how to prepare bank exam

8/7/2019 how to prepare bank exam

1/12

The banking sector attracts hordes of people to its recruitment drives because of the

security, well-paid and great career prospects that it offers. Openings are available in

banks at various levels, right from Clerical posts to that of Probationary Officers.

There are various types of banks in India such as the State Bank of India and Associates

Nationalized Banks, Domestic Private Sector Banks, New Domestic Private SectorBanks, Foreign Banks. The Reserve Bank of India acts a centralized monitoring body in

the Indian financial sector.

Students who have gained more than 60% in their graduate studies can appear for the All

India Examination conducted by the Public Sector Banks. This exam is the first step

towards a lifelong career in the Banking profession.

Indian Banks For Probationary Officer Examination

A List of Banks India that conduct the PO Examination Tests are:

ICICI Bank

Indian Overseas Bank

Canara Bank

SBI Bank

Corporation Bank

UCO Bank

Federal Bank

Syndicate Bank

OBC Bank

Saraswati Cooperation Bank PO Allahabad Bank PO Dena Bank PO

Central Bank of India Bank PO

Bank of Baroda PO

Andhra Bank PO

IDBI Bank

Vijaya Bank PO

State Bank PO Examination: Pattern & Syllabus

SBI PO: Syllabus & Pattern

Let us look at a model of the State Bank PO exam as it is the largest bank and has several

associate banks under its fold such as the State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur, State Bank ofHyderabad, State Bank of Indore, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala, State


2/12

Bank of Suarastra, State Bank of Travancore. But more or less this applies to all the other

bank exams too.

Educational qualifications required are a First division graduation in any discipline withmore than 65%. This is relaxed for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the

Physically Challenged.

In addition, proficiency in computers and a certificate of training from a reputed institute

is also essential.

Age limit: Not below 21 years and not above 30 years as on1st July of the year of Exam

When held: generally in the month of September-October.

There are two stages of the test which is in Hindi and English that is:

1. Written Test :

o Objective/Syllabus:

1. Test of Reasoning ( 75 Questions and time suggested is 50 minutes)

2. Quantitative Aptitude (50 Questions and time suggested is 30 minutes),

3. General Awareness (50 Questions and time suggested is 25 minutes),4. Test of computer literacy and English language (50 Questions and time suggested is 30

minutes).

The total Number of questions asked is 225 and 135 minutes allotted for the Objective

Test. Beware as there will be negative marks for the wrong answers.

o Descriptive:

It is a test of English language.

Time: 45 minutes.

Objective: To test the persons higher order cognitive abilities such as comprehension

and analysis of situations, generation of unique ideas or situations as well as languageability.

Approach: Three out of four questions have to be answered on a given situation with

answers to be restricted to the space provided in the question-cum-answer sheet.

Note: no negative marks

2. Interview:


3/12


4/12

Books For Indian Banks PO Exam Preparation:

1. Several students buy the R. S. Agarwal series on arithmetic, reasoning and basic

English and follow it stringently.2. Go through the BSC series of reasoning and English.

3. Bank PO Exam Preparation by Aditya Publications.4. Quantitative Aptitude for competitive exams from Abhijit Guha.

How to Prepare for Bank PO Exam

Probationary Officer ( PO ) is the initial stage to enter in banking industry. From this, one

can progress very quickly to higher hierarchy like Manager, General Manager & may

more. So this type of job fascinates fresh graduates a lot. And also they are correct inchoosing this. This year also many banks have PO exams recently. Like there is ICICI

Bank PO recruitment, SBI PO Recruitment,Corporation Bank PO exam, OBC Bank POExam 2010, UCO Bank PO exam 2010 etc.

Preparing for bank PO exam is not a tough job. It needs a little preparation only. The

Probationary Officers ( PO ) are selected on the basis ofwritten test & interview.Almost every bank has same pattern of written test. It consists of objective test &

descriptive test.

