How to Prepare GA for RBI Grade B, Important Topics, Sources

GA or General Awareness constitutes 80 marks out of the 200 marks in the RBI Grade B phase 1 exam. Your RBI Grade B preparation is incomplete without a solid gameplan for General Awareness.

With the RBI Grade B 2025 notification released on 8 September, you have just 40 days until Phase 1. This makes General Awareness preparation challenging due to the large number of topics, microtopics, constant updates, and the detailed facts and figures you need to retain.

In this article, I will give you smart and highly effective RBI Grade B current affairs strategy to master current affairs for Phase 1.

Types of Questions in RBI Grade B General Awareness (GA)

• GA is a less complicated section than Quant or Reasoning and you can score more than 50% of your total score in the Phase 1 exam from it. 
• Questions asked in GA have a good mix of both static and dynamic current affairs with more number of questions (around 70%) based on current events. 

Example:

In 2024, RBI asked: 

As per a recent RBI report, India’s foreign exchange reserves can cover what percentage of projected imports?

To answer this question, you have to comprehensively read all the aspects of import-export centred around India while also remembering the exact percentage figures.

Example:

In 2024, RBI asked: 

Abhinav Bindra won gold in the Olympics in which year? 

This question was probably asked because the Olympic events were held recently. Static questions like this are more often than not related to recent events. 

This means that if you are reading the news about the Prime Minister visiting a certain country, say, Kenya. Apart from the purpose of the visit and other news, you must also read the capital and currency of Kenya.

Some questions also have that shock element where you might feel that something like this cannot be feasibly covered.

Example:

RBI asked in 2024: What is the term used when Artificial Intelligence generates inaccurate or misleading information? 

If you don’t have any idea regarding questions like these, it is best you leave them and attempt the ones that you are sure about.

Important Topics for RBI Grade B GA Preparation

There is no defined syllabus of GA as per the official notification of RBI Grade B. Based on our previous year’s papers analysis, below, we have listed the topics you must prepare for the GA section.

• First in News
• Government initiatives such as Schemes
• MOUs and Agreements, Partnerships and Alliances
• Summit and Conferences
• Science and Technology
• Defence Exercises
• Environment
• Sports
• Awards and Milestones
• Days in News
• Books and Authors
• Places in News
• Fair and Festivals
• Appointments
• Person in News
• RBI Notifications/Press Releases/Reports
• Banking Reforms or Committees
• Bank Mergers or Partnerships

The priority should be given to First in News and Government Initiatives, while also having a pretty fair idea about everything else. 

Best Sources for RBI Grade B GA Preparation

Unlike Quant or Reasoning, GA is a vast topic that spans current awareness, banking awareness, government initiatives etc. that may require you to subscribe to diverse sources. 

You should shortlist your GA resources to be clear about where to study from and once you have this sorted, believe us, you are halfway there! 

Here are some of the best sources to prepare GA for RBI Grade B that we would like to recommend: 

1. Newspapers:
   • As per the recent trends, newspapers have become important. You should subscribe to Live Mint or The Hindu for GA preparation.
   •  Read only the national, economic, or any kind of government initiative or some banking news. 

2. Monthly Current Affairs Magazine: 
   • Reading newspapers and making notes out of them while looking out for the most relevant news can be a real pain. It may even toss your consistency out of the window. 
   • Subscribing to a monthly magazine such as CurrentTap can save you the painful effort and get you right to the point. These magazines are compiled by experts and only the most relevant news will make its place in these monthly magazines. 

3. RBI Reports:
   • Since the exam is about RBI, the organization’s own publications are a gold mine for you. These are annual reports, financial stability reports and others.
   • They are highly relevant for the exam and you can find these publications (go for the recent ones) freely on the RBI website.

4. Online Sources and Mock Tests: 
   • Practicing multiple-choice questions (MCQs) daily is another crucial step for your current affairs strategy to be a success. You can use platforms like ours, which offer excellent GA quizzes and mocks.
   • Mock tests can help you reinforce what you have learned and sharpen your ability to quickly recall facts under pressure. They would also give you a clear idea of how questions are framed, which areas are tested more frequently, and what gaps you need to fill in your current affairs strategy. 
   • You can also follow our YouTube playlist for more targeted practice.

Do’s and Dont’s of RBI Grade B GA Preparation

Do’s for RBI Grade B General Awareness Preparation

1. Use Mind Maps for Better Retention: Don’t just rote the information mentioned in the material. Highlight the most relevant point from a certain news article and try to make it crisp by creating mind maps or visual flowcharts for better retention.

2. Revise Regularly: GA is one section where cramming for just once won’t help. Don’t expect to retain and remember everything just by one reading. 

You would have to do multiple readings before coming to a point where you are just able to select the right answer at first glance.

3. Attempt Mock Tests: Take GA mock tests regularly to get a feel of the real exam. Time management in this section is crucial since the questions are lengthy and come with lengthy confusing clutter. 

