All

about BANK PO

A complete guide to help you achieve

success.

Table of Contents
What exactly is a PO? ........................................................................................................................................ 3
Why should you sit in Bank PO exam? ...................................................................................................... 4
Roles and Responsibilities of Bank PO ..................................................................................................... 5
Salary of Bank PO ............................................................................................................................................... 7
Who are eligible to apply for the post of Bank PO? ............................................................................. 8
The correct approach for success in BANK PO exams ..................................................................... 10
Pattern of Questions asked in IBPS PO exams during previous years ...................................... 11
Best Practices of people who crack BANK PO exams. ...................................................................... 13
Time Management for IBPS exams .......................................................................................................... 14
How to master aptitude section for IBPS exams? .............................................................................. 15
Mistakes to avoid when preparing for English for Bank exams .................................................. 16

What exactly is a PO?

Probationary Officer or more popularly known as PO, is an entry level job for
graduates with no experience in the banking sector. As the term includes the term
Probationary, the selected candidate is on probation for a period of 2 years, during
which, he/she reports directly to the senior officer who closely monitors and evaluates
the candidates performance. It is imperative that the candidate should keep a good
conduct, at all times, during this period of 2 years.
A candidate selected to work as a BANK PO, must be ready to work in different work
areas, as he/she will be made to work, during this period of two years, in various
departments within that bank. So, ability to adapt and good communication
skills are two most important skills a candidate must possess to work as a BANK PO
and then progress upwards in his/her career.

Why should you sit in Bank PO exam?

After hearing from couple of people, we also make our mind to sit in IBPS PO exam,
without knowing exactly what this post would be, what roles and responsibilities it
demands and what would be the pay package and career growth!
First of all, a bank probationary officer (PO) post is the entry-level position at
which a bank officer starts work after posting. Typically, a bank PO undergoes a 2
year probation period or training. After completion of Probation period Bank P.O.
has given post of Assistant Manager, there is also a provision of a confirmation test
and promotion immediately after two years.

Roles and Responsibilities of Bank PO

Responsibilities of PO involves General Banking, Administrative Task, and any
other task bestowed by the bank time to time. The major responsibilities are listed
below:

During the probation period, PO can be asked to perform any kind of bank
related activity; it can be the clerk or assistant type of job. This is done to get
them acquainted with various working procedures of the bank.
During the probation period they are trained for having the practical
knowledge in finance, accounting, marketing, billing as well as investment.
This is done by entrusting them with jobs of various categories, viz. any of the
routine works such as scrolling, posting, account preparation etc.
After successful completion of the probation period, PO is posted in any bank
branch as an Assistant Bank Manager to handle works on daily customer
transactions, viz. passing a cheque, draft issuance, cash management etc.
PO has to work towards increasing the bank business viz. managing cash flow,
loans and mortgages and finances.
Another responsibility of PO is to work as public relations officer, handle
customer complaints and address various customer related issues such as
discrepancies in accounts, rectification of undue charges and look into
complaints regarding services provided by the bank.
Once PO gets acclimatized to the bank environment and gain enough
experience on bank's working procedures, based on their personal skills and
aptitude, he/she can be assigned more responsible work viz. planning,
budgeting, marketing, loan processing and approval, investment management
etc.
The work of a bank PO also includes managerial tasks, such as supervision of
clerical work, taking decisions for the benefit of the bank, managing cash
balance etc.
PO has to verify all the work done by bank clerk. For example, in cash
transactions, if clerk is the maker, then the PO is the checker; in case of loans,
generally he/she is the maker and bank manager is the checker. The
responsibility of losses resides with the checker.
PO takes care of the loan related documents and performs on site visit of the
loan taking parties as and when required.
A bank PO issues ATM cards, chequebooks, Demand Drafts etc.
It is anticipated that a PO should be aware of all the latest developments of the
bank. They are required to read all the circulars and should know about all the
decisions taken by the bank management.

Looking at the above points, it becomes evident that a candidate aspiring to become a
BANK PO, must be ready to go that extra mile to learn various skills, from IT to
marketing, finance to human resource management, public dealing to accounting etc.
In short, an ideal BANK PO candidate is the one who is:

1.
2.
3.
4.

a quick learner
adapts fast
communicates well
has good people skills

Salary of Bank PO

A newly selected Probationary officer is paid according to SCALE I salary which has
the following structure:

Basic Pay: The basic pay for PO is same irrespective of the city of
appointment. It is INR 23,700.
Dearness Allowance (DA): As per the latest CPI released by the government
the DA amount is INR 8605.88.
HRA: This is paid @ 9.0% or 8.0% or 7.0% depending on the place of
posting.
CCA: This is paid @ 4%, 3% or 0% depending on the place of posting.
Special Allowance: For scale I it is paid @ rate of 7.75%
Perquisites (Conveyance, Newspapers, Entertainment allowance, House &
Furniture Maintenance etc. 4,130)
Leased accommodation up to Rs 29500, this is provided in lieu of HRA.

