How to get Bank Job
Bank jobs are currently among the most in-demand jobs in India. More than 20 lakh aspirants generally appear for exams conducted by IBPS, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), State Bank of India (SBI), and private banks(taken together). These banking exams can give you jobs in RBI, SBI (and associated banks), 21 nationalised banks, 20+ private Indian banks, select foreign banks and a large number of small to medium co-operative banks along with gramin banks at the clerical, PO (Probationary Officer) and SO (Specialist Officer) levels. Vacancies in banks are set to reach 7.5 lakh in the next 5 years, since banking jobs are appearing lucrative in times of an economic slowdown.
Check : IBPS Previous Asked Questions
Questions Pattern for Bank PO Exam
The questions have a problem followed by multiple-choices (as answers). You need to read and solve the problem and mark the most appropriate choice.
The steps involved in solving the questions do not give you marks. You get marks only if you mark the correct option. Also, if you mark more than one option, you do not get marks.
You get penalized if you mark the wrong answer. Unlike school or college where you get “zero” marks for a wrong answer, you get negative marks for wrong answers in these exams. So, if you are not careful, you can end up with a score less than zero as well.
Each section in the test may have a separate cut-off. Unlike school or college education patterns where you can clear the exam by focusing only on your strengths, here you need to get some minimum marks in each section to qualify for the next stage of the bank recruitment process.
There is no fixed syllabus for such exams. While the broad areas from which questions can be asked are known, no question is generally considered “out-of-syllabus”. You have to keep this in mind and prepare for aptitude tests. However, you can identify the most common areas by solving previous year question papers(or sample papers) and taking sufficient mock tests.
Read : Killer Tips To Qualify Andhra Bank Manipal PO 2016/17 Exam
Important Subjects for Bank PO Exam
Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation – school level maths, basic charts and tables
Logical Reasoning – puzzles, analytical and critical reasoning
English Language – school level grammar, English comprehension
General Awareness – GK and current affairs
Computer Awareness – computers, applications, internet
In this detailed article, we guide you through Bank exams preparation: section format, question types, tips & tricks and strategies.
Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation for Bank PO Exam
This section in bank exams tests your calculation skills and knowledge of school level mathematics. The challenge is that while aspirants have learnt the concepts, they have forgotten the associated formulae, concepts, properties, etc. and not had exposure to such questions since many years.
The various question types asked in this section are:
Question Type
Number of Questions
Weightage in Section
BODMAS/Calculation Techniques/Approximations
10 to 15
25-30%
Data Interpretation
15 to 20
40-50%
Odd Man Out/Complete the Series
5
10%
Mathematics
5 to 10
20-25%
Data Sufficiency/Quantitative Comparison
5
10%
Total
40
100%
Logical Reasoning for Bank PO Exam
The reasoning section tests your analytical and logical reasoning skills i.e. your ability to interpret data and information given in the form of puzzles, brain teasers or clues and sort it to arrive at a meaningful outcome. It does not generally test conceptual or theoretical knowledge (apart from one or two areas) but requires a lot of practice of different question types.
The various question types asked in this section are:
Question Type
Number of Questions
Weightage in Section
Arrangements
12 to 15
25-30%
Sequential Output Tracing
4 to 6
10-15%
Odd Man Out/Complete the Series
5
10%
Syllogisms
6 to 8
15-20%
Data Sufficiency
4 to 6
10-15%
Critical Reasoning
6 to 8
15-20%
Visual Reasoning
5 to 10
10-25%
Total
40
100%
English Language for Bank PO Exam
The section (also known as Verbal Ability) tests your English language skills but is not just a test of vocabulary or English grammar. It is more a test of language comprehension and your ability to interpret information given in English. So, while you need to have good grammar and vocabulary basics, it is vital that you have a good reading habit. Read from as many diverse sources as possible and understand what you read. This is more useful than trying to mug up random words and their meanings.
The various question types asked in this section are:
Question Type
Number of Questions
Weightage in Section
Reading Comprehension
10 to 15
25-30%
Jumbled Sentences
5
10-12%
Fill in the Blanks
5
10-12%
Close Passages
10
25%
Errors in Usage
5 to 10
10-25%
Sentence Correction
5 to 10
10-25%
Vocabulary
5
10-12%
Paragraph Completion
5
10-12%
Total
40
100%
A single paper may not have all of these; but, between them, these question types form a comprehensive list of questions appearing in this section. Consider each question type separately:
General Knowledge and Current Affairs (GK) for Bank PO Exam
The general knowledge and current affairs section tests your general awareness more than your knowledge of trivia and random information. Thus, while it is beneficial to go through GK magazines and books, reading newspapers daily and current affairs magazines on a weekly basis (at least) is a must. Keep a look out for important events at the national and international level.
