The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) Exam Detailed Information
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS)
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) Services
- To achieve this through a blend of modern technology and academic expertise.
- IBPS provides its service to all Public Sector Banks, SBI, Associate Banks of SBI, RBI, NABARD, SIDBI, few Co.op.Banks, LIC & Insurance companies which are regular members of the IBPS society.
- In addition to that Regional Rural Banks, many Public Sector Undertakings of Non-financial sectors, Government Departments, State owned companies and Corporations also avail its services.
- Some major universities and reputed Management institutes engage IBPS regularly for conduct of their “Admission Tests”. Over the years, IBPS has gained reputation of being a major “Personnel Selection Test Conducting Agency” of the country. Its strength lies in its capability to develop and construct Multiple Choice Objective Tests & tools used for mass level testing programmes and its ability to conduct these exams simultaneously for lakhs & lakhs of candidates in about 200 cities/towns all over India and also in few foreign locations. In addition to that IBPS also has expertise in conduct of “Assessment Centres” & “Group Dynamics Related Personality Assessments” for selection and/or testing of personnelat higher level positions like AGMs/DGMs/GM etc.
Latest view of IBPS in 2020-21
During the year 2020-21, total 50 lakh candidates registered for various IBPS Examinations. This year the number is low compared to last year as examinations were conducted only from 12th September, 2020 because of Covid 19 pandemic. This itself is an achievements of the institute. This indicates that more and more candidates are getting attracted towards job opportunities in Banking, Insurance and Financial sectors and directly/ indirectly, are showing their confidence in the system of the On-line tests conducted by IBPS which are absolutely fair, transparent and test of job relevant skills, aptitudes and knowledge.
IBPS VISION :To evolve and implement world class processes and systems of assessment / selection of personnel in fair and objective manner for various client organisations, conduct relevant supportive research and publicise the findings.
Historical Background ::The journey of IBPS is closely associated with a major event in the economic arena of the country; the Nationalisation of 14 major Banks in 1969, and thereafter, establishment of NIBM as an apex level research and training institute of all public sector Banks, almost at the same time. After Nationalisation of the Banks in 1969, the Banks were required to open more and more branches so that more and more people can avail “Banking Services” in the country. Banks started expanding their branch network, but it was not possible without recruitment of new employees. Managing the Critical and Crucial activity of “Selecting Right People for the Right Jobs” was a big task for the banks. At the same time the selection process of the banks, which they were following those days, was not a uniform, standard & scientific selection process. Besides this, some Sr. People in the Banks were of the opinion that the traditional system of selecting employees had no clarity regarding the characteristics to be measured in the selection process and their relevance to subsequent on-the-job performance and career growth of the selectees. Since Banks were Public Sector Organisations, the “Public Accountability” was also a major guiding principle for them. It was necessary for them to adopt a selection system which should be open to all eligible and qualified applicants. It should be fair, impartial, effective and should select only those candidates who are “most suitable” for the job. But since Branch Expansion was the priority of the banks, they started advertising their vacancies. As expected they were flooded with applications of many well qualified candidates. The personnel departments of the banks were not equipped to handle this voluminous activity. Therefore some of them approached NIBM which designed a new Selection Testing Process for the Banks and launched it in some parts of the country. The new system got spontaneous acceptance from the banking industry. As a result more and more banks voluntarily started using this new service. As the demand increased substantially, it was decided to constitute a small Personnel Selection Service (PSS) unit to handle these projects. A few years later in the year 1984, the same PSS Unit of NIBM was converted into IBPS and Dr. A. S. Deshpande, who was then Professor in-charge of PSS Unit, became its founder Director.
What we do :: We help organisations in their personnel selection Activities on Request. We offer our services in following Six Areas:
1) Recruitment Projects
2) Promotion Projects
3) Admission Test & Certification Projects
4) Assessment Centre Projects
5) Assessment of Group Dynamics Related Personality Traits (Group Exercises)
6) Projects where only Registration of Applications were done
All services related to Mass level examinations are provide through On-line mode only.
