IBPS PO RECRUITMENT
Chennai School of Banking, the Leading Training Institute in Chennai, provides Excellent Bank Exams Coaching for candidates appearing for the IBPS PO examination. A coaching program based on previous year question papers and on the latest pattern is sure to help you succeed in the exam. You can choose the direct class or online mode of coaching.
Table of Contents
What is IBPS PO?
• The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) Probationary Officers (PO) is a recruitment process used to identify qualified individuals for the position of probationary officer in several public sector banks in India. Since 2011, The IBPS PO Exam is conducted every year by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection.
Banks that come under IBPS:
- Bank of Baroda
- Bank of Maharashtra
- Indian Overseas Bank
- UCO bank
- Bank of India
- Central Bank of India
- Punjab national bank
- Union bank of India
- Canara bank
- Indian bank
- Punjab & Sind bank
IBPS PO Recruitment
- Aspirants can register themselves through online mode. But no other means of application are accepted.
- The selection is done in three stages, namely the preliminary exam, main exam, and the personal interview.
- And finally, the selected candidate’s provisional allotments are offered by the respective banks.
IBPS PO Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates looking forward to applying for IBPS PO need to satisfy the eligibility criteria with respect to three different parameters- nationality, age limit, and educational qualification.
- Failing to fulfill any of them will lead to the revocation of the aspirant’s candidature. Given below are the eligibility guidelines as per the IBPS.
IBPS PO Nationality
One of the following could describe the applicant:
- An Indian Citizen
- Before January 1, 1962, any Tibetan refugee who had made a permanent home in India was considered a permanent resident.
- Bhutan or Nepal as a topic.
- A person of Indian descent who has moved to India permanently from Sri Lanka, Burma, Vietnam, Pakistan Kenya, Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zaire, and Zambia.
IBPS PO Age Limit
Exam | General Category | OBC | SC/ST | |||
| Min. age | Max. age | Min. age | Max. age | Min. age | Max. age |
IBPS PO | 20 years | 30 years | 20 years | 33 years | 20 years | 35 years |
IBPS PO Educational Qualification
- A bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized University or its equivalent. So the candidate must possess a valid mark sheet or degree certificate.
- It is to be remembered that the grade or degree must be obtained by the due date (to be issued).
- The exams are now given online, candidates must have a basic awareness of how computers work.
- Language proficiency- The Candidate should be able to speak and write the state’s or UT’s language.
IBPS PO Online Application
In August or September, the IBPS PO application form will be made available along with the notice. The IBPS PO application form must be completed online and submitted before the deadline. For General and OBC candidates the application cost was INR 850; for SC/ST/PWD candidates, it was INR 175.
How to fill IBPS PO Online Form
- Visit the official website of IBPS
- Go to the “IBPS PO Advertisement”
- Register for the exam first by clicking the ‘New Registration’ tab
- Fill in the required details to register
- Registration ID and password are generated
- Upload scanned photograph and signature
- Fill in the basic details like personal details, education qualification, enter details of computer certification courses, select the languages known, enter preferences of banks, etc.
- Preview the application form
- Upload left thumb impression and handwritten declaration
- Pay the application fees
- Submit IBPS PO application form
IBPS PO Application Fees
IBPS PO Application fees are determined by the announcement from the previous year. Any bank transaction fees related to the online payment of application fees or notification fees will be the applicant’s responsibility.
Category | Charges | Fee Amount |
ST/SC/PwBD | Intimation charges only | Rs.175/- |
GEN/OBC/EWSs | Application fee including Intimation charges | Rs.850/- |
IBPS PO Selection Process
The applicants will be appointed based on performance in the below-mentioned three stages of IBPS PO Exam:
- Preliminary Exam
- Mains Exam
- Interview
The candidates will have to score a section cut-off and overall selection as well. The Preliminary Exam is for qualifying for the Mains exam and in the interview round minimum cut-off marks are required for the Mains exam. The Interview round will be conducted by the participating organizations and coordinated by the Nodal Bank in each State/UT. This interview round holds 100 marks.
IBPS PO EXAM PATTERN
No change has been made in the IBPS PO exam pattern for the recruitment. The exam pattern comprises three stages, which are:
IBPS PO PRELIMS EXAM:
- It consists of an online objective test consisting of three sections.
- Each section mentioned in the Prelims Exam Pattern is allotted 20 minutes, and the total duration is 1 hour.
The IBPS PO Exam Pattern is given below:
S. No | Section | No. of Questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
1 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
2 | Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
3 | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 1 hour |
IBPS PO Exam Pattern for Prelims- Salient Points
- The total marks for this paper are 100.
- There is negative marking for each wrong answer.
- The penalty for each incorrect answer is 1/4th of the marks allotted to that question.
- Based on the result of the prelims, candidates clearing the declared cutoff are invited to appear in the next stage, the Main exam.
IBPS PO MAINS EXAM PATTERN:
- The IBPS PO Mains exam pattern consists of one objective type and one descriptive paper.
- The examination is conducted online for a total duration of 3 hours and 30 minutes.
