Useful Tips to Ace Bank PO Exams with Ease

Bank exam coaching helps in understanding the concepts better. The faculty support, doubt clearing sessions, etc. help a student in preparing for the exam in the best possible manner. Apart from this, the following steps can be followed to get the maximum results:

Best techniques to ace the Bank PO exam

The ideal approach to clearing the Bank PO exam includes:

• Developing great speed
• Attempting maximum questions
• Attempting easy questions first or the ones that you are confident about
• Not wasting time on segments that are lengthy and complicated

Another basic requirement is to have great command of English language. Being good at English has a major effect. Most candidates work hard on Quantitative Aptitude & Reasoning. There is a general tendency of considering them the major subjects. Thus, it becomes difficult to get a competitive edge by focusing only on these 2 subjects. Eventually, a candidate’s performance on English language can and most often proves to be the deciding factor.

For how long should you prepare for the exam

Preparation for Bank PO depends upon the applicant and also on his / her level of planning. Commonly, it ought to take between 6 and 12 weeks for someone who is genuinely sharp. E.g. a student who has prepared for MBA entrance examinations may take 5-6 weeks for reorientation and honing his / her aptitude skills. Applicants who start afresh may take around 12 to 14 weeks. Likewise, those who are good at English, stand a superior chance of clearing the exam.

Speed is something which is extremely basic. Securing no less than 130-140 marks (60-65%) is sufficient. To secure in the 60-65% territory, candidates ought to discover their shortcomings and work towards tending to them and figure out how to concentrate on their qualities.

Tips for each of the distinctive areas of Bank PO exam

Careful consideration should be given to each section. For the GK section, you have to be abreast with the latest happenings around the world. Moreover, you should have strong understanding of Banking terminology and contemporary developments taking place in the financial services industry.

As regards Mathematics section, you must recollect that it is basically a tenth level section. You ought to figure out alternative strategies to answer a seemingly complex question. You should be able to recognize answers rapidly from the given answer alternatives. The idea is to answer a question in the least possible time using shortcuts and tricks so that you don’t have to frame lengthy equations. Moreover, since time available is a constraint, question selection becomes all the more important. At a glance, you must be able to recognize a difficult question from an easy one.

In the English language section, vocabulary is a core part. Poor vocabulary, can diminish your chances of clearing the exam. You should be at any rate average or better than expected in English to upgrade your odds of passing the exam. Individuals who are poor in vocabulary will battle in the PO test. Besides that, your reading speed should be such that you don’t face any difficulty in going through reading comprehension passages. Grammatical rules also need to be understood and applied in order to crack sentence completion, sentence error spotting and sentence improvement questions present in the exam.

Reasoning ability section is aimed at testing the logical and analytical skills required for systematic problem solving. The focus of questioning is on checking the general mental ability of a candidate. It is generally seen that the difficulty level of reasoning questions asked in banking exams is on the higher side (as compared to SSC & other Govt. job exams). Quite often, candidates find these questions time consuming. However, with consistent practice, you become more proficient and your speed increases as well.

Computer awareness is perhaps the easiest of all sections. This section is aimed at checking whether you have the working knowledge of computer systems and information technology, which is a must for any future banker. Out here, questions related to computer hardware, MS office package, basics of networking, internet security and common computer jargon are among the most frequently asked.

Skills in candidates that help them pass the Bank PO exam

Applicants ought to be good at estimations, data handling and analysis. They must also possess up-to-date general awareness and above average to high reading speed, apart from reasoning and analytical ability. In addition to it, as already discussed above, vocabulary and word usage skills are of great help when appearing in the exam.

Noteworthy Points

 There are sectionals cut-offs (minimum marks to be scored) in the PO exam apart from the overall cut-off score.
 Except English language, all other sections are accessible in both English and Hindi medium.
 Standardized scores, which are similar to percentile rankings, are released by IBPS.
 Incorrect answers attract 25% negative marks. Hence, it is best to avoid making random guesses.
 The aptitude tests (preliminary and mains) are both computer based.
 Performance on the preliminary exam becomes the basis of getting shortlisted for the main exam.
 The candidate has to appear for a personal interview once the main exam is cracked.

All in all, like any other aptitude test, cracking Bank PO is also a game of speed and accuracy.

Knowing the Interview Round

Once the aptitude of candidates has been tested, IBPS organizes the interview round in order to examine their personality. The basic purpose is to analyze whether the candidate has the personality traits required to be a probationary officer in public sector banking.

The major areas of questioning in the interview are as follows:
1. Academics
2. Goal Orientation
3. Family & Social Background
4. Ethics
5. Work Experience (if any)
6. General Awareness
7. Banking Awareness
8. Self Awareness

Finally in order to prepare yourself well for an interview, you must put yourself in the shoes of the interview panel and think from their perspective. Your answers must be such as to convince the panel about your candidature being suitable for the PO position.

Summary

Following the tips mentioned in the article can help you perform better in banking recruitment exams. In case of any doubts or for further guidance, please feel free to write to us at vidyagurudelhi@gmail.com.