Who are eligible to apply for the post of Bank PO?

Age Limit: Under IBPS Eligibility Criteria for PO 2016, candidates must have age
between 20-30 years.
S.No.

Category

Age
relaxation

Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe

5 years

Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer)

3 years

Persons With Disabilities

10 years

Ex-Servicemen,

Commissioned

Officers

including 5 years

Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/Short Service

Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) who have rendered at least
5 years military service and have been released on
completion of assignment (including those whose
assignment is due to be completed within the stipulated
time) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on
account of misconduct or inefficiency or physical disability
attributable to military service or invalidment
5

Persons ordinarily domiciled in the Kashmir Division of the 5 years

State of Jammu & Kashmir during the period 01.01.1980 to
31.12.1989

Persons affected by 1984 riots

5 years

Education Qualification: Under IBPS PO Recruitment Eligibility Criteria 2015

Candidates must have completed their Graduation Degree from any recognized
university or institution. Participants also required their mark sheet numbers while
they submit IBPS PO online form 2016.
Nationality / Citizenship: Participants must be either:

Citizen of Indian

Citizen of Nepal

Citizen of Bhutan

A Tibetan refugee

Migrated Peoples from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of
Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and
Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of
permanently settling in India.

The correct approach for success in BANK PO exams

Success is the outcome of thinking, visualizing, planning and acting.- Remez
Sasson
The four attributes mentioned in the quote above are of high importance when you
make up your mind and start preparing for a competitive exam. Before you do
anything, close your eyes and think you are the BEST then visualize yourself
preparing for the BANK PO exam and writing the exam. When the result is
announced, you emerge out victorious and all the friends and family are sitting around
you congratulating you!
This way, we have covered the attributes of thinking and visualization.
Now, open your eyes and get to planning and acting. The little activity of closing the
eyes and visualizing your success has made you all the more eager for achieving
success in real life! The big question now in your mind is that What should you do to
achieve success in BANK PO exam?
Lets us here tell you, which are the right kind of questions to ask yourself, if you are
to succeed in your plan for success in BANK PO exam.
1. Can I answer 200 questions in 2 hours or 120 minutes?
2. What kind of strategy should I adopt in attempting the exam so that I do not loose
on key scoring points in the BANK PO exam?
3. How to learn effective time management techniques for the BANK PO exam?
To get the answers to the above questions, do the following:
I. Learn all the basic concepts, and practice these with the appropriate shortcuts
II. Learn to leave questions (very effective time management trick!)
III. Prepare at least two sections well so that you have time at hand to attempt the one
you are not that good at

Pattern of Questions asked in IBPS PO exams during previous years

Quantitative Aptitude in IBPS PO consists of 50 questions and the weightage of
topics analyzed during previous years is given below:
Name of Section
Data Interpretation (Table type)
Data Interpretation (Graph type)
Data Interpretation (Pie-chart type)
Data Interpretation (Paragraph based)
Data sufficiency
Comparison of Variables
Series continuation/Odd-one out
Simple and Compound Interest/Profit -loss
Percentages/ Mixture and Allegations
Work and Time
Speed, Time and Distance
Mensuration/Geometry

No. of questions asked

5-7
5-7
4-6
4-6
4-6
4-6
4-6
2-3
2-3
1-2
1-2
1-2

English Language in IBPS PO consists of 40 questions and the weightage of topics

analyzed during previous years is given below:


Name of Section
No. of questions asked
Reading Comprehension
2 sets of 10 questions
Cloze tests
10
Sentence Correction
4-6
Para jumbles
4-6

Reasoning in IBPS PO/MT consists of 50 questions and the weightage of topics
analyzed during previous years is given below:


Name of Section
No. of questions asked
Seating Arrangement (Circular)
6-8
Seating arrangement (Linear)
6-8
Syllogisms
4-6
Data Sufficiency
4-6
Coding-Decoding
4-6
Puzzles
4-6
Statements and Assumptions/Conclusions
4-6
Input-Output
4-6
Inequalities and Conclusions
4-6
Direction Sense Test
2-3
Blood Relations
2-3

Computer Knowledge under IBPS PO consists of 20 questions and the weightage of

topics analyzed during previous years is given below:


Name of Section
No. of questions asked
Operating system
2-3
MS Office
2-3
Security/Hacking
2-3
Internet/E-mail/Networking
2-3
Database Management
2-3
Software/Programming
2-3
Hardware
2-3

Best Practices of people who crack BANK PO exams.

