What to Study for Bank PO Current Affairs

Cracking a Bank PO exam is not possible without clearing the cut off for General Knowledge section. When it comes to the GK section of the exam, current affairs occupies the prime position. Events of national and international significance together constitute this area. The candidates attending classes for bank exam coaching in Delhi are often advised by GK faculty members to read newspapers and to go through different current affairs magazines.

However, this in itself does not prove to be of much benefit to the candidates as they remain unaware of what exactly they should read and memorize. Moreover, the candidates are practically clueless about the type of questions which they can expect in the exam. To top it all, the sheer volume of any current affairs magazine discourages them so much that they give up on the idea of preparing for the GK section.

But, this problem can be sorted out by mapping the topics which constitute current affairs and approaching them systematically. The list of these topics and the description of questions related to them are as follows:

1. New Appointments & Who is Who – If a new President or a new Prime Minister gets elected in any country, then it is a potential question. Moreover, the names of people occupying important positions such as UN Secretary General, MD of IMF, Director General of WTO, President of World Bank, Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers, Governors, Chairman of Finance Commission, Chief Election Commissioner, CAG, CVC, National Security Advisor and Chief Economic Advisor must be on your tips.
2. Prizes & Awards – The names of Nobel Prize, Tang Prize, Pulitzer Prize and Man Booker Prize winners have to be memorized. Besides these, questions on various other awards which are given away every year such as Academy Awards (Oscar Awards), Raymond Magsaysay Awards, Padma Awards, National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, Saraswati Samman, Vyas Samman, Jnanpith Puraskar, Arjuna Awards, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Puraskar etc. are also a regular feature of Bank PO & Clerk exams.
3. International Summits/Conferences – The venues of G-20, G-8, SAARC, BRICS, IBSA, MERCOSUR, BIMSTEC and ASEAN summits are regularly asked in the form of questions in almost every bank recruitment exam. Apart from the venues of the most recently held summits, the venues of the summits to be held in near future should also be learnt. United Nations Climate Change Conferences and WTO Ministerial Talks are held from time to time. Do make it a point to keep a track of their venues as well.
4. Govt. Welfare Schemes & Initiatives – You must learn the details of centrally sponsored welfare schemes and initiatives such as Pahal, Pradahan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY), Sukanya Samridhi Yojana, MNREGA, Make in India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan etc. Earlier MNREGA and recently PMJDY have been the source of many exam questions.
5. Sports Tournaments – Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Football World Cup, ICC Cricket World Cup, Hockey World Cup, Champions Trophy, Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Davis Cup, Tennis Grand Slams etc. are some famous sports tournaments. The venues of these tournaments, their mascots (if applicable) and the teams / individuals who win them are in news. If you do not have information about them, you will not be able to score some easy marks.
6. India’s International Relations – The names of various heads of state with whom our President and Prime Minister keep meeting need to be memorized. Knowing about the dignitaries who visit India as chief guests on Republic Day Ceremony and Pravasi Bhartiya Divas is also a must. Defence cooperation with other nations in the form of joint military exercises (drills) and the purchase of equipment such as jet fighters, helicopters etc. is also an integral part of our international relations. These relations also include any international agreement or bilateral treaty that our country may have signed recently.
7. Science & Technology – News related to developments in the field of science & technology must not be overlooked, especially the news on Indian space program and defence research breakthroughs. You must remain updated on the contemporary efforts to preserve environment such as the promotion of renewable energy resources. Do ensure that you are aware about the upcoming thermal energy, hydel energy and nuclear energy power projects, especially their location.
8. Books & Authors – Questions based on authors of the books in current discussion are frequently there in IBPS and SBI exams. Both past and recent books written by famous authors such as VS Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Chetan Bhagat, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Arundhati Roy, Gunter Grass, P. Chidambram, Pranab Mukherjee, Ram Chandra Guha etc. are relevant in the context of exams. The authors who have, in recent times, won the Nobel Prize (in literature), Pulitzer Prize (in literature), Man Booker Prize & Man International Booker Prize and their respective books can’t be neglected at any cost.
9. Fiscal & Monetary Policy Announcements – The announcements made in the Union budget need to be studied in detail. These announcements pertain to our fiscal policy and must definitely be revised before the exam. You also need to keep abreast of the latest monetary policy announcements made by RBI; any change in the Repo rate, Reverse Repo Rate, Bank Rate CRR and SLR must be noted carefully. For this, it is essential to go through RBI’s bimonthly monetary policy review.
10. Macroeconomic Indicators & Financial Market Developments – A question or two on the values of key macroeconomic indicators such as GDP Growth Rate, Fiscal Deficit, Revenue Deficit, Current Account Deficit and Index of Industrial Production (IIP) are surely asked in the exam. Questions based on financial market developments such as a change in the maximum permissible foreign investment limit in any industry, the setting up of a new stock exchange or commodity exchange etc. are also highly probable.

Summary

The description of the topics provided above will help you distil the information relevant from the perspective of current affairs. The description has been prepared by experts of the best SBI coaching in Delhi after analyzing the pattern of past IBPS and SBI exams. To seek further guidance from these experts, you can write to them at vidyagurudelhi@gmail.com.