How do I Clear Sectional and Overall Cut-off for IBPS PO 2017

Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) will be conducting its 7^th edition of CWE PO/ MT exam in the months of October and November. This exam is conducted for the assessment and recruitment of Eligible candidates for Probationary officers and Management Trainee posts in many notable banks. The IBPS PO 2017 is carried in three stages:

• Preliminary exam
• Main exam
• Interview

The selection of the Candidate is based on the aggregate marks secured in the Mains exam and the Interview. The preliminary exam is only for the purpose of qualifying to be eligible to appear in the Mains exam of the IBPS PO Exam. A weightage ratio of 80:20 is considered for the final recruitment process i.e. 80% of the marks obtained in the Main Exam is taken and 20% of the marks secured in the Interview.

 

Tips for clearing IBPS PO 2017 Sectional & Overall cutoffs in Prelims & Mains:

Scoring the minimum sectional as well as overall cutoffs for both IBPS PO Prelims & Mains is not easy task. It requires a lot of patience, hard-work & dedication to do so. You will need to prepare efficiently for all sections to score overall as well as sectional cutoffs.

1. Start your preparation by having a deep understanding of the IBPS PO exam pattern & syllabus. Let us take a look at the latest pattern of the exam.

IBPS PO Exam pattern for Prelims 2017

There is no change in the Prelims exam pattern and will be based on similar lines as that of previous years pattern.

SL No.	Name of test	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
1.	English Language	30	30	60 minutes
2.	Quantitative Aptitude	35	35
3.	Reasoning Ability	35	35
Total		100	100

Practice here IBPS PO test series according to the new exam pattern to give you a feel.

IBPS PO Exam pattern for Mains 2017

Some significant changes have been made in the Mains exam pattern this year which are as follows:

• Computer awareness section has been removed and its place Computer Aptitude section has been added together with Reasoning Ability section.
• Quantitative Aptitude section will now be called Data Interpretation & Analysis.
• The total no. of questions in the exam has been reduced to 155 from 200 last year similar to SBI exam.
• The overall time of the objective exam has been increased to 180 minutes from 140mins last year.

SL No.	Name of Test	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks	Time allotted for each section
1.	Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude	45	60	60 minutes
2.	English Language	35	40	40 minutes
3.	Data Interpretation & Analysis	35	60	45 minutes
4.	General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness	40	40	35 minutes
	Total	155	200	3 hours
	Descriptive Test (English Language): Letter & Essay Writing)	2	25	30 minutes

2. Calculate an expected cutoff and set a target

There are various factors which will determine the cutoff marks for the exam.

• of Candidates who will be appearing for the 2017 Exam.
• of vacancies available
• Difficulty level of exam
• Previous year’s cutoff and recruitment statistics
• Performance of the candidates in the exams

Expected IBPS PO 2017 Prelims Cut Off

English language	Reasoning Ability	Quantitative Aptitude	Total
8-11	10-13	11-13	50+

 

Expected IBPS PO 2017 Mains Cut Off

English language	Reasoning Ability& Computer Aptitude	Data Interpretation & Analysis	General Awareness	Total
7-9	8-13	9-12	13-15	55+

 

 

IBPS PO Prelims 2017- Section wise tips

Tips for English Language:

English section carries 30 marks and 40 marks for the Preliminary and Main Paper      ,           respectively. People who feel that this section is their weak area need to start from the    very basics right from the proper structure of sentences, basic grammar, tenses. You can read newspapers daily, study school level English for passage comprehension, story reading etc. to boost your preparation for this section. Take the help of a dictionary and learn 3-4 new words every day. Every time any word comes to your mind, note it down, figure out its meaning and also try framing sentences with it.

