IBPS RRB · Syllabus & exam pattern
IBPS RRB Syllabus and Exam Pattern: Subject-wise Topics
IBPS RRB selection: Preliminary — Office Assistant (45 minutes); Preliminary — Officer Scale I (45 minutes); Main — Office Assistant (120 minutes); Main — Officer Scale I (120 minutes); Single exam — Officer Scale II (General Banking) and Scale III (120 minutes); Single exam — Officer Scale II Specialists (150 minutes), as per the official notice published 1 September 2026.
Subjects, number of questions, marks, duration and negative marking for every stage, as printed in the official notice.
IBPS RRB exam pattern
Stages of selection
- 1Office Assistant: online Preliminary exam, then online Main exam; allotment on Main marks (no interview)
- 2Officer Scale I: online Preliminary exam, online Main exam, then interview
- 3Officer Scale II and III: single online exam, then interview
- 4Officers: final merit on exam and interview in the ratio 80:20
- 5Provisional allotment to an RRB on merit and actual vacancies
Preliminary — Office Assistant
45 minutes
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning (25 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
| Numerical Ability (20 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
You must clear the cut-off in both tests. Negative marking: 0.25 of the marks of a question per wrong answer.
Preliminary — Officer Scale I
45 minutes
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning (25 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
| Quantitative Aptitude (20 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
You must clear the cut-off in both tests. Negative marking: 0.25 of the marks of a question per wrong answer.
Main — Office Assistant
120 minutes
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning (30 minutes) | 40 | 50 |
| Computer Knowledge (15 minutes) | 40 | 20 |
| General Awareness (15 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
| English or Hindi Language (30 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
| Numerical Ability (30 minutes) | 40 | 50 |
Total 200 questions, 200 marks. Choose English or Hindi. Only Main exam marks count for final merit.
Main — Officer Scale I
120 minutes
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning (30 minutes) | 40 | 50 |
| Computer Knowledge (15 minutes) | 40 | 20 |
| General Awareness (15 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
| English or Hindi Language (30 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
| Quantitative Aptitude (30 minutes) | 40 | 50 |
Total 200 questions, 200 marks. Main marks are used for interview shortlisting and final merit.
Single exam — Officer Scale II (General Banking) and Scale III
120 minutes
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning (30 minutes) | 40 | 50 |
| Computer Knowledge (15 minutes) | 40 | 20 |
| Financial Awareness (15 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
| English or Hindi Language (30 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
| Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation (30 minutes) | 40 | 50 |
Total 200 questions, 200 marks. Scale II (General Banking) and Scale III have the same structure, printed as separate tables.
Single exam — Officer Scale II Specialists
150 minutes
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Knowledge (30 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
| Reasoning (30 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
| Financial Awareness (15 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
| English or Hindi Language (30 minutes) | 40 | 20 |
| Computer Knowledge (15 minutes) | 40 | 20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation (30 minutes) | 40 | 40 |
Total 240 questions, 200 marks.
Source: CRP RRBs-XV: Common Recruitment Process for Recruitment of Officers (Scale-I, II & III) and Office Assistants (Multipurpose) in Regional Rural Banks — Detailed Notification (published 1 September 2026). Confirm in the official notice before applying.
Syllabus: tests of each stage as printed
The tests of each stage as printed in the official notice (CRP RRBs-XV: Common Recruitment Process for Recruitment of Officers (Scale-I, II & III) and Office Assistants (Multipurpose) in Regional Rural Banks — Detailed Notification, 1 September 2026), with their questions and marks. Detailed topic lists are given in the notice itself; always follow the latest notice.
- Preliminary — Office Assistant (45 minutes): Reasoning (25 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks); Numerical Ability (20 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks). You must clear the cut-off in both tests. Negative marking: 0.25 of the marks of a question per wrong answer.
- Preliminary — Officer Scale I (45 minutes): Reasoning (25 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks); Quantitative Aptitude (20 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks). You must clear the cut-off in both tests. Negative marking: 0.25 of the marks of a question per wrong answer.
- Main — Office Assistant (120 minutes): Reasoning (30 minutes) (40 questions, 50 marks); Computer Knowledge (15 minutes) (40 questions, 20 marks); General Awareness (15 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks); English or Hindi Language (30 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks); Numerical Ability (30 minutes) (40 questions, 50 marks). Total 200 questions, 200 marks. Choose English or Hindi. Only Main exam marks count for final merit.
