The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection is the key body that is responsible for conducting major banking sector exams for the leading Indian PSBs. Generally, the recruitment process for each of the IBPS posts continues for six to seven months, starting from the release of notification to the final result declaration with the provisionally shortlisted candidates.
One of the major bank exams conducted by IBPS is the recruitment for Officer and Office Assistant posts in Regional Rural Banks of the country. This year, more than 12000 vacancies have been released for Officer Scale I, II and III, and Office Assistant posts and all eligible candidates have been invited to apply for the examination.
With the increasing competition and the increase in the number of applicants each year, the competition has also increased. It is important that a strategic pattern and plan is followed in order to crack the exam on the very first attempt. Candidates willing to know more about the various posts for which the IBPS RRB Exam is conducted can visit the linked article.
Discussed below are the key tips which can help aspirants prepare for the first phase of the examination, i.e., the IBPS RRB prelims exam.
IBPS RRB Prelims Exam Pattern
Aspirants must first go through the exam pattern for the prelims examination, which comprises only two subjects. Given below is the same:
| IBPS RRB Exam Pattern (Officer scale I) | ||||
| IBPS RRB Exam | Sections | Number of Questions | Marks | Duration |
| Preliminary Exam | Quantitative Aptitude | 40 | 40 | Composite Time of 45 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 40 | 40 | ||
Some other key points about the Phase I examination are as follows:
- For every wrongly answered question, 0.25 marks are deduced
- Sectional cut off is applicable and candidates need to crack each section to qualify for the exam
- This phase is only qualifying in nature and marks scored in this paper are not applicable
- The prelims exam pattern is the same for Officer Scale I and Office Assistant posts. There is only one online examination for Officer Scale-II and III posts
Key Tips To Excel in the IBPS RRB Prelims Exam
Aspirants who have either applied for this year’s Regional Rural Bank exam and those who are looking forward to applying for the coming years can refer to the preparation strategy discussed below:
- Familiarize yourself with the Exam Pattern & Syllabus – The bank exam syllabus is comprehensive and the candidate needs to have a clear understanding of the important topics and the pattern for the examination
- Strategize a Study Plan – Set a timetable and follow it to the core. This schedule must have sufficient time dedicated for concept understanding, revision, practising questions and learning of formulae
- Collect Books and Study Material – These are easily available online and offline as well. Ensure that sufficient study material is available with the candidate and accordingly the preparation must also be proceeded with
- Focus on Concepts – Over the past few years, the syllabus for the IBPS RRB exam has remained the same and to make the paper complex, the standard of questions asked is increased every year. Thus, understanding the concepts is a must
- Solve Questions and Practise Exercises – Once the concepts are clear, try solving as many questions as possible based on each topic to have a better understanding of the type of questions that may be asked in the exam
- Refer to Shortcut Tricks and Formulas – This will make solving questions quicker which is extremely important to crack bank exams since time management is the key. Puzzles and quantitative questions can easily be solved using these shortcut tricks
- Time Management is the Key – The more you practise, the quicker you shall get in answering questions, which is a must to crack bank exams. One needs to answer more questions efficiently within the given time span
- Solve Mock Tests and Practise Papers – This is the best way to apprehend the type of questions that are asked in the final examination. Free mock tests are easily available online for candidate’s reference
- Refer to Previous Year Papers and Cut Off – This will help the aspirant analyse the important topics from the examination perspective and apprehend the standard of examination. By reviewing the cut-off, aspirants can analyse the trend increase or decrease in the minimum qualifying marks
These tips will help candidates crack any bank exam as the syllabus is almost the same. To get a comprehensive list of other IBPS exams, eligibility, vacancy and other recruitment details, candidates can visit the linked article.
Since the IBPS exam notifications for various posts are set to release soon, candidates must start their preparation now.