 

Tips for Data Interpretation & Analysis:

This is the section that has been added in place of Quantitative Aptitude section. So you can expect most of the questions from here. Some important topics to focus on this area are:

Data Interpretation will be asked on:Tabular graph, Line Graph, Pie Chart, Bar Graph ,Mix of any two type of DI (mentioned till now), Radar Graph Case let, Missing Case DI ,Let it Case DI

 

Tips for Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude

For this section you can focus on these topics:

• Verbal Reasoning
• Computer Aptitude
• Coding Decoding
• Coded Inequalities
• Syllogisms
• Machine Input Output
• Data Sufficiency
• Blood Relations
• Direction & Distance
• Linear Seating Arrangement
• Circular Seating Arrangement
• Grouping & Scheduling
• Double Lineup
• Ordering & Ranking
• Analytical Decision Making

 

 

Tips for General Awareness

For General Awareness section, you need to keep your eyes and ears open for daily updates on latest happenings in India and around the world. Pay special attention to financial, economic and banking sector. Also, you need to be well aware of the current affairs of at least the past 6 months.

Practice is the success key for excelling in any exam. To clear IBPS PO cutoff marks also, all you need to do is practice and some practice. Apart from sincere practice, you can also prepare for the exam by solving previous years IBPS PO Question paper and also sample/ model IBPS PO question papers based on the exam pattern. Practicing with IBPS PO mock test are also one of the best known ways for effective exam preparation.

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Important Topics for IBPS PO Prelims 2017

Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) Probationary Officer exam will be conducted in two phases – Preliminary and Mains. IBPS PO Prelims Exam will be conducted on 7th, 8th, 14th & 15th October 2017 and the IBPS PO Mains exam will be conducted on 26th November 2017.The two objective tests will be followed by an interview. Online application for IBPS PO 2017 started on 16th August 2017 and the closing date for applications are 5th September 2017. The objective of the exam is to fill in around 3562 vacancies for the post of Probationary Officers at 20 participating banks.

IBPS PO Prelim Exam 2017 Pattern

IBPS PO preliminary examination 2017 is an objective type test conducted online for a duration of 1 hour. There are total 100 questions and maximum score of 100 marks. Applicants who qualify the prelims exam will be eligible for the main exam. Paper will be available in Hindi as well as in English. There is negative marking of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer and each section has an individual cut-off. It is necessary to clear the cut-off in all the 3 sections to qualify for the IBPS PO Main exam. The syllabus for IBPS PO 2017 Preliminary Exam is different from the IBPS PO 2017 Mains Exam.There will be three sections in IBPS PO Preliminary Exam 2017- English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability.

Sr.No	Name of the Test	No. of Qs	Maximum Marks
1	English language	30	30
2	Quantitative Aptitude	35	35
3	Reasoning Ability	35	35
	Total	100	100

Practice with IBPS PO Online test series to improve your speed and accuracy.

Here is a list of all important topics to prepare for IBPS PO Preliminary Exam 2017

Quantitative Aptitude Section

A total of 35 questions will be asked in Quantitative Aptitudesection and the total weightage would be 35 marks out of the total 100. Focus and practice the following topics.

1. Simplification: Approximation, Long multiplications, Square cubes/roots & Cube roots, BODMAS Rule, Decimals, Fractions, Surds & Indices, Percentages etc. Practice IBPS PO Mock Test papers for improving accuracy and speed.The mock tests will also help in analyzing strengths and weaknesses.
2. Quadratic Equations: Solve as many questions as possible and learn to find the roots in less time.
3. Percentages: Percentage change/ increase and decrease.Calculation-oriented basic percentage.
4. Data Interpretation: Line Graphs, Bar Graphs, Pie Charts, Tables.
5. Data Sufficiency: Number System, Averages, Percentages, Ratio & Proportion, Profit & Loss, Simple & Compound Interest, Time Speed & Distance, Time & Work, Problems on Age, Mensuration, Mixtures &Alligations, Time and Work
6. Permutation and Combination: Arrangements, Ranking
7. Probability: Balls, Deck of cards, Dice. Solve the problems on events, differentiate favourable and unfavourable events.
8. Interest: Simple Interest, Compound Interest, Mixed Interest, Installments
9. Miscellaneous topics: Ratios & Proportions, Profit & Loss, Partnerships, Problems on ages, Linear Equation, Number series, Combination of Operations,

Reasoning Ability Section

There will be 35 questions in the Reasoning Ability Section with a total of 35 marks.
Try to focus more on the below-mentioned topics.

