The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection or IBPS is one of the leading bodies which conducts examinations to appoint Officers and Clerks in various Departments of major Public Sector Banks.
There are a few major posts for which exams are conducted by the Institute. These include:
- Probationary Officer (PO)
- Clerk
- Specialist Officer (SO)
- IBPS Regional Rural Bank
- RRB PO (Officer Scale I)
- RRB Clerk
- RRB SO (Officer Scale-II & III)
There are more than ten Public Sector Banks for which the annual recruitment drive to various posts is conducted by this organisation and is a major breakthrough for bank exam aspirants.
The banking sector is a major attraction for candidates as it offers a decent salary, respectful career prospect and opportunities for growth. Discussed further below are the important exam dates for the upcoming recruitment along with syllabus, pattern and preparation tips. Aspirants can refer to the detailed IBPS Calendar at the linked article.
Important IBPS Exam Dates 2021
Given below are the important tentative dates as released by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection for the 2021 recruitment. These are subject to change and the conducting body announces the final dates along with the official notification for each post.
| IBPS Exam Dates 2021 for IBPS RRB Officer Scale I, II & III and IBPS RRB Office Assistant | |
| Preliminary Examination | Officer Scale I & Office Assistant:
August 1, 2021 August 7, 2021 August 8, 2021 August 14, 2021 August 21, 2021 |
| Single Examination | Officers Scale II & III: September 25, 2021 |
| Mains Examination | Officer Scale I: September 25, 2021
Office Assistants: October 3, 2021 |
| IBPS Exam Dates 2021 for IBPS PO, SO & Clerk | |||
| Probationary Officer | Specialist Officer | Clerk | |
| Preliminary Exam | October 9, 2021
October 10, 2021 October 16, 2021 October 17, 2021 |
December 18, 2021
December 26, 2021 |
August 28, 2021
August 29, 2021 September 4, 2021 September 5, 2021 |
| Mains Exam | November 27, 2021 | January 30, 2022 | October 31, 2021 |
Bank Exam Pattern and Syllabus
Given below are a few key points regarding the IBPS exam pattern and syllabus. Aspirants who are willing to apply for the upcoming recruitment must carefully analyse the points given below:
- There are five common subjects that are a part of almost all bank exams’ syllabus. These include:
- Reasoning Ability
- Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation
- English Language
- Computer Knowledge
- Static GK and General/Banking/Financial Awareness
- However, there is an extra section for Professional Knowledge which is added in the Specialist Officer cadre exams. It is based on the specialisation a candidate opts for
- There are two stages of online examination. First is prelims, which are qualifying in nature. The shortlisted candidates are further called for the Mains examination
- A negative marking scheme is also followed for the online examinations and both sectional and overall cut off is declared for each post
- The Interview stage is generally a part of the Officer scale examination. For clerical cadre, the final selection is generally made based on the marks scored in the Mains examination. For PO and SO, mostly the final merit is generated on the basis of marks scored in Mains+Interview
The Government has also set up a common body named the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) which may soon take over the job of conducting a Common Eligibility Test for IBPS, RRB and SSC exams. Any change in the syllabus or exam pattern will be notified to the candidates by NRA in the future.
Preparation Tips to Ace IBPS Exams
Once IBPS RRB PO notification is released, start working on the below tips which can help candidates ace the upcoming bank exams.
- Strategise a proper study plan and devote equal time for preparation of each subject
- Solve mock tests and practise papers to get a better understanding of the exam pattern
- Take assistance from online or offline education institutes or coaching centres, if needed
- Refer to video lectures to understand topics even better
- Go through the previous year question papers to apprehend the important topics from the examination perspective
- Analyse the trend change in the cut off and qualifying marks over the past 2-3 years
- Stay calm and do not pressurise yourself. Do not think much of the result and just work hard
Since the recruitment for 2020 is about to complete for the major posts, candidates must now start their preparation for the 2021 recruitment. For any further information about IBPS Exam, visit the linked article.