Organizational Structure :: The Institute is led by its Governing Board. Its Leadership and prudence is fundamental to the growth and success of the institute. The Director of the institute functions as its Chief Executive Officer, and perform his duties with the support of Division Heads.
Contact Us :: Institute of Banking Personnel Selection IBPS House, 90 feet, D.P.Road, Near Thakur Polytechnic, Off. Western Express Highway, P. B. No. 8587 Kandivali (E), Mumbai 400 101 INDIA Toll free Helpline Number for Candidate Queries: 1800 222 366, 1800 103 4566 (Available from 09:30 AM to 06:00 PM Except Saturdays, Sundays & Bank Holidays applicable in Maharashtra State.)
IBPS PO Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2021:
The Exam Dates for IBPS PO 2021 has been released by IBPS. The preliminary exam of IBPS PO 2021 is scheduled to be held on 04th & 11th December 2021 and Mains Exam is scheduled for January 2022. To ace IBPS PO Exam, it is necessary to know the Exam pattern and detailed syllabus of this exam. This will help you to prepare judiciously for IBPS PO Exam. Let’s understand the IBPS PO Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2021 one by one.
IBPS PO Syllabus & Exam Pattern
IBPS released a new exam pattern for IBPS PO Exam. The exam pattern will be similar for IBPS PO 2021 as well. There is separate sectional timing for each sections in preliminary exam. IBPS PO 2021 Exam will be conducted in three phases: Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam and Interview Process. It is mandatory for a candidate to clear each level of examination to get selected to the post of Probationary Officer in multiple Public Sector Banks.
PO Preliminary Exam Pattern 2021
The IBPS PO preliminary examination will be conducted online and candidates are allocated a total duration of 1 hour to complete the preliminary exam. It consists of 3 sections with a total of 100 questions and a maximum score of 100 marks. There is negative marking in IBPS PO preliminary exam and 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer attempted by a candidate. It is necessary to clear the cut-off in all 3 sections to qualify for the IBPS PO Main exam.
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2021
S.No. Name of Tests(Objective No. of Questions Maximum Marks Duration
1 English Language 30 30 20 minutes
2 Numerical Ability 35 35 20 minutes
3 Reasoning Ability 35 35 20 minutes
Total 100 100 60 minutes
IBPS PO Mains Exam Pattern 2021
• Introduction of Descriptive Paper: Just like SBI PO 2021 Exam, IBPS introduced Descriptive Paper in its Mains Examination where candidates will be judged on their written skills. An essay and a letter will be given to candidates to write that will constitute of 25 marks and that has to be completed in a time span of 30 minutes.
• The overall time allotted for each section has also been changed.
• No separate paper will be conducted for Computer Applications. Reasoning is teamed up with Computer Aptitude section and this entire section will contain 45 questions of a total of 60 marks.
• The overall time allotted for IBPS PO 2021 Mains Exam has also been changed from 140 minutes to 180 minutes.
IBPS PO Mains Exam Pattern 2021
S. No. Name of test No. of Questions Max. Marks Medium of Examination Time Allotted
1.Reasoning.45 mark & Computer Aptitude.60 mark. Medium :English & Hindi.Time:60 minutes
2.English Language 35 mark English only 40 mark.time:40 minutes
3.Data Analysis 35 mark and Interpretation 60 mark .medium:English & Hindi.Time:45 minutes
4.General, Economy 40 mark.Banking Awareness 40 mark.medium: English & Hindi.Time: 35 minutes
Total 155 200 180 minutes
English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) 2 25 English 30 minutes
IBPS PO 2021 Interview Process
Candidates who qualify for the Mains Exam are finally called for the Interview Process by IBPS. The Interview Process will constitute of 100 marks and the minimum marks for qualifying this round will be 40% which is reduced to 35% for candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC/PWD categories.
Penalty for Wrong Answers:
0.25 marks will be deducted for every question attempted wrong by a candidate in both IBPS PO 2021 Preliminary Exam and IBPS PO 2021 Mains Exam. There will be no deduction of marks for a question left blank/unattempted by a candidate.