1. Data Arrangements: Linear Arrangements, Circular Arrangements, Tabular column.
2. Inequalities: Rules and Concepts.
3. Blood Relations: Family tree/Relationship representation.
4. Puzzles: Arrangements, North South arrangements, Logical reasoning, Critical thinking.
5. Direction sense: Drawing and analyzing directions
6. Coding & Decoding: Coding by Letter Shifting, Coding by Analogy, Coding in Fictitious Language, Coding Letters of a Word.
7. Miscellaneous topics: Double Lineup, Scheduling, Classification,  Series

English Language Section

IBPS PO English Section for the prelims exam will comprise of 30 questions and they carry a total marks of 30. Following topics are important for this section.

1. Reading Comprehension: Topics related to Banking & Economy, Business, Social Issues etc.
2. Grammar: Tenses, Articles, Prepositions, Subject Verb Agreement, Parallelism, Degrees of Comparison, Sentence Construction, Phrasal Verbs, Pronouns, Adverbs, Non-Finite Verbs, Common Errors etc.
3. Vocabulary (Cloze Test, Fill in the Blanks, Error Spotting, Phrase Replacement)
4. Verbal Ability (Para Jumbles) Rearrangement & Anchored paragraphs

 

The final selection of the candidate for the post of Probationary Officer will be made by taking into consideration the cumulative score of both the exam and the interview. A merit list will be generated after the Interview Process of IBPS PO 2017 Exam has been concluded.

IBPS PO Online Study Materials

IBPS PO is one of the most sought after competitive exams for the Banking Industry. Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) along with other participating banks fills its vacancies of Probationary Officers and other posts through the IBPS PO exam. The IBPS PO 2017 exam is expected to be conducted in October and the registration is to begin soon in August.

To be selected for the various posts, a candidate has to go through three tiers of the exam.

• Preliminary exam

• Main exam

• Interview

IBPS PO 2017 Prelims exam pattern:

Section	No. of Questions	Maximum marks	Time duration (In minutes)
Logical Reasoning	35	35	60
Quantitative Aptitude	35	35
English Language	30	30
Total	100	100	60

Duration of exam=60 minutes | 1 marks allotted for every correct answer and 0.25 marks is deducted for each wrong answer.

IBPS PO 2017 Main exam pattern:

Section	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks	Time Limit (For each section)
Logical Reasoning	50	50	40 Minutes
English Language	40	40	30 Minutes
Quantitative Ability	50	50	40 Minutes
General Awareness	40	40	20 Minutes
Computer Awareness	20	20	10 Minutes
Total	200	200	140 Minutes

Duration of exam=140 minutes | 1 marks allotted for every correct answer and for each wrong answer, 0.25 marks is deducted.

Candidates who are already preparing or starting to prepare must be looking for guidelines for online study materials. Here is how you can make the best use of study materials available online for your preparation.

Mock tests

At the click of the mouse, multiple online tests for IBPS PO mock tests appear to you for example, tests based on daily Current affairs, General knowledge, Section wise tests etc. You get variety of questions to solve through these multiple tests.

E-books and Pdfs

Reading manual books is slowly getting out of trend. The younger generation in today’s world prefers to study from books and study material available online in pdf format. There are some free E-books available for download for IBPS PO preparation while other sites may charge you some considerable amount for the same. You can also download IBPS PO section wise study materials in pdf format.

Video tutorials

Our brain is a tricky thing. When we see a video or a movie we tend to remember things for longer time. The same can be applied in learning process. Watching online video tutorials helps to grasp the idea easily & quickly for exam preparation. I personally prefer YouTube tutorials for learning different topics during my exams.

