RBI Assistant 2026 Notification Out: Complete Guide to 650 Posts, Exam Pattern, Syllabus & Important Dates

The Reserve Bank of India has announced 650 Assistant vacancies for Panel Year 2025, with online applications open from 16 February to 8 March 2026 and exams scheduled for 11 April (Prelims) and 7 June 2026 (Mains).

Recruitment will be conducted through a three-stage process—Preliminary Exam, Main Exam, and a mandatory Language Proficiency Test (LPT)—for posts across 17 regional offices, with reservations as per Government norms. Eligible candidates must be aged 20–28 years (with applicable relaxations), hold a bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks (pass class for reserved categories), possess basic computer knowledge, and demonstrate proficiency in the local language of the applied office.

The selection involves objective tests with sectional timing and negative marking, followed by LPT and document verification. The starting basic pay is ₹29,000, with initial gross monthly emoluments around ₹58,514 plus allowances and benefits such as HRA, medical facilities, LFC, advances, and NPS coverage.

Candidates must apply online through RBI’s website, upload prescribed documents, pay category-wise fees, and follow strict exam-day and eligibility guidelines, while preparing strategically across English, Numerical Ability, Reasoning, General Awareness, and Computer Knowledge to maximize their chances of selection.

Reserve Bank of India Assistant Recruitment 2026: 650 Vacancies, Eligibility, Exam Dates, Salary & Apply Online

The Reserve Bank of India has released the official notification for 650 Assistant vacancies for Panel Year 2025, with online applications open in February–March 2026. This article explains eligibility, exam pattern, syllabus highlights, important dates, salary, and preparation tips so that job seekers can plan their RBI Assistant strategy effectively.

Key Highlights and Important Dates

RBI is conducting a country‑wide competitive examination with Prelims, Mains, and a Language Proficiency Test (LPT) to recruit Assistants across its regional offices.

Important dates (RBI Assistant 2025–26):

• Online application window: 16 February 2026 – 08 March 2026
• Online fee payment: 16 February 2026 – 08 March 2026
• Preliminary Exam (online): 11 April 2026 (tentative)
• Main Exam (online): 07 June 2026 (tentative)
• Edit window dates: To be notified separately on RBI website

Candidates must apply online only through the RBI website; no other mode of application is accepted.

Total Vacancies and Office‑wise Posts

RBI has announced 650 Assistant posts distributed across 17 recruiting offices, with reservations for SC, ST, OBC, EWS, PwBD and Ex‑Servicemen as per Government of India guidelines.

Office-wise vacancies

The official notification clearly states that RBI may increase or decrease vacancies or decide not to fill them, based on requirement.

Eligibility Criteria (Age, Education, Language)

Nationality

A candidate must be either:

• A citizen of India, or
• A subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or
• A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 to settle permanently, or
• A person of Indian origin migrated from specified countries (e.g., Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, etc.) intending to settle in India, with a valid eligibility certificate from Government of India.

Age limit (as on 01.02.2026)

Age must be between 20 and 28 years.

Only candidates born not earlier than 02.02.1998 and not later than 01.02.2006 (both days inclusive) are eligible.

Upper age relaxation:

• SC/ST: 5 years (up to 33 years)
• OBC: 3 years (up to 31 years)
• PwBD: 10 years for GEN/EWS, 13 years for OBC, 15 years for SC/ST
• Ex‑Servicemen: Service length in Armed Forces + 3 years, up to maximum 50 years.
• Widows/divorced/judicially separated women not remarried: up to 35 years (GEN), 40 years (SC/ST).
• RBI work‑experience: Relaxation up to 3 years based on years of service.

Educational qualification (as on 01.02.2026)

Bachelor’s degree in any discipline with minimum 50% marks (pass class for SC/ST/PwBD) in aggregate. Knowledge of word processing on PC is mandatory.

For Ex‑servicemen (except dependents): either a graduate OR a matriculate (or equivalent) with at least 15 years of defence service.

RBI follows specific rules for percentage calculation and CGPA conversion; for example, 49.99% is treated as less than 50%, and specified grade break‑ups (like 6.75 CGPA equivalent to 60%) apply where university rules are absent.

Language proficiency

Candidates applying for a particular Recruiting Office must be proficient in the local language, i.e., able to read, write, speak and understand it.