The PO Mains Exam Pattern as follows:
S No. | Section | No. of Qs. | Max. marks | Duration |
1 | Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 minutes |
2 | Data Interpretation and Analysis | 35 | 60 | 45 minutes |
3 | General/Economy/ Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
4 | English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 3 hours |
Descriptive test: Letter and essay writing | 2 | 25 | 30 minutes | |
IBPS PO Exam Pattern for Mains- Salient Points
- The IBPS PO mains exam will have 4 sections and a descriptive test. The candidates clearing this stage will qualify for the final interview stage.
- Total marks – 225 (including the descriptive test).
- Penalty for wrong answers – 1/4th of marks allotted to that question.
- Descriptive test – typing mode.
- Candidates have to clear both sectional and overall cut offs, to qualify in this exam.
- The marks are not intimated to successful candidates before the interview.
IBPS Interview
- Applicants after clearing the Prelims and Mains exam will be invited for the IBPS PO interview round.
- The respective banks conduct the IBPS interview based on the results of the Mains examination. Usually, the interview lasts for a minimum of 15-20 minutes, and the panel consists of Bank officials.
- Questions can be asked from Current affairs, banking awareness and about the candidates themselves.
- The IBPS PO interview is allotted a total of 100 marks.
- IBPS calculates the final result based on the weightage of marks obtained in the Mains exam and the interview in the ratio of 80 : 20.
- Supporting documents such as educational certificates, identity documents and certificates of achievement are also checked during the Bank PO interview.
IBPS PO Syllabus
- It is the conducting body which is responsible for setting the Bank PO syllabus.
- The IBPS PO syllabus is almost similar to the outline course for other major bank exams.
- It can be divided into two parts based on the exam pattern:
IBPS PO Prelims Syllabus
IBPS PO Mains Syllabus
IBPS PO Prelims Syllabus
The following table gives the breakup of the IBPS PO Prelims syllabus.
Reasoning | Quantitative Aptitude | English Language |
Logical Reasoning | Simplification | Reading Comprehension |
Alphanumeric Series | Percentage, Profit & Loss | Cloze Test |
Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test | Mixtures & Alligations | Para jumbles |
Data Sufficiency | Simple Interest & Compound Interest | Multiple Meaning / Error Spotting |
Coded Inequalities | Time and Work | Fill in the blanks |
Seating Arrangement | Time, Speed & Distance | Miscellaneous |
Puzzle | Mensuration | Paragraph Completion |
Tabulation | Data Interpretation |
|
Syllogism | Ratio, Age, Average & Partnership |
|
Blood Relations | Number Series |
|
Input-Output | Quadratic Equations |
|
Coding-Decoding | Permutation, Combination & Probability |
|
IBPS PO Mains Syllabus
The IBPS PO Mains syllabus is quite similar to the Prelims syllabus except for few topics.
The main topics covered in the Bank PO mains are as follows:
Mains Level Syllabus:
Reasoning Ability | Data analysis and Interpretation | Computer Aptitude | General Awareness | English Language |
Syllogism, Inequality, Direction sense, Blood relation, Alpha-numeric series, Order and ranking, Scheduling, Tabulation, Input Output, Coding decoding, Data sufficiency, Critical reasoning, Verbal reasoning, Circle Seating arrangement, Square seating arrangement, Puzzle, Analytical and decision making, Course of action. | Sequence & Series
Tabular graph
Line graph
Pie chart
Bar graph
Radar graph,
Missing DI,
Caselet DI,
Data sufficiency,
Permutation, Combination & Probability,
Miscellaneous | Internet, MS Office, Memory, Computer hardware,
Keyboard shortcuts,
Computer Fundamentals,
Computer Abbreviations,
Computer terminologies,
Operating system,
Number system,
Networking Basic of logic gates.
|
Current affairs,
Financial awareness,
Static GK &
Banking awareness. | Reading comprehension
Para jumbles
Cloze test
Fillers
Error spotting
Paragraph Completion
Sentence Connectors
Word association
Vocabulary
Verbal ability
Sentence improvement
Miscellaneous
|
IBPS PO Admit Card
- IBPS PO Admit Card for Prelims Exam is issued to candidates who have completed their application process successfully and the Mains Admit Card to candidates who have passed the first stage of the IBPS PO Exam. i.e. Preliminary exam.
- Similarly, the Call Letter for the IBPS Interview Process will be issued to those candidates who will successfully clear the Mains Exam.
IBPS PO Result
- It is one of the most competitive examinations in the country, and the result is declared after preparing a merit list of all the qualified candidates and is issued as a list of candidates given provisional allotment.
- First, a scorecard is released, followed by the Provisional allotment details of shortlisted candidates.
IBPS Cut-off Score
- Each candidate will be required to obtain a minimum cut-off score in each test of IBPS Mains examination online and also a minimum total score to be considered to be shortlisted for an interview.
- Depending on the number of vacancies available, IBPS PO cut-offs will be decided, and candidates will be shortlisted for interview.
- Before the completion of the IBPS interview process, scores obtained in the online Mains examination will not be shared with the candidates shortlisted for interview.
IBPS PO Exam Centre
- The examination will be conducted online in venues across many centres in India.
