Balkaran’s Success Strategy, From Financial Struggles to Clearing RRB PO, IBPS Clerk and ESIC MTS

Balkaran Singh’s banking exam success story shows how disciplined preparation, regular mock tests and consistent work on weak areas can help aspirants clear competitive examinations. Starting his preparation in December 2019 while facing financial pressure, he gradually improved his performance and went on to clear ESIC MTS, IBPS Clerk and RRB PO.

From completing the syllabus at an academy in Bathinda to practising daily mock tests during the lockdown, Balkaran followed a structured approach. He focused on improving Mathematics, learning English grammar, building a vocabulary notebook and analysing his mock-test performance. His journey offers practical lessons for aspirants preparing for IBPS Clerk, IBPS PO and RRB PO examinations.

Balkaran Singh’s Preparation Journey and Early Challenges

Balkaran Singh belongs to Mandi Dabwali in Sirsa, Haryana. His banking exam preparation journey began in December 2019, when he was facing financial pressure and decided to prepare for competitive examinations.

He joined Vikas Academy in Bathinda, where he developed a disciplined study routine and completed his syllabus. However, clearing the preliminary examinations was initially difficult.

His early preparation challenges included:

• Finding it difficult to clear Prelims despite completing the syllabus.
• Comparing his performance with other candidates at the academy.
• Identifying the subjects and topics where he needed more practice.
• Managing preparation during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Around two to three months after he started preparing, the lockdown was announced. By that time, he had completed his syllabus but needed a reliable way to continue practising questions.

How PracticeMock Became Part of His Preparation

Balkaran’s academy recommended PracticeMock for online mock-test practice. He started using its test series and continued attempting tests consistently during the lockdown.

He did not have many other practice resources available at that time, so he used the test series to identify his weak areas and improve his performance.

This became an important part of his preparation because he could assess his progress through regular tests instead of relying only on syllabus completion.

For more preparation guidance, read IBPS RRB PO Topic Wise Weightage 2026.

Subject-Wise Banking Exam Preparation Strategy Followed by Balkaran

Balkaran’s banking exam preparation strategy focused on improving his calculation speed, strengthening English grammar and learning from the questions he attempted in mock tests.

1. Mathematics Preparation Through Daily Calculation Practice

Mathematics was one of his weak areas from the beginning. He understood that improving calculation speed would require regular revision rather than occasional practice.

His daily calculation practice included:

Calculation Topic	What He Memorised
Cubes	1 to 30
Multiplication tables	Up to 31
Squares	Up to 60

He also wrote these calculations daily to improve familiarity and recall.

What aspirants can learn from his approach

• Practise tables, squares and cubes regularly.
• Write calculations instead of only reading them.
• Revise basic calculations frequently.
• Use topic-wise tests to identify calculation mistakes.
• Track whether calculation speed improves over time.

Balkaran’s experience shows that small daily calculation exercises can become a useful part of banking exam preparation.

Practice Set	Read & Practise
RRB PO Expected 40 Quant Questions	Download PDF
IBPS RRB PO Expected 40 Reasoning Questions with Solutions	Download PDF

2. English Preparation Through Grammar Lessons and Vocabulary Notes

English was another area where Balkaran had to build his foundation. He mentioned that he did not know English grammar well when he started preparing.

He followed lessons from the English with Rani Ma’am YouTube channel to learn grammar and strengthen his basics.

His English preparation method included:

• Watching grammar lessons to understand basic concepts.
• Practising English questions through mock tests.
• Identifying unfamiliar words in the questions.
• Writing new vocabulary in a separate notebook.
• Revising the collected words whenever he had spare time.

How he maintained his vocabulary notebook

Whenever he encountered an unfamiliar word in a mock test, he noted it down. He organised the vocabulary according to the mock tests and sections in which the words appeared.

As the notebook grew, he used his free time to revise the words. This helped him turn mistakes and unfamiliar questions into additional learning material.

3. Followed a Step-by-Step Mock Test Strategy

One of the most important parts of Balkaran’s preparation was the order in which he attempted different types of tests.

Instead of moving directly to full-length mock tests, he followed a gradual progression after completing the syllabus.

His mock-test sequence was:

1. Complete the syllabus.
2. Attempt topic-wise tests.
3. Move to mini mock tests.
4. Practise through sectional tests.
5. Attempt full-length Prelims mock tests regularly.
6. Monitor percentile and review performance after every test.

This approach helped him move from concept-level practice to complete examination simulations.

Aspirants can follow a similar progression using the PracticeMock IBPS RRB PO Test Series, which offers full-length tests, topic tests, sectional tests and previous year paper practice.

Candidates should understand the IBPS RRB PO exam pattern

How Mock Tests Helped Balkaran Improve His Prelims Performance

Balkaran did not treat mock tests as a way to check marks alone. He used them to understand his weaknesses and measure his improvement.

He attempted Prelims-level mocks daily and regularly checked his percentile. Gradually, his percentile improved and reached around 90–95.

What he checked after attempting a mock test:

• Whether his percentile had improved or declined.
• Which subjects were affecting his overall performance.
• Where he was losing marks.
• Which topics required more practice.
• What he could improve before attempting the next test.