Previous years & Sample question papers

Whether it’s the usual academic exams or a competitive exam, it is always stressful for the one appearing for the exam. He/ she may sometimes in a constant struggle of “what to study/ what not to study” for the exam. To get out of this dilemma, one can always refer to Previous questions papers or model question papers based on the exam. This will not help understand the exam pattern but what sort of questions to expect for the IBPS PO exam.

How to prepare General Awareness for IBPS PO 2017

 

General Awareness is a vital part of  banking exams.Exams like IBPS PO, SBI PO, IBPS Clerk , SBI Clerk give some weight age to general awareness. In IBPS PO exam, the general awareness section is given around 20% weightage. Apart from the exam, in Interviews also, selection is based on the knowledge of current affairs and general knowledge.

 

IBPS PO General Awareness is a vast and diverse area and need a lot of time to improve. You need to be regular with your efforts and need to have a good and reliable resource.

IBPS PO 2017 exam will be held in November and December. We are giving the latest exam pattern for IBPS Probationary Officers exam.

IBPS PO Prelims Pattern:

Sr No.	Test Name	Ques.	Marks
1	Reasoning Ability Paper	35	35
2	Quantitative Aptitude Paper	35	35
3	English Language Paper	30	30
	Total	100	100

 

IBPS PO Mains Pattern:

Sr. No.	Name of Tests (Objective)	Marks/Time
1	Reasoning	50 (40 Mins)
2	English Language	40 (30 Mins)
3	Quantitative Aptitude	50 (40 Mins)
4	General Awareness	40 (20 Mins)
5	Computer Knowledge	20 (10 mins)
	Total	200

Type of questions asked in IBPS PO General Awareness section:

Static General Knowledge Questions: The static GK questions do no change with time. They have fixed answers. They are from following topics:

• First in the world
• Inventors and Inventions
• Capitals and Currencies
• Important Rivers, Cities and People
• Animals, Birds and Wildlife Sancutaries
• Agricultural crops and seasons
• National Flags, Anthems
• Important Dates and Events
• Books and Authors

 

Dynamic General Knowledge Questions: The dynamic GK changes with time.You need to update the knowledge regulary from news , TV and various sources. The commonly asked topics are:

• Prime Minister/President of countries
• Olympic and sports records
• International/National  News and happenings
• India’s rank in different indices
• Governmental schemes and policies
• Union Budget
• Census and surveys

 Preparation Strategy for GK and Current affairs:

• Purchase latest year book and spend daily 1-2 hours reading the book.You can get a hold on Static GK questions.
• Read newspapers daily in the morning. Write down important points.
• Read General Awareness from online resources in detail.
• Watch TV news channels and listen to discussions daily. Try to grasp important headlines.
• Take last 10 years paper and try to solve the GK questions.
• Enrol for IBPS PO mock test online which will give a real test environment.
• Revise all the noted points before the exam.

 Where to Take IBPS PO Online Mock tests?

There are some good institutes online which will give you good practice tests for IBPS PO exam. Mock tests will help you identify your weak areas and also will enable you to improve speed and accuracy for the exam. Mock tests along with previous years papers will help you to efficiently prepare for IBPS PO 2017.

 

Some websites which provide IBPS PO mock tests :

TopRankers

OliveBoard

Testbook

Practicemock

 

Stay tuned for more updates on Bank exams.

 

How to Improve English section for Bank Exams?

There has been an increased competition in the competitive exams. I would call it as a cut-throat competition as a matter of fact to crack the Bank exams. After all, these public sector jobs offer such attractive perks. Struggling to get this dream job that offers a life-time job security does not look difficult once you achieve it.

Major Bank exams like SBI PO, IBPS PO etc. have separate descriptive paper for english.

Every aspirant must prepare a study schedule for these Bank exams to successfully crack it. The aim of this test is to assess the candidate’s English language skills and proficiency. This article deals with the strategy to improve English section for bank exams.

 

The English section in most Bank exams can be classified into the below sections:

1. Vocabulary
2. Grammar
3. Reading Comprehension
4. Verbal Ability

Vocabulary:

Vocabulary is like an ocean, and can be developed over a period of time. So, for the bank exam, one needs to massively work on the vocabulary.

