How to Prepare for Bank PO Exams 

Government Exams are considered to be one of the most prestigious milestones one could ever achieve in their life. In the League of Government Exams, Bank PO is something that fascinates every youngster. There are three major recruitment bodies that conduct bank exams every year: IBPS, RBI, and SBI. Although, the bank PO exam is also conducted by many other public sector banks on their own. While the IBPS is solely responsible for conducting banking exams for several profiles including the Probationary Officer in which various Public Sector banks participate. 

It is also important to note that the eligibility criteria to apply for the Bank PO Exam of every recruitment body are the same. Through this blog, we are going to reveal some of the best possible ways by which you can crack any Bank PO exam. So, continue reading this blog, as you are going to encounter some spectacular strategies that will help you to vanquish every challenge that may come your way of cracking any Bank PO Exam. 

Every year IBPS, SBI, and other recruitment bodies release the notification for the post of Probationary Officer majorly in the months of August and September. Millions of aspirants look for these notifications to be released throughout the year. Imprecisely, more than 10 Lakh candidates apply for Bank PO Exams every year making it one of the most awaited competitive exams among aspirants. 

There are numerous reasons behind the enthusiasm of students applying for the Bank PO Exam. Job security is one of the major reasons among them. A Probationary Officer holds a crucial role in bank proceedings. If you are preparing for the Bank PO Exams then you should understand the key responsibility areas that a Bank PO is superintended for. 

Job Profile of A Bank Probationary Officer 

A Bank PO is responsible for an abundance of chores for a Bank’s smooth functioning. A Bank PO is liable for the following Job Roles:

• A newly appointed  PO is accountable for various financial activities like investment approvals, allotment of funds, budgeting, issuance of loans, etc. 
• A Bank PO plays the character of the Public Relations Officer of a branch. 
• Oversees all the clerical proceedings of a Bank and take a conducive decision for the welfare of the branch. 
• Address consumer grievances through interpersonal communication. 
• Accountable for clarifying all loan-related formalities by visiting on-site. 

The perks of being a Bank PO are enormous, therefore cracking this exam is no less than the achievement of a milestone. Right guidance and the right approach is the only mantra to achieve heights in a Bank PO Exam.

Now, let’s dive into illuminating some of the salient guidelines you should follow in order to crack any Bank PO Exam. 

Eligibility criteria to apply for the Bank PO exam

There are three major Bank PO Exams happens in India:

• IBPS PO (For Public Sector Banks)
• SBI PO
• IBPS RRB PO (For Regional Rural Banks)

The Eligibility criteria to apply for any bank PO Exam is that the student must have completed Graduation or any other equivalent course from a recognized university and should be between 21 to 30 years. The age and fee relaxation for certain categories shall be as per the norms specified in the official notification. Read in-depth about the Eligibility criteria of various bank PO Exams only on our website. 

Exam Pattern of Bank PO Exam

As we’ve informed you earlier that the exam pattern, syllabus, and eligibility criteria for PO exams of all banks are the same. Every bank PO Exam consists of three phases: Prelims (Computer Based & Objective), Mains (Computer Based Objective and Descriptive), and Interviews. There is only a slight difference in the marking allocation in the IBPS and SBI PO Mains Examination.

Refer to the tables below to understand the overall Exam pattern of the Bank PO Exams. 

Bank PO Prelims Exam Pattern

Bank (IBPS) PO Mains Exam Pattern 

Bank (SBI) PO Mains Exam Pattern 

Best Tips to Prepare for Bank PO Exam 

Whereas every student invests their best efforts to achieve their dream, similarly we also believe in backing them with the best preparation strategies for their hard work and determination. However, we are going to deliver some triumphant tactics only for you to get one step closer to a magnificent reality. Here are some general tips to prepare for Bank PO Exams. 

Plan to conquer it all 

Effective planning is the gateway to ace any Bank PO Exam. Plan in a way to divide equal time for all the sections. Remember, every section holds the power to decide your qualifying marks. So, you better not avoid any topic but you can prioritize among them. 

Study, Practice, Revise and Repeat 

Merely reading and studying are not the sole foundations for an effective preparation method. Hence, you should keep on revising every day, it will strengthen your preparation for that particular topic. 

