PO Exams 2013 | IBPS Bank PO Exam

Bank jobs are considered the most reliable jobs, and working in banks is a dream of many young graduates. Banks call for the position of Probationary Officers (PO) as and when requirement arises and notifications are published in all major news dailies almost 5 months prior to the exam. Candidates who clear this exam get shortlisted for group discussion and interview rounds. Those selected get placed at officer posts in one of the 20 nationalised banks. The PO exam is a big opportunity for those who want to make a career in bank. PO exams are carried out at all India level, the competition is undoubtedly hefty. It becomes essential for you to prepare yourself to face the tough competition. With the increase in emphasis laid by people on banking jobs, a number of banking exam coaching institutes have came into sight with faculty from the banking sector. It provides aspirants with hands on knowledge of the domain. Also, you can check your preparedness only by attempting previous year test paper questions of PO/ Probationary Officer exams. These will help you get a hang of the type of questions you will face in the exam hall.

Eligibility criteria for PO Exam

The candidate can be any graduate or equivalent from a recognized university with a minimum requisite of 65% average mark for general category 60% for non-creamy classes is a must. The candidate selected for the post of Probationary Officer (PO) must also have knowledge about basic computer handling. The age must be between 20 to 28 years for General category candidates. However, there is 5 years relaxation in upper age for SC/ST candidates and 3 years for OBC applicants.

Bank PO/Officers Exams Entrance Exams 

Bank PO/Officer Selection Process is based on Written Test, Group Discussion and Personal Interview. The bank PO/Officer written exam pattern is as follows:

•Phase 1 of the written exam is for 200 Marks
Objective Test of English Language: 50 Marks
General Awareness: 50 Marks
Data analysis and Interpretation: 50 Marks
Reasoning: 50 Marks

•Phase 2 of the written exam is for 50 Marks
Descriptive test of English Language (comprehension, précis writing, article and letter writing): 50 Marks
The second test, Descriptive test of English Language, is marked only if you clear the phase one of written test.

Bank PO/Officers Exams Preparation 

The preparation for the exam in three months can easily be done by studying from bank PO previous year test papers. You can know the pattern as well as the method in which the paper should be attempted by obtaining bank PO guide books and study material. To attempt the sections with confidence, you have to expose yourself to the kind and variety of questions that you would see in the exam. You can prepare yourself from the bank PO/Officer preparation books like:
• IBPS Practice Sets published by Arihant Experts
• Marketing Aptitude published by Arihant Publications
• General Knowledge Manual published by Cengage Learning
• Quantitative Aptitude Test published by Upkar Publishers