The Objective Test generally carries of 200 250 marks & duration is generally 2 3

hrs. The questions are on the basis of reasoning aptitude, general awareness, Englishlanguage & quantitative aptitude. Also there will be negative marking for each wrong

answer.The Descriptive Test is of 1hr generally & questions are essay type based oncomprehension in English.

The following should be taken care of while preparing for PO exam :

1. Reasoning Aptitude : In this section, questions are basically of diagrams,

analysis, statements etc. You should be very keen & skillful while attempting this.You will be tested on the skills used by you to solve this. Also look for previous

year question paper. This will help you a lot.

2. General Awareness : For preparing this section, the best is to read the newspaper

daily & find out the current affairsin banking sectors. global business, moneymarkets etc.

3. English language : This section covers questions on English grammar.

Vocabulary, synonyms, antonyms etc. The simple grammar book is sufficient forpreparation.

4. Quantitative Aptitude : In this, maths of Xth Std will be asked like algebra,

profit loss, percentage etc. Class Xth maths book is the source to prepare for it
http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.jobsnresults.com/icici-bank-po-recruitment/http://www.jobsnresults.com/icici-bank-po-recruitment/http://www.jobsnresults.com/sbi-po-recruitment/http://www.jobsnresults.com/corporation-bank-po-exam/%5Chttp://www.jobsnresults.com/corporation-bank-po-exam/%5Chttp://www.jobsnresults.com/obc-bank-po-exam-2010/http://www.jobsnresults.com/obc-bank-po-exam-2010/http://www.jobsnresults.com/uco-bank-po-exam-2010/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.jobsnresults.com/icici-bank-po-recruitment/http://www.jobsnresults.com/icici-bank-po-recruitment/http://www.jobsnresults.com/sbi-po-recruitment/http://www.jobsnresults.com/corporation-bank-po-exam/%5Chttp://www.jobsnresults.com/obc-bank-po-exam-2010/http://www.jobsnresults.com/obc-bank-po-exam-2010/http://www.jobsnresults.com/uco-bank-po-exam-2010/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/


5/12

Some of the reference books are Sultan Chand publications- Quantitative aptitude,

Abhijit Guha, R.S. Agarwal & R.K. Gupta for maths, Also some CDsare available

containing important questions.

Bank exams, be it PO or clerical arent that difficult as people think. But the problem is

the vacancies: applicants ratio. So all you need to worry is about your preparation and

not the toughness of the paper (Update: A new Common entrance test for Banks has

been finalized wef 2011)

If you are preparing for PO exam, the first thing you need to know is the pattern of the

exam. A written test for a PO exam consists of 2 parts, objective part and a descriptive

part . The objective part consists of four sections namely, English language test,quantitative ability, Reasoning and General Awareness/ Marketing aptitude.

The exact pattern for a specific bank can be found in the acquaint yourself booklet

which you get when you apply to an exam.

But for now Ill discuss on how to attempt a standard bank PO exam which has 225

questions in total with 135 minutes time i.e., 2 hrs and 15 minutes.

225 questions in 135 minutes comes out to be 36 seconds per question. It may seem

daunting but its not the end of the world since we arent attempting every question. If

you can attempt 175-185 questions (> 190 is excellent) with 90 percent accuracy, youvedone a good job.

So as soon as you are told to start answering, I would recommend starting with the

General awareness/ Marketing aptitude section and there wont be much to think or solve

in it. Just see the question and mark the answer. Attempt as many questions as you can in

this section (only if youre sure of the answer) but you should be able to complete thesection in 25 minutes (20 minutes would be excellent).

The next section to go for would be English and I generally the first 9-10 questions in it

will be that of comprehensive passage. So I would recommend leaving that part of the

questions as the rest of the section is pretty Basic English which is very easy. Again youshould be able to complete this section in 20-25 minutes.

So weve done with 2 sections in 40-50 minutes and left with another 135 questions

which should be done in 85-95 minutes.

