IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) conducts IBPS PO exam every year for recruitment of Probationary Officers in major PSBs (Public Sector Banks) in India. It is one of the most popular competitive banking exams in India, with lakhs of candidates applying and appearing for it every year.
After giving their best effort and time throughout the year for preparation of IBPS PO Exam, candidates can bring an edge to their performance by following some basic last minute tips.
● Revise Regularly and Attempt Mock Tests
Go through the important highlighted points and prepare short notes of major tricks and formulas separately for revision. Attempt latest practice or mock tests as it will help you not only in improving your accuracy and speed but also give you an idea of where you stand amidst the rest of the aspirants. Skim through the previous years papers without fail and revise each topic accordingly.
● Avoid Guesswork
Banking Exams such as IBPS PO have negative marking and therefore a candidate should only attempt the questions which he/she is completely sure about. Random guesswork will not work here, and more often than not, it will end up in you losing one-fourth or 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer. Intelligent guesswork like eliminating incorrect options could work for some questions, but has its limitations.
● Don’t Learn Anything New at the Eleventh Hour
It is highly advised not to begin with a new topic, just a few days prior to exam date. This time should only be used for revision. Learning anything new will consume time, giving you less time to revise the topic that you have already studied, which will eventually result in loss of grip on them during the final decisive period.
● Section-Wise Strategy
- Quantitative Aptitude: To ace the Quantitative aptitude section, a candidate must attempt and practice as many questions on topics like simplification, Quadratic Equation, Appropriation and Number Series as possible, as these topics cover most of the Quant Section. Try to revisit those major topics that form the base of other topics. Start with basics and then move onto an advanced level of questions. It is highly recommended that you practice at least 4-5 sets of questions in data interpretation daily.
- Reasoning Ability: Some major topics such as Coding-Decoding, Analogies, Order and Ranking, Syllogism, Arrangement and Pattern, Puzzles and more need practice and revision. Learn and revise formulas and tricks in topics like Alpha-numeric Series, Blood Relation and Distance,Input and Output.Topics like Seating Arrangement and Puzzle, where you can score well once you have cracked the right arrangement in each.
- English Language: Stay in the habit of reading english newspapers and magazines on a daily basis. Reading a bunch of editorials of renowned english newspapers will help you improve your comprehensive reading. Practice around 5 comprehension passages daily to get better at time management. Learning and revising the basic rules in grammar will get you through Error detection, Phrase replacement, Fill in the blanks and more.
● Have an Adaptable Mindset
A candidate should be prepared for surprises whether it is related to exam pattern, exam date, level of exam and so on. Every year minor/major changes are incorporated in the exams conducted by IBPS and IBPS PO is no exception.
● Set a Minimum Bar on Number of Questions to Attempt
Since the Prelims exam in IBPS PO is of qualifying nature, candidates need to fix the number of questions they should attempt carefully, so that his/her sectional and overall score is above the cut off pegged by IBPS in that year. In order to score better in Mains exam, a candidate should attempt ample number of questions because merely clearing the cut off is not enough. A higher score in Mains will benefit you in the final merit list. You should attempt a minimum of 100 plus questions with proper speed and accuracy.
● Manage Your Time Well
Candidates are given 20 minutes per section in Prelims, but in Mains, three hours are provided for the objective test and 25 minutes for the descriptive test. Therefore, it is important to keep track of time and use it efficiently. In each section, after skimming through the questions a candidate should attempt the questions he is familiar with first. Make sure to use short tricks and shortcuts, as it will save you crucial time.
● Stay Calm and Confident
During exams, candidates end up wasting their precious time because of nervousness and stress. This shakens their confidence and they eventually find it hard to attempt even doable questions. It is necessary to keep yourself calm and composed while you move through questions.
IBPS PO Results for Prelims and Mains exams are released within a month after each exam, so make sure to utilise this span of time well.