Bank PO Exam - Eligibility, Exam & Preparation

Are you an aspiring candidate to join the banking sector and become a Probationary Officer? Yes, but you don’t exactly know how to crack the Bank Po Exam? Nothing to worry about as I have a step-by-step guide on the Bank PO exam for you.

Bank PO or a Probationary Officer is one of the most acknowledged, reputed posts in the banking sector. Many aspire candidates want to make a career in the Banking sector dream to become a Probationary Officer. To convert your dream into the success you need to follow some guidelines.

In this article, we will see the step-by-step guide of how to become a Probationary Officer in the Bank with all other related details like eligibility criteria, job profile, salary, exam, syllabus, and preparation. So, what are we waiting for let’s get started?

Full form of Bank PO

Bank PO stands for Bank Probationary Officer. It is a position in a particular branch of public sector banks and private sector banks in India. Probationary Officer is the managerial level post in the Bank.

The candidates who want to make their career in the Banking sector should know everything about the Probationary Officer. So, here we go.

What is Bank PO

Bank PO is a highly acknowledged and reputed position in the Banking sector. He or she is on the post of manager in the bank. Through Bank PO exams the candidate is recruited as a Probationary Officer in the public or private sector Bank of the country.

Let us see the list of Banks that conduct PO exams to recruit the candidates. It is as listed below.

State Bank of India (SBI)
Bank of Maharashtra
Bank of Baroda
Allahabad Bank
Corporation Bank
HDFC Bank
ICICI Bank
Punjab National Bank (PNB)
Syndicate Bank
Oriental Bank of commerce

Now, let us have a look towards the different Bank PO exam that is taken for the different Banks.

SBI PO

SBI stands for State Bank of India. SBI PO is one of the most reputed jobs in the Banking sector. The candidates who want to become a PO in SBI Bank have to fill the SBI PO online application form.

IBPS PO

The IBPS PO is conducted by an authorized body called the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). This particular institute recruits the candidate for the public sector banks (PSB). After recruitment, the candidates are also trained before they are placed in any particular public sector Bank. Does IBPS PO is the most popular exam conducted to recruit candidates in the public sector Bank as a Bank PO?

IBPS RRB

The IBPS RRB Officer scale 1 exam is generally conducted to recruit the candidate at the Officer post in regional rural banks. The exam is also conducted by an authorized body that is the institute of Banking personnel selection.

The three IBPS RRB exams conducted to recruit the PO are listed below.

IBPS RRB Officer scale 1
IBPS RRB Officer scale 2 and 3
IBPS RRB Officer assistant

The candidate after qualifying for this exam is placed to any of the regional rural banks across the country.

How to become Bank PO

Bank PO stands for Probationary Officer, which is one of the most reputed posts in the banking sector. To become a Bank PO the candidate has to qualify prelims, mains exam, and interview process. The aspiring candidate should be between the age of 20-30 years with a graduation degree from a renowned university.

To become a Bank PO you need to qualify some criteria. Let us what are the common criteria’s in the Bank to become a PO. The eligibility criteria differ from Bank to Bank. Given below are the most common criteria to become Bank PO.

Eligibility Criteria

Nationality

Citizen of India
Subject to Nepal or Bhutan
A Tibetan refugee who has entered India and has settled permanently before the date- 1st January 1962.
Person of Indian origin who have created from the countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, Vietnam, and East African countries.

Age Limit

The candidate applying for the Bank PO exam should at least be 20 years of age
The maximum age limit for the general category is of 30 years
OBC category the age relaxation of 3 years, so the maximum age limit is of 33 years
The maximum age limit for SC/ ST candidates is 35 years. Age relaxation is of 5 years

Educational Qualification

The candidate appearing for the Bank PO exam should be a graduate in any field from a recognized university in India
Candidates appearing for the final year of graduation can also apply for the Bank PO exam. The only condition for this is till the time of the interview he should get the graduation result in the hand.
The candidates who are chartered accountants are also qualified to apply for the examination.
There are no minimum mark criteria to appear for the Bank PO entrance exam.

