There are so many of us who aspire to be a Probationary Officer with any leading bank. Of course one would not like to stop there, but it is a door that promises a shimmering and a lucrative career in the banking industry. It opens up new avenues where the individuals can grow , prosper and find themselves doing something substantial. But getting into that place is not a cakewalk. As it offers wide array of benefits, so it invites a lot of competition.

                       Every bank follows a definite procedure for the selection of eligible candidates but it is almost the same for all the banks. It is conducted is 2-3 phases. The first being a written test and the second being interview/GD or both. The written test is a screening process that helps the banks to reduce the long list of aspiring candidates to a small list of candidates who the banks find potentially capable of making up to the post. So the first and foremost hurdle is clearing the written exam with flying colours.   

             Talking of written exam, it consists of  basically four major sections- Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation, English Language and General Awareness. Further  General Awareness is sometimes bifurcated into Marketing Awareness , General Awareness and Computer Awareness.  It is compulsory for every candidate to score more than the minimum cut off in every section to get a green signal for appearing in the second phase. Also scoring just more than the cut offs in every section won’t assure any candidate of his eligibility for the second phase.  Also one is required to solve many problems in a limited span of time. Thus, the written phase checks the temperament, accuracy, knowledge , time management and decision making ability of a candidate.

               So, let’s make an in-depth analysis of the previous year’s papers and see the trend that has been prevalent in the Bank P.O. exams. There are various banks that conduct exams for the post of P.O. some of them are :

(a)    SBI

(b)    PNB

(c)    Bank of Baroda

(d)    Union Bank of India

(e)    Allahabad Bank

(f)    Andhra Bank

(g)    IDBI

(h)    Corporation Bank

(i)    Bank of Maharashtra

(j)    Oriental Bank of Commerce

(k)    Syndicate Bank

(l)     Central Bank of India

(m)    NABARD Bank

(n)    Indian Overseas Bank

(o)    RBI

There are many other banks that follow the same procedure for the recruitment of Probationary Officers. So, based on the total number of questions and the section wise breakup of questions let’s try observe the pattern that these leading banks have been following in the written exam.

1.    Number of questions -  200

2.    Section wise break up


  

Note : Number of questions  for General Awareness – 37  and  Computer Awareness – 13


1.    Number of Questions – 200

2.     Section Wise Break up 




GA – General Awareness       CA – Computer Awareness

RC – Reading Comprehension     VA – Verbal Ability


1.    Number of questions -  200

2.    Section wise Breakup
 




1.    Number of questions – 150

2.    Section wise Break Up 


DS – Data Sufficiency

1.    Number of questions – 150

2.    Section wise Break up

 

DS - Data Sufficiency

1.    Number of questions :  225

2.    Section wise Breakup

 



1.    Number of questions – 225

2.     Section wise Break Up

 




1.    Number of questions – 225

2.    Section wise Break Up



1.    Number of questions -  225

2.    Section wise Break Up



The above analysis can give one idea about the percentage composition of different section in the making up of the test.  There are sections which constitute the chunk of questions and so you cannot afford to ignore that as it can cost you very badly in the test. Thus, before preparing for any bank exam it is very necessary to look at the previous year’s papers as it may give you some clue about the pattern that bank is following. It may give you an idea about which sections need more focus and more efforts from your side as compared to other sections. It may also help you to plan your approach and to devise strategies for your success .

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