IBPS PO exam is conducted every year by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection. This exam is conducted to select candidates for the post of Probationary officers in public sector banks across India. This exam will help to recruit 3000+ Probationary officers in various public sector banks. The official notification for IBPS PO 2021 exam has been released.
Dates For The IBPS PO Exam
| Notification for IBPS PO exam | August 2021 |
| Online registration starts | August 2021 |
| IBPS PO preliminary exam date | 9th , 10th, 16th and 17th October, 2021 |
| IBPS PO preliminary result date | November 2021 |
| IBPS PO admit card for mains exam | November 2021 |
| IBPS PO mains exam date | 27th November 2021 |
| IBPS PO mains exam result | December 2021 |
| Interview round | January 2022 |
| Selected candidates for IBPS PO 2021 | 1st April 2022 |
If your IBPS PO exam is approaching, you can follow these tips to prepare for the exam:
Exam Pattern
There are three main stages of the IBPS PO exam. You have to qualify in all three stages for the post of IBPS PO.
Preliminary Examination
The total duration of the preliminary exam is one hour. The exam will be conducted online. There will be a negative marking of 0.25 for each wrong answer. To qualify for the prelims, you have to clear the cut-off in all three sections of the paper.
| Name of the topics | Number of questions | Marks | Time limit |
| Reasoning aptitude | 35 | 35 marks | 20 minutes |
| English language | 30 | 30 marks | 20 minutes |
| Numerical ability | 35 | 35 marks | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 marks | 1 hour |
Mains Examination
There are both objective and descriptive questions in the mains examination. You have to qualify for the mains examination to be selected for the interview round. The total duration of the exam is 3 hours and 30 minutes.
| Topics | Number of questions | Marks | Time limit |
| English Language | 35 | 40 marks | 40 minutes |
| Data interpretation and data analysis | 35 | 60 marks | 45 minutes |
| General Banking and economy awareness | 40 | 40 marks | 35 minutes |
| Reasoning and Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 marks | 60 minutes |
| English Language( Essay and letter writing) | 2 | 25 marks | 30 minutes |
| Total | 157 | 225 marks | 3 hours 30 minutes |
Interview
After qualifying for the mains exam, you will be eligible for the interview process. The qualifying mark in the interview is 40 % for general and 35% for OBC/ST/SC/PWD candidates. The total duration of the interview is 15 or 20 minutes. During the interview, the bank officials may ask you questions on general awareness, banking, current affairs and about yourself. You should be confident during your interview. It is important to carry all the necessary documents to your interview.
Tips To Prepare For The IBPS PO Exam
Go Through the Exam Syllabus
Begin your exam preparation by going through the syllabus. Make yourself well-acquainted with the syllabus. This will also give you a brief understanding of the topics in your syllabus. After this, you can plan your strategy accordingly.
Practice
There are many subjects in the syllabus of the IBPS PO exam which will require practice. You have to practice reasoning aptitude, data interpretation and analysis and numerical ability. You should also learn the formulas if required. If you learn the formulas, you will be able to solve the problems correctly. You should practice these numerical problems on a regular basis to score good marks in the exam.
Enhance your writing skills
You have to have a good grasp on the English language to qualify for both the prelims and mains exam. Practice writing articles, essays and letters to improve your writing skills. You should strictly adhere to the grammatical rules of the English language. This will help you to avoid grammatical errors while writing. Read newspapers, magazines and articles to enhance your vocabulary. Your answer should be simple and concise. Avoid the use of too much jargon. You should focus on the quality of the answer rather than the quantity of the answer.
Practice the sample papers
Solving sample papers will prove beneficial for you in the IBPS PO exam. You will come across many important questions in sample papers. It will improve your analytical and problems solving skills.
Solve previous year’s questions
Solve all the previous year’s papers few days before the exam. This will give a general understanding of the exam pattern. You should mark all the repeatedly asked questions in the previous years. These questions have the possibility to come again in IBPS PO 2021 exam.
Mock Test
IBPS PO mock test will help you to test the level of your preparation. It will also help you to revise the entire syllabus. During the mock test, you have to write the exam within the allocated time. Thus, it will also improve your writing speed.
Revision
Your IBPS PO exam preparation is incomplete without revision. You should start revising few days before the exam. It will help you to recall the topics which you have learned. If you do not revise the topics, you may fail to produce the answers in your answer sheet.
Prepare Notes
Start preparing notes for your IBPS PO exam. If you have already prepared the noted beforehand, you can easily revise the notes before the exam. You can prepare short notes and mark the important points on your copy. If you have a habit of writing, it will help to remember the answers.
Online tutorials
If you have any doubts regarding the IBPS PO exam, you can watch online tutorials. You can watch them clear your fundamental concepts. They will also provide guidance and support.
Be confident
If you have studied thoroughly, you should be confident about it. Do not take stress before your exam. Do not burden yourself with anxiety and stress. Give some time to yourself. If you are mentally sound, you will surely clear the IBPS PO exam with flying colors.
Main photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu
