RBI Security Guard Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

• No negative marking.
• No sectional cut-off; only the total counts.
• The 80 minutes covers all three tests, so you split the time yourself. That's 48 seconds a question.

Shortlisted candidates then take a physical test, qualifying only, with standards in an annexure to the advertisement. Bring a fitness certificate from a medical officer not below Civil Surgeon or Assistant Surgeon, and the prescribed undertaking. Travel is at your own cost.

RBI gives only the test structure, not a topic list. The ground each test usually covers:

• Reasoning (40): series and analogies, odd one out, coding and decoding, blood relations, direction sense, ranking, alphabet and number series, seating arrangement, syllogisms, statement and conclusion, symbol-based and non-verbal reasoning.
• General English (30): grammar and usage, tenses, articles and prepositions, subject-verb agreement, error spotting, sentence correction and completion, synonyms and antonyms, one word substitution, idioms, spelling, short comprehension.
• Numerical Ability (30): number system and simplification, percentages, ratio and proportion, averages, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time speed and distance, mensuration, simple data interpretation.

The level is 10th standard. An Information Handout, downloaded with the call letter, explains the test in detail.

Ex-servicemen

Anyone who served in any rank, combatant or not, in the regular Army, Navy or Air Force and retired with pension; was released on medical grounds attributable to service with a disability pension; was released through reduction in establishment; or completed their engagement (not dismissed or discharged for misconduct or inefficiency) and got a gratuity. Service in the Defence Security Corps, General Reserve Engineer Force, Lok Sahayak Sena or paramilitary forces doesn't count. Territorial Army personnel in specified categories count from 15 November 1986.

Once you've joined a civil government job using ex-serviceman benefits, you lose that status for further re-employment. Those already in a Central Government Group C or D post keep the age relaxation but can't use the reservation again.

Qualification

• 10th standard pass from a recognised board.
• Not a graduate on the reference date. Graduates and higher are not eligible, except matriculate ex-servicemen with 15 years of service.
• The qualification must be entered in your Soldier's Discharge Book. Passing it outside the recruitment zone is fine.

Residence, age and experience

You must live in a state or UT under the jurisdiction of the office you apply to. The base age limit is 25 (28 for OBC, 30 for SC and ST), relaxed by your years of service plus three, up to 45 for every category. Your school leaving certificate settles any age dispute. You need a proper military background with experience of handling arms and ammunition.

Disabled ex-servicemen (orthopaedic, hearing, visual or otherwise) and those declared medically unfit aren't eligible.

Reserved categories

Where your state has no vacancy reserved for your category, you can apply against an unreserved one, but on unreserved age and other criteria; SC and ST still get the fee relaxation. OBC status goes by your father's state of origin, and your declared community can't be changed later.

1. Online test (100 marks). Shortlisting is on these marks, and roll numbers go up on the Bank's website.
2. Physical test, qualifying only. Call letters come from the recruiting office or for download.
3. Merit list from those who pass the physical test, ranked on online test marks.
4. Document verification, biometric verification and a pre-recruitment medical before final selection.

So the written test decides your rank and the physical test can only knock you out. Candidates about to leave the Armed Forces must hand in release certificates at the physical test.

Your photo, thumb impression or iris may be captured at any stage and checked again later. If the finger is injured, tell the centre at once so another can be used. Mismatch complaints aren't heard later and the verifier's decision is final; impersonation means cancellation and legal action. The Bank can reject any candidature at any stage without giving reasons, and canvassing disqualifies you.

Starting basic pay is ₹10,940 a month on the scale:

10940 − 380(4) − 12460 − 440(3) − 13780 − 520(3) − 15340 − 690(2) − 16720 − 860(4) − 20160 − 1180(3) − 23700, over 20 years.

Initial gross pay is about ₹27,678 a month, with HRA at 15%. Allowances include Dearness, House Rent, Local Compensatory, Transport, Personal Fixed, Shift, Special Functional, Special (I), Grade and Washing Allowance.

Perks: RBI housing if available, furnishing; reimbursement of education costs, spectacles, books, newspapers, GSLI and car insurance; conveyance; dispensary and medical reimbursement; an interest-free festival advance; Leave Fare Concession every two years; and cheap loans for housing, car, education, consumer goods and a computer. Pension is under the New Pension Scheme (NPS).

The work is round-the-clock guarding of the Bank's official and residential property, running X-ray machines and door frame metal detectors at entrances, and shifts including nights.

Apply online only at www.rbi.org.in. In 2020 the link was open from 22 January to 12 February 2021, about three weeks. The fee is ₹50 in intimation charges, non-refundable; staff candidates pay nothing.

