What is the General Awareness (GA) Syllabus of RBI Grade B?

General Awareness is one of the key subjects in the RBI Grade B Phase 1 exam with the highest weightage of 80 marks. The official RBI Grade B notification is out on 8 September 2025, and it does not mention the RBI Grade B syllabus for GA. Now, as a sincere aspirant, you must be having questions regarding the RBI Grade B GA syllabus, such as:

• What are the topics of the RBI Grade B General Awareness syllabus? 
• Is the RBI Grade B GA syllabus similar to Bank PO exams?
• Which topics should you prioritize from the RBI manager GA syllabus?
• What is the difference between the GA and current affairs syllabus for the RBI Grade B exam?

Getting answers to the above questions will prevent you from overlooking important topics of the RBI Grade B general awareness syllabus. It’ll also help you choose relevant study materials to cover the syllabus.

In this article, I’ll provide a detailed RBI Grade B GA syllabus, based on our analysis of previous years’ question papers.

What Are the Topics of RBI Grade B General Awareness Syllabus?

To list all the topics, find below the last 2 years’ analysis of the general awareness section of the RBI Grade B exam:

Key Observations

• As you can see from the above table, you should prioritise the high-weightage topics—RBI notifications, reports, finance & ESI current affairs, and government schemes. These help you cover the majority of the Phase 1 syllabus and are also featured in Phase 2.
• Allocate less time to low-weightage topics (MOUs, science & technology, awards, defence, etc.), as they are relevant to only Phase 1.

Based on the above, we have divided the RBI Grade B general awareness syllabus into current affairs and static topics:

Current Affairs Topics of RBI Grade B GA Syllabus 

• National News: MoUs, summits, and major events related to India.
• International: Summits and conferences held abroad.
• Financial & Economics News
• Financial Awareness: RBI and SEBI Notifications and Regulations
• Defence: Military exercises, drills, and major updates related to the defence sector of India
• Days in News: Major events or days, along with their date and theme
• Persons in News: Obituaries, appointments, retirements
• Sports: Major tournaments and their winners
• Science, Technology, and Space
• Awards and Honours
• Environment
• Banking, Economy-related news
• Reports and Government Schemes
• Books and Authors

Static Topics of RBI Grade B GA Syllabus

• Chief Ministers and Cabinet Ministers
• National Parks and Sanctuaries
• Airport Locations, Stadiums
• Organisations’ Headquarters
• Banks’ Headquarters and Taglines
• Power Plants in India
• Indian Dance Forms
• Countries Capitals and their Currencies
• Important Days

Is the RBI Grade B General Awareness Syllabus Huge?

The RBI Grade B GA syllabus may seem huge, however, it is manageable by understanding the following:

• Sectional Cut-Off
  • Unlike other RBI Grade B Phase 1 subjects—quant, reasoning, & English—where clearing just the sectional cut-off is enough, General Awareness requires more than just clearing the sectional cut-off. 
  • Besides clearing the sectional cut-off of GA, which varied between 12 and 20 marks from 2018 to 2024, you also need to score more from the GA section to clear the overall Phase 1 cut-off.  
• High-Weightage Topics
  • While the syllabus appears extensive, focusing on these key areas—Government Schemes, Reports, Finance & ESI Current Affairs, and RBI Notifications—provides a manageable and efficient path to covering the maximum GA syllabus.
• Role of Current Affairs
  • Current affairs are important for phase 1 and 2, allowing you to simultaneously cover a major portion of both phases, simplifying your overall preparation, and making the RBI manager GA syllabus feel more manageable.

Now, you might be wondering about the difference between General Awareness and Current Affairs. What parts are strictly for Phase 1, which ones are for Phase 2, and which topics are common in both? Let’s break it down to make things clearer.

RBI Grade B General Awareness Vs. Current Affairs Syllabus: What is the Difference?

Many aspirants learn the difference between the GA and current affairs syllabus the hard way after wasting their precious first attempt. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen to you. Here’s a breakdown of the differences:

General Awareness

• General Awareness includes both static and current affairs topics. 
• Static topics are only a part of Phase 1.
• Current affairs are part of both Phase 1 and 2.

Current Affairs

• Phase 1 current affairs covers all the topics mentioned in the table above except static GK.
• In Phase 2, subject-specific current affairs are asked in FM and ESI papers.
• Descriptive questions in Phase 2 are also based on current affairs.

Let’s understand this by taking examples of actual questions asked in the RBI Grade B exam: 

Example 1: Static Question Example from RBI Grade B 2024 Phase 1 Exam 

Which one of the following institutions are not All India Financial Institutions?

1. NABARD
2. NHB
3. SIDBI
4. DICGC
5. None of the above

Example 2: Current Affairs Question Example from RBI Grade B 2024 Phase 1 Exam 

As per the RBI Guidelines, Banks can reckon outstanding deposits with NABARD under Agriculture and overall PSL achievement, while deposits with SIDBI, MUDRA, and NHB can be reckoned only for overall PSL achievement. However, the deposits with which one of the following entities cannot be reckoned for sub-target achievement, viz. SMF, NCF, Micro and weaker sections?

1. Deposits from NHB
2. Deposits from SIDBI
3. Deposits from MUDRA
4. Deposits from NABARD
5. All of the above

How Much Time Is Needed to Cover the RBI Grade B GA Syllabus? 

Ideally, you should plan 9 to 12 months for preparation for the RBI Grade B exam, where you cover at least 6 to 9 months of current affairs. However, if you have limited time, don’t worry! Here are some pointers to effectively cover the RBI Grade B General Awareness syllabus within a shorter time frame:

• Prioritize high-weightage topics (see the table above).
• Instead of reading daily newspapers, which can be time-consuming, use monthly or weekly current affairs magazines.
• Prioritize 3 months of current affairs before the exam date, then expand your coverage to include the previous 3 months, if time permits.

What Next?

Merely knowing the RBI Grade B General Awareness syllabus is not enough. In the past, aspirants could score up to 70 marks in the General Awareness section. However, in recent years, even scoring 30-35 marks has become challenging. 

To stay ahead of the competition, it is crucial to understand the changes in the question pattern, the new types of questions introduced, and how to approach them.

After knowing the RBI Grade B general awareness syllabus, it is time to understand the syllabus of the remaining RBI Grade B Phase 1 subjects:

• English Language
• Reasoning Ability
• Quantitative Aptitude

A well-rounded preparation strategy covering all subjects will enhance your chances of clearing Phase 1 successfully.