Bank Probationary Officer (PO) Exam

A Probationary Officer (PO) in a bank can be made to work in diverse
fields such as Marketing, Finance, IT and so on. It is a prestigious
post and there is a huge turn out on the PO Exam dates these days.
Luckily many banks in India these days are recruiting for this post
heavily and there are high chances for a person to get selected. Here
is a short review of the requirements for post of PO.

Educational qualifications

– Graduate or Post Graduate in arts, science, commerce, engineering
and so on with a certain minimum percentage. This varies from bank to
bank. Some take 50% minimum and some from 60% to 65 % also. There is a
relaxation for the SC/ST people.

Age

– Not less than 21 years

Written test pattern

– The written test comprises of objective as well as subjective paper. The objective paper has following sections:

a) Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning ability – around 75 questions

b) Quantitative Aptitude – around 50 questions

c) English – around 50 questions

d) General Awareness around 50 questions

Note:

These data may differ from bank to bank and you must thoroughly read the notification

The subjective paper tests your written communication skills and
views. It mainly comprises of an Essay writing, Précis writing and
comprehension passage. You may also get to write your answers on
various general topics about banks and general awareness. This will
purely depend on the bank authority to decide.

Test duration

– Test consists of objective paper which normally has 135 minutes
duration and can vary according to the number of questions asked. The
subjective paper has 60 min time duration.

What books to read

– You can prepare the Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning ability and
Quantitative Aptitude from books by RS Agarwal. There are several books
available in the market for preparation. Keep in mind to regularly
practice the old test papers and try to increase you pace.

Marking pattern

– There is negative marking in the exam so try to be as accurate as
possible. The marks obtained in the written objective and subjective
paper will decide whether you will be in the cut off list or not.

Tip

– All sections have certain cut off marks which are either declared
by the banks before or they are decided up on at the time of evaluation
so you have to attempt to reach the cut off marks in each section. Do
not waste time on single section otherwise you may be ousted. Time
management is of utmost importance. Try to attempt 80% questions
correctly from each section. This cut off marks varies a lot from exam
to exam.

Interview

– After you are short listed in the written exam you have to pace
GD/ Personal Interview based on the pattern decided by the bank. You
will be asked general banking questions along with other general
questions based on your education, specialization and personality.