Depending upon your strength, go for either Reasoning or Quant but remember to solvethe easiest questions first (this will be the deciding factor). Any thing that requires serious
http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.sriraj.org/career/common-entrance-test-bank/http://sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/bank-po-descriptive-paper-sbi-iob-bob-uco-allahabad-questions/http://sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/bank-po-descriptive-paper-sbi-iob-bob-uco-allahabad-questions/http://www.jobsnresults.com/how-to-prepare-for-bank-po-exam/http://www.sriraj.org/career/common-entrance-test-bank/http://sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/bank-po-descriptive-paper-sbi-iob-bob-uco-allahabad-questions/http://sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/bank-po-descriptive-paper-sbi-iob-bob-uco-allahabad-questions/


6/12

calculation in Quant or serious thinking in Reasoning should be left behind at first and

come back to it if time permits at the end. For example questions on circular arrangement

in Reasoning and compound interest calculations in Quant could be avoided.

From the feedback given by many test takers, what I found is that the DI part in Quant

will be an important part in the test which is also very easiest part. Most of the questionin it could be solved without even using your pen. So work hard on DI.

Coming to the time for these 2 sections, 50 questions in Quant (or all that you couldsolve) should be completed in 40 minutes which leaves out 45-55 minutes to solve 75

questions in Reasoning. Dont neglect the non-verbal part in Reasoning as there would be

atleast 15 questions from it.

All said and done, you should have atleast 5 minutes at the last which you could eitheruse to solve the Reading comprehension in English or the arrangement questions in

Reasoning.

If you are accustomed with any procedure from the beginning, I would recommend

following that so that you dont mess up completely. If this is your first attempt for PO/clerical exam, then this method would work well.

Note: Due to too many comments, were closing the comment section in this page. Any

further comments regarding Bank recruitments can be made on a dedicate page for

Discussion on Bank recruitments in India.

This article will try and guide those candidates who applied toUCO Bank notification for

1000 clerks, on how to go about the written test, which is scheduled for 14 November2010. For any recruitment, it is important to know what sections the written test consists

of. In this particular recruitment ofUCO Bank, the written test has the following

sections:

Test of Reasoning ability (50 questions for 80 marks)

Test of English Language (Qualifying)

Test of Numerical Aptitude (50 questions for 80 marks)

Test of Clerical Aptitude (50 questions for 40 marks)

All the four sections above will be in objective mode for a combined 200 marks with a

cumulative time of 95 minutes.
http://www.sriraj.org/needs/discussion-bank-recruitment-india/http://www.sriraj.org/career/uco-bank-1000-clerks-vacancies/http://www.sriraj.org/career/uco-bank-1000-clerks-vacancies/http://www.sriraj.org/career/uco-bank-1000-clerks-vacancies/http://www.sriraj.org/needs/discussion-bank-recruitment-india/http://www.sriraj.org/career/uco-bank-1000-clerks-vacancies/http://www.sriraj.org/career/uco-bank-1000-clerks-vacancies/


7/12

There is also another section, Descriptive paper, which is again only for Qualifying

purpose, for 60 minutes.

Apart from English language test, remaining question paper will be printed both in Hindiand English. Also, candidates can write the descriptive paper in English, Hindi or any

official Local language of their State.

Although there is no General Awareness paper here, it is important to go through current

affairs and recent developments, since most of the descriptive papers are seen toconcentrate on latest happenings.

Time Management

This is the most important part of any competitive test. Bank clerical tests are one of the

easiest tests seen in India. If given sufficient time, even an average student can solve

most if not all the questions given. But since we only have 95 minutes to answer 200

questions and considering that there is negative marking for wrong answers, it isimportant to choose what questions to attempt. If you need more information on this and

want to know how other candidates are performing in clerical tests, please see thisBank

written test tips page (especially the comments section).

English Language paper is only of Qualifying nature (Generally the Qualifying marks

will be 40% for General and OBC and 35% for SC/ST candidates, but they may change

for this test as they like). So if you are sure that you answered at least 40% of the

questions correctly, move on to the next section. There is no point solving all since thereare no marks for English paper, all you need is to Qualify.

For the rest of 3 Objective sections, question selection is important. If the question lookslike it takes time, move to a different question.

