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Until now, studies on the behavior of reinforced concrete joints have been limited to some experimental studies with variation of a few parameters. Therefore, a comprehensive study is needed to clarify the precise effect of design parameters on the behavior of joints. To reach this purpose, in this paper, 432 reinforced concrete exterior connections were analyzed using finite element method. The variable parameters were as per followings: the longitudinal reinforcement ratios of beam and column (1% and 2% for beam, and 1% and 4% for column), the transverse reinforcement of beam and column (3 ratios), the transverse reinforcement detail of beam and column (9 combinations), and dimension of beam and column. In the current study, the effect and role of each parameter on the ultimate resistance moment, ultimate rotation and performance of connections were studied. Finally, connections were classified in four categories; rigid-full strength, rigid-partial strength, semi rigid-full strength and semi rigid-partial strength.