The IBPS RRB 2026 Notification has been released, bringing a major opportunity for candidates preparing for Regional Rural Bank recruitment.
This year, 13,706 vacancies have been announced for various RRB posts, including Office Assistant (Multipurpose), Officer Scale-I, Officer Scale-II and Officer Scale-III.
Among these, 8,183 vacancies are for Office Assistant (Multipurpose) and 4,256 vacancies are for Officer Scale-I (Assistant Manager).
For Kerala aspirants, this recruitment is particularly important because Kerala Grameena Bank is participating in the recruitment, with opportunities available for both Office Assistant and Officer Scale-I.
IBPS RRB 2026 – Vacancy Details
The total number of vacancies announced under IBPS RRB 2026 is 13,706.
The post-wise vacancies are:
Office Assistant (Multipurpose): 8,183 vacancies
Officer Scale-I (Assistant Manager): 4,256 vacancies
Officer Scale-II: 1,047 vacancies
Officer Scale-III: 220 vacancies
Therefore, candidates primarily targeting RRB Clerk and RRB PO have 12,439 vacancies across these two posts.
Office Assistant – 8,183 Vacancies
Office Assistant (Multipurpose) is commonly known as RRB Clerk.
It is one of the most popular RRB posts because candidates with a Bachelor's degree in any discipline can apply, subject to the prescribed eligibility conditions.
Officer Scale-I – 4,256 Vacancies
Officer Scale-I is commonly referred to as RRB PO or Assistant Manager.
This is an officer-level post in Regional Rural Banks and is a popular choice among graduates preparing for banking examinations.
Kerala Grameena Bank Vacancies
For Kerala candidates, the notification includes:
Office Assistant – 350 vacancies
Officer Scale-I – 55 vacancies
The prescribed local language for Kerala Grameena Bank is Malayalam.
IBPS RRB 2026 Important Dates
The important dates candidates should remember are:
Notification Release: 1 September 2026
Online Application Starts: 1 September 2026
Last Date to Apply: 21 September 2026
Last Date for Fee Payment: 21 September 2026
Officer Scale-I Prelims: 21 & 22 November 2026
Office Assistant Prelims: 6, 12 & 13 December 2026
Officer Scale-I Mains: 20 December 2026
Officer Scale-II & III Single Examination: 20 December 2026
Office Assistant Mains: 30 January 2027
Candidates should keep checking for any subsequent changes to the examination schedule.
IBPS RRB 2026 Eligibility
The eligibility requirements differ according to the post.
For candidates targeting Office Assistant and Officer Scale-I, the requirements are comparatively simple.
Office Assistant Educational Qualification
Candidates must have a Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university or an equivalent qualification.
Candidates must also possess proficiency in the local language prescribed for the participating Regional Rural Bank.
For Kerala Grameena Bank, the local language is Malayalam.
Working knowledge of computers is also desirable.
Officer Scale-I Educational Qualification
Candidates must possess a Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university or an equivalent qualification.
Preference is given to candidates having degrees in areas such as:
Agriculture
Horticulture
Forestry
Animal Husbandry
Veterinary Science
Agricultural Engineering
Pisciculture
Agricultural Marketing and Cooperation
Information Technology
Management
Law
Economics
Accountancy
Candidates must also satisfy the prescribed local-language requirement.
No prior work experience is required for Officer Scale-I.
IBPS RRB 2026 Age Limit
The age limit is calculated as on 1 September 2026.
Office Assistant
Minimum Age: 18 years
Maximum Age: 28 years
Candidates should have been born between 2 September 1998 and 1 September 2008, both dates inclusive.
Officer Scale-I
Minimum Age: Above 18 years
Maximum Age: Below 30 years
Candidates should have been born between 2 September 1996 and 1 September 2008, both dates inclusive.
Officer Scale-II
Candidates should be above 21 years and below 32 years.
Officer Scale-III
Candidates should be above 21 years and below 40 years.
Age Relaxation
Applicable age relaxation is available for eligible reserved categories as per Government rules.
Generally:
SC/ST: 5 years
OBC-NCL: 3 years
PwBD: 10 years
Candidates should check the detailed eligibility conditions applicable to their category before applying.
IBPS RRB 2026 Application Fee
The application fee is:
General / EWS / OBC: ₹850
SC / ST / PwBD: ₹175
The fee is payable online during the application process.
IBPS RRB 2026 Selection Process
The selection process depends on the post applied for.
Office Assistant
The selection process is:
Prelims → Mains → Language Proficiency Test → Provisional Allotment
There is no interview for Office Assistant.
Officer Scale-I
The selection process is:
Prelims → Mains → Interview → Provisional Allotment
Officer Scale-II & III
For these posts, there is no separate Preliminary Examination.
The selection process is:
Single Online Examination → Interview → Provisional Allotment
IBPS RRB Prelims Exam Pattern 2026
The Preliminary Examination is conducted for both Office Assistant and Officer Scale-I.
Office Assistant Prelims
Reasoning: 40 questions – 40 marks – 25 minutes
Numerical Ability: 40 questions – 40 marks – 20 minutes
Total: 80 questions – 80 marks – 45 minutes
Officer Scale-I Prelims
Reasoning: 40 questions – 40 marks – 25 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude: 40 questions – 40 marks – 20 minutes
Total: 80 questions – 80 marks – 45 minutes
Candidates have separate sectional timings for the two sections.
It is important to qualify in both sections by securing the required minimum marks.
IBPS RRB Mains Exam Pattern 2026
The Mains examination contains 200 questions carrying 200 marks.
The total duration is 120 minutes.
