RBI Grade B eligibility: age, marks and attempts

Every cycle, some candidates clear Phase 1, and sometimes Phase 2, and are then turned away at document verification. The reason is rarely dramatic. It is a percentage of 59.9 read as 60, a birth date one day outside the window, or a category certificate in the wrong format. RBI Grade B checks eligibility strictly, and it checks it late, after you have invested months. So check it first.

Nationality

You must be a citizen of India, or belong to one of the other categories the notification lists (such as subjects of Nepal or Bhutan, and certain persons of Indian origin who have migrated with the intention of settling in India). Candidates in those other categories need a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India. Most aspirants are Indian citizens and need do nothing further here.

Age

The minimum age is 21. Age is counted on a cut-off date set in each notification, and that date has moved between cycles. Other relaxations (for example for ex-servicemen and for certain widowed or divorced women) are listed in the notification with their own conditions.

Worked example: reading the birth-date window

"Between 21 and 30 years" means you have turned 21 and have not yet turned 31 on the cut-off date. Notifications usually print this as a pair of dates. Suppose, for illustration, the cut-off date were 1 July 2026:

1. Latest birth date: you must have turned 21 by 1 July 2026, so you must be born on or before 1 July 2005.
2. Earliest birth date: you must not have turned 31 by 1 July 2026. Someone born on 1 July 1995 turns 31 on that very day, so they are out. The earliest eligible birth date is 2 July 1995.
3. With the OBC relaxation (33 years): you must not have turned 34, so the earliest eligible birth date moves back three years, to 2 July 1992.
4. With a PhD (34 years): you must not have turned 35, so the earliest date is 2 July 1991.

Use the actual cut-off date from your notification and repeat these steps. If your birth date falls within a few days of the boundary, check it twice.

Educational qualification (General stream)

You need one of these, not both. A candidate with 58% in graduation but 56% in postgraduation qualifies through the postgraduate route.

Three details decide most borderline cases:

• Aggregate of all years or semesters. The percentage is usually calculated on the total of all years or semesters, not the final year alone.
• No rounding. 59.99% is not 60%. Notifications have said this explicitly.
• Grades and CGPA. If your university awards grades, you need the percentage equivalent as your university converts it, usually backed by a certificate from the university.

Worked example: the aggregate

A candidate has marks of 580, 610 and 612, each out of 1,000, over three years.

1. Total marks obtained: 580 + 610 + 612 = 1,802.
2. Maximum marks: 3 × 1,000 = 3,000.
3. Percentage: 1,802 ÷ 3,000 × 100 = 60.07%.

This candidate is eligible, even though the first year alone was below 60%. Had the total been 1,799, the percentage would be 59.97% and they would not qualify.

Final-year candidates

Notifications have usually allowed candidates awaiting their final result to apply, provided they meet the minimum percentage when the result is declared and can prove it by a date the RBI sets. Read that condition carefully in your year's notification, and keep evidence of when your result was declared.

Attempts

For the General stream, reports for recent cycles give a limit of six attempts for General and EWS candidates. Reports agree that there is no limit for SC, ST and PwBD candidates, but they differ on OBC candidates, so check the notification.

What counts as an attempt matters more than the number:

• Appearing in Phase 1 counts as an attempt.
• Applying and then not appearing is generally reported as not counting.
• The limit, as reported, applies to the General stream. DEPR and DSIM have their own eligibility rules; see the guide to the streams.

A quick comparison with bank PO eligibility

The higher marks requirement is the one that surprises most candidates. Check it before anything else.

Practice: are these candidates eligible?

Assume a cut-off date of 1 July 2026 and the General-stream rules above.

1. A General-category candidate born on 2 July 1995 with 61% in graduation, appearing for the first time.
   • Eligible. They turn 31 only on 2 July 2026, the day after the cut-off date.
2. An EWS candidate with 59.98% in graduation and 57% in postgraduation.
   • Eligible through postgraduation (55% needed). Graduation alone would fail, since there is no rounding.
3. A General-category candidate who has appeared in Phase 1 six times already.
   • Not eligible under the reported six-attempt limit.
4. A General-category candidate born on 15 March 1993 with a PhD.
   • Eligible. They turn 34 in March 2027, so they are 33 on the cut-off date, within the PhD limit of 34.

An eligibility checklist

• Birth date checked against the window printed in this year's notification
• Graduation or postgraduation percentage worked out on the aggregate, without rounding
• CGPA conversion certificate from the university, if you were graded
• Category or PwBD certificate in the format and validity the notification prescribes
• A count of the times you have appeared in Phase 1
• M.Phil or PhD degree proof, if claiming the age extension
• Final-year result date noted, if you are awaiting results

When eligibility is settled, read the exam pattern and the syllabus next.