No Criminal Record

The person who wants to apply for the Bank PO exam shouldn’t carry any criminal record. I found that a candidate has any sort of chemical record he/she will be canceled from giving the exam.

Bank PO Vacancies

The vacancies for the Bank PO exam differ from Bank to Bank. Vacancies as per Bank are listed below.

In the year 2019

SBI- 2000 PO’s

IBPS– 4336 PO’s

IBPS RRB– 3352 PO’s

RBI Grade B Officer-199PO’s

In the year 2020

SBI– 2000 PO’s

IBPS– 1417 PO’s

IBPS RRB– 2800 PO’s

RBI Grade B Officer-322 PO’s

How to apply for the Bank PO exam

The procedure to apply for the Bank PO exam is as follows.

Step 1: Visit the official website

Step 2: Click on the ‘New Registration’

Step 3: Fill in all the mandatory details

Step 4: Registered number and password is generated

Step 5: Upload the photo and your signature

Step 6: Now fill the application form with all the details

Step 7: Make the payment of fees

Step 8: Fill up the declaration and SUBMIT

Fees for Bank PO exam

The fees for the general category is Rs.600/-

Fees for OBC, SC/ST candidate is Rs.100/-

Bank PO Exam Syllabus

To become a Bank PO candidate has to qualify for the Bank PO exam. Bank PO exam differs from Bank to Bank. See the most common pattern that is for the Bank PO exam. It is as listed below.

The Bank PO exam takes place in the following stages

Preliminary exam
Mains exam
Interview
Group discussion (SBI Bank)

Preliminary exam

This is the first stage of examination. This exam has multiple-choice questions. The total duration of the exam is of 60 minutes. Let us see in detail the syllabus with marks, number of questions, and duration.

Subjects	Questions	Marks	Duration
English	30	30	20 mins
Logical reasoning	35	35	20 mins
Quantitative aptitude	35	35	20 mins

Syllabus

Logical Reasoning

Coding and decoding
Puzzles
Sitting arrangement
Alphanumeric series
Input and output
Statements, arguments, and assumptions
Analogue
Reasoning inequality
Data sufficiency
Syllogism

Quantitative aptitude

Profit and loss
Simplification and approximation
Percentage
Speed, time, and distance
Data interpretation
Probability
Number series
Quadratic equations
Problems on age
Boat and stream
Simple and compound interest
Mixture and allegations
Time and work
Pipes and cisterns
Problems on Train

Mains exam

When the candidate qualifies for the Prelims exam then he/she is eligible for the second exam that is the Mains exam. Mains exam consists of descriptive questions. The total duration of the exam is of 180 minutes. Let us see in detail the syllabus of the mains exam with marks, number of questions, and duration.

Subjects	Questions	Marks	Duration
English	35	40	40 mins
Quantitative Aptitude	35	60	45 mins
General reasoning and computer aptitude	45	60	60 mins
General economy and Banking awareness	40	40	35 mins
Descriptive Papers	2	24	30 mins

Computer Aptitude

Memory
Input and output devices
Computer fundamentals
Shortcut keys
Computer terms
Internet
Operating system
Computer abbreviations
Computer networking
Computer hardware and software
Microsoft windows
Microsoft office
Types of computer
Cloud Computing
Database management system
TCP/IP model
OSI model

English

Reading comprehension
Fill in The blanks
Tenses rule
Sentence rearrangement
Error detection
Preposition
Paragraph completion
Idioms and phrases
Essay (descriptive exam)
Letter writing (descriptive exam)

General awareness

Banking awareness and facts
Financial knowledge
Current knowledge
Financial institutions

Interview

After qualifying for the prelims and mains exam the candidate is selected for the interview process. The interview is taken by the board. The board of judges consists of 4 to 5 members which also include reputed Bankers. There is no fixed timing for the interview it generally depends on the interviewers.