Some examples:

• Ahmedabad: Gujarati
• Bengaluru: Kannada
• Chennai: Tamil
• Hyderabad: Telugu
• Kolkata: Bengali/Nepali
• Mumbai: Marathi/Konkani
• Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam

This competency is tested through the Language Proficiency Test (LPT) after Mains.

Selection Process and Exam Pattern

Selection is conducted in three stages: Preliminary exam, Main exam, and LPT.

Stage 1 – Preliminary Examination (Online)

Objective test, 100 questions, 60 minutes total (sectional timing).

• All sections are objective.
• Negative marking: 1/4 of the mark assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer in Prelims and Mains.
• You must qualify each section separately and score high enough overall to be shortlisted for Mains.

Stage 2 – Main Examination (Online)

Objective test, 200 questions, 135 minutes total with section‑wise timing.

Key points:

• Except the English test, all tests are available in English, Hindi and other specified regional languages (Appendix II).
• You must qualify in each part and score high in aggregate.
• Roughly 10× the vacancies are shortlisted from Prelims to Mains (subject to availability), and about 2× the vacancies are shortlisted from Mains to LPT.
• Scores may be normalized (equipercentile method) if exam is held in multiple sessions.

Stage 3 – Language Proficiency Test (LPT)

Candidates provisionally shortlisted from Mains must appear for LPT in the official language of the concerned State/Office, conducted at the respective Regional Office.

• LPT is mandatory, and no exemption is allowed.
• Candidate not proficient in the local language will be disqualified, regardless of written exam performance.

Final selection is based on performance in the online exam (Prelims + Mains relevant as per RBI’s final criteria), qualifying LPT, medical fitness, and document verification.

Salary, Allowances and Career Growth

The RBI Assistant post offers an attractive salary package with multiple allowances and benefits.

Basic pay and gross salary

• Starting basic pay: ₹29,000 per month in the scale:
  ₹29,000–1,700(3)–34,100–2,040(4)–42,260–2,720(6)–58,580–2,950(2)–64,480–3,370(3)–74,590–4,050(1)–78,640.
• Initial monthly gross emoluments (without HRA): approximately ₹58,514.
• House Rent Allowance (HRA): 15% of pay is paid additionally if you are not in RBI accommodation.

Perks and benefits

RBI Assistants are eligible for several perquisites:

• Bank’s accommodation (subject to availability)
• Allowance for knowledge updation, briefcase, and furnishing of residence
• Dispensary facility, annual health check‑up, and medical reimbursement for OPD/hospitalization as per eligibility
• Festival advance (interest‑free), Leave Fare Concession (LFC), housing loan, personal advance at concessional interest rates (after minimum service period)
• Coverage under Defined Contribution New Pension Scheme (NPS) and gratuity.

Selected candidates are initially posted in the recruitment zone of the office they apply for, but can be transferred within zonal groups (East, West, North, South) based on administrative requirements. There are reasonable promotion prospects to higher grades for good performers.

Reservation, Fees and Special Provisions

Application fees / intimation charges

The notification prescribes category‑wise fees as follows (exclusive of 18% GST, which is added on top):

Bank transaction charges for online payment are borne by the candidate.

Reservation guidelines

• Reservation for SC, ST, OBC (Non‑Creamy Layer), EWS, PwBD, Ex‑Servicemen, and Dependents of Servicemen killed in action is provided as per prevailing Government of India rules.
• SC/ST/OBC candidates can apply against unreserved posts (if their category is not reserved in that state) but must meet unreserved eligibility norms; they still get fee concessions.
• OBC candidates must produce a valid Non‑Creamy Layer certificate based on income for FY 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25, issued on or after 01 April 2025 and not later than 08 March 2026.
• EWS candidates must have an Income and Asset Certificate for FY 2024–25, valid for 2025–26; otherwise, they should apply as General.
• Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) are eligible under notified categories (blindness, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, locomotor disability, autism, intellectual disability, etc.), with specific functional requirements and suitability clarified for the Assistant post.

The notification provides detailed rules on scribe facility, compensatory time, and validity of disability certificates, including separate provisions for candidates with less than 40% disability but difficulty in writing.

How to Apply Online for RBI Assistant 2025–26

Applications must be submitted online only at the link “Recruitment for the Post of Assistant – Panel Year 2025” on RBI’s website during the application window.

