How to Crack Competitive Exams like IBPS PO and SBI PO?

Wanted to crack competitive exams such as IBPS PO and SBI PO, and become a PO in a reputed bank. You’re in the right place because this blog will discuss a smart strategy to crack exams like IBPS PO and SBI PO with flying colours, using some helpful tips. 

Understanding the Exam Structure of IBPS PO and SBI PO

Before starting with the subject strategy, it is important to understand the exam pattern, types of questions asked, and also take a brief overview of the level of questions asked in the examination by analyzing previous year papers. Now talking about the exam structure, there are three stages in both the exams: Prelim, Mains, and Interview stage, along with a psychometric test. Here is a tabular format that distinguishes between the exams for better understanding. 

Stage	IBPS PO	SBI PO
Preliminary Exam	Duration: 1 hour. Objective Type Sections: English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, Qualifying in nature	Duration: 1 hour. Objective Type Sections: English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability. Qualifying in nature
Mains Exam	Duration: 3.5 hours Includes Descriptive Writing (Essay & Letter) Sections: Reasoning, Data Analysis & Interpretation, General/Economy/Banking Awareness, English Language	Duration: 3.5 hours Includes Descriptive Writing (Essay & Letter) Sections: Reasoning, Data Analysis & Interpretation, General/Economy/Banking Awareness, English Language
Interview & Psychometric	Conducted for shortlisted candidates. Final merit: Mains (80%) + Interview (20%) Psychometric Test(Qualifying in nature)	Conducted for shortlisted candidates. Includes Psychometric Test Final merit: Mains (75%) + Interview (25%)
Final Selection	Based on Mains + Interview marks	Based on Mains + Interview + Psychometric assessment
Descriptive Section	Essay + Letter (English) – 25 Marks	Essay + Letter (English) – 50 Marks

Subject-Wise Preparation Strategy for IBPS PO and SBI PO

After analysing and understanding the exam and the level of questions asked, it’s time to make a subject-wise strategy. While making a subject-wise strategy, it is important to understand what your strong points are and in which areas you face the most difficulty. If you have solved previous year papers, then you will get an idea of your strengths and weaknesses. After this, let’s move on to each section’s strategy.

Quantitative Aptitude

To master quants in banking exams, clear your basics first. You can take our banking basic and pro-level courses. They are designed according to the latest exam pattern and are beginner-friendly. Apart from this, we have mentioned some of the important topics that you should focus on are- simplification, Approximation, DI, Arithmetic, Number Series, and Quadratic Equations. Practice DI sets daily and try to memorize formulas using flashcards. 

Reasoning Ability

To ace the reasoning section, you need to focus first on the basic puzzle sets, then move on to the advanced puzzle section. Practice at least 5 DI sets of each type. Try to complete topics such as Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, Blood Relations, Inequalities, and Coding-Decoding. One more thing during the initial phase, try to complete the mentioned topics first, and then solve the advanced-level questions.  

English Language

Many times, students underestimate the English language, thinking that it will be covered at the end. But it can be a game-changer for most of the aspirants. If your basics are clear and you have a strong vocabulary, then getting 22-25 questions solved along with accuracy is not a very hectic task. Practice 2-3 reading comprehension of themes like banking, insurance, etc, read newspaper articles daily, and note down new words daily. Also, do not forget to revise important grammar rules on alternate days. 

General Awareness

This section requires utmost consistency and discipline. You have to regularly read current affairs and also revise the previous ones. For better understanding, you can check out our weekly and monthly current affairs compilation. The link is given below.

Smart Study Plan to Crack Competitive Exams like IBPS PO and SBI PO

Here is a smart study plan that includes the number of hours one should devote to a particular section to crack competitive exams like IBPS PO and SBI PO.

Time Block	Daily Study Plan
1–1.5 Hours	Quant Practice + Formula Revision
1–1.5 Hours	Reasoning Puzzles & Practice
1 Hour	English RC/Grammar + Vocabulary
30–45 Minutes	Current Affairs & Banking Awareness
1 Hour (Alternate Days)	Mock Test & Analysis

Mock Tests & Previous Years Papers – Your Best Teachers

Mock tests and previous years’ papers are considered to be the best for learning about your weaker points and also to get a comprehensive idea regarding the exam. They also help in building speed and accuracy, along with exam-level temperament.  To help you with this, at practice mock, we provide full-length as well as topic-wise tests, which are designed specifically for competitive exams like SBI PO and IBPS PO exams. In this, we have one full-length mock test and 3 topic tests absolutely free. The link is given below-

Conclusion

In this blog, we have tried to cover all the aspects that are important to crack competitive exams like SBI PO and IBPS PO. Also mentioned some of the important topics and how to cover them. To get your preparation started and have an idea regarding the exam pattern, then checkout our free full-length mock test and banking courses as well. The link is given below. 

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