Top 10 Govt Bank Exams in India: Eligibility, Exam Pattern & More

Every year, lakhs of students are drawn towards examinations that guarantee a job in government banks. However, appearing for a bank exam is no piece of cake—there are limited jobs in this sector, the competition is very high, and the exams are tough.

One aspect which sets these jobs apart from the rest is that they are open to people from any educational background. What applicants need to have is a graduation degree, basic computer literacy, aptitude and general awareness regarding the banking industry. 

If you are someone who is looking to work in a safe environment with integrity, have a look at ten jobs in government banks: 

1) RBI Grade B Exam

This exam is held for an entry-level managerial post in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for departments like Direct Recruitment, General Cadre, Economic Policy and Research and of Statistics and Information Management.

The preliminary exam is likely to be in June, and the Main exam is held in the last week of July. The notification consisting of exam patterns, schedules, eligibility, and so on is released on the official website. 

The Phase I exam will test general awareness, aptitude, English and reasoning. Phase II (Mains) has three papers: Economics and Social issues, English and Finance and Management. 

Candidates must be between 21 and 30 and must have a graduation degree that matches with either of the three subjects. 

For updates on the notification click here. 

2) RBI Assistant

This is a city-wise selection process conducted by the RBI for the post of Assistant in its different branches and sub-offices.

The age limit is between 20-28 years, and candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% marks. 

The online exam is divided into two parts: Preliminary and Mains, followed by the final recruitment stage that consists of a Language Proficiency Test (LPT). 

The Preliminary test is out of 100 marks and tests the candidate’s reasoning, numerical ability and proficiency in English, while the Mains tests general knowledge, computer skills, quantitative aptitude and reasoning for 200 marks. 

3) SBI PO

Every year, in April, the State Bank of India (SBI) opens its online application for the post of Probationary Officer (PO).

The examination is divided into three parts: Preliminary, Mains and Interview rounds (Group discussion and/or personal interview). 

Both Prelims and Mains will have objective-type questions that will test candidate’s aptitude, reasoning, English and general economic/bank knowledge.

Graduates from any discipline from a recognised University or government-recognised institute can apply. Candidates below 21 and above 30 will not be considered. 

To understand the exam pattern and syllabus, you can refer to the 2019 notification.

Candidates are advised to check Bank’s website https://bank.sbi/careers or https://www.sbi.co.in/careers regularly for further details and updates. 

4) SBI SO

SBI conducts online examinations for the various Specialist Officer (SO) posts like Chief Technology Officer, Data Trainer, Bank Medical Officer, Manager Analyst, Risk and Compliance Officer to Relationship Manager.

While graduates can apply for the post, preference will be given to those with an MA/PhD degree.

The selection process involves three steps:

1. An online examination which consists of paper 1 and 2
2. Shortlisting those who choose contractual posts
3. Interview

In paper 1, candidates are tested on English language proficiency, reasoning and aptitude. Professional knowledge is examined in paper 2. 

The SBI conducts an online examination for paper 1 with a total of 170 questions and time limit of 135 minutes. 

As for the age limit, it can vary depending on the applied position. The maximum age limit is 62 years.

5) IBPS PO

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts 3-part examinations for the post of Probationary Officer (PO) for all public sector banks barring SBI and Regional Rural Banks. 

As per the tentative dates, the online examinations are scheduled in October across India. 

The selection process starts with Preliminary examination followed by Mains and interview rounds. 

The job profile will require the candidate to do general banking, monitoring of clerical work and other bank administration related work.

Notification and online registration for the post of IBPS PO can be found on the official website. 

You can check the updates for this post here.

6) IBPS SO 

The IBPS Specialist Officers (SO) is for various positions like Rajbhasha Adhikari, Marketing Officer, Law Officer, IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer and HR/ Personnel Officer in the Public sector banks in India. 

Candidates are selected for the SO posts through the preliminary exam, main exam, and interview.

The minimum education qualification is a Bachelor’s degree from a recognised institute. The subject that the candidate has majored in should be directly related to the applied post. For example, a person applying for Law Officer should have a law degree. Also, computer literacy is a must, as the examination is conducted online. 

Candidates should be between 20-28 years. 

7) IBPS RRB

This examination is for the recruitment of Officers Scale I, II & III and Office Assistant in Regional Rural Banks (RRB). 

For Officer I and Office Assistant, the exam has three phases: Preliminary exam, Main Exam and the interview round. While candidates appearing for Officer II and III will have a single exam. 

As per the notification, close to 18,000 vacant positions will be available in 52 gramin banks across the country. 

The notification listing online registration process criteria, exam schedules and patterns in detail can be found on the official website. 

Here’s are the dates for each online examination: 

Age Limit

• Officer Scale I: 18-30 years
• Officer Scale II: 21 to 32 years 
• Officer Scale III: 21-40 years
• Office Assistant: 18-28

Follow this link to get updates. 

8) IBPS Clerk

Candidates applying for this position should have a graduation degree from any recognised University. They must not be more than 28 years. 

Since the examination for clerk is also conducted online, computer literacy is a must. The candidates should be fluent in the official language of their respective State/Union Territory. 

The job profile of IBPS clerk comprises customer interaction, document verification, guiding customers, updating passbooks, and other such tasks.

Follow this link to get updates on its notifications.

9) NABARD (Grade A & B Officer) 

The National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD) conducts an online exam for Grade A & B officers every year.

While Grade A officers are Assistant Managers, Grade B officers occupy a Managerial post in the Rural Development Banking Service (RDBS). 

For both the posts, the exam pattern has three phases: Preliminary, Mains and Interview. 

For the Grade B post, candidates should have a graduation degree in any discipline with a minimum of 60%. The age limit is between 21 and 40 years.

For Grade A, candidates should have a graduation degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50%. The age limit is between 21 and 40 years.

10) NABARD Development Assistant 

Candidates applying for the NABARD Development Assistant exam will have to do clerical work with no public dealing in an assistant position. 

The candidate must be a graduate with a minimum of 50%, and the age limit is between 18-35 years. 

The examination will have two phases: Preliminary and Mains. 

The Preliminary online examination is for one hour consists of a total of 100 MCQs from different subjects like Numerical Ability (30), English (40), Reasoning (30). 

Mains is out of 200 that tests Computer Knowledge, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, and so on. 

Those who qualify both papers and produce their Class 10/12 mark sheet/certificate indicating official language as one of the subjects will not be subjected to the Language Proficiency Test (LPT).

In the case of others, the test will be conducted after the declaration of result of the Main examination. The language proficiency test will be held in the official language of the State concerned. 

Click here to check 2019 notification in detail. 

Also Read: NITI Aayog to RBI: 5 Government Internships You Can Apply To Throughout The Year

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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