Regulatory Body Exams in India: Eligibility, Vacancies, Fees & Exam Pattern
Preparing for regulatory body exams in India requires more than knowing the syllabus. You must identify which posts match your educational qualifications, check the age limit, compare application fees and understand whether selection involves multiple examination phases, an interview or another recruitment method. Opportunities include RBI Grade B, SEBI Grade A, NABARD Grade A, IRDAI Assistant Manager and related posts in public-sector financial institutions and government organisations.
Compare the major exams by qualification, vacancies, application fees, preliminary and mains subjects, and selection stages. For banking exam preparation, PW offers online Banking courses, live and recorded lectures, mock tests, study material and daily practice resources. Since recruitment conditions can change between cycles, you should verify the latest official notification before applying.
List of Regulatory Body and Related Government Exams in India
The following table provides a quick reference to the main examinations and recruitment opportunities, their selection authorities and broad qualification requirements.
|
Organisation |
Exam or post |
Recruiting or selection authority |
|
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) |
Grade B and relevant Grade A posts |
RBI |
|
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) |
Grade A – Assistant Manager |
SEBI |
|
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) |
Grade A and Grade B, where advertised |
NABARD |
|
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) |
Assistant Manager, Grade A |
SIDBI |
|
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) |
Assistant Manager |
IRDAI |
|
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) |
Grade A – Assistant Manager |
PFRDA |
|
Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) |
Management Trainee/Officer |
EXIM Bank |
|
National Housing Bank (NHB) |
Assistant Manager and Manager |
NHB |
|
Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) |
EO/AO and APFC |
UPSC, for recruitments advertised through it |
|
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) |
Administrative Officer/Assistant Director and other notified posts |
FSSAI |
|
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) |
Officer-level posts |
TRAI |
Eligibility Criteria for Regulatory Body Exams
Eligibility depends on the post, educational stream, minimum marks, age limit and recruitment cycle.
Educational Qualification
The table below summarises the qualifications and minimum marks specified for the recruitment examples covered here. Stream-specific requirements must be checked against the relevant notification.
|
Exam or post |
Required qualification |
Minimum marks or additional conditions |
|
RBI Grade B |
Graduation, postgraduate qualification or an accepted professional equivalent |
At least 60% in graduation, or 50% for SC/ST/PwBD candidates; alternatively, 55% in postgraduate study, or passing marks for SC/ST/PwBD candidates. The age range in the recruitment details is 21–30 years. |
|
RBI Grade A |
Qualification route specified for the advertised post |
The recruitment details state the same marks and age criteria as RBI Grade B; verify that these apply to the particular Grade A post. |
|
SEBI Grade A |
Bachelor's degree in Law; bachelor's degree in Engineering; or a bachelor's degree with a postgraduate qualification of at least two years in Computers/Information Technology, as applicable |
Requirements differ by stream. The listed qualifications should not be treated as a complete eligibility list for every SEBI Grade A post. |
|
NABARD Grade A |
Bachelor's degree or master's degree in a relevant field |
The recruitment details specify 60% in graduation or 55% in postgraduate study, with variations by stream. The stated age range is 21–30 years, with applicable relaxations. |
|
NABARD Grade B |
Postgraduate degree, an eligible bachelor's degree with experience, or an accepted professional qualification |
The recruitment details specify 60% in postgraduate study, or 55% for SC/ST/PwBD candidates; alternatively, graduation with 60% and two years of relevant experience, or qualifications such as CA, CS, ICWA or CFA. The stated age range is 25–32 years. Confirm the exact post and current eligibility conditions. |
|
SIDBI Assistant Manager, Grade A |
Graduation in Commerce, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Business Administration or Engineering; alternatively, accepted professional qualifications or a recognised PhD |