- Main — Officer Scale I (120 minutes): Reasoning (30 minutes) (40 questions, 50 marks); Computer Knowledge (15 minutes) (40 questions, 20 marks); General Awareness (15 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks); English or Hindi Language (30 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks); Quantitative Aptitude (30 minutes) (40 questions, 50 marks). Total 200 questions, 200 marks. Main marks are used for interview shortlisting and final merit.
- Single exam — Officer Scale II (General Banking) and Scale III (120 minutes): Reasoning (30 minutes) (40 questions, 50 marks); Computer Knowledge (15 minutes) (40 questions, 20 marks); Financial Awareness (15 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks); English or Hindi Language (30 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks); Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation (30 minutes) (40 questions, 50 marks). Total 200 questions, 200 marks. Scale II (General Banking) and Scale III have the same structure, printed as separate tables.
- Single exam — Officer Scale II Specialists (150 minutes): Professional Knowledge (30 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks); Reasoning (30 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks); Financial Awareness (15 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks); English or Hindi Language (30 minutes) (40 questions, 20 marks); Computer Knowledge (15 minutes) (40 questions, 20 marks); Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation (30 minutes) (40 questions, 40 marks). Total 240 questions, 200 marks.
Negative marking, cut-offs, interview and final merit
Every online test — preliminary, main and single — deducts one fourth (0.25) of the marks assigned to a question for each wrong answer. Blank answers carry no penalty. Scores from different sessions are normalised by the equi-percentile method.
You need a minimum score in each test. For Officer Scale I, II and III, up to three times the declared vacancies in each category are called for interview; scores are not shared until the interviews are over. Clearing each test is not enough by itself: your total must also be high enough in the merit order.
The interview carries 100 marks. The minimum qualifying mark is 40% (35% for SC, ST, OBC and PwBD). For officers, the exam and interview are weighted 80:20 to give the final score.
Office Assistant merit uses only Main exam marks. Office Assistant and Officer Scale I allotment stays within the state you applied for. If two candidates have the same score, the older candidate is placed higher. A reserve list is kept for one year from provisional allotment.
Which marks decide merit
| Post | Shortlisting | Final merit |
|---|---|---|
| Office Assistant | Preliminary exam (qualifying) | Main exam marks only |
| Officer Scale I | Preliminary exam (qualifying), then Main exam for interview | Main exam and interview, 80:20 |
| Officer Scale II and III | Single exam for interview | Single exam and interview, 80:20 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the IBPS RRB exam pattern?
Preliminary — Office Assistant: Reasoning (25 minutes), Numerical Ability (20 minutes) (45 minutes). You must clear the cut-off in both tests. Negative marking: 0.25 of the marks of a question per wrong answer. Preliminary — Officer Scale I: Reasoning (25 minutes), Quantitative Aptitude (20 minutes) (45 minutes). You must clear the cut-off in both tests. Negative marking: 0.25 of the marks of a question per wrong answer. Main — Office Assistant: Reasoning (30 minutes), Computer Knowledge (15 minutes), General Awareness (15 minutes), English or Hindi Language (30 minutes), Numerical Ability (30 minutes) (120 minutes). Total 200 questions, 200 marks. Choose English or Hindi. Only Main exam marks count for final merit. Main — Officer Scale I: Reasoning (30 minutes), Computer Knowledge (15 minutes), General Awareness (15 minutes), English or Hindi Language (30 minutes), Quantitative Aptitude (30 minutes) (120 minutes). Total 200 questions, 200 marks. Main marks are used for interview shortlisting and final merit. Single exam — Officer Scale II (General Banking) and Scale III: Reasoning (30 minutes), Computer Knowledge (15 minutes), Financial Awareness (15 minutes), English or Hindi Language (30 minutes), Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation (30 minutes) (120 minutes). Total 200 questions, 200 marks. Scale II (General Banking) and Scale III have the same structure, printed as separate tables. Single exam — Officer Scale II Specialists: Professional Knowledge (30 minutes), Reasoning (30 minutes), Financial Awareness (15 minutes), English or Hindi Language (30 minutes), Computer Knowledge (15 minutes), Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation (30 minutes) (150 minutes). Total 240 questions, 200 marks.
Is there negative marking in IBPS RRB?
Yes. One fourth (0.25) of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer in every online exam. Blank answers carry no penalty.