He explained that his Mathematics performance was weak from the beginning, so he paid particular attention to areas where he needed improvement.

His biggest lesson from mock analysis: A lower percentile should not discourage you. Review the test, identify your shortcomings and work on the topics that need improvement.

Why He Preferred Challenging Mock Tests

Balkaran also shared his experience with IBPS Clerk Mains preparation in 2022. Although he did not attempt many Mains-level mock tests, he noticed that practice tests were often slightly more difficult than the actual examination.

He felt that practising tougher questions made the actual examination feel more manageable.

His experience highlights why candidates should not judge their preparation only by whether they score well in every mock. A difficult mock can also help them become more comfortable with challenging questions and examination pressure.

For additional practice, aspirants can explore the PracticeMock IBPS Clerk Test Series.

Key Lessons from Balkaran’s RRB PO and IBPS Clerk Success Story

Balkaran’s journey offers useful lessons for candidates who struggle with Prelims or find it difficult to improve their mock-test scores.

Preparation Area	Lesson from Balkaran’s Strategy
Basic preparation	Complete the syllabus before moving to advanced practice
Mathematics	Memorise tables, squares and cubes through daily revision
English	Build grammar fundamentals and maintain a vocabulary notebook
Topic-wise practice	Start with topic tests before attempting full-length mocks
Mock tests	Follow a gradual progression from mini mocks to full-length tests
Performance analysis	Check percentile and identify weak areas after every mock
Mains preparation	Practise challenging questions to become comfortable with difficulty
Consistency	Continue practising even when preparation becomes difficult

Advice for Banking Exam Aspirants

Balkaran’s experience suggests that aspirants should not depend only on completing the syllabus. They also need to practise regularly and use mock-test analysis to improve their performance.

A practical preparation routine based on his approach:

• Complete the concepts of a topic before attempting its test.
• Practise basic calculations every day.
• Maintain a separate notebook for unfamiliar English words.
• Attempt topic-wise tests and sectional tests regularly.
• Gradually increase the frequency of full-length mocks.
• Review every test and work on recurring mistakes.
• Track percentile and accuracy to understand progress.

Candidates preparing for ESIC MTS can also explore the PracticeMock ESIC MTS Preparation Strategy for additional subject-wise guidance.

Conclusion

Balkaran Singh’s success story shows how consistent practice and a structured mock-test strategy can help candidates improve their performance in banking examinations. He started with financial pressure and difficulty clearing Prelims, but gradually strengthened his Mathematics and English preparation through daily practice.

His journey also highlights the importance of completing the syllabus, moving through different levels of mock tests and analysing performance instead of focusing only on scores. Aspirants preparing for IBPS Clerk, RRB PO and other banking examinations can take inspiration from his approach and build a routine that addresses their individual weak areas. Start practising with reliable study resources and mock tests on PracticeMock.

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FAQs on Balkaran Singh’s Banking Exam Success Story

1. Who is Balkaran Singh?

Balkaran Singh is a banking exam aspirant from Mandi Dabwali in Sirsa, Haryana. As mentioned in his PracticeMock interview, he cleared ESIC MTS, IBPS Clerk and RRB PO after following a disciplined preparation routine.

2. When did Balkaran start his banking exam preparation?

Balkaran started his banking exam preparation in December 2019. He joined Vikas Academy in Bathinda and completed his syllabus before continuing his practice through online mock tests.

3. Which exams did Balkaran Singh clear?

According to the interview, Balkaran cleared ESIC MTS, IBPS Clerk and RRB PO. His preparation journey involved completing the syllabus, practising mock tests and improving weak subjects.

4. How did Balkaran prepare for Mathematics?

He memorised cubes from 1 to 30, multiplication tables up to 31 and squares up to 60. He also wrote these calculations daily to improve his calculation speed and recall.

5. How did Balkaran improve his English?

Balkaran used grammar lessons from the English with Rani Ma’am YouTube channel. He also noted unfamiliar words from mock tests in a separate vocabulary notebook and revised them regularly.

6. What was Balkaran’s mock test strategy?

He first completed the syllabus, then attempted topic-wise tests, mini mocks, sectional tests and full-length Prelims mocks. He also monitored his percentile and analysed his performance after each test.

7. What percentile did Balkaran achieve in mock tests?

Balkaran mentioned that his mock-test percentile gradually improved and eventually reached around 90–95. He used percentile changes to assess his preparation and identify areas that needed improvement.

8. Why did Balkaran prefer difficult mock tests?

He observed that practice tests were sometimes slightly more difficult than the actual examination. He felt that this made challenging questions in the actual exam more manageable.

9. How did PracticeMock help Balkaran?

His academy recommended PracticeMock for online practice. He used its mock tests consistently, particularly during the lockdown, to identify weak areas and monitor his improvement.

10. What is the biggest lesson from Balkaran’s success story?

The biggest lesson is to combine syllabus completion with regular practice and mock analysis. Aspirants should identify weak areas, work on them consistently and track their progress instead of focusing only on mock-test scores.