The listed graduation route requires 60%, or 50% for SC/ST/PwBD candidates. Accepted alternatives include CA, CS, CWA, CFA or a PhD from an institution recognised by the Government of India/UGC. |
|
IRDAI Assistant Manager |
Generalist: bachelor's degree in any discipline. Actuarial, Finance, Law, IT and Research streams have separate requirements |
Actuarial applicants: graduation/postgraduation with seven or more papers passed from the Institute of Actuaries of India. Finance, Law, IT and Research applicants must meet the relevant qualification conditions. |
|
PFRDA Grade A |
Bachelor's or master's degree in a relevant discipline, or an accepted professional qualification |
At least 60% aggregate or equivalent in the relevant degree. Listed professional qualifications include CA, CS, CFA and CWA. |
|
EXIM Bank Management Trainee/Officer |
Three-year full-time graduation and a two-year full-time MBA/PGDBA/PGDBM/MMS in Finance, International Business or Foreign Trade, or CA |
The listed requirements specify 60% aggregate and an age range of 21–28 years. Confirm the exact requirements for the advertised Management Trainee or Officer post. |
|
NHB Assistant Manager |
Graduation, master's degree or an accepted professional qualification |
The listed graduation route requires 60%, or 55% for SC/ST candidates. The postgraduate route requires 55%, or 50% for SC/ST candidates. CA, ICWA or MBA with at least 55% is also listed. |
|
EPFO EO/AO |
Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university |
The recruitment details specify an age range of 21–30 years. |
|
EPFO APFC |
Bachelor's degree in any discipline |
A diploma in Company Law, Labour Laws or Public Administration is listed as desirable. |
|
FSSAI Administrative Officer/Assistant Director |
Depends on the advertised post |
The available qualification wording refers to Central Food Safety Officer eligibility and should not be applied automatically to Administrative Officer or Assistant Director posts. |
|
TRAI officer-level posts |
Depends on the role and recruitment route |
The recruitment example for six positions specifies GATE-score shortlisting followed by an interview. Other TRAI posts may have different requirements. |
Professional qualifications such as CA, CS, CWA, CFA and actuarial papers are accepted only where the relevant recruitment rules specify them. You should also confirm whether a qualification must be completed by a particular date and whether final-year applicants are eligible.
Age Limit and Relaxation
Age limits are not uniform across regulatory bodies and related government exams. Below are the age limits and relaxations given for each exam:
|
Exam or post |
Age requirement stated |
|
RBI Grade B |
21–30 years |
|
RBI Grade A |
21–30 years in the recruitment details; verify the specific post |
|
NABARD Grade A |
21–30 years, with applicable relaxations |
|
NABARD Grade B |
25–32 years in the recruitment details; confirm the advertised post |
|
EXIM Bank Management Trainee/Officer |
21–28 years in the recruitment details |
|
EPFO EO/AO |
21–30 years |
|
SEBI Grade A, SIDBI Grade A, IRDAI Assistant Manager, PFRDA Grade A, NHB, EPFO APFC, FSSAI and TRAI |
Check the age limit and cut-off date in the relevant notification |
Vacancies in Regulatory Body Exams
The following figures are the post counts associated with the recruitment cycle. Since the applicable recruitment year or notification cycle is not identified for every figure, they should not be interpreted as a list of vacancies currently open for applications or as one common recruitment cycle.
|
Exam/post |
Number of posts |
|
RBI Grade B |
120 |
|
RBI Grade A |
13 |
|
SEBI Grade A |
135 |
|
NABARD Grade A |
91 |
|
NABARD Grade B |
162 |
|
SIDBI Assistant Manager, Grade A |
76 |
|
IRDAI Assistant Manager |
40 |
|
PFRDA Grade A |
40 |
|
EXIM Bank MT/Officer |
40 |
|
NHB Assistant Manager |
10 |
|
EPFO EO/AO |
156 |
|
EPFO APFC |
74 |
|
FSSAI AO/AD |
33 |
|
TRAI Officer |
6 |
The number of posts can change through a corrigendum or revised advertisement. You should confirm whether the official notice reports the initial or revised vacancy count before relying on the figure.
Exam Pattern of Regulatory Body Exams
The exam pattern depends on the organisation and advertised post. The subjects listed below provide a comparison of the Preliminary and Mains areas in the recruitment details. They do not establish the number of questions, marks, duration, negative marking or qualifying cut-offs, which must be confirmed from the official examination scheme.
