Key dates (all tentative)
The dates below come from the CRP RRBs-XV notification and the IBPS tentative calendar for 2026-27. Exam dates can shift, so always confirm them on your call letter.
- Online registration and fee payment: 1 to 21 September 2026.
- Edit window: two days after registration closes (dates to be notified on ibps.in).
- Pre-Exam Training: November 2026.
- Officer Scale I prelims: 21 and 22 November 2026.
- Office Assistant prelims: 6, 12 and 13 December 2026.
- Officer Scale I mains and the Scale II/III single exam: 20 December 2026.
- Office Assistant mains: 30 January 2027.
- Officer interviews: January/February 2027. Provisional allotment: February/March 2027.
Who can apply
All posts need a bachelor's degree in any discipline. Some Scale II specialist posts and Scale III require specific degrees and/or officer experience, so read the post-wise table before applying. Age is counted as on 1 September 2026, and the upper limits below are for General and EWS candidates. Reserved categories get the usual relaxations.
- Office Assistant (Multipurpose): 18 to 28 years (born between 02.09.1998 and 01.09.2008).
- Officer Scale I (Assistant Manager): above 18 and below 30 years (born between 02.09.1996 and 01.09.2008).
- Officer Scale II (Manager): above 21 and below 32 years (born between 02.09.1994 and 01.09.2005).
- Officer Scale III (Senior Manager): above 21 and below 40 years (born between 02.09.1986 and 01.09.2005).
- Fee: ₹850 (including GST) for most candidates, and ₹175 for SC/ST/PwBD. The ₹175 rate for Office Assistant also covers ESM/DESM candidates.
Rules that catch applicants out
You can apply for Office Assistant and for one officer post (Scale I, II or III), but each post needs a separate application and fee. For Officer Scale I and Office Assistant, allotment is restricted to the RRBs of the state you opt for, and local-language proficiency is an essential qualification. You count as proficient if you studied that language in Class VIII or above. If you don't meet this at selection, you get six months from joining to acquire it.
Choose your state carefully, since for these two posts your allotment stays within it. IBPS's indicative vacancies (updated on 15 September 2026) vary widely. For Office Assistant, for example, Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank shows 1,200, Andhra Pradesh Grameena Bank 900 and Telangana Grameena Bank 750. For Officer Scale I, Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank shows 425 and Odisha Grameen Bank 375. IBPS notes that these figures are indicative and that allotment follows the actual vacancies the RRBs report.
Exam pattern
Office Assistant and Officer Scale I have a prelims and a mains. Officer Scale II and III take a single exam. The prelims for both posts has 80 questions for 80 marks in 45 minutes, and you must clear the cut-off in both sections.
- Prelims: Reasoning, 40 questions, 40 marks, 25 minutes.
- Prelims: Numerical Ability (OA) or Quantitative Aptitude (Scale I), 40 questions, 40 marks, 20 minutes.
- Mains (OA and Scale I), 200 questions, 200 marks, 120 minutes: Reasoning 40 questions/50 marks/30 minutes; Computer Knowledge 40/20/15; General Awareness 40/40/15; English or Hindi Language 40/40/30; Numerical Ability or Quantitative Aptitude 40/50/30.
- Penalty: 0.25 of the question's marks for each wrong answer, in every exam.
- Officers: the interview carries 100 marks (minimum 40%, or 35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD), and exam and interview are weighted 80:20.
How to use the next two months
The Scale I prelims is only about nine weeks away, and it is a pure speed test: 40 reasoning questions in 25 minutes and 40 maths questions in 20 minutes. Build daily sectional drills now, and start General Awareness (banking and RBI news) and Computer Knowledge in parallel, because the mains follows only four weeks after the prelims.
If you are also taking the IBPS Clerk exam in October, much of the reasoning and quant work overlaps, so one daily drill serves both exams. Just remember that the RRB prelims gives you less time per question. Before the real exam, practise on the real pattern with a free full-length RRB mock.
Key takeaways
- IBPS RRB 2026 (CRP RRBs-XV) registration and fee payment close on 21 September 2026.
- Tentative prelims dates are 21–22 November 2026 for Scale I and 6, 12 and 13 December 2026 for Office Assistant.
- Age limits are 18–28 for OA, 18–30 for Scale I, 21–32 for Scale II and 21–40 for Scale III, as on 1 September 2026.
- The prelims has 80 questions in 45 minutes with two sectional cut-offs, and officer selection weights exam and interview 80:20.
- Vacancies are state-wise and indicative, so pick your state with care.
Sources
Dates and patterns change — always confirm on the official website before applying.
