From 56 Interview Marks to 90 – Akhil Singh’s IBPS PO Success Story

Have you ever felt that you were doing everything right, yet the final result still slipped away by a few marks? Have you ever cleared stages, faced interviews, and then watched your name missing from the final list? If yes, then Akhil Singh’s journey will feel very close to your own story. From cracking exams in his first attempt to missing final merit lists by narrow margins, from scoring 56 in an interview to finally securing 90 and making it to the final IBPS PO list, his journey is not just about success — it is about staying consistent when results don’t go your way. If you are currently preparing and wondering whether your hard work will eventually pay off, this story is for you.

Q1. Please brief us on when did you start preparing for the competitive exams and how was your preparation journey?

I started preparing for competitive exams in 2020 while pursuing my Master’s in Statistics. Like many, I was uncertain and unaware of the process, yet hopeful. In my very first attempt, I cracked the SBI Clerk exam, but due to a lack of guidance, I had applied from Dibang Valley (Arunachal Pradesh) . I had to let go of that opportunity—but I didn’t let go of my dream.

I kept pushing forward. In 2021, I scored a perfect 80/80 in RRB Clerk Prelims, cleared IBPS Clerk Prelims, and even appeared for the IBPS PO interview. But one by one, I missed out. 56 marks in the interview cost me a place in the final IBPS PO list. That heartbreak taught me something crucial: success isn’t just about qualifying—it’s about being fully prepared when it matters most. From then on, I decided to focus only on officer-level exams.

In 2022, after completing my Master’s, I gave it my all. I cleared the IDBI Assistant Manager PGDBF exam, scored the highest interview marks in my batch (89), and also cleared Nainital Bank PO. I chose to join IDBI on 26 December 2022.

Even while undergoing training, I didn’t stop. I cleared SBI PO Prelims, SBI Clerk Prelims, and IBPS PO interview again—but this time missed out by just 0.25 marks in Mains despite a 74-mark interview. It was painful, but I knew I was getting closer.

I then cleared the ECGC PO written exam (Country Underwriter Stream – only 1 vacancy), but life had other plans—I scored zero in the interview. I didn’t let it break me.

I kept learning, improving, and believing. In 2023, I cleared NICL AO Mains (Actuarial Stream – only 2 vacancies), but the vacancies were withdrawn when final result came. I appeared for RRB PO, scored 76 in the interview, and landed in the reserve list.

Finally, in the latest IBPS PO recruitment, I scored 90 marks in the interview and made it to the final merit list. Today, I stand proud as a Probationary Officer in Indian Bank.

Throughout this journey, I kept learning—not just from books, but from failures too. I also earned professional certifications like:

JAIIB

NISM Mutual Fund & Depository Certifications

IRDAI Corporate Agent

This journey wasn’t easy. There were sleepless nights, silent struggles, and moments of self-doubt. But what kept me going was a simple belief: Every failure is a setup for a stronger comeback.”

Q2. Which exams have you appeared in to date, and what were their results?

I have appeared in each and every exam conducted by ibps between 2020 and 2022.

Q3. How did you prepare for the English section?

I always solve 1 set of 30 question in english daily without missing a single day in whole year. This made my speed so fast that it barely takes me 12 minutes in ibps exam to complete my section and constantly clocking 25+ marks even in mains i use to attempt full section with 85% accuracy.

Q4. How did you prepare for the Quantitative Aptitude section?

I was very focused toward speed maths and DI. Irony is I never attempted single question of arithmetic during my whole prepration in my exam. Although i know the basic concepts which i use in DI but i never attempted one liner arithmetic in real exam.

Q5. How did you prepare for the Reasoning section?

Critical reasoning was my strongest part which helped me to clear the mains. And for rest i was fully dependent on mocks.

Q6. What was your strategy for the General Awareness section? (If Applicable)

Since i was working aspirants and javing financial educational background this was my strong point. I understand Financial news easily and also eliminating options was very easy for me.

Q7. What was your overall strategy? Did you follow a study schedule? If yes, please share the details.

I have given 1 pre mock of PO level ( Ibps / SBI ) Daily without missing a single day and in weekends i give mains mock along with the pre mock. This trained my mind to act calm in every exam because i know y concepts are strong.

Q8. Did you face any hurdle as well? How did you overcome it?

Not at all

Q9. Did PracticeMock help you in your success? Please elaborate.

Yes, PracticeMock was always part of my journey. The current affairs pdf provided before the mains exam was always helpful.

Q10. What’s your message for the fellow aspirants who are preparing for competitive exams?

Discipline is very important to clear the exam and always find the reason why you want to clear the particular exam.

Conclusion

So, what can you take away from Akhil’s journey? Not just strategy. Not just mock test discipline. But belief.

There will be attempts where you miss by 0.25 marks. There will be interviews that do not go as planned. There will be moments when you question yourself. But if you continue to show up every single day — solving that one English set, giving that daily mock, revising one more time — you are building something powerful. Success in competitive exams is rarely instant. It is built attempt after attempt. If you are preparing right now, stay disciplined, stay patient, and most importantly, remember why you started. Your comeback story might just be in the making.

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