Banking Exams — Overview

Major Banking Exams in India

India's banking sector recruits through several competitive exams annually. These are conducted by IBPS, SBI, and RBI separately.

Exam	Posts	Conducting Body	Frequency

|------|-------|----------------|-----------|

IBPS PO	Probationary Officer	IBPS	Annual
IBPS Clerk	Clerical Cadre	IBPS	Annual
SBI PO	Probationary Officer	SBI	Annual
SBI Clerk	Junior Associate	SBI	Annual
RBI Grade B	Officer Grade B	RBI	Annual
RBI Assistant	Assistant	RBI	Annual
IBPS SO	Specialist Officer	IBPS	Annual
NABARD Grade A	Assistant Manager	NABARD	Annual

Exam Structure: IBPS PO (Pattern)

Prelims (Online)

•English Language: 30 questions, 30 marks, 20 minutes

•Quantitative Aptitude: 35 questions, 35 marks, 20 minutes

•Reasoning Ability: 35 questions, 35 marks, 20 minutes

•Total: 100 marks, 1 hour

Mains (Online)

•Reasoning & Computer Aptitude: 45 questions, 60 marks, 60 min

•General/Economy/Banking Awareness: 40 questions, 40 marks, 35 min

•English Language: 35 questions, 40 marks, 40 min

•Data Analysis & Interpretation: 35 questions, 60 marks, 45 min

•Total: 155 questions, 200 marks, 3 hours

Interview: 100 marks

Final merit = Mains (80%) + Interview (20%)

Syllabus — Key Topics

Quantitative Aptitude

Number series, simplification, approximation, quadratic equations, data interpretation (bar/pie/line/table charts), data sufficiency, arithmetic problems (profit & loss, percentage, ratio, averages, time & work, speed & distance, simple & compound interest, mensuration).

Reasoning Ability

Puzzles and seating arrangements (most important — 15–20 questions), syllogism, blood relations, direction sense, input-output, coding-decoding, inequality, order and ranking, logical reasoning.

English Language

Reading comprehension (2–3 passages), cloze test, fill in the blanks, error correction, para jumbles, sentence improvement, vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, idioms).

General/Banking Awareness

Current affairs (3–4 months before exam), banking basics (RBI functions, monetary policy, NABARD, SEBI, NPA, Basel norms), static GK (headquarters of banks, taglines, MD & CEO), financial schemes (PM Jan Dhan, MUDRA, PM Kisan).

Eligibility

•Age: 20–30 years (relaxation for SC/ST/OBC/PwD)

•Education: Graduation in any discipline from recognized university

•Nationality: Indian citizen

Preparation Strategy

90-Day Plan:

•Days 1–30: Concept building (Quant + Reasoning basics)

•Days 31–60: Practice sets + Banking Awareness current affairs

•Days 61–90: Full mock tests daily, error analysis, revision

Key resources:

•Mocks: IBPS Guide, Testbook, Oliveboard (attempt 30+ full mocks)

•Banking Awareness: Banking Awareness by Arihant, monthly magazines

•Daily: Read financial news (Economic Times, Business Standard)

Cut-offs (Approximate — varies by category and year)

Exam	General Cut-off (Prelims)

|------|--------------------------|

IBPS PO	55–65/100
SBI PO	55–65/100
IBPS Clerk	60–70/100
RBI Grade B	60–70/100 (Phase I)

Sectional cut-offs apply — must clear each section individually.

Banking PO Exam Prep & PYQ — Overview