Step-by-step application process

1. Registration:
   • Visit the advertisement page and click “Click here for New Registration”.
   • Enter Name, contact details, email ID to get a Provisional Registration Number and Password via SMS and email.
2. Fill details:
   • Log in using registration number and password.
   • Enter personal, educational, and other details carefully, using “SAVE AND NEXT” to validate and store data before final submission.
   • Match your name with your photo ID and certificates; any mismatch can lead to disqualification.
3. Upload documents:
   • Upload photograph, signature, left thumb impression, and handwritten declaration as per specified size and format guidelines (e.g., photo 200×230 px, 20–50 KB; signature 10–20 KB; thumb impression 20–50 KB; declaration 50–100 KB, all in JPG/JPEG).
   • The handwritten declaration text must exactly follow the prescribed sentence and be in the candidate’s own handwriting in English.
4. DigiLocker (optional):
   • Candidates may voluntarily link DigiLocker to share Aadhaar and educational documents automatically.
5. Preview and final submission:
   • Use the Preview tab to review entries and uploaded images.
   • After verifying details, click COMPLETE REGISTRATION; no further edits are allowed except during the later Edit Window (limited fields only).
6. Fee payment (online):
   • Pay through Debit Card, Credit Card, Internet Banking, IMPS, Cash Cards, Mobile Wallets via integrated payment gateway.
   • Wait for server confirmation; do not press Back/Refresh to avoid double charges.
   • On success, an e‑Receipt is generated; take printout along with the online application form as proof.
7. Edit window:
   • After application closing date, RBI provides a 2‑day Edit Window with a correction fee of ₹200 (inclusive of GST) to modify limited fields (e.g., exam centre, parents’ names, 10th/12th percentages).
   • Only the latest modified application (after fee payment) is treated as valid.

Candidates are strongly advised to apply early, not wait till the last date, and ensure clear uploads; improper photos/signatures may lead to rejection or denial of exam entry.

Exam Centres, Call Letters and Exam‑day Rules

Exam centres

Prelims and Mains are conducted at multiple centres across all states; each recruiting office has a list of cities for Prelims and a smaller subset for Mains. RBI reserves the right to add or remove centres, and candidates may be allocated centres outside the state applied for, depending on feasibility.

Examples:

• Ahmedabad office: centres in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Mehsana, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, etc.
• Mumbai office: Mumbai/Thane/Navi Mumbai region, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Panaji, etc.
• Kolkata office: Kolkata, Asansol, Siliguri, Gangtok, etc.

No change of exam centre will be entertained once selected.

Call letters and ID proof

• Call letters for Prelims and Mains are to be downloaded from RBI website using Registration/Roll Number and Password/Date of Birth.
• Candidates must bring:
  • Printed call letter,
  • Original photo identity proof (PAN, Passport, Driving Licence, Voter ID, Bank passbook with photo, Govt/College ID, Aadhaar/e‑Aadhaar, etc.), and
  • A photocopy of the same ID.
• Ration card and Learner’s Driving Licence are not valid ID proofs.
• The name on call letter must match the ID proof; women who changed name after marriage must bring Gazette/marriage certificate/affidavit if names differ.

Candidates must report before the reporting time mentioned on the call letter; late reporting leads to disqualification from that exam.

Prohibited items and conduct

• Mobile phones, pagers, calculators, and other electronic devices are strictly banned inside the exam hall.
• Carrying such items or using unfair means can result in disqualification, debarment from future exams, and legal action.
• RBI may capture biometric data (photo, thumb impression, iris) for identity verification at any stage.

Pre‑Exam Training for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD Candidates

RBI may arrange combined online pre‑examination training for a limited number of SC, ST, OBC, and PwBD candidates, in line with Government guidelines.

• Eligible candidates must apply to the concerned Regional Office via email, using the format in Appendix V, by 10 March 2026.
• Training expenses for travel, lodging, and boarding are to be borne by the candidate.

Practical Preparation Strategy for RBI Assistant Aspirants

Using the official pattern, job seekers can design a focused strategy:

1. Build strong basics for Prelims:
   • English: reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary; target high accuracy as there is sectional cut‑off and negative marking.
   • Numerical Ability: arithmetic (percentage, profit‑loss, ratio, time‑work, DI), speed‑maths.
   • Reasoning: puzzles, seating arrangement, syllogism, inequality, coding‑decoding.
2. Prepare comprehensively for Mains:
   • Add General Awareness with focus on current affairs, banking and RBI‑related topics, and static GK.
   • Strengthen Computer Knowledge (basic hardware/software, MS Office, internet, security concepts).
3. Practice full‑length mocks:
   • Simulate sectional timing and negative marking, and analyse each test for speed and accuracy improvements.
   • Focus on achieving safe scores above expected cut‑offs in every section.
4. Language Proficiency Test readiness:
   • Regularly read local language newspapers, write short notes, and practice speaking to ensure fluency in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding the official language of your applied office.
5. Document and application readiness:
   • Keep degree certificates, category certificates, disability certificates (if applicable), and photos/signatures in correct digital formats well before applying.

