Candidates get recruited at 2 levels in the banks - clerical level and officer level. The Reserve Bank of India conducts tests for three types of entry level positions:

Clerical grade:

• Grade A officers
• Grade B officers

The entry point for clerical staff is in the cash department as examiners of coins and notes. They are promoted to the next grade when they successfully clear the relevant examinations after 5-10 years of service.

There is an All India Exam conducted for class I posts. Graduates, Post Graduates, CA's, MBA's in the 21-26 years of age group are eligible. The examination is in parts.

• Paper I is a written test comprising of General Mental Ability (Objective type).
• Paper II is a subjective one which has English Essays/Comprehension/Precise writing etc.
• Paper III is on Economics and Social problems.

Anyone in the age group of 18-26 years having a degree is eligible for appearing in the written test. The format of the test is similar to the RBI examination. Test is followed by an interview. Clerical staff gets recruited through regional boards. The eligibility and test format are the same as for PO examination.

Commercial banks regularly advertise through their Banking Service Recruitment Board (BSRB) to recruit Probationary Officers ('PO'). Each region has its own BSRB which carries out the recruitment. Eligibility is a graduate in any discipline with an upper age limit of 28 years..