RBI Assistant | 2023
RBI Assistant Prelims 2023: topic weightage and difficulty analysis
100 questions across 3 sections. Overall difficulty: easy.
RBI holds the Assistant preliminary examination across shifts, with a different paper in each and normalisation applied across them. The structure below is from the official advertisement and is the same in every shift: 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes, with a separate 20-minute clock for English Language, Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability, and one fourth of a mark deducted per wrong answer. It is a fast, high-accuracy paper. The topic counts below are our own compilation from candidate reports across shifts, not official data, and no question text is reproduced anywhere on this page.
Where the questions came from
Sorted by weightage, so the topics worth the most preparation time are at the top of each section.
English Language
English Language
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 23 to 27 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| Reading comprehension A single passage, usually more literal than an officer-cadre paper. | 30%9 Moderate | |
| Cloze test | 17%5 Easy | |
| Error detection | 17%5 Easy | |
| Para jumbles | 13%4 Easy | |
| Fillers | 13%4 Easy | |
| Word usage and miscellaneous | 10%3 Easy |
Numerical Ability
Quantitative Aptitude
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 26 to 30 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| Simplification and approximation The largest block and the fastest marks in the paper. No calculator is allowed, so mental-arithmetic speed is the biggest single lever. | 34%12 Easy | |
| Arithmetic word problems | 23%8 Moderate | |
| Data interpretation Usually two straightforward sets, lighter than an officer paper. | 17%6 Moderate | |
| Number series | 14%5 Easy | |
| Quadratic equations | 11%4 Easy |
Reasoning Ability
Reasoning Ability
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 27 to 31 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| Puzzles and seating arrangement Simpler than an officer paper, but still nearly half the section. Pick the solvable sets first. | 43%15 Moderate | |
| Alphanumeric and number series | 14%5 Easy | |
| Inequality | 9%3 Easy | |
| Syllogism | 9%3 Easy | |
| Blood relations | 9%3 Easy | |
| Direction sense | 9%3 Easy | |
| Coding-decoding and miscellaneous | 9%3 Easy |
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What this means for your preparation
The prelims only screens for the mains; its marks do not enter the final merit. Qualify each section's cut-off with margin and move real effort to the mains.
This is an easy, high-accuracy paper, so the candidate who attempts more questions correctly beats the one who chases hard sets. Coverage of the easy blocks matters more than depth.
Numerical Ability is led by simplification, not data interpretation. Twelve or more marks come from pure calculation, and no calculator is allowed, so drilling tables, squares and fractions pays off directly.
There is a separate 20-minute clock for each section with no return, so decide a per-section budget before you begin and practise sections in isolation.
The penalty is a quarter mark per wrong answer. With the paper this attemptable, accuracy separates candidates, so guess only after eliminating two options.
RBI normalises across shifts, so the raw score is not the final score. There is no benefit in trying to guess which shift is easier.
See the real paper, officially
- RBI official website
Recruitment notices, results and the Opportunities@RBI section are published here. RBI opens a brief window to view your question paper, responses and the answer key with an objection facility after each stage.
- RBI Opportunities portal
Call letters, scorecards and response sheets are accessed here with your registration credentials.
Common questions
- Can I download the RBI Assistant Preliminary Examination 2023 question paper?
- Not from this site. In India an exam question paper is a copyright work owned by the conducting body, and reproducing it commercially is infringement. What you can do is view your own paper and responses through the official portal during the objection window after the exam, and the links to do that are on this page.
- Are these topic counts exact?
- No, and we would rather say so. The exam runs across multiple shifts with a different paper in each, and the conducting body does not publish a topic-wise breakdown. The section structure, marks and timing are official. The topic counts are our compilation from candidate reports and describe the typical shape of the paper.
- How should I use a weightage analysis?
- To decide what to study next and what to skip. If one block is a third of a section, practising it has several times the payoff of a topic that carries two questions. It also tells you which questions to leave in the exam itself, which matters more than most candidates think.