You have to learn to quickly figure out the essence of the question asked. Mock tests can help you with that while also tracking your progress and highlighting your weak areas.

4. Focus on Banking Awareness: Given the nature of the exam, prioritizing banking and financial awareness is non-negotiable. Read about all the regulatory bodies’ functions, their history, and basic banking concepts like NEFT, RTGS, NBFCs etc. 

You must also read about any new organizations or initiatives by the Government that are fulfilling any economic or financial purpose of the country. For eg. NaRCL, that was started in 2021 to fulfil the purpose of managing and disposing of stressed assets from commercial banks. 

5. Prioritize Recent Current Affairs:  Ideally, aspirants should cover current affairs from the last 4-5 months before the exam date. 

This period normally covers the bulk of the questions asked in Phase 1. Give utmost attention to the last 3 months before the exam since most of the questions (60-70%) tend to come from this period.

Don’ts for RBI Grade B GA Preparation

1. Don’t Overload with Information: Once you decide on a particular source, stick to it. With the vast amount of information available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Don’t fall into the temptation of reading every magazine or book under the sun. Subscribe to authentic sources like PIB and RBI websites, a good financial newspaper complemented with a lot of Google search and solve as many mock tests as possible.

2. Avoid Last-Minute Cramming: As tempting as it may seem, cramming GA at the last minute will only leave you puzzled and frustrated. Focus on regular revisions and be ready with all necessary facts and figures when D-day is near. 

3. Don’t Rush Through Reading: The RBI Grade B exam is shifting toward more in-depth current affairs questions. This is not only true in the Phase 2 exam but nowadays, RBI is asking detailed and in-depth questions on all the topics in Phase 1 as well. Avoid skimming through content. Take your time to understand key concepts and details to enhance retention.

4. Don’t Compare Your Preparation with Others: Everyone has their own pace and their own learning curve. Constantly comparing your progress with others can demotivate you. Have faith in yourself, trust your consistent efforts and keep improving incrementally.

How can you Revise and Retain RBI Grade B General Awareness (GA) easily?

Revision is key to retaining important information for the exam. Here’s a structured revision plan that could solidify your current affairs strategy for RBI Grade B Phase 1 GA:

1. Make use of Micro-Notes

In the early stages of your preparation, you are highly likely to struggle with revising current affairs consistently. A proper note-taking system is the most prudent thing to adopt to save you time with each revision cycle. 

Spend some time and extract the most relevant facts and figures from a certain news piece. Note these details down in a notebook or a note-making app such as Evernote, Google Docs, etc. For example, after reading about a new government scheme, you can note down:

• The name of the scheme.
• It’s objective.
• Beneficiary Eligibility
• The Ministry involved.
• Key features or budget allocations.

Another example may be some RBI reports where they are talking about Bank Liquidity Ratios. 

• Note the current year’s status
• Past year Numbers
• Growth or Decline in the past and present year figure

These micro-notes can be incredibly helpful for multiple quick revisions. You can easily review them daily, especially during travel or short breaks. 

2. Make a solid periodic plan for revision: 

The importance of regular revision can’t be emphasised enough. For effective facts and figures retention, a solid periodic plan for revision is important. Here are our two cents on it:

• Weekly Revision: At the end of each week, go through all current affairs and static portions covered in the week. Be sure that you revise government schemes, reports, and relevant news articles.

• Monthly Revision: At the end of every month, compile all current affairs taken up in each month, especially government schemes, and RBI reports. It is generally done because this tends to reinforce information and identify areas that need more focus.

• Final Revision: In the last 10-15 days before the exam, focus only on revision. Revise your notes on government schemes, economic reforms, and social issues. Avoid taking in new information at this stage.

3. Variety in Study Methods:

Incorporate different study methods to keep your preparation dynamic. Alternate between reading, watching videos, and listening to podcasts on relevant topics. Variety helps maintain interest and improves retention by engaging different learning styles.

Engaging with interactive learning tools like quizzes and flashcards makes studying more dynamic and reinforces key concepts through immediate feedback. 

Joining online forums or social media groups dedicated to RBI Grade B preparation allows you to share knowledge and gain new insights from fellow aspirants. 

Conclusion

Current Affairs for the RBI Grade B exam cannot be a mere mugging up of facts. It involves understanding the bigger picture, connecting the dots, and then effective revision. 

With proper resources, consistent effort, and disciplined revision, this segment can help you fetch maximum marks in Phase 1 of the exam.

These personalized strategies, when executed smartly, will eventually find a space in your routine, laying down a solid foundation for current affairs. 

Once you are adequately prepared by following this current affairs strategy for RBI Grade B Phase 1, you will be able to face the exam with confidence and stand through even the most unpredictable questions that will come before you during the exam. Best of Luck and remember, We’ve Got Your Back, always!