Want to crack the SBI PO exam in one shot? Read this article

SBI or State Bank of India conducts bank exams for different vacant posts in the bank. Thousands of aspiring candidates appear in the written exam to get selected for the different posts. The bank is the leading national bank of India that offers a wide range of services throughout the country. It has several branches throughout India to offer quick services. To provide the best-in-class services, the bank recruits young and enthusiastic people every year by conducting the SBI PO exam. Candidates who want to see quick growth in their career and want to achieve high goals in life can apply for the SBI PO exam. The bank job will not only give them security but will also help them a chance to work in a multinational banking organization.

Preparation strategies for SBI PO exam

Candidates who want to appear for the SBI PO exam have to start their preparation early. It is a tough bank exam and candidates have to focus on different areas to get above the cut-off percentage. Candidates can follow the given preparation strategies for the SBI PO exam:

General English

It is the easiest and the most scoring section in the bank exam. To answer all questions in the English section, candidates have to develop good reading habits. They have to practice grammar regularly to understand the concepts. This section requires less time for preparation as compared to the other section. 

Read newspapers and magazines consistently for improving vocabulary skills. Note down all new words and try to find their meanings. This will help you in using new words in writing and also improving sentence structure. 

Grammar is the most important part of the SBI PO English section. Candidates must revise all grammar rules to tune up their grammar skills. They can revise grammar from different books such as Quick learning Objective General English by RS Aggarwal and Vikas Aggarwal, Objective General English by S P Bakshi.

Quantitative Aptitude

The quantitative aptitude section includes questions from the 10th and 12th maths syllabus. Therefore, candidates have to revise all math concepts from the 10th and 12th classes. Candidates should practice different questions related to this section. They must try to use short methods for solving problems so that they can manage time during the exam. It is the most scoring part of the banking exam. Candidates should mainly focus on questions based on time and work, ratio and proportion, profit and loss, mensuration, trigonometry, data analysis, average, etc. They can refer and practice questions from Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S. Aggarwal. 

Reasoning Ability

Candidates find reasoning ability as the most complicated and confusing section. But, when prepared and practiced regularly, they can score high marks in this section. They have to use their presence of mind and logic to solve questions of reasoning ability. Candidates should practice as many questions as they can to understand the strategies for solving different questions in this section. Candidates have to use different strategies for solving different types of questions. 

Candidates have to solve the questions based on Statements and Conclusions, ranking, data insufficiency, analogy, blood relations, sitting arrangements, coding, and decoding, etc. They can refer to Analytical Reasoning by M K Pandey, Logical and Analytical Reasoning by A K Gupta.

Planning tips for SBI PO exam

Candidates have to devise a plan for finishing the entire syllabus on time. They should be familiar with the syllabus and the pattern of the exam for making the right preparation strategy. 

• They should try to spend at least six hours on bank exam preparation. They must know their weak and strong points and should work hard to improve on their weak areas. 
• They should make short notes of important formulas, tricks, dates, events, and rules and should revise them daily to remember for exams. Making short notes will be useful for the candidates to revise the main formulas and tricks just before the exam. 
• Refer to a few good books that can help you to cover the complete syllabus in a detailed manner. Referring to many books confuses candidates and will be a waste of time. Thus, they can search for the most important books for the SBI PO exam. 
• After completing the entire syllabus, start giving SBI PO mock tests. Candidates should give one SBI PO mock test every day to manage time and increase speed in the exam. This will also help them to know their performance and analyze their weak areas. They can practice more to improve their weak areas while maintaining speed and accuracy. 
• Solving previous year’s SBI PO question papers can help the candidates to understand the exam pattern and get an insight into the type of questions asked in different sections of the exam. Candidates can also solve sample papers and model test papers for the SBI PO exam to practice questions. 
• They have to plan when attempting a mock test. They have to think about which section to answer first and which one is the last. They have to give proper time to every section. There is a sectional cut-off for the exam, therefore every section should be attempted properly. Candidates can attempt the easier questions in the beginning and can try to solve the difficult questions later. 
• Candidates should keep in mind the negative marking. Therefore, they should try to answer the questions only about which they are sure and should avoid giving wrong answers. Accuracy is important to achieve the cut-off percentage in the bank exam. Candidates should not waste too much time on one question. They should keep moving to save time and finish the paper on time. 

Candidates who aspire to gain financial security in their lives have to work hard for achieving success in the SBI PO Exam. They have to motivate themselves and push harder to reach their goals. They have to plan a strategy for cracking the exam and secure a job in the SBI bank. Candidates should not fear when reaching the examination hall. They should enter the examination with full confidence as it can help them to solve the paper in a better way.