Millions of candidates attempt a variety of banking exams each year to be hired by one of the nation’s well-known banks, including RBI Grade B, IBPS PO, SBI PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI Clerk, SBI SO, IBPS RRB, J&K Bank, etc. The Banking Sector Exams are national-level tests used to hire personnel for various positions in the banking industry.
Preliminary and main exams, which are conducted in two distinct phases, are used to select candidates for bank exams. The bank’s preliminaries and mains exam syllabuses differ slightly from one another. The preliminary phase is of a qualifying nature, and candidates are chosen primarily based on their performance in the main examination, including any interview results.
Preliminary Examination
Table of Contents
The three sections of this phase are typically English, Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude. One hour is allotted for you to attempt 100 questions. In the Objective Tests of the Preliminary and Mains exams, each question is worth one mark, and there is a penalty for marking the incorrect response. One-fourth of the marks allotted to that question will be deducted for a failed attempt.
S.No. | Name of test | No. of questions, | Maximum marks | Duration |
1. | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
2. | Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
3. | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
Mains Examination
Mains is the recruitment process’s scoring phase, and you must perform well to make the shortlist. Reasoning and computer aptitude, general knowledge of the economy and banking, English language, and data analysis and interpretation make up the four main sections of this phase.
Since each banking exam has a unique paper structure, there is no set exam format for the bank mains. As a result, before studying for an exam, you must carefully review its format. The table below shows the IBPS PO Mains examination pattern:
S. No | Name of test | No of Questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
1. | Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 minutes |
2. | English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 minutes |
3. | Data Analysis and Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 minutes |
4. | General/Economy/ Financial Awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
Total | 155 | 200 | 3 Hours |
Understanding the exam format is simply insufficient. The syllabus and the level of difficulty of the exam’s questions should be completely familiar to you. The best aspect is that the majority of banking exams use the same syllabus. So here is the syllabus for different Bank exams.
Different Bank Exam Syllabus
For PO
Bank | Subjects |
SBI PO | Reasoning Ability |
English Language | |
Quantitative Aptitude | |
General Awareness | |
IBPS PO | Reasoning Ability/Computer Knowledge |
English Language | |
Quantitative Aptitude  | |
General Awareness | |
IBPS RRB PO | Reasoning Ability |
English/Hindi Language | |
Quantitative Aptitude | |
General Awareness | |
Computer Knowledge |
For Clerk
Bank | Subjects |
SBI Clerk | Reasoning Ability and Computer Knowledge |
English Language | |
General Awareness | |
Quantitative Aptitude | |
IBPS PO | Reasoning Ability and Computer Knowledge |
English Language | |
Quantitative Aptitude  | |
General Awareness | |
IBPS RRB PO | Reasoning Ability and Computer Knowledge |
English/Hindi Language | |
Quantitative Aptitude  | |
General Awareness | |
Financial Awareness |
For SO
Bank | Subjects |
SBI SO | Reasoning Ability and |
English Language | |
Quantitative Aptitude | |
Professional Knowledge | |
IBPS SO | Reasoning Ability |
English Language | |
Quantitative Aptitude or General Awareness  | |
Professional Knowledge | |
IBPS RRB PO | Reasoning Ability and Computer Knowledge |
English/Hindi Language | |
Quantitative Aptitude  | |
General Awareness | |
Financial Awareness |
Here is the topics of all different subjects:
English Language: Paragraph Completion, Reading Comprehension, Double Fillers, Cloze Test, Sentence Correction, Para Jumbles, Para Summary, Error Spotting, Sentence Connector, and Vocabulary.
Reasoning Ability: Sitting Arrangements, Tabulation, Syllogism, Input-Output, Coding-Decoding, Alphanumeric Series, Blood Relations, Ranking, Data Sufficiency, Coded Inequalities, Distance & Direction, and Verbal Reasoning
Quantitative Aptitude: Profit & Loss, Simplification & Approximation, Data Interpretation, Time & Distance, Quadratic Equations, Simple Interest & Compound Interest, Ratio & Proportion, Percentage, Permutation & Combination, Number Series, Probability, Averages, etc.
General Awareness: Current affairs, Banking awareness, Prime minister Schemes, Headquarters, Important days, Currencies, Books & Authors, Static General Knowledge (Countries, Capitals, Countries involved in new treaties)
Professional Knowledge: The professional knowledge curriculum is broken down into various sections according to the posts, such as IT Officer, HR Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Marketing Officer, Finance Officer, Law Officer, Agriculture Officer, etc.
A well-thought-out plan will enable you to pass the banking examination with ease. You can start by looking at the syllabus and previous year’s test questions to create a schedule for the sections that are crucial or you struggle with. To cover every possible angle, you can play to your strengths. Set aside a minimum of two hours for each subject that will be on your exam. Make sure to create a schedule that takes into account the available time. Practice as many mock exams and previous year’s papers as you can.
- Revise on a Daily Basis – Revision is important because, in most cases, even though a student may have understood a concept when it was first introduced to them, they often forget it later on. As a result, daily revisions are essential.
- Solve Time-Bound Exercises, Mock Tests & Model Papers – This will create the feel of an exam and help you understand the kinds of questions that might be asked.
- Time Management – Make sure your goals are ones you can actually reach. Plan your day so that you have enough time to dedicate to the preparation.
- Focus – Even if a candidate is able to dedicate three to four hours per day to studying, this time must be spent doing only one thing: studying. Nothing should be done to divert attention.
- Solve Previous Year Question Papers – The best course of action is to consult the previous year’s question papers in order to comprehend the exam’s standard and pattern.