There are few habits that are common among all students who are successful in IBPS
BANK PO exams:It is possible to prepare for BANK PO exams within 3 months, but for those who have
a strong hold on English language. Those who dont feel comfortable in reading long
newspaper editorials will face difficulty in cracking banking exams.
If you are failing again and again in numerous competitive exams then you are
following wrong books. The books you are following might not be preparing you for
a difficult paper or they are solving questions in a lengthy way. So follow these tips
given below to change your way of preparing.

Read newspaper daily, which will help you keep yourself updated for BANK
PO exam
Dont rely on coaching institutes BANK PO coaching. Join a good online
BANK PO course, which will save you time and money
Know what to read. Focus on major facts and figures rather than straying
away from the topic
Love newspapers! Read good newspapers daily. Some of the recommended
newspapers are, Hindu, Indian Express, Economic Times to name a few.
Be active on social media and blogs, as these will get you in touch with some
of the BEST teachers and students which will help you in achieving success in
IBPS BANK PO exam.
Practice giving online tests.

Time Management for IBPS exams

1. Keep in mind that you have very limited time to read, understand and solve
each question. Ideally this time is less than 1 minute. You should be able to
spot the easy questions in the paper and attempt them first. By doing so, you
will have enough time at the end to tend to difficult questions.
2. If any question is taking a lot of time to be solved, skip it. Do not waste time
in such questions. Make a habit of moving on.
3. Be selective in choosing your time allocation to each section as per your
strengths in that section. If you are good in Quant and weak in English, then
do not waste time in English and devote more time in solving questions on
Quant.
4. Make sure you are clear about your strengths and weaknesses before you enter
the examination hall. Don't leave anything to luck or chance.
5. Choose your initial questions wisely. Initially find questions those are free
from or have lesser calculations.
6. Do not rewrite the question on the rough sheet. This is time wastage. Use the
rough sheet only for calculations. In English section, do not waste time on
Vocabulary as in those questions you either know the answer or you don't.
You need to have time for attempting Reading Comprehensions.
7. In Reasoning section for DI questions, make sure you are comfortable in
approximation techniques and mental calculations.

How to master aptitude section for IBPS exams?

For some candidates, the aptitude section is very scary while there are others that
dont even remember that this is something that they have already studied during their
lower classes in school.
Most of the students would say that it is tough. But in actual it is not! It is actually
something that we do in our daily lives. Don't believe what we say? Well, aren't we all
using numbers, simple mathematical calculations like computing mileage of our car
or calculating interest on our investments etc.? And you would then say, YES! Now,
if we are so habitual of performing these day to day calculations with utmost ease
then why take aptitude section as something new?
Let's now discuss some rules to eliminate your fear for this section.
To begin with, let's look at 4 golden rules to make aptitude section your best friend.
1. Golden Rule 1: Start by memorizing very simple stuff, like Mathematical
Tables (preferably up to 30), Squares up to 50, Cubes up to 30, percentages
and their equivalent fractions. This will equip you with the basic tools to build
your strength in mastering aptitude section.
2. Golden Rule2: Always learn the Concept behind the topic before you
memorize the shortcut or the formula. The approach to understand the
concept, will always help you in case the examiner throws some twisted
questions.
3. Golden Rule 3: If a formula isn't getting you any results, try different methods
to get the result, like elimination, back substitution etc. This will save time and
make sure you don't get stuck in one question only!
4. Golden Rule 4: Make sure you practice as much as possible. This has no
substitute.

Mistakes to avoid when preparing for English for Bank exams

Do you know, that English is the least prepared section by the candidates in IBPS
exams?
For that, make sure you pay great attention to the "Drills" mentioned below!
Drill 1: Newspaper reading - It will help you in building your vocabulary,
comprehension skills, in addition to the reinforcement of GK and General Awareness
skills.
To strengthen the above argument of reading newspapers, you will be surprised to
know that most of the comprehension passages appearing in the Bank exams are from
the top National Newspapers. Make sure you have a copy of "The Hindu" delivered to
your house daily!
Drill 2: Strengthen your vocabulary - Have you ever wondered that why do we feel
at a loss