as prescribed by the Board.

Phase II (Descriptive Type Test): The Phase II Examination will be conducted only for those candidates who are successful in Phase I (Objective Type Test). The date and time-table will be intimated to the candidates concerned. The Examination will consist of three Descriptive Type papers -

Paper I - English
Paper II - Economic and Social Issues and
Paper III - Finance and Management.

Each of these papers is of 3 hours duration carrying 100 marks.

Phase I (except the test of English) and Papers II and III of Phase II will be set bilingually in Hindi and English. Phase I is Objective Type and only marking the correct choice is required. However, Papers II and III of Phase II can be answered either in Hindi or English at the candidate's option.

A candidate has to qualify in each of the Descriptive Papers separately. Candidates will be short-listed for interview based on the aggregate marks obtained only in Phase II - Papers I, II and III. The minimum cut off marks for being short-listed will be decided by the Board in relation to the number of vacancies. Candidates may answer the Interview either in Hindi or English at their option. Final selection will be based on the performance of the candidate in Phase II of the Written exam and Interview.

Candidates belonging to General Category, who had already appeared four times for Written Exam for post in the past, are not eligible to apply. No such restriction to candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC/PH.

Exam Centers and Code Numbers

Ahmedabad (11), Bangalore (12), Bhopal (13), Bhubaneswar (14), Kolkata (15), Chandigarh (16) Chennai (17), Guwahati (18), Hyderabad (19), Jaipur (20), Jammu (21), Kanpur (22), Kochi(23), Lucknow (24), Mumbai (25), Nagpur (26), New Delhi (27), Panaji (28), Patna (29), Pune (30),Thiruvananthapuram (31), Agartala (32), Aizawl (33), Imphal (34), Itanagar (35), Kohima (36), Port Blair (37), Shillong (38) .

Syllabis

Syllabus for Paper I - English: Essay, Précis writing, Comprehension, Business/Office Correspondence.

Paper II - Economic and Social Issues: Growth and Development - Measurement of growth : National Income and per capita income - Poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation in India - Sustainable Development and Environmental issues.Economic Reforms in India - Industrial and Labour Policy - Monetary and Fiscal Policy - Privatisation - Role of Economic Planning. Globalization - Opening up of the Indian Economy -Balance of Payments, Export-Import Policy - International Economic Institutions - IMF and World Bank - WTO -Regional Economic Co-operation. Social Structure in India - Multiculturalism - Demographic Trends - Urbanisation and Migration - Gender Issues - Social Justice : Positive Discrimination in favour of the under privileged - Social Movements - Indian Political System - Human Development - Social Sectors in India, Health and Education.

Paper III - Finance and Management: Finance :The Union Budget - Direct and Indirect taxes; Non-tax sources of revenue; Outlays; New Measures; Financial Sector Reforms; Capital Market, Money Market and Foreign Exchange Market; Stock Exchanges and their Regulation; Capital Market Intermediaries and their Regulation; Role of SEBI; Functions of the Money Market; Growth and Operation of the Money Market; The Foreign Exchange Market; From FERA to FEMA; Exchange Rate Management; Exchange Risk Management; Role of Banks and Financial Institutions in Economic Development; Regulation of Banks and Financial Institutions; Disinvestment in Public Sector Units.

Management : Management: its nature and scope; The Management Processes; Planning, Organisation, Staffing, Directing and Controlling; The Role of a Manager in an Organisation. Leadership: The Tasks of a Leader; Leadership Styles; Leadership Theories; A successful Leader versus an effective Leader. Human Resource Development: Concept of HRD; Goals of HRD; Performance appraisal - Potential appraisal and development -Feedback and Performance Counselling - Career Planning - Training and Development - Rewards - Employee Welfare. Motivation, Morale and Incentives: Theories of Motivation; How Managers Motivate; Concept of Morale; Factors determining Morale; Role of Incentives in Building up Morale. Communication: Steps in the Communication Process; Communication Channels; Oral versus Written Communication; Verbal versus non-verbal Communication; upward, downward and lateral Communication; Barriers to Communication, Role of Information Technology. Corporate Governance: Factors affecting Corporate Governance; Mechanisms of Corporate Governance.

The above syllabus is only indicative and not exhaustive. The questions in Papers II and III will be basic in nature.