IBPS PO is one of the most sought-after banking exams in the country and is participated by over six lakh candidates. As the exam is highly competitive, it is imperative to begin preparation six months before the exam. This will give candidates ample scope to go over all the topics and revise properly. Check below the tips on how to prepare for IBPS PO in 6 months.
- IBPS PO Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
- How to prepare for IBPS PO in 6 months: Plan for first & second month
- Best books for IBPS PO
- How to prepare for IBPS PO in 6 months: Plan for third and fourth month
- How to prepare for IBPS PO in 6 months: Plan for fifth and sixth month
IBPS PO Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
IBPS PO exam pattern is divided into prelims, mains and interview. The exam pattern of each stage is explained below.
Prelims: The prelims exam is divided into three sections-Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, and English Language. The total marks allotted to the test are 100. The duration of the test is 60 minutes.
Mains:The mains exam comprises objective and descriptive test. The objective test is divided into four sections-Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness, English Language, and Data Analysis & Interpretation. The descriptive section carries questions from English Language (Letter Writing and Essay). The duration of the test is 3 hours 30 minutes. The mains exam carries total 225 marks.
Interview: The interview carries a total of 100 marks. The minimum qualifying marks in the interview are 40 per cent and 35 per cent for SC/ST/OBC/PWBD candidates.
There is a penalty for wrong answers marked in the objective tests. For each wrong answer, 0.25 marks assigned to a question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at the corrected score. There are no negative marks for unattempted questions.
Also Read: IBPS PO Syllabus
How to prepare for IBPS PO in 6 months: Plan for first & second month
- Make a list of section-wise important topics from which questions are usually asked in the exam
- Begin with the topics that you find the toughest
- Dedicate one hour on each section
- Refer to the school textbooks to learn the fundamental concepts
- In the first two months, learn the formulas and memorise theorems
- Refer to the IBPS PO books and online courses to learn the topics given in the syllabus
Also Read: IBPS PO Preparation Tips
Best books for IBPS PO
The section-wise books that candidates can refer to for IBPS PO exam are given below.
| Name of the book | Author/Publisher name |
|---|---|
| Word Power Made Easy |
Normal Lewis |
| High School English Grammar and Composition |
Wren and Martin |
| Fast Track Objective Arithmetic |
Rajesh Verma |
| A Modern approach Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning |
BS Sijwali |
| Verbal Reasoning |
RS Agarwal |
| Guide to Banking General Awareness |
R Gupta |
How to prepare for IBPS PO in 6 months: Plan for third and fourth month
- After completing the syllabus and understanding the concepts, you need to begin focused preparation
- Start solving topic-wise questions from sample papers or practice papers
- Dedicate an hour a day for practice questions
- Focus on learning the shortcut tricks of solving problems
How to prepare for IBPS PO in 6 months: Plan for fifth and sixth month
- In the last two months, start taking mock tests to understand the functionalities of an online test
- Solve at least one mock paper a day
- Practising mock tests help to identify the weak areas and you can work on them
- You need to revise all the topics learned for the exam
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