The sections are:
Reasoning
40 questions – 50 marks – 30 minutes
Computer Knowledge
40 questions – 20 marks – 15 minutes
General Awareness
40 questions – 40 marks – 15 minutes
English or Hindi Language
40 questions – 40 marks – 30 minutes
Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude
40 questions – 50 marks – 30 minutes
Total: 200 questions – 200 marks – 120 minutes
For Office Assistant, the section is Numerical Ability, while Officer Scale-I has Quantitative Aptitude.
IBPS RRB Negative Marking
There is negative marking in the objective examinations.
For every incorrect answer, one-fourth of the marks assigned to that question is deducted.
Therefore, candidates should maintain a balance between attempts and accuracy.
Blind guessing should be avoided.
IBPS RRB Prelims Syllabus
Reasoning Ability
Important topics include:
Puzzles
Seating Arrangement
Circular Seating Arrangement
Linear Seating Arrangement
Floor-Based Puzzles
Box-Based Puzzles
Blood Relations
Direction Sense
Coding-Decoding
Inequality
Syllogism
Alphanumeric Series
Number Series
Alphabet Series
Order and Ranking
Data Sufficiency
Statement and Conclusion
Statement and Assumption
Input-Output
Logical Reasoning
Miscellaneous Reasoning
For Prelims, candidates should give special attention to Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, Inequality, Coding-Decoding and Direction Sense.
Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus
Number System
Number System
Divisibility
LCM
HCF
Simplification
Approximation
Arithmetic
Percentage
Profit and Loss
Simple Interest
Compound Interest
Ratio and Proportion
Average
Partnership
Time and Work
Pipes and Cisterns
Time, Speed and Distance
Boats and Streams
Problems on Ages
Mixture and Alligation
Probability
Permutation and Combination
Data Interpretation
Candidates should practise:
Table DI
Bar Graph
Line Graph
Pie Chart
Caselet DI
Missing DI
Arithmetic DI
Data Sufficiency
Other Important Topics
Quadratic Equations
Number Series
Quantity Comparison
Mensuration
IBPS RRB Mains Reasoning Syllabus
The Mains Reasoning section is considerably more difficult than Prelims.
Important topics include:
Advanced Seating Arrangement
Floor-Based Puzzles
Box Puzzles
Scheduling Puzzles
Selection-Based Puzzles
Comparison-Based Puzzles
Blood Relations
Coded Blood Relations
Syllogism
Inequality
Coding-Decoding
Input-Output
Data Sufficiency
Logical Reasoning
Statement and Assumption
Statement and Conclusion
Cause and Effect
Course of Action
Decision Making
Critical Reasoning
Order and Ranking
Direction Sense
Officer Scale-I aspirants should focus particularly on complex puzzles, logical reasoning and data sufficiency.
Computer Knowledge Syllabus
Computer Knowledge carries 20 marks in the Mains examination.
Important topics include:
Computer Fundamentals
History of Computers
Generations of Computers
Hardware
Software
Input Devices
Output Devices
Memory
Operating Systems
Windows
MS Word
MS Excel
MS PowerPoint
Internet
Networking
Computer Security
Viruses and Malware
Cyber Security
Email
Database Basics
Computer Abbreviations
Keyboard Shortcuts
Number Systems
Cloud Computing
Digital Technology
Basic Programming Concepts
This can be a highly scoring section if prepared properly.
General Awareness Syllabus
General Awareness is extremely important for RRB Mains.
Current Affairs
Candidates should cover:
National News
International News
Banking News
Financial News
Government Schemes
Appointments
Awards
Sports
Important Days
Books and Authors
Summits and Conferences
Reports and Indices
Defence News
Science and Technology
Important Personalities
Banking Awareness
Important topics include:
RBI
Monetary Policy
Repo Rate
Reverse Repo Rate
CRR
SLR
Bank Rate
MSF
Banking Terminology
Digital Banking
UPI
NEFT
RTGS
IMPS
NPCI
Financial Inclusion
Priority Sector Lending
NPA
Basel Norms
Banking Reforms
RRB & Rural Banking Awareness
Candidates should also study:
Regional Rural Banks
NABARD
RRB Structure
Rural Banking
Financial Inclusion
Agricultural Credit
Rural Development Schemes
Agricultural Finance
Priority Sector Lending
English Language Syllabus
Important topics include:
Reading Comprehension
Cloze Test
Error Detection
Sentence Correction
Fill in the Blanks
Para Jumbles
Sentence Rearrangement
Phrase Replacement
Vocabulary
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms and Phrases
One Word Substitution
Word Usage
Grammar
Subject-Verb Agreement
Tenses
Articles
Prepositions
Conjunctions
Candidates should work on both grammar and reading speed.
IBPS RRB Previous Year Cut Off
Cut-offs change every year depending on:
Number of vacancies
Difficulty level
Number of candidates
Overall performance
Category
State
For Kerala, the 2025 Officer Scale-I Prelims General/UR cut-off was 54 marks.
For Office Assistant Prelims, the Kerala General/UR cut-off in 2025 was 70.75 marks out of 80.
This shows that competition for RRB Clerk in Kerala can be particularly high.
Candidates should therefore avoid preparing merely to cross last year's cut-off.
Kerala Grameena Bank Opportunity
For Kerala aspirants, one of the biggest attractions of this recruitment is the opportunity available in Kerala Grameena Bank.
The current vacancy details include:
Office Assistant – 350 vacancies
Officer Scale-I – 55 vacancies
The prescribed local language is Malayalam.
Candidates interested in Kerala Grameena Bank should carefully check the local-language eligibility requirements while completing the application.