How To Prepare for the SBI PO Exam?

The banking sector in India is one of the highest employment generating sectors in the country. Lakhs of aspirants fill in application forms to various posts for which different bodies conduct examinations but only a few get through the final selection.

Thus, it is very important that a candidate is well prepared for the exam as the competition is tough and the vacancies are way too less in comparison to the number of applicants.

Of the major bank exams held in the country, the State Bank of India is the leading choice for most of the candidates. Thus, in this article, we bring to you a systematic plan and preparation strategy which can help in qualifying for the upcoming SBI PO exam.

The first stage is the release of the SBI PO Notification which mentions all the important information including the exam dates, pattern, syllabus, eligibility, salary, job profile, etc. This gives a better understanding of the recruitment process.

Preparation Strategy for SBI Probationary Officer Exam

The entire recruitment process of a Bank PO lasts for around 5 to 6 months, which includes the release of official notification, admit cards, conduction of online examination and Interviews, result declaration and finally the provisional allotment. This time must mainly be spent on revision.

Given below are a few tips which may help candidates sort out a plan to start their exam preparation:

• Analyse the Syllabus and Exam Pattern – English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability and General/Financial/Banking Awareness and Static GK are the main subjects that are included in the syllabus. A candidate must go through the topic under each section and apprehend which part requires more practise and accordingly set up a time table
• Look for Tricks and Shortcuts – SBI PO online exams are time-based and the target is to solve more questions correctly within the stipulated time limit. There are various formulas, tricks and shortcuts through which a complex question can be solved easily without any lengthy calculation. Candidates must practise solving questions using the same to save up a lot of time during the final examination
• Solve Time Based Mock Tests – These are easily available online and help a candidate experience the examination hall kind of ambience and also apprehend how well prepared he/she is for the exam
• Do Not Over-Pressurise Yourself – The bank exam preparation can be a bit overwhelming for the candidates as the syllabus is vast. Thus, one must stay calm and not think about the result as it creates stress and pressure which may affect the final performance of the candidate
• Check for Common Topics – Previous Year SBI PO papers are easily available. Candidates must go through these papers to analyse questions from which topics are frequently asked and are more important from the examination perspective. This may help in increasing the overall scores
• Be Careful of not losing Marks to Negative Marking – In 2019, the State Bank of India had removed the sectional cut off and candidates now only have to score the overall cut off to qualify any particular stage of the examination. So, candidates must ensure that they do not guess answers and only mark the ones which they are sure of. As 0.25 marks are deducted as a penalty for every wrong answer
• Spend at least the Last One Month on Revision – The last month before the examination, the focus must be on revision and no new topics must be prepared to avoid any last-minute chaos
• Keep Documents Ready – The official notification released by the conducting body points out the important documents which may be required in any of the phases of the examination. Candidates must keep all the asked documents ready beforehand

It is also advised that one must download the admit cards well in advance, be aware of the exam centre, carry ID proof to the venue, do not carry extra things to the examination hall as these small things can also lead to last-minute stress which must be avoided.

Since the Probationary Officer recruitment 2020 is almost coming to an end, candidates who are willing to apply for the upcoming 2021 examination can visit the SBI PO Eligibility page and check the detailed eligibility criteria.