Practicing a lot of Reasoning Questions and Numerical Questions will help solve thequestions easily and in quick time. Many Books are available in the market for Bank

clerical recruitments, such as unique publishers etc.

Descriptive paper is the section that most candidates take very lightly and this is where

most fail to get qualify in the written test. Although this paper doesnt have any marks,you are required to Qualify in this section to be eligible for consideration for an Interview

call.

Descriptive paper mainly tests your understanding of the given topic and the command

on the language that you are writing and for this, you are expected to have sufficientknowledge of the things happening around the World, particularly in India.

This section may have internal choices with in questions.
http://www.sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/descriptive-questions-from-previous-bank-exams/http://www.sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/descriptive-questions-from-previous-bank-exams/http://www.sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/tips-on-answering-bank-po-clerical-exam-questions/http://www.sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/tips-on-answering-bank-po-clerical-exam-questions/http://www.sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/tips-on-answering-bank-po-clerical-exam-questions/http://www.sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/descriptive-questions-from-previous-bank-exams/http://www.sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/tips-on-answering-bank-po-clerical-exam-questions/http://www.sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/tips-on-answering-bank-po-clerical-exam-questions/


8/12

Although this article was written keeping UCO Bank recruitment in mind, this can be

applied to any other bank clerical recruitment, just the time management thing is to be

kept in mind.

Central Bank of India Clerks written test

Recently, Central Bank of India has announced a notification to recruit 1163 candidates

as Clerks. The written test for the same is tentatively scheduled for 13 February 2011.

In this state, you should be aware of how the written test will be and what sections itcontains. More detailed instructions will be available in the information booklet that you

will receive along with the Call letter.

Written test pattern

Most of the Banks dont have a Descriptive paper for Clerks recruitment but CentralBank of India has decided to have a Descriptive paper along with the Mandatory

Objective type test.

The Objective test will be for 95 minutes and will have the following sections:

Test of Reasoning Ability, Test of English Language, Test of Numerical Ability and Test

of Clerical Aptitude.

Each section will have 50 Questions and there is negative marking for wrong answers.

English paper is only for Qualifying and will have no weight age for merit ranking.

Descriptive part will have 5 compulsory questions with internal options and this too, isonly for Qualifying purpose.

The questions will be subjects related to Socio economic developments and will test your

communication skills. You can write descriptive answers in either Hindi or English.

You can see few Sample Bank Descriptive papers.

And you may also see Union Bank of India Clerk written test pattern which will be held a

week before Central Bank test.

Those candidates who perform well in the written test will be called for the Interview.
http://www.sriraj.org/career/central-bank-1163-clerks/http://www.sriraj.org/career/central-bank-1163-clerks/http://www.sriraj.org/career/central-bank-1163-clerks/http://www.sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/descriptive-questions-from-previous-bank-exams/http://www.sriraj.org/needs/union-bank-clerks-written-test/http://www.sriraj.org/career/central-bank-1163-clerks/http://www.sriraj.org/career/central-bank-1163-clerks/http://www.sriraj.org/notifications-and-exam-results/descriptive-questions-from-previous-bank-exams/http://www.sriraj.org/needs/union-bank-clerks-written-test/


9/12

Syllabus : Syllabus for Bank Probationary Officer (PO) Exams

1. Test of Reasoning/Mental Ability/Aptitude:

This section usually tries to test the reasoning abilities and mental aptitude of the

candidate. Questions are asked mainly from the following categories.

VERBAL

Number Series

Alphabet Series

Test of Direction Sense

Coding-Decoding

Number Ranking

Arithmetical Reasoning

Problem on Age Calculation

Blood Relations Analogy

Decision Making etc.

NON-VERBAL

Non Verbal Series

Mirror Images

Cubes and Dice

Grouping Identical Figures

Embedded Figures etc

2. Quantitative Aptitude:

This section tests the quantitative and mathematical skills of the candidate. Questions are

asked mainly from the following categories.