The various areas from which GK questions may be asked are:
1) Banking Products and Terminology
This is the most important area of this section and is definitely tested in each paper.
You can expect questions on commonly used products and terms like savings and current accounts, term deposits, non-performing assets etc. These questions can be either be:
-
Definition Based – Here, the term is given and you need to mark the right definition from the options.
-
Application Based – The use or benefit or application of the relevant banking product is given and you need to identify the appropriate product from the options.
You can refer to online glossaries on banking products to increase your expertise in this area. Also, read up basic details, benefits and limitations of major banking products and meanings of terms(e.g. Repo Rate, Current Account Deficit, etc.) used in the banking industry.
Specifically, you should also keep a track of the various products being launched by specific banks e.g. agricultural loans, special personal loans etc. Occasionally, questions are also asked on these. You may need to refer to the website of individual banks for information on these.
2) Economic and Corporate Updates
These test your general awareness but in the larger context of the economy in conjunction with finance and politics.
You may expect questions on:
-
Reserve Bank of India – economic policy announcements, their impact on ratios like repo rate, CRR, SLR, liquidity (along with definitions of these terms)
-
Financial Performances – financial performance of major corporates, especially public banks
-
Mergers & Acquisitions, Takeovers, Buyouts, Joint Ventures
-
Government Policy Announcements
It is obvious that all these require up-to-date information which can be obtained only by reading the newspaper thoroughly on an everyday basis. When you read the newspaper, make it a point to go through all the sections and get information on each. If required, make notes. Substantiate this information by following it up on the internet as well or through current affairs magazines.
3) Government Schemes and Constitutional Bodies
Questions from this generally pertain either to schemes launched in the past 2-3 years, schemes currently in the news and schemes that have just been announced.
Typical questions may be on acronyms, relevant ministry or government department related to the scheme, objectives of the scheme, powers and responsibilities of the implementing body, achievements and limitations of the scheme and so on.
Apart from government schemes, you may be asked questions on bodies like the Comptroller and Auditor General of India(CAG), Election Commission of India(EC), National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) etc. These questions may be on objectives, formation, acronyms, powers and responsibilities of the body as well as its members etc.
Finally, you may have questions on public representatives/bodies like Gram Panchayats, Members of Parliament (MPs), Cabinet Ministers, the President of India and so on.
For all these categories, basic civics knowledge and regular news updates are important.
4) Marketing Terms
Like banking terms, you may also have questions on marketing terms such as telemarketing, cross-selling etc.
As explained earlier, these can either be definition-based or application-based.
While most of these questions can be answered using common sense, going through a glossary of marketing and sales based terms is always beneficial.
5) Current Affairs
This is a major part of this section but is difficult to prepare because of the diversity of topics from which questions can be asked.
Reading the newspapers and following the news daily is a must for these questions.
Some of the common areas covered in current affairs questions are:
-
Sports – Records, Winners, Venues, Upcoming Championships, etc.
-
Awards – Sports, Literature, Social Work, Nobel Prize winners, Indian awards, etc.
-
Entertainment – Major films, plays, documentaries, etc.
-
Corporate – New products, tag lines, brand ambassadors, mergers & acquisitions, etc.
-
Politics – Government announcements, Ministers, Chief Ministers, Governors, Heads of Constitutional bodies, etc.
You generally need to be aware of events that have happened in the 6-8 months preceding the exam date.
6) Trivia
This is the pure general knowledge part of the section. It comprises static GK i.e. GK that remains constant for long periods of time.
Theoretically, it is impossible to be completely prepared for this as you are not expected to know things from all areas across different periods of time.
However, it has been seen that people who have a good reading habit and are updated on current affairs generally manage to handle these questions well.
Apart from the areas covered in current affairs, some other areas covered in trivia are:
- Geography – countries, capitals, cities, rivers, mountain ranges, etc.
- History – important dates, personalities, etc.
- Science – basic definitions in science, climate change, environment, etc.
- Hobbies and Professions
- Acronyms and Abbreviations
- Important Personalities
- Literature and Entertainment
As explained above, a well-read person is automatically able to tackle this area to a large extent.
Computer Awareness/Computer Knowledge for Bank PO Exam
The computer awareness section in bank exams is a relatively new entrant due to the increasing usage of computers and the internet in all kind of bank jobs. As bank aspirants you are expected to have a basic working knowledge of computers, their applications and how to use them. Consequently, while bank tests do not really check your technical expertise in this field, they definitely test your proficiency with common computer applications.
The various areas from which questions may be asked in this section are:
1) Basics of Computer Hardware
These questions are based on concepts learnt in school. You may have questions on input, output and storage devices. While you may be aware of most of these, you should update yourself on these again.