What type of questions comes in this section?

Questions related to Cloze Test, Fill in the Blanks, Error spotting, Phrase Replacement, Word Association Pair, Phrase or Idiom Meaning, Spellings come under Vocabulary.

How to improve:

1. By reading Newspaper on a regular basis, make a note of difficult words, and find their meanings. Always, try to find the meaning and its usage when you come across a new word.
2. Practice these words and their synonyms and antonyms; it will be easier to revise later.
3. Solve the vocabulary sections in previous years’ question papers.
4. Try mnemonic techniques to memorize the meanings of the words.

Grammar:

What type of questions comes in this section?

The main topics related to Grammar related questions are:

1. Error Spotting
2. Phrase Replacement

How to improve:

1. You must know the basic Grammar concepts like Tenses, Articles, Prepositions, Degrees of Comparison, Subject-Verb Agreement, Conjunctions, Parts of Speech, Standard Construction, Adverbs, Number in Nouns, etc.
2. You can practice this section even online, i.e., on mobile apps as well. Even while travelling you can simply practice a few questions on such apps.
3. Go through the articles related to Error Spotting and Gerunds. Solve previous years’ question papers and mock exams.

Reading Comprehension:

What type of questions comes in this section?

As it is the test of English in Bank exam, the passages asked here are mostly based on Finance, Banking and Economy, Geo-Politics, Social Issues, Business etc. Direct questions will be asked based on the passage. It is time consuming; only practice can help you speed up.

How to improve:

1. The questions asked in these passages are mostly fact-based, inferences and vocabulary based. You must practice on comprehension questions every day so that your speed and accuracy are improved.
2. You must make a habit of reading the passages faster than the usual pace.
3. Understanding the passage is important to respond in the stipulated time.
4. Practice comprehensions from various topics as you never know the kind of topic that might come up in the exam.

Verbal Ability:

What type of questions comes in this section?

This section consists of 6 Para jumble sentences with 5 questions. Even questions like an odd one out can also be expected.

How to improve:

1. Questions on sentence and Para completion may be asked, you are asked to complete a sentence understanding the context of the paragraph.
2. Follow the logic of the passage, it tells a story with the beginning, mid and the end.
3. Connecting words help to link the story, look for such words.
4. Practice more of sample papers and mock tests.

Accuracy and speed can be developed by solving more question papers in this section. Vocabulary needs to be improved by reading newspapers, magazines and watching the National Television channels. Your diction gets improved.

Practice SBI PO test series and IBPS test series for english section.

 

 

 

 

Best Ways to increase GK and Current Affairs

General Knowledge and Current affairs are two sections which can get you a good score if prepared well. While preparing for any Competitive Exams an effective preparation in these categories is essential. This will not only prepare you for the written exam, but you will also be ready for any kind of interview or debate/group discussion round. A lot of students ignore this section and only prepare for these sections at the end by referring to some book. However, it is best to prepare on a daily basis once you decide to attempt for any competitive examination. You must be prepared with at least 6 months of current affairs and GK.

GK is a valuable information related to Science, social interest, culture,civilization, community or nation gathered from a range of various media platforms. Few ways listed in this article to increase GK and current affairs.

Subscription to a Newspaper:

Newspapers are a wonderful source to upgrade your GK. Newspapers offer up-to-date information related to politics, sports, fashion, and various other interests too. Tips below:

• Reading News Paper daily should be an activity for a set duration every morning, ideally that is the best time to get an update about the news. It helps in two ways, one is covering the current affairs as well as improving your vocabulary. Most aspirants look up to ‘The Hindu’, ‘The Times of India’ etc.

Reading GK books:

Reading constantly to update your GK Today, it helps in a great way and that is one of the best ways to update your GK.