Final Selection
The final selection of the candidate for the post of Probationary Officer will be made by taking into consideration the cumulative score of Mains Exam and the interview process. The weightage of both these phases of examination will be in the ratio 80:20 respectively. A merit list will be generated after the Interview Process of the IBPS PO 2021 Exam has been conducted. Candidates who make it to the list will be thus offered the joining letter by the Bank of their choice.
IBPS PO Syllabus 2021
IBPS PO Syllabus 2021: To ace IBPS PO 2021 exam, it is really necessary to know the detailed IBPS PO Syllabus. The syllabus is a bit different for IBPS PO 2021 Preliminary Exam and IBPS PO 2021 Mains Exam. Let’s have a look at the syllabus of both these phases of the IBPS PO Exam:
IBPS PO Prelims Syllabus 2021
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Syllabus: IBPS PO Preliminary Exam is the primary selection round of the IBPS PO 2021 Exam. Candidates who clear the preliminary exam are eligible to appear for the mains exam. The Preliminary Exam of IBPS PO comprises three major sections: Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and English Language.
IBPS PO Prelims Syllabus 2021
English Language Syllabus Quantitative Ability Syllabus Reasoning Syllabus
Reading Comprehension Simplification Logical Reasoning
Cloze Test Profit & Loss Alphanumeric Series
Para jumbles Mixtures & Allegations Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test
Miscellaneous Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices Data Sufficiency
Fill in the blanks Work & Time Coded Inequalities
Multiple Meaning/Error Spotting Time & Distance Seating Arrangement
Paragraph Completion Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere Puzzle
Data Interpretation Tabulation
Ratio & Proportion, Percentage Syllogism
Number Systems Blood Relations
Sequence & Series Input Output
Permutation, Combination &Probability Coding Decoding
IBPS PO Mains Syllabus 2021
IBPS PO Mains Exam Syllabus: The mains exam is the important phase of IBPS PO 2021 Exam. Maximum weightage is given to score obtained by candidate in IBPS PO Mains Exam in the final selection to the post of Probationary Officer. The Mains Examination of IBPS PO exam 2021 consists of 4 + 1 sections: Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, English Language, Quantitative, Aptitude & General Awareness. Just like SBI PO 2021, IBPS has introduced a descriptive paper in its mains exam for the selection of candidates for the post of Probationary Officer.
IBPS PO Mains Exam Syllabus
Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus General Awareness Syllabus Reasoning & Computer Aptitude Syllabus English Language Syllabus
Simplification Financial Awareness Verbal Reasoning Internet Reading Comprehension
Average Current Affairs Syllogism Memory Vocabulary
Percentage General Knowledge Circular Seating Arrangement Keyboard Shortcuts Grammar
Ratio and Percentage Static Awareness Linear Seating Arrangement Computer Abbreviation Verbal Ability
Data Interpretation Double Lineup Microsoft Office
Mensuration and Geometry Scheduling Computer Hardware
Quadratic Equation Input Output Computer Software
Interest Blood Relations Operating System
Problems of Ages Directions and Distances Networking
Profit and Loss Ordering and Ranking Computer Fundamentals /Terminologies
Number Series Data Sufficiency
Speed, Distance and Time Coding and Decoding
Time and Work Code Inequalities
Number System
Data Sufficiency
Linear Equation
Permutation and Combination
And Probability
Mixture and Allegations
Best Books for IBPS PO 2021 Preparation ::
To get a good score in the competitive exams, it is important to study from good books and reference materials. Mentioned
below are few top recommended books for the aspirants of IBPS PO 2021. However, before going through the list and selecting the book as per your preference and choice, you must know the structure of IBPS PO examination.IBPS PO Preliminary exam comprises three sections (all objective) while there are five sections (four objective sections and one descriptive section) in the IBPS PO Main exam. But we suggest that candidates must go through the IBPS PO exam pattern in detail.Now, we will look into the best books for each section.