In the interview, only academics knowledge is not tested but the personality test is all about how much the candidate is alert and all aware of the events happening around. The marking criteria for the Personal Interview Process are based on mental alertness, logical reasoning ability, clear exposure, proper judgment, and intellectual ability.

The interview topics on which the judges focus in the Bank PO interview are about Banking affairs and general knowledge related to them. They may also ask you questions about your educational qualification. They will question you and check your decision-making capability. Even your communication skills and confidence is judged based on behavioral traits.

Do not get nervous, the question with politeness. Avoid eating chewing gum or anything. Also, avoid strong perfumes on the interview day.

Group Discussion

Group discussion is only taken for the candidates of the SBI Bank PO. In the group discussion, you are divided into a group with other candidates. Then you are given a topic which you have to discuss with the other group members in detail. All the group members are supposed to talk about the pros, cons, introduction, and example of the topic given.

Bank PO Books

The modern approach to verbal reasoning by RS Agarwal
Quantitative aptitude for competitive examinations by RS Agarwal
Descriptive General English by SP Bakshi and Richa Sharma
Data interpretation by Arun Sharma
Power made easy by Norman Lewis

With this book, you also have to compulsorily keep reading the newspaper on daily basis. This will help to enhance your current knowledge. For this, you need to keep on reading the newspaper. Hindu Newspaper, Jagran Josh, Economic Times, and Indian Express is something I would suggest to enhance your general knowledge and current affairs.

Bank PO Job Profile

Before joining any bank let it is the public sector or private sector the candidate should have the full information of the job profile in that particular branch.
A Probationary Officer in a Bank has many duties to discharge. See the roles and responsibilities of the Bank PO. It is as listed below.
The Bank PO is responsible to handle customer complaints and solve all the ratios and give them the utmost customer satisfaction. The PO is also responsible to handle the public relations in the particular Bank of the branch.
The Bank PO is responsible to manage the work like supervising the clerical staff of the branch.
He/she is also responsible to manage finances, loans, cash flow, and mortgages
The Bank PO is also responsible to maintain the documentation relating to loans on mortgages.

Bank PO Salary in India

Salary of the Bank PO generally ranges approximately within Rs. 23000 -Rs. 42000/-. The amount is inclusive of all the allowances that a PO is provided with. The Bank PO is provided with various allowances house rent allowance (HRA), dearness allowance (DA), and special allowances (SA).

The salary distribution as per the Bank is as listed below.

SBI – Rs.27, 620/-

IBPS – Rs.23, 700/-

IBPS RBI grade 1 Officer – Rs. 35,150

Career Growth

The PO in the Bank has good career growth and ample opportunities. He can get this opportunity why the challenges in form of interviews. The candidate has to crack the interview and take the promotions. Event the promotions through the internal examinations are conducted.

The bank PO can be promoted to various positions in a particular branch of the Bank. The position includes that of the manager, assistant manager, general manager, and many others. When there is a promotion the Bank PO may be transferred to another branch, and also to another location.

Tips to crack Bank PO exam

The tip and tricks to crack the bank PO exam are listed below.

Study smarter not harder
Make a systematic study plan or time table and follow it daily
Strategic study I will help you to deal with all the subjects
on daily basis keep on reading the newspaper and all the facts related to the Banks
Practice as many
practice papers and mock test you can
While solving the papers look forward to the time management
Before going to the mock test have detailed knowledge about the syllabus and exam pattern. Also, look forward that you have covered all the related topics for the examination so that you do not get panic at the time of examination.
The last-minute study will not help you to crack the exam so start the preparation on a prior basis.

Conclusion

To conclude this was detailed information about the Bank PO exam. Hope this article gave you all the required details about the Bank PO exam. Any information I have refrained from sharing with you do comment mean the comment box. Also, share your experience with the Bank PO exam. I would like to hear from you.

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