You should also get updated information on newer devices like flash drives, pen drives, re-writable disks and more in terms of their applications, limitations etc.
You may also get questions on different parts of conventional computers as well as laptops e.g. monitor, CPU, motherboard, USB ports etc. If you are updated on input, output and storage devices, you should be able to handle these questions.
Go through the Windows Help and Support application to get more information on these.
2) Software & Desktop Applications and Windows
This directly tests your comfort with day-to-day computer applications.
Typical questions may ask you how a file is saved, where does it get saved when deleted and so on.
Some areas that are commonly tested are:
-
Desktop Icons – My Computer, My Documents, Recycle Bin, etc.
-
Start Menu – Programs, Run, Search, Settings
-
Common Computer Operations – Opening new files, creating new folders, renaming, saving and deleting files, creating copies of files, cut-copy-paste, etc.
-
Setting Changes – Wallpapers, screensavers, desktop width, colour settings, etc.
While there is no sure fire way to prepare for these questions, you can prepare by increasing your comfort level with computers. The more you use them, the easier it becomes for you to answer these questions. You then don’t need to remember or mug up answers.
Going through a glossary on Windows and computer applications may also help.
3) Microsoft Office Applications
Along with Windows, this is a popular area in bank exams. As bank aspirants, you are expected to be familiar with at least MS Word and MS Excel. Knowledge of other applications like MS Power Point, MS Outlook and MS Access (for databases) is also useful. Questions on these areas generally test applications and shortcuts in MS Office 2007 and other versions.
The list of questions that can be created on MS Office is almost endless, but some common questions fall under the following categories:
-
File Creation – New files, creating copies of files
-
File Editing and Management – Cut-copy-paste, renaming files, saving and deleting files, editing files either in part or full
-
Data Management – Entering new data, editing and modifying existing data
-
Data Operations – Sorting & filtering data, vlookup & hlookup, pivot tables, etc.
-
Data Formatting – Styles, fonts, colours, borders, spacing, etc.
While you can formally learn all these, practice is the easiest way to master them. The more you practice MS Office, the easier it is to not only learn the basic operations but also the more useful shortcuts and tips.
Even with limited practice of a few months, you should be able to answer most questions very comfortably.
4) Keyboard Shortcuts
Once you become conversant with Windows applications and MS Office, learning shortcut keys becomes easier as they are used extensively in both.
You can expect questions on commonly used keyboard shortcuts, mainly based on the “CTRL”, “SHIFT” and “ALT” keys on the keyboard.
You can also expect questions on other commonly used keys like “Esc”, “Caps Lock”, “Num Lock”, “Backspace”, “Delete”, “Enter”, “Print Screen” and “F1-F12”.
Here, while using the keys gives you a good idea of what they are used for, you can directly get this information from online glossaries.
5) Internet and Networking
With the advent of the internet, this has become very important in this section. Since most jobs require you to use various websites, internet applications and e-mail applications, you can expect a number of questions on these.
Some commonly covered areas are:
-
Browser – Definition, common browsers, browser layout features (view, search bar, tabs, etc.), browser applications (bookmarks, history) etc.
-
E-mail – E-mail applications, creating, formatting and sending mails, mail management tools, folders and labels, e-mail etiquette, e-mail features (cc, bcc, read-receipt, etc.)
-
Websites – website extensions (.in v/s .com v/s .org), website navigation, home pages, etc.
-
Intranets – comparison with internet, applications
-
Networking – types of networks
-
Social Networking websites – Applications and features of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, hi5, etc.
-
Application Based websites and applications –Use of Picasa, Instagram, etc.
-
Security – Viruses, Trojans, Anti-virus Softwares
Again, reading technology magazines and using the internet regularly are helpful.
6) Terminology and Latest News
Apart from terms used in the areas mentioned above, you can get questions on other computer terms like “reboot”, “fetch” etc.
You can also get questions on events related to the computers and IT sector (wherever applicable).
Going through a glossary of computer terms and keeping yourself updated through computer magazines is helpful.
Prepare yourself for Bank PO Exam Easiest way
The exam consists of 4 sections which are spread over – Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, English Language and General Awareness. The duration of the exam is of 2 hours and total 200 questions are going to be asked in the exam.
Now, let’s discuss how to prepare for the exam-
PRACTICE –REGULAR EXERCISE:
(i) Practice makes a man perfect. So make it a habit to daily practice questions.
(ii) Practice concepts of each and every section.
(iii) You can take 2 sections for practice in a day like reasoning and English a day, while quantitative aptitude and general awareness the next day followed by a mock test which you can take on daily basis.
(iv) Now only few weeks are left for the exams so start with practicing more and more mock tests which are available on our website Meritmock.com. Then analyze your performance.
<span style="background-color: yellow;"