Best Books for English Language section in IBPS PO Both IBPS PO Prelims and Mains examination have this section. The following books can be really helpful in preparing for both these stages.
- English Grammar by Wren & Martin Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
- English Grammar by SP Bakshi Practise Papers by Kiran Prakashan
- Essential English Grammar - Murphy General English – R.S.Aggarwal
Best Books for Quantitative Aptitude section in IBPS PO
Another section that you will find common to both Prelims and Main exams is Quantitative Aptitude. Listed below are the
best books for this section of IBPS PO exam.
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations
- (S.Chand) R.S.Agarwal
- Arithmetic for General Competitions by Neetu Singh
- Quantitative Aptitude Test - N.K.Singh
- The Complete Success Package – Bank PO - Arihant Publications
Best Books for Reasoning Ability section in IBPS PO
Both Prelims and Mains exams have this section as well. Given below are the best books for Reasoning Ability section of
IBPS PO.
- Modern Approach to Verbal Reasoning by R.S.Agarwal.
- A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal & Non-Verbal (Arihant) by BS Sijwali.
- Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey.
- Guide to Banking General Awareness -R.Gupta
- Manohar Pandey Book - Arihant Publications
- Verbal- Non Verbal Reasoning - R.S. Aggrawal
Best Books for Computer Aptitude section in IBPS PO
You will find this section only in the IBPS PO Main exam (it is merged with the Reasoning Ability section). The best books forthis particular section are provided below.
- Computer by Rani Ahilya
- Objective Computer Awareness by Somya Ranjan Behera
- Objective Computer Knowledge & Literacy - Kiran Publication
- Computer Awareness -Arihant Publication
Best Books for General Awareness section in IBPS PO
To prepare for the General Knowledge and Banking Awareness section, candidates must read newspapers on a daily basis and keep themselves updated about the latest events of the world. You may also refer to the following books.Banking and Economic Awareness by Rakesh Kumar Banking, Financial & General Awareness by I K Pavel You have prepared well for the Quantitative Aptitude section of IBPS PO Preliminiary examination,then you do not have to worry too much about the Mains examination's Data Analysis and Interpretation section. You may also use the following books to prepare for some problems like Pie Charts, Bar Graphs, etc.
- Data Analysis & Interpretation Data
- Sufficiency by Kiran Prakashan
- A Complete Book on Data Interpretation and Analysis for Banking and
- Insurance Examinations by Adda247 Publications
- The IBPS PO Main exam's Descriptive test comprises of Letter Writing and Essay. For this, all that candidates need to do
- is concentrate more on reading newspapers, books, practice writing, and try conversing in the English language more often.
- Candidates' eligibility to reach this stage depends on the marks they obtain in the Objective Test.
Some other books for IBPS PO preparation are:
- Quantitative Aptitude For Competitive Examinations by R. S.Aggarwal.
- A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal.
- IBPS Bank PO Preliminary & Main 2017 Simplified (Guide + 20 Practice Sets + General Knowledge 2018) - 4th edition by DishavExperts.
- Bank Success Book: Score Well in SBI & IBPS.
- Clerk, PO & SO Exams by BankingCareers
- Experts.
- Objective Mathematics for Competitive Examinations by TarunGoyal.
- A New Approach to Logical Reasoning by
- B.S.Sijwali and Indu Sijwali.
- Verbal Reasoning by R.S Aggarwal.
- Objective English by Hari Mohan Prasad andvU.R.Sinha.
- Banking Awareness by Arihant Publication.
- Basic Banking & Financial Issue by Gantam
- Majumdaar.
The 3 major requirements for proper preparation for the bank exam are:
1.Accuracy
2.Time management
3.Speed
Candidates should be very careful while preparing for the topics necessary for the IBPS PO exam.
The most important thing that a candidate must keep in mind while preparing for any bank or government exam is that they should be very familiar with the syllabus for the respective exam.
The IBPS PO Syllabus is very vast and candidates must carefully go through the syllabus before starting their preparation for the exam. This is the first step that needs to be followed.