By understanding the eligibility, exam structure, salary, and application rules from the official notification and combining it with a targeted study plan, job seekers can significantly increase their chances of securing an RBI Assistant position in the 2025–26 recruitment cycle.

FAQs – RBI Assistant 2025–26

What is the total number of vacancies announced for RBI Assistant 2025–26?
A total of 650 Assistant vacancies have been announced across 17 recruiting offices.

What is the application date for RBI Assistant 2025–26?
The online application window is open from 16 February 2026 to 08 March 2026.

What is the last date to pay the RBI Assistant application fee?
The last date to pay the online application fee is 08 March 2026.

What is the selection process for RBI Assistant recruitment?
The selection process consists of Preliminary Exam, Main Exam, and a Language Proficiency Test (LPT).

Is there negative marking in the RBI Assistant exam?
Yes, 1/4th of the marks assigned to a question are deducted for every wrong answer in both Prelims and Mains.

What is the age limit for RBI Assistant 2025?
Candidates must be between 20 and 28 years as on 01 February 2026, with age relaxation applicable for reserved categories.

What educational qualification is required for RBI Assistant?
Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks in aggregate (pass class for SC/ST/PwBD candidates).

Is computer knowledge mandatory for RBI Assistant?
Yes, knowledge of word processing on a PC is mandatory.

Is local language proficiency required for RBI Assistant?
Yes, candidates must be able to read, write, speak, and understand the local language of the recruiting office they apply for.

What is the exam pattern for RBI Assistant Prelims?
The Prelims exam includes English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability for 100 marks with sectional timing.

What subjects are included in the RBI Assistant Mains exam?
The Mains exam includes Reasoning, English Language, Numerical Ability, General Awareness, and Computer Knowledge.

How many candidates are shortlisted for Mains?
Approximately 10 times the number of vacancies are shortlisted for the Mains exam.

Is the Language Proficiency Test mandatory?
Yes, qualifying the Language Proficiency Test is mandatory for final selection.

What is the starting salary of an RBI Assistant?
The starting basic pay is ₹29,000 per month.

What is the initial gross salary of an RBI Assistant?
The initial gross monthly salary is approximately ₹58,514 excluding HRA.

Is House Rent Allowance provided to RBI Assistants?
Yes, 15% HRA is provided if RBI accommodation is not allotted.

What is the application fee for RBI Assistant?
The fee is ₹450 for GEN/OBC/EWS candidates and ₹50 for SC/ST/PwBD/Ex-Servicemen candidates, plus GST.

Can RBI change the number of vacancies?
Yes, RBI reserves the right to increase, decrease, or not fill the vacancies based on requirements.

Can candidates apply offline for RBI Assistant?
No, applications are accepted online only through RBI’s official website.

Is there any pre-exam training for reserved categories?
Yes, RBI may conduct online pre-exam training for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD candidates.

Are RBI Assistants eligible for promotion?
Yes, there are promotion opportunities to higher grades based on performance and service.

Can exam centers be changed after selection?
No, once selected, the exam center cannot be changed.

What documents are required on the exam day?
Candidates must carry the printed call letter, original photo ID proof, and a photocopy of the ID.

Is biometric verification conducted during the RBI exam?
Yes, RBI may capture biometric data for identity verification.

Are Ex-Servicemen eligible to apply?
Yes, Ex-Servicemen are eligible with applicable age relaxation and qualification norms.

Can OBC candidates apply under the General category?
Yes, but they must meet the General category eligibility criteria and cut-offs.

What happens if a candidate fails the Language Proficiency Test?
The candidate will be disqualified even if they clear the written examination.

Are mobile phones allowed inside the exam hall?
No, mobile phones and electronic devices are strictly prohibited inside the exam hall.

Is there an edit window after submitting the application?
Yes, RBI provides a limited edit window after the application closing date with a correction fee.

Where can candidates apply for RBI Assistant 2025–26?
Candidates must apply online through the official website of the Reserve Bank of India.