Exam Pattern for Prelims or Phase I
|
Exam/post |
Prelims subjects indicated |
|
RBI Grade B |
English, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning and General Awareness |
|
RBI Grade A |
English, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, General Awareness and a stream-specific paper |
|
SEBI Grade A |
English, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, General Awareness and Professional Knowledge |
|
NABARD Grade A |
Reasoning, English, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, Computer Knowledge, Decision Making, Economic and Social Issues (ESI), Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) |
|
NABARD Grade B |
Reasoning, English, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, Computer Knowledge, Decision Making, ESI and ARD |
|
SIDBI Assistant Manager, Grade A |
Reasoning, English, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and Professional Knowledge |
|
IRDAI Assistant Manager |
Reasoning, English, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and Professional Knowledge |
|
PFRDA Grade A |
English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and Professional Knowledge |
|
EXIM Bank MT/Officer |
English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and Professional Knowledge |
|
NHB Assistant Manager |
English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and Professional Knowledge |
|
EPFO EO/AO |
English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, Labour and Social Security Laws |
|
EPFO APFC |
English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, Labour Laws, Social Security and Polity |
|
FSSAI AO/AD |
English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and Professional Knowledge, as applicable to the advertised post |
|
TRAI Officer |
Selection may use GATE-score shortlisting for specific posts rather than a common preliminary examination |
Regulatory Body Exam Mains or Phase II
|
Exam/post |
Mains subjects indicated |
|
RBI Grade B |
Economic and Social Issues (ESI), Finance and Management (FM), and descriptive English |
|
RBI Grade A |
Stream-specific professional paper and qualifying descriptive English |
|
SEBI Grade A |
Descriptive English in Paper 1 and Professional Knowledge in Paper 2 |
|
NABARD Grade A |
Economic and Social Issues (ESI), Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD), and descriptive English |
|
NABARD Grade B |
Economic and Social Issues (ESI), Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD), and descriptive English |
|
SIDBI Assistant Manager, Grade A |
Professional Knowledge in Finance, Legal or IT, depending on the post, and descriptive English |
|
IRDAI Assistant Manager |
Descriptive English and Professional Knowledge |
|
PFRDA Grade A |
Descriptive English and Professional Knowledge |
|
EXIM Bank MT/Officer |
Professional Knowledge and descriptive English |
|
NHB Assistant Manager |
Professional Knowledge and descriptive English |
|
EPFO EO/AO |
General Studies, Labour Laws, Social Security, Polity and Current Affairs |
|
EPFO APFC |
General Studies, Labour Laws, Social Security, Polity and Indian Economy |
|
FSSAI AO/AD |
Professional Knowledge related to Food Safety, Administration or Law, depending on the post, and descriptive English where prescribed |
|
TRAI Officer |
Professional knowledge related to Telecom, Economics, Law or IT may be relevant to the advertised post; verify the selection scheme |
The detailed examination scheme determines which papers are compulsory, whether English is qualifying or merit-based, and how marks are calculated. Candidates should not assume that every exam includes a separate Mains examination or descriptive English paper.
Regulatory Body Interview and Other Selection Stages
The final selection process depends on the notification. Some recruitment schemes include an interview after written examinations, while others use shortlisting, document verification or a different recruitment route.
-
Interview: Used where specified in the selection scheme.
-
GATE-score shortlisting: The TRAI recruitment example for six positions specifies shortlisting for a personal interview using GATE scores from 2023, 2024 or 2025, in a ratio of eight candidates per vacancy.
-
Document verification: Candidates may need to produce proof of qualifications, marks, age, category and work experience.
-
Direct recruitment or deputation: Some officer-level posts are advertised through a specific recruitment route rather than a common competitive examination.
-
Other prescribed checks: Medical standards or additional eligibility checks apply only where required by the recruitment rules.
The GATE-score and interview process described above applies to the specified TRAI recruitment example, not every TRAI vacancy. You must follow the selection process for the exact post you intend to apply for.
Regulatory body exams offer different career opportunities depending on candidates’ educational qualifications, subject specialisations and interests. Before applying, review the official notification for the relevant recruitment cycle to confirm vacancies, eligibility, fees, exam stages and selection criteria. For comprehensive preparation, PW provides Banking preparation through online courses, 2,000+ live and recorded lectures, mock tests, chapter-wise practice, study material and daily practice resources.
FAQs
1. Which regulatory body exams can graduates apply for?
2. Which regulatory body exams require a postgraduate degree?
3. Are regulatory body exams conducted every year?
4. What subjects are common across regulatory body exams?
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