Accuracy: Make sure that you increase the number of the correct answers and minimize the wrong attempts so that the marks per correct answer will be valued.
Time Management: This is the most important part of the examination, it depends upon how you attempt the question, how you manage to give time to sections that need more time which can get over in few minutes.
Speed: This part is the part which can give you confidence and help you to crack IBPS PO examination.
- Candidates who have a high speed with accuracy will manage the time easily. Candidates can increase their speed by solving more and more problems, keeping the track of time.
- The most important subjects to focus during the last 15 days are:
- To begin with, the candidate must be familiar with the IBPS PO exam pattern and syllabus. This will enable them to make a quick judgement as to from where and which subject the preparation must be started.
There are 5 topics which are asked in the IBPS PO Prelims and Mains combined together. Candidates who wish to check the detailed syllabus for the same can check the links given below:
Quantitative Aptitude Logical Reasoning
Verbal Ability Banking Awareness
Computer Fundamentals Static GK
- Since the IBPS PO Prelims is the first phase where only three subjects are included in the syllabus, aspirants must know that the marks scored in this section are only qualifying in nature and are not included in the final merit.
- It must also be noted that since there is negative marking in the Online Computer-based tests, the final preparation must be done keeping time management and accuracy in mind.
- A detailed description of these subjects has been given below for the candidate’s reference:
- Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation: Everyone should know the syllabus of these two sections. Focus on the Data Interpretation part more, because this part is one of those, which will affect your score. It is one of the lengthiest sections in the bank exam and in order to complete the IBPS PO syllabus for quantitative aptitude on time, candidates need to pay more attention in preparing this section well.
There must be 15 questions from data interpretation. Candidate must set up a minimum target of 25/35.
Important topics:
- Simplification
- Number Series
- Ratio and Proportion
- Quadratic Equations and Inequalities
- Time and Work
- Time and Distance
Reasoning: The reasoning section is another important subject for not just IBPS PO syllabus but for the syllabus of many other exams.Candidates have to work out efficiently on the alphabets, logical reasoning, and directions related questions. This is the easiest and most scoring part in the PO Exam.
Topics to be covered in reasoning are:
- Input-output
- Syllogism
- State assumptions
- Conclusion based Questions
- Coding-Decoding
Bank Exams 2021
There is a total of 10 to 15 number of questions. One of the most difficult parts of reasoning is the puzzles, but keep in mind all the topics in reasoning are not difficult.
If you get three questions from the puzzles section, then surely one of them will be very easy. The puzzle section needs a lot of practice and we just have 15 days left so, now you have to focus on the topics that are easy and needs less practice than that of the Puzzle.
Blood relation questions are also quite complicated, but if you start solving it from the end part of the question, it will be easier for you. Here also keep the target of attending 25 questions out of 35.
English: Improve your error-correction, Rearrangement based questions, finding the grammatical error. Improve your reading skill by reading 20 minutes daily, there are questions, which are very easy to solve in this section, but all you need is to increase your speed.
This section is one such part of the IBPS PO syllabus where candidates tend to lose maximum marks. So candidates must make sure that they do not attempt too many guesses while solving this section in the final exam.
Comprehensions are long and need time, there are portions like antonym and synonyms, which are easy to solve, for that, you have to build your vocabulary.
IBPS PO Preparation Tips
- For last minute preparations, the best step is solving as many model tests and sample papers as possible. This will enable candidates to revise the entire syllabus all at one and based on the marks scored at the end of each of these test, candidates can analyse which subjects are their strengths and which ones are their weaknesses.
- Another benefit of solving them is that aspirants will be able to know the important topics with respect to the examination. During the last 15 days, candidates can focus on these topics only.
- With just 15 days in hand to prepare for the IBPS PO exam, it is suggested that candidates carefully review the previous year question papers. This is going to act as an advantage for the candidate appearing in the exam. Given below are the links for the same:
- Solve at most 50 to 60 mock papers in this last 15 days, and while solving the mock papers keep the time and previous year cut off in your mind so that it will be helpful for you to clear both the sectional and overall cutoff.