Stay Updated with Current Affairs 

Current Affairs can be your ace of spades in your Bank PO Mains Exam. Therefore, don’t wait to qualify for the Prelims exam to start preparing for Current Affairs. Start from the beginning and it will release your last-minute stress of covering it all at once. There are many resources where you can download free current affairs on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. 

Keep practicing with the help of Mock Tests

Preparing for any competitive exam requires determination and along with that you must comprehend the type of questions you are going to face in your Bank PO Exam. Mock tests are the best solution to it. Keep practicing by solving free mock tests. It will give you a zest for real question papers and also help you cope with managing time among various types of questions. 

Learn from the Past 

Although, they say there is nothing in the past, you better focus on the present for an enriching future. But sometimes the past can teach you what nothing else can make you learn. Here, we are not talking about any person but the previous year’s question papers. Glancing at them is not going to harm your preparation, instead, it will give you an overview to analyze the difficulty level of the exam questions. 

Bank PO Exams Syllabus 

Once you are introduced to the Bank PO exam and its pattern, now it’s time to create a strategy to crack it, because planning plays a very specific role in these exams. Before starting the preparation it is very important to be aware of the syllabus. For Reasoning, the syllabus consists of:

• Sitting arrangement
• Blood relations,
• Direction sense test
• Input-output
• Coding-decoding
• Puzzles
• Order and ranking
• Data sufficiency
• Syllogism
• Inequalities
• Alphanumeric /alphabets/numeric series
• Tabulation
• Verbal reasoning

For Computer –

• Internet 
• Memory 
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Computer abbreviation
• Microsoft Office
• Computer hardware and software
• Operating system
• Computer fundamentals/terminologies.

Quantitative Aptitude section consists of:

• Simplification
• Profit and loss
• Mixtures and allegations
• SI and CI
• Work and Time
• Mensuration
• Data Interpretation
• Ratio and proportion
• Percentage
• Number system
• Sequences and series
• Permutations and combination
• Probability
• Average
• Quadratic equations
• Ages problem
• Speed , distance and time
• Data Sufficiency
• Mixture and allegations.

English Language section consists of:

• Cloze test
• Reading Comprehension
• Para jumbles
• Miscellaneous- fill in the blanks, error spotting, multiple-meaning, paragraph completion.

General awareness consists of

• Financial Awareness
• Current Affairs generally 5/6 months before the exam
• General Knowledge
• Banking important terms, acts

Section-wise Tips for Bank PO Exam Preparation

Quantitative Aptitude 

Clear your basic concepts, and memorize important formulas, tables, and theorems. Solve practice test paper topic-wise and give as many mock tests as you can. Know your strong and weak areas and work on the weak points.

Reasoning 

Start preparation with important topics, practice your strong areas well, and work on your weak points. Prepare a timetable for every topic according to your difficulty level. Go through the previous year’s question paper. Do not read a new topic at the last moment. Revise regularly: solves quizzes daily.

Computer Awareness

Have a good understanding of the basics. General knowledge of computer hardware and software. Note down important points related to every topic and revise them. A basic understanding of how a computer system works.

Current Affairs 

Take a quiz to test yourself. Keep yourself updated with the latest update on current events and issues. Revise regularly. Have basic knowledge of banking terms and the latest news on it.

English language 

Focus on prepositions, tenses, and conjunctions watch English movies or series to assist with grammar and vocabulary understanding. Develop a habit of reading newspaper editorials regularly and note down any new words and their meaning you come across. 

Conclusion  

Cracking a Bank PO Exam is a dream of many and the competition for the PO exam is very high. Every year students from across the country appear for this exam, and the count of applicants is 20  to 30 times more than the total number of vacancies released. Therefore, your efforts should speak volumes in the process of getting selected for a Bank Probationary Officer Exam. It looks difficult but not impossible, your constant efforts can make anything possible. At ixamBee, our experts give their best to prepare a winning candidate. Eventually, your balanced efforts with our guidance is what matters. We wish all the very best to every aspirant appearing in the Bank PO Exams. 

To help you prepare 50% faster for competitive exams, ixamBee provides free Mock Test Series and all the Current Affairs in English and Current Affairs in Hindi in the BeePedia capsules for GA Preparation. You can also get the latest updates for Bank PO, Bank Clerk, SSC, RBI Grade B, NABARD, and Other Government Jobs.

Also Read, 

How to Prepare for the SBI PO Interview 2022?

SBI PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2022

IBPS PO MAINS 2022 EXAM ANALYSIS