Number System

HCF, LCM

Simplification

Decimal Fractions

Ratio and Proportions Unitary Method

Percentage

Time and Distance

Time and Work

Profit and Loss

Average

Simple and Compound Interest

Mensuration (2D and 3D)


10/12

Algebra

Data Interpretation

3. English:

This section is designed to test the language abilities and understanding of Englishgrammar. Questions are asked mainly from the following categories.

Verb

Adverb

Subject Verb Agreement

Error Correction

Tenses

Sentence Rearrangement

Fill in the Blanks with Modals, Articles etc

Comprehension

Answering questions based on Unseen Passages Vocabulary

Synonyms

Antonyms

4. GeneralAwareness:

This section is checks whether the candidate keep himself/herself up to date with theworld around them. Questions are asked mainly from the following categories.

Current Affairs (National and International)

Major Financial/Economic News Budget and Five Year Plans Whos Who

Sports

Books and Authors

Awards and Honours

Science - Inventions and Discoveries

Abbreviations

Important Days

International and National Organisations

NOTE:- Syllabus may vary from Bank to Bank and from Time to Time. However thisbroadly covers all the topics one should prepare for Bank PO Examination. This syllabusis valid for bank Probationary Officer Recruitment Exam conducted by State Bank of

India (SBI), Bank of Baroda (BOB), Allahabad Bank, ICICI, Corporation Bank, Bank of

Maharashtra and other national banks


11/12

Banking jobs are the hot favorite among job seekers even during this period of economic

recession and job cuts. The reasons being job security, stable pay, growth prospects.Since Indian banks have performed well compared to American and European peers, the

demand for officers, executives, clerks is still seen in Indian job market. But how to

prepare for a job in bank?

We have compiled some important points which would be useful for all those who wish

to take up bank exams.

1) If you are determined for a job in bank, preparations for exams must be started well in

advance. Most bank exams have common sections like Aptitude, Logical, so its betteryou start from them. Clerk Exams& PO Exams have these papers.

2) Practice using model or previous question papers; it could help in giving an outline of

the exam structure. Try to work out the questions atleast thrice, which will boost your

confidence level to answer. Mock tests might help to bring down the fear before takingup the exam.Make use of guides &bank exam books while preparing

3) Having decided to appear for exams of a specific bank, research about the bank,

management, core business areas, branches, mission, achievements and recognitions isnecessary. This helps you in Interview , Group discussion& in written examination.

4) Apart from preparing specifically for bank exams, be attentive about up-to-date

happenings by reading newspapers. Stay alert on issues pertaining to banks and itsbusiness. Watching business news channels will provide a more inside view on various

topics.

5) Be bold in expressing your views, if given a chance since you could be appointed the

next manager!
http://www.bankexamsindia.com/2009/10/crack-indian-banks-clerk-exam-questions.htmlhttp://www.bankexamsindia.com/2009/10/crack-indian-banks-clerk-exam-questions.htmlhttp://www.bankexamsindia.com/2009/10/prepare-for-bank-po-exam.htmlhttp://www.squidoo.com/bankexambookshttp://www.squidoo.com/bankexambookshttp://www.bankexamsindia.com/2009/10/government-bank-interview-questions.htmlhttp://www.bankexamsindia.com/2009/11/prepare-for-group-discussion-tips.htmlhttp://www.bankexamsindia.com/2009/11/prepare-for-group-discussion-tips.htmlhttp://www.bankexamsindia.com/2009/10/crack-indian-banks-clerk-exam-questions.htmlhttp://www.bankexamsindia.com/2009/10/prepare-for-bank-po-exam.htmlhttp://www.squidoo.com/bankexambookshttp://www.bankexamsindia.com/2009/10/government-bank-interview-questions.htmlhttp://www.bankexamsindia.com/2009/11/prepare-for-group-discussion-tips.html


12/12

a. Current Affairsb. Social Economics

c. Aptituded. General Knowledge

e. Reasoning Sectionf. Mathematics (Quantitative Aptitude)

g. Banking Awarness

h. English Section

how to prepare bank exam

Documents