Preparing for bank exams

The banking sector has been a constantly blooming industry as far as employment opportunities are concerned. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts several exams annually to recruit thousands of candidates to various public-sector banks of the country. IBPS released the official notification for recruitment to the posts of Officers (Scale-I) and Office Assistants in Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) across the country recently. IBPS Exams for the above-mentioned posts will start in September this year.

Let’s now discuss how the RRB aspirants can utilise this last month to the fullest and in turn, enhance their exam score. There are a few factors which you should be very clear about, whether you are a beginner or have been preparing for long. These are:

Students should be very clear about all the aspects of this exam. This includes proper knowledge of exam pattern, detailed syllabus, marking scheme (including negative marking) and cut-off criteria to avoid any last-minute surprises in exam.

Make sure that you go through previous year’s cut-off of the post for which you are applying. This will help you determine the minimum number of questions that you should attempt in the exam (for both, sectional and overall level). Do read the exam analysis of IBPS RRB for last year’s exam to understand the difficulty level and pattern of IBPS RRB exams.

Since there is little time left before RRB exams commence, it is imperative that you utilise this time efficiently and smartly, if you wish to appear for the mains phase.

Tips & tricks

We will now talk about some common mistakes that students make while preparing and why is it essential to avoid them.

Do not jump straight to the mock tests. Instead, clear your concepts first, since this will eventually help you in the long run. However, this doesn’t mean you should skip them completely. Spend a day or two to understand the basics of different topics and then start with online tests.

Do not skip practice. Regular practice of questions is essential since it would help your speed.

Do not procrastinate. Preparing for a bank exam is not a week’s affair. You need to put in sincere efforts to clear this exam.

It is crucial that you have a proper study plan in place to prepare well for this exam.

Spend the first week on your conceptual clarity. Keep practicing questions on the topics that you study regularly.

Start with the mock tests after that. Make sure that you practice at least one mock test daily.

Do not forget to analyse your performance in these tests. After you are done with the tests, spend another half hour to go through your performance. This analysis will help you understand the topics that you are strong and weak at. You can attempt questions in the actual tests accordingly.

For instance, topics like simplification/ approximation, number series and data interpretation are much more important for Quant section and have high probability of being asked in exam. Hence, one should focus on these topics more. Factors that would determine your success in exam are:

Time management: Proper time management is essential for an exam since you need to clear sectional as well as overall cut-off in exam. Hence you should divide your time among the two sections properly. If you are weak at any particular section, attempt enough questions to clear the sectional cut-off and try to cover the overall cut-off with the help of your stronger section.

Speed: You need to maintain a proper speed in the exam right from the start. This is important because the overall cut-off has seen a huge jump over the last few years, owing to the high level of competition. Hence, your speed will play a key role in helping you maximise your attempts in the exam.

Accuracy: What is the point in attempting 60+ questions if most of them are wrong? They will end up fetching negative marks and you’ll lose marks for the answers that you have got correctly. Hence, make sure that you answer the questions accurately.

Is it advisable to take crash courses?

Before we answer this question, ask yourselves first, what do crash courses offer, which you can’t do on your own? The answer to this question is pretty clear! The only difference between self-study and crash courses is, they will help you study in a more disciplined manner. If you join any institute, you are bound to spend four to five hours there and this time is completely devoted to studies, which is usually difficult at home. But mind you, it’s difficult, not impossible. If you are disciplined enough and serious about clearing this exam, you will make time through self-study as well! Whether to opt for a crash course or not is a personal decision. Analyse yourself and then decide accordingly. Remember, “If you have discipline, drive and determination, nothing really is impossible”. So, pull up your socks now and face this challenge head on!

(The author is community manager - Banking Exams, Gradeup)