The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducts national-level exams for various banking posts every year to be posted with Regional Rural Banks. This year, IBPS has announced 12,958 openings in total. While the admit cards and exam dates for IBPS RRB Clerk and PO are out, we are waiting for an update on Scale 2 & 3 examinations.
While we wait, let us brush up on our preparation for the Quantitative Aptitude section of the single-level papers for both exams. This assessment helps examiners gauge a candidate’s ability to think analytically and work with numbers.
IBPS RRB Quants Exam Pattern
For IBPS RRB Officer Scale 2 General Banking Officer (GBO), 40 questions will be assessed for 50 marks. Whereas for Specialist Officers, 40 questions will be asked for 1 mark each.
For IBPS RRB Officer Scale 3 Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation are clubbed together. A total of 40 questions are asked for 50 marks.
IBPS RRB Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus
Take a look at the topics for Quantitative Aptitude assessment from the prescribed syllabus below.
- Simplification and Approximation
- Number Series
- Quadratic Equation
- Number System
- HCF & LCM
- Ratio and Proportion
- Average, Partnership
- Ages
- Percentage
- Profit & Loss
- Time, Speed & Distance
- Problems on Trains, Boat and Stream
- Time & Work / Pipes and Cisterns
- Simple and Compound Interest
- Mixture & Allegations
- Permutation and Combination
- Probability
- Data Interpretation (DI)
- Caselet DI
- Data Sufficiency
IBPS RRB Quants Best Books
Listed below are a few books that you can refer to that will help you prepare for this subject.
- Quicker Mathematics by BSC Publications
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S. Aggarwal
- Test of Reasoning & Numerical Ability by Dr. S.S. Chaudhary; Dr. N.K. Porwal
IBPS RRB Quants How to Prepare?
- Start with easier topics: Start with simpler topics like Simplification/Approximation, Number Series and Quadratic Equations. In the IBPS RRB 2020 Exam, 5 questions were tested from each topic. Since this is a single-level examination, you can expect questions from at least two of these topics for sure if not all three. However, since there are 40 questions in this section you can expect questions on all 3 as well. Either way, these are topics you should not neglect at any cost. They are as easy as they are scoring.
- Data Interpretation: This is an important topic from which many questions are tested every year. If you take a look at our IBPS RRB 2020 Exam Analysis, you’ll see that 15 questions on DI alone were asked last year. This is why you must practice questions on Data Interpretation daily. These questions involve calculations that cannot be done off-hand during the exam if you don’t practice it well. It would not be over exaggerating to say that you need to solve DI every day.
- Arithmetic is the game changer: Similarly, like DI, you will see that 15 questions were asked on Arithmetic Word Problems in the exam last year. Since Arithmetic problems is an umbrella term, unlike DI, you have to practice several topics like Percentage, Time & Work, Age, Speed, Distance and Time, Profit and Loss and such. You must attempt at least 36 questions or so out of 40 so that you may expect to score 34/35 marks in this section.
- Concepts should be crystal clear: Although fewer questions in number are assessed from Arithmetic per topic, these questions are relatively easy and scoring. So, while you are preparing for Quants, it would be prudent to clear your concepts for each as you go along. These questions, on various topics as aforementioned, will help you boost your overall score. In such a competitive exam, every mark matters.
- Focus on Data Sufficiency: This is a relatively easier topic because in Data Sufficiency, no elaborate calculations need be made. The information, or data, is provided in the question and the answers require to know if the data provided is sufficient to answer the successive questions/statements or not. If you practice it well, you’ll be able to score well on this topic.
- Also focus on topics like Ratio & Proportion, Mensuration, Average and Alligation, Partnership and age-based math problems.
- Previous Years’ Papers: While preparing yourself for the forthcoming IBPS RRB examinations, it would be prudent to review the IBPS RRB Scale 2 previous year’s paper as well. This practice helps us to assess the overall standard of the exam while also scrutinizing our own preparation for the same.
- Cut-offs: You should also review the cut-offs for the previous examinations because it will give you a fair idea about how you need to approach each section. There are sectional cut-off marks as well.
- Mock Tests: Like previous years’ papers, it is a good practice to attempt mock tests as well. You can take a free IBPS RRB Scale 3 Mock Test that will benefit you whilst not only preparing for Quant but for all subjects as well. These mock tests are not only good for practice but they give you the real feel of a full-length exam.
- The key is to practice well: As you and I both know, when it comes to Quant or Numerical Ability, there is no option but to practice and practice some more. So the only way you can solve questions quickly and correctly during the exam is through rigorous practice.
In this article, we have only discussed how to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude. Needless to say, you will need to prepare for all the subjects well so that you can ensure you obtain cut-off marks. However, we don’t want you to just obtain cut-off marks, we want you to excel these exams as best as you can. For this, we have curated an IBPS RRB Scale 2 And 3 Online Course where you will find all the crisp and relevant study material to ace this exam. If you are preparing for any of the Scale 2 Specialist posts, worry not, there is something for everybody at ixamBee!
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