Toppers shares tips and tricks to crack SBI PO Exam

SBI PO exam is a prestigious exam to be recruited as the probationary officers in the largest public sector banks in India. The exam has quite a huge syllabus with tough competition as the candidates appearing for this exam are many. Candidates who have topped the exam definitely would have some kind of a perfect study plan which has made them stand out of the crowd. Getting recruited in the SBI indeed is very prestigious and interested candidates who want to make their career in the banking industry and would be on their way for the preparation to give the exam should go through these methods which would surely help score better easily and efficiently.  

Candidates who would be starting the preparation for the exam should visit this website to be thorough with all the sections and the topics. The SBI PO has three phases that are Preliminary, Mains, Group Discussion and Personal Interview. The subjects are General Awareness, Reasoning Ability, Qualitative Aptitude and English language. Let us check the syllabus in the preliminary, Mains and the General Awareness are as below.

The English Language

1. Sentence improvement
2. Para Jumbles.
3. Spelling errors
4. Word replacement,
5.  Vocabulary and Idioms and Phrases.

Quantitative aptitude

1. Simplification
2.  Number system
3.  Percentage
4. SI & CI
5. Quadratic equations,
6. Ratio and Proportion
7. Speed, Time and Distance
8. Probability
9.  Permutations and combinations
10.  Mensuration, Profit and Loss,
11. Data Interpretation.

Reasoning ability

1.  Logic Reasoning
2.  Alpha Numeric series
3.  Blood Relations, Puzzle
4. Seating arrangements
5.  Coding and Decoding
6.  Syllogism

The syllabus for the main exams are as below:

English language

1. Fill in the Blanks
2.  Cloze test
3.  Para jumbles
4.  Vocabulary
5. Paragraph completion
6.  Multiple meaning
7.  Error spotting
8.  Sentence Completion
9.  Tense rules.

Reasoning Ability 

1. Syllogism
2.  Circular Seating Arrangement
3.  Linear Seating Arrangement
4. Double Line up, Scheduling
5. Input-Output, Directions and Distance
6. Analytical and Decision Making
7. Critical Reasoning
8. The course of action
9. Coding and Decoding
10. Data Sufficiency
11.  Ordering and Ranking
12. Blood Relations and Scheduling.

General Awareness syllabus 

1.  Current Affairs
2.  Financial Awareness
3.  General Knowledge
4.  Static Awareness,
5. Banking Awareness
6. Banking Terminologies
7. Principles of Insurance.

Computer 

1. Hardware 
2. Software.

Descriptive

1. Essay writing
2. Letter writing.

Eligibility 

Candidates should be between the age of 25 to 30 Years and should be a graduate from a reputed university. 

Study strategy and the plan to crack the SBI PO exam from the topper’s point of view.

The first step is to analyze the syllabus and know the marking for each section. This will help in the comprehensive preparation.

The markings are as follows

Preliminary

•  Quantitative Aptitude has a marks weightage of 35 and the time duration is 20.
•  Reasoning Ability is of 35 marks.
• The English language is of 35 marks.

For the Mains

• Data Analysis and Interpretation the making is of 60 marks.
• Reasoning Ability the marking is 60.
• The English Language has a marking of 40.
• General and Banking Awareness has the marking of 40.
• Descriptive is of 50 marks.
• Group discussion carries 20 Marks
• Personal Interview carries 30 marks.

Now after analyzing the topics and the marking scheme you are now ready to start the preparation. But before you could start the study preparation, one should be calm and have a positive and smart approach to the syllabus is an important factor.

This exam has lots of competition, so the key to be a successful aspirant is only through practice. It is advisable to practise as much as possible the more you practise you will be closer to success.

The study preparation can be organized and successful only if the concepts of the topics are clear. So make sure before you start to clear the doubts and have perfect conceptual clarity of the topics.

Prepare with good reference books. Before buying any books make sure to read the review of the same. 

Once you are thorough with the preparation, practise mock test papers as much as you can. Since the SBI PO is online, solving the mock test papers will give you good practice and also you will be able to cope up with time management.

Practise the previous year question papers and the mock test will give thorough practice of the syllabus. Just long hours of study will not work. Practise and effective study will work. Avoid any kind of guesswork and stop spending time on a particular question for a long time. Analyze the marks after each mock test. Try to solve the question in as little time as possible. Be accurate and confident with your answers.

Subject wise preparation

English language –  The best way to prepare the language is to be grammatically accurate and also have good vocabulary skills. This can be achieved with lots of reading.  Develop reading habits through the newspaper and the magazines. These are the best sources for language preparation. Make a note of any new words you come across and check the meaning simultaneously. 

Reasoning Ability – is the topic to test the logical thinking of a candidate. There are no specific rules to study. This topic can be excelled with thorough practice and solving the question papers which will help the candidate to improve their logical thinking.

Quantitative Aptitude – contains lots of formulas so practice is the best solution to get into the proper grip.

General Awareness – Reading newspapers will help you to stay updated with current affairs and financial affairs. Important topics like the Indian economy, Marketing, Banking should be studied with full focus. Candidates should be aware of the Banking terminologies. 

Computer Aptitude – can be improved if you know the basic knowledge of computer hardware and software.

Descriptive is in the mains phase. This can be well achieved by reading the newspaper, knowing new words, improving the grammar and vocabulary, proper sentence formation, practise writing essays on recent events, practise letter writing with different topics, usage of new words and correctly is important.

A proper study strategy and a positive attitude are some of the key concepts to ace the exam. Never lose hope or get demotivated.  Follow the study plan and study with the right focus and thoroughly. There is no space for any guesswork. Following the above tips, one can be sure of the success.