- The tentative list of Examination centres for the IBPS Online Preliminary and Mains examination is given in the official notification.
- No request for change of centre for Examination shall be entertained.
- IBPS, however, reserves the right to cancel any of the Examination Centres or add some other Centres, at its discretion, depending upon the response, administrative feasibility, etc.
- The right to allot the exam centre lies entirely with the conducting body.
- The candidate will appear for the examination at an Examination Centre at his/her own risk and expenses, and IBPS will not be responsible for any injury or losses etc. of any nature.
- Any unruly behaviour in the examination hall may result in cancellation of candidature/ disqualification from this exam and also from future exams conducted by IBPS.
How To Prepare For IBPS PO Exam
Our expert team has carefully curated a step-by-step preparation plan to help you navigate through the various stages of the IBPS PO exam with confidence. From understanding the exam pattern and syllabus to identifying the key topics and important study materials, we have covered it all.
Bank exam preparation requires a lot of time and effort. The following tips have been drawn up after extensively studying toppers’ strategies for the Bank PO exam:
Bank PO Preparation Tips & Strategies
• The strategies are the most important part of Bank PO examination. The strategy in which the paper is attempted is not only important but also the strategy used during the preparation process. This may differ from person to person based on what strategy that suits the candidate best, should be adopted.
Here are some tips and tricks that will help you to speed up your preparation level:
1. Master your Quant skills:
• A candidate can do this by making his/her basics strong. In the Quantitative Aptitude section, the questions are based on simple concepts, and if one knows the basics, they just need to practice a lot for being accurate with time.
2. Master your Reasoning section:
• Candidates have this question in their mind that there is no use of Reasoning further in a Bank PO job, then why is it the most important part of the examination, this is only because of the reason that it examines one’s ability to deal with tough situations. This section can be accurately done only through practice.
3. Master your General Awareness section:
• The preparation for the part has no end and this has a very vital role in the examination. A candidate can score 100% in this section if he/she is aware of regular and current affairs. For this reason, certain habits like reading the newspaper daily should be developed, as it will keep you updated with the current affairs of your country.
4. Know the Detailed Syllabus:
• The IBPS does not specify a definitive bank exam syllabus for any of its exams. However, one can deduce the major topics that feature every year from studying past years’ bank exam question papers. These topics are also available online and offline along with IBPS PO study material.
• Knowing the IBPS PO syllabus is half the battle won as this helps save time and effort. Many aspirants make the mistake of studying everything under the sun for each subject and end up diluting their efforts. This should be avoided at all costs.
5. Make a Study Plan:
• The preparation strategy should include a well-planned schedule of study. Aspirants should aim to cover portions of the bank exam syllabus sequentially and include revision of topics periodically.
• The study plan should also include analysing previous years’ bank exam question papers and identifying important topics for the exam.
6. Attempt Regular Mock Tests:
• Mock tests should be a focus area for the exam. This is because one has to answer a large number of questions in a short amount of time. Solve IBPS PO mock tests and stay updated with the type of questions asked in the bank exams.
• Attempting mock tests has two advantages. First, it gives the aspirant a good idea of their preparation level, allowing them to intensify focus on weak areas of the IBPS syllabus. Second, it also provides ample practice in solving questions within the stipulated time.
• This is critical as the IBPS PO exam is conducted online with no scope of re-attempting questions once a section has been finished.
7. Read Newspapers:
• Reading newspapers is an important but overlooked part of IBPS PO preparation.
• Candidates should regularly read the newspaper, focus on the business pages to cover current affairs for the exam. This becomes a big differentiator during the exam while attempting the General Awareness section.
8. Focus on One Stage At A Time:
• The PO exam is a two-stage exam with a large overlap in the IBPS syllabus between them. Candidates should focus on one stage of the exam at a time as the pattern is similar.
• Preparation for the Prelims also covers a large part of the IBPS syllabus for the Mains. Preparation for the IBPS PO Mains exam could then be focussed on the extra subjects that constitute its IBPS PO syllabus.
9. Review Previous Year Question Papers:
• Analysing the question papers from previous years will help candidates apprehend the level of examination and also understand what the exact exam pattern is being followed.
• This is especially recommended for the candidates appearing for the first time in the IBPS PO exam. Candidates will be able to review, questions from which topics are frequently asked and which ones are less important from the exam point of view.
10. Focus on Every Subject:
• A sectional, as well as overall cut off, is released for both prelims and mains phase of the examination. Thus, it is important that a candidate does not just focus on one subject but sufficient time is dedicated for the preparation of each subject included in the IBPS PO syllabus.
There are five major subjects which a candidate has to prepare. This includes:
Reasoning Ability
Quantitative Aptitude
Computer Knowledge
English Language
General/ Banking/ Financial Awareness
11. Do Give a Look at the Previous Year Cut Off:
• It is important that an aspirant is well aware of the minimum qualifying marks from the previous years, and also, analyses the trend increase or decrease in the cut off marks. This will enable the candidate to apprehend an approximate value of the cut off marks.
Get in touch with us now to start your rigorous training in earnest!
