IBPS PO Exam: Syllabus, Exam Strategy, and Salary

Published by Programme B

A Probationary Officer (PO) is the Junior Grade 1 Assistant Manager of a bank. It is also called the Scale I Officer. Every year the government and several banks conduct the IBPS PO examination to recruit officers for this post. When selected, the officers undergo proper training at the Institute of Banking Management. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducts the IBPS PO examination. The IBPS provides services to all the public sector banks, RBI, NABARD, SBI, LIC, and other Insurance companies, SIDBI. It also caters to the banks that fall within the IBPS society. Hence, the IBPS PO exam acts as a gateway to the banking world. The IBPS PO Examination is conducted all over the country via the online mode alone. 

Usually, the banks that take part in the recruitment process of the IBPS PO include the Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, UCO Bank, Canara Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Union Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, and the Union Bank of India. 

Candidates appearing for the IBPS PO exam need to clear the three-tier selection procedure. They will need to appear for the Preliminary exams, the Main exams, and then an Interview. Each exam is crucial, as candidates need to pass all to qualify for the next rounds. The actual selection occurs based on their performance in the Mains and Interview. If the applicants qualify for all three stages, they will crack the IBPS PO Examination. 

What is the Paper Pattern of IBPS PO Examination?

Prelims (Preliminary Exam): The board conducts the preliminary examination for IBPS PO using the online method. They provide the students one hour for the exam. The paper consists of three sections: English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability. The 100 marks paper consists of these three sections. The English Language is allotted 30 marks for 30 questions, Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability are allotted 35 marks each for 35 questions each. There is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer. Candidates need to clear the individual cut-offs for the three sections separately to qualify for the Mains examinations.  

Mains: According to the year 2021, the IBPS PO Exam has introduced a descriptive section alongside the usual parts of the paper. This section mainly aims to judge the candidates’ writing skills. Here, the candidates will be required to write an essay and a letter within a span of half an hour. The marks of this section will be 25. Apart from the descriptive section, the other four parts of the exam paper include Reasoning and Computer Aptitude, English Language, Data Analysis and Interpretation, General Awareness, and Economy and Banking Awareness. The Reasoning and Computer Aptitude sections have been merged to avoid an extra paper for Computer Applications. The overall timing has been extended from 140 minutes to 180 minutes (without counting the descriptive section). 

Interview (Final step): Out of 100 marks, the candidates have to secure 40% in the stage to crack the examination. SCs/STs/OBCs have a reduced cut-off of 35%. 

What is the Syllabus of the IBPS PO Examination?

Prelims: The prelims has three sections with the syllabus as follows:

1. English Language- Reading Comprehension, Fill in the blanks, Cloze Test, Multiple Meaning Error Spotting, Miscellaneous, and Paragraph Completion. 
2. Numerical Ability – Profit & Loss, Simplification, Time & Distance, Work & Time, Mixture and Allegations, Simple Interest and Compound Interest, Surds and Indices, Menstruation (Cylinder, Sphere, Cone), Number System, Sequence and series, Permutation & Combination, Ratio Proportion, Percentage, Data Interpretation, and Probability. 
3. Reasoning Ability – Data Sufficiency, Coded Inequalities, Logical Reasoning, Alphanumeric Series, Seating Arrangement, Ranking, Direction, Alpha Tests, Syllogism, Tabulation, Input-Output, Blood Relations, Puzzle, Coding, and Decoding. 

Mains (Main Examination): There are a total of 4+1 sections. The Descriptive section consists only of an essay and a letter. The syllabus of the other parts are as follows:

1. Reasoning & Computer Aptitude –

• REASONING: Verbal Reasoning, Syllogism, Double Line-up, Linear Seating Pattern, Circular Seating Arrangement, Blood Relations, Input-Output, Scheduling, Ordering and Ranking, Coding and Decoding, Directions and Distances, Data Sufficiency. 
• COMPUTER APTITUDE: Internet, Keyboard Shortcuts, Memory, Computer Hardware, Computer Abbreviations, Microsoft Office, Computer Software, Networking, Computer Fundamentals, and Terminologies.

2. Data Analysis and Interpretation – Simplification, Average, Percentage, Ratio & Proportion, Data Interpretation, Quadratic Equations, Geometry, Menstruation, Profit and Loss, Problems of Age, Interest, Time and Work, Time, Distance and Speed, Number System, Probability, Number Series, Data Sufficiency, Linear Equations, Mixture, and Allegations, and Permutation and Combination.
3. English Language – Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Grammar, and Verbal Ability. 
4. General Awareness, Economy and Banking Awareness – Static Awareness, Financial Awareness, General Knowledge, and Current Affairs. 

What is the Exam Strategy for the IBPS PO exam?

1. 1. Know your syllabus well – Cover all the sections according to the syllabus. Instead of searching for topics from the question papers and samples, this is the first step to kick-start your preparation. 
   2. Read the newspaper daily – One of the most crucial requirements of any competitive examination is to read the newspaper regularly. This procedure will help you enhance your vocabulary, grammar, and English writing skills. It will also help you with your Comprehension part of the English section. Apart from that, you can tackle most of your general knowledge and current affairs by reading the newspaper. 

• Give regular mock tests and quizzes – Take as many quizzes as possible to ensure that you can retain everything you have learned. You can take the ibps po mock test free ones that are available online. One should consistently sit for them to be sure about the questions that are probable for the examination. This process will help them evaluate their performance. 

1. Learn Shortcut tricks -For the Quantitative Aptitude section, you need to do the questions with accuracy and speed. Shortcut tricks are helpful when you want to enhance your problem-solving ability. You will easily find several tricks related to each topic on the internet. Memorize the tables, squares, and cubes of numbers as they help in faster calculations. 
2. Solve Previous Years’ Papers – Solving the papers of last years’ examinations help students understand the exact paper pattern. If you time yourself and practice solving these papers, you will learn better time management. Along with it, you will also understand the paper pattern and type of questions well.  

How much salary does an IBPS PO officer get?

The initial salary structure of the IBPS PO included a Basic Pay of Rs. 36,000. Apart from that, the officers are also eligible for a Special Allowance of Rs. 5,904, Dearness Allowance of Rs. 8,593.20, City Compensatory Allowance of Rs. 1400, Learning Allowance of Rs. 600, DA Others of Rs. 1552.50 and HRA of Rs. 3240. Hence, the gross salary would amount to 57,289.70. But after deduction, the officers will get a net salary of Rs. 52,630.38.

The other perks and benefits include Travelling Allowance, Medical Aid, Newspaper Reimbursement, Benefits under the New Pension Scheme, and the like. When you incorporate these in the net salary, it stands more than Rs. 52,000. 

Getting into the banking world is a prestigious achievement. Hence, with determination and hard work, you will easily clear the IBPS PO examination. Keep evaluating your performance from your mock tests and work on them regularly. If you work consistently, no one can stop you from acing this exam!

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