• Apply to the one office covering where you live (Gujarat or Daman and Diu residents, Ahmedabad only), and choose a test centre within its area. Centres can't be changed later.
• Submit once. If you submit more, only the last complete form with the higher Registration ID counts, and fees aren't transferred between IDs.
• Send nothing to the Bank. You're judged on what you declare, and false information can cancel even an appointment.
• Proof of age: school leaving certificate, transfer certificate, domicile certificate or a municipal birth certificate.
• Caste certificates, in the central government format with the caste spelled exactly as in the central list, go in at the physical test. OBC certificates must say non-creamy layer.

Problems with the form, fee or call letter go to the Candidate Grievance Redressal Cell at cgrs.ibps.in, with the recruitment name in the subject.

The Reserve Bank of India recruits office by office. In 2020 the 241 posts were spread over 18 offices:

Mumbai included 7 for Belapur and 6 for Pune; Thiruvananthapuram included 2 for Kochi. By category: 113 General, 45 OBC, 33 ST, 32 SC and 18 EWS, with backlog posts in several. The Bank can change the numbers.

The advertisement also appears in Employment News and Rozgar Samachar; corrigenda appear only on the Bank's site.

The online test is held in the states and union territories under the office you applied to, from a tentative list in the advertisement's annexure. You get a centre of your choice within that area where possible, but the Bank can add, drop or move centres and won't take requests to change. Physical test centres are announced after the online result. You attend both at your own risk and cost.

There's no annual calendar. Unlike RBI's Assistant and Grade 'B' exams, Security Guard recruitment happens only when vacancies arise.

Serving personnel could apply if their engagement ended on or before 1 February 2022, but had to be released and join the Bank by 28 February 2022.

As at 10 September 2026 no Security Guard recruitment was listed. The open items were the Grade 'B' (Direct Recruit) exam for Panel Year 2026, Site Engineers, Young Professionals and Medical Consultants. Watch RBI's Current Vacancies page and Employment News.

Call letters for the online test are downloaded from the Bank's website, with an email and SMS alert; nothing is posted. Download the Information Handout at the same time. Physical test call letters come from the recruiting office or online. Keep your email and phone active throughout and check spam folders, since the Bank won't hear complaints about missed messages. Download problems go to cgrs.ibps.in.

Results are published only on the Bank's Recruitment related Announcements page at opportunities.rbi.org.in: first the roll numbers shortlisted for the physical test, then the final list after document checks and the medical. Reservation follows the government rules in force when the result is finalised, and EWS posts and appointments stay provisional until income and asset certificates are verified.

RBI warns of fake appointment letters from look-alike domains. Call letters and results appear only on its own site.

RBI publishes no cut-off for this recruitment, and the advertisement sets no qualifying percentage. Any final results appear on the Recruitment related Announcements page.

Competition is per office, not national: in 2020, Mumbai had 84 posts and Chandigarh 2 (full table under participating institutes).

Check eligibility first

Ex-servicemen only, no graduates, and your qualification must be in your Discharge Book. Work out which office covers where you live, because that's the only one you can apply to.

Answer every question

No negative marking and no sectional cut-off. Fill everything in before time runs out.

Give Reasoning the most time

It's 40 of the 100 marks and you can take it in Hindi. Decide your language for Reasoning and Numerical Ability before the day.

Practise full 80-minute papers

The timing is shared across sections, so the skill is managing the clock. Aim for 48 seconds a question at 10th standard level: speed and accuracy, not depth.

Don't neglect the physical test

It adds nothing to your rank but failing it ends your chance. Read the standards in the annexure and get the medical certificate arranged early.

Get the paperwork right

The caste name must match the central list exactly. The Bank may arrange pre-exam training for some SC, ST and OBC candidates at its Regional Offices (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, New Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jammu, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Thiruvananthapuram); write to yours. All costs, including travel and lodging, are yours.

No previous year papers are available. RBI doesn't publish them for this recruitment.

The official material is the 2020 advertisement itself (structure, physical standards and centres in its annexures) and the Information Handout released with the call letter. New notices appear on RBI's Current Vacancies page.

• opportunities.rbi.org.in: RBI's recruitment site, with Current Vacancies and its year-by-year archive
• Recruitment related Announcements and results
• The 2020 advertisement (22 January 2021)
• www.rbi.org.in: where the online application is made
• cgrs.ibps.in: grievances about the form, fee or call letter
• Employment News, which also carries the advertisement

Who can apply?

Ex-servicemen only, and not those whose service was only in the Defence Security Corps, General Reserve Engineer Force, Lok Sahayak Sena or paramilitary forces.

Can a graduate apply?

No, unless you're a matriculate ex-serviceman with 15 years of service.

Is there negative marking?

No, and no sectional cut-off.

Does the physical test count towards merit?

No. It's pass or fail.

Can I apply to any office?

No, only the one covering where you live.

What does it cost?

₹50.

When is the next recruitment?

Not known. The last was advertised on 22 January 2021 and none was open as at 10 September 2026. Watch opportunities.rbi.org.in.