• Take a membership in a local library which is a source of various books, it is an ocean of knowledge. Most library memberships are quite affordable at low costs, so this can help you look up to increasing your GK. Take the guidance from the librarian to find the best books on GK in their library.
• If you are someone who love to keep a collection of books and read, you can find weekly sale in the bookstores or online.

Join a book club or social group online/offline:

• Try expanding your circle by socializing in such groups where you get to exchange information with similar as well as varied interests. Such groups help you in a great way. Discussing about books, current affairs, events, history or politics with others will enhance your GK, confidence and thought-process too.
• Such clubs are found everywhere, search online to find and join one. Or even online forums too are good enough.

Practice From GK Quiz:

Make it a habit to practice from important current affairs and GK quiz and online GK practice papers in order to analyse your preparation level for GK and Current Affairs for various competitive exams. We can get monthwise and topicwise GK quiz related to various matters. It will certainly help you to score good marks.

Watch National news channels:

Television is one of the bright and widely used resources to increase your GK and current affairs.

• Try to stay tuned to watching television channels such as CNN, educational channels like NGC which airs documentaries, films based on facts and instructional programming to enhance your overall knowledge.
• Watching news channels is a passive exercise, set a time to watch such programmes.

Lastly, make use of the technology and also do some smart work if you are a person who likes to read online, you can subscribe to the Newspaper online at a reasonable cost. At a click of a button, you get to read about the happenings around you. Search for information online using search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Sign up for news alerts as well.

IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) Preparation Tips

1. Make a time table: Not a fool proof one. Time tables are not meant to follow them strictly and tightly specially for exams like SO. Following more than 80% of the schedule works well.
2. Make strategy: Do not read/learn all the subjects in a single day. Make a proper strategy which suits your environment and follow it accordingly.
3. Know your Strong section: Some students have leaning towards General Awareness other are good at Maths and Reasoning. Some are from convent and so are good in English. You can be strong in your professional course too. Just know your strength by solving previous year question paper or sample papers and polish your strength.
4. Know your weaker section: Everyone has their own weakness and they have a unique way to counter it. Some know it, some are still struggling with their weakness. Remember, no strategy can help you in the path of  success if do not know your weakness. Your weakness can be found by the same way you find your strength. By practice! Here comes one more confusion. Weaker section vs Less-prepared section. There may be few sections(for example probability) which you think you are weak in it but in reality, you lack the logic and formula. This can be strengthened with dedicating more time in practice. On the other hand there can be few sections (like statistics: few people can’t understand the stats naturally and it is okay) with can not be strengthened even if practice for lifetime. The only way here is to leave later type of section and give more time of practice to previous type.
5. Revise everything: It is human nature to forget. The information you store in your mind fades with time. So to keep it green, keep revising.

IBPS SO online test series

IBPS SO IT officer test series

IBPS SO Marketing officer test series

Section wise preparation tips for IBPS SO Exam:

Reasoning

Reasoning would consist of topics like Blood Relation, Round Table, Sitting Plan, Syllogism, Mirror Images. To prepare for this section, one must develop logical skills and sharpen one’s mental alertness. This can be done by practicing and solving past question papers and model question papers.

English

This test usually comprises word meanings, spotting common errors, comprehension, synonyms and antonyms, grammar tests, etc. This is supposed to be a scoring section and to prepare for this, one can begin by regularly reading English newspaper and magazines, watching English news daily, learning few new English words daily, accompanied with their antonyms and synonyms. Do strengthen your grammar by solving online grammar tests and reading basic grammar books.

Quantitative Aptitude

This test will have questions from topics like Data Interpretation, Profit and Loss, Time and Work, Simplification, Discount, Average, Probability with Sets theory, Number System, Series, etc. To prepare for this section, go back to the basics and clear your concepts. Ensure that you learn to manage time in an efficient manner such that you are able to attempt and answer all the questions. In the process, also try also to learn small tricks and short-cuts that will help you solve the sums easily. The bottom line to score well in this section is practice, practice and practice as many sums as possible from model question papers and past question papers. Try to take mock online test also if possible.

 

All the best for the exam.