If you’re preparing for the IBPS PO Exam 2025, then you already know how competitive it is. Every score is precious—a mere quarter of a mark may distinguish you from entering into the mains. The good side to this is that many candidates have lost marks not because the paper made an impossible call on them but because they made certain avoidable mistakes.

At the Chennai School of Banking, regarded widely as the finest bank coaching institute of Tamil Nadu, one experience ranges from those top scorers who wedged smartly through questions and traps to others who simply walked into the typical error, and today, we spill the beans on some errors you must avoid if you want a seat in the nationalized bank.

Mistake #1: Ignoring the Exam Pattern and Weightage

Many candidates get into solving random practice papers without studying the official pattern. It is like driving without knowing the route. The Prelims of IBPS PO thus have three sections—Stage of English Language, Quantitative Ability, and Reasoning Ability—each with a fixed number of questions and time frame.

Pro Tip:

• Begin with the section that you are strong in so that confidence gets built gradually.
• Use time-bound sectional tests to give a feel of the actual test.

Mistake #2: Over-attempting Without Accuracy

Speed and accuracy, though important, put greater weight on the latter. So, in IBPS PO, a wrong answer diminishes your score by ¼ mark. In panic, many students rush through questions hoping for increased attempts instead of losing more marks due to negative marking.

Pro Tip:

• Only attempt a question if you are 80% sure of the answer.
• Our online classes for banking include “accuracy drills” through which you will learn when to skip and when to solve questions.

Mistake #3: Weak Time Management

In the prelims, you really get about 20 minutes per section. That’s just enough for one evil puzzle to demoralize your attempts.

Pro Tip:

• Go for speed rounds: try to solve easy-to-moderate questions first, and finish the harder ones after.
• Take mock tests using sectional timers, exactly as we would in our offline and online banking classes.

Mistake #4: Neglecting the English Section

A lot of aspirants study Quant and Reasoning heavily while treating English as “easy marks.” In reality, the tricky comprehension and para-jumble sets just steal away time.

Pro Tip:

• Build reading habits on a daily basis. Newspapers, editorials, banking magazines.
• Focus on vocabulary and the basics of grammar. 

Mistake #5: No Revision Before the Exam

By the time the examination is here, students might well have forgotten the shortcuts, formulas, and even the simplest tricks because they were never revised properly.

Pro Tip:

• Create your own “Quick Revision Sheet” with formulas, reasoning patterns, and grammar rules.
• Alter it every alternate day during the final two weeks.

From the Experts at Chennai School of Banking

Being regarded as the best bank coaching center in Tamil Nadu, we feel that preparation is beyond practicing questions; it also includes avoiding trivial errors. Rest assured, whether you attend classroom sessions in Chennai or join online banking classes, we teach how to think akin to a topper—careful with details, timing, and pattern recognition.

This exclusive ‘Mistake Tracker’ system will let you keep track of all errors you make while practicing and see to it that you never repeat them in the exam. Most of our IBPS PO toppers say that this alone improved their scores by 10–15 marks.

Your Next Step to IBPS PO Success

You now know the common errors; now just get smart at preparing. Why waste months on trial and error when all you need to do is to copy a winner?

Have a go at our IBPS PO Crash Course—both as offline batches at our Chennai center and online banking classes that you can attend from anywhere in India.

Get the latest pattern mock tests, sectional speed drills, and personal mentoring. 

Learn from a faculty team that boasts decades of experience between them in banking exam coaching.

Book your free trial session today! Give us a ring or check out our website! Don’t let small mistakes take away your dream job—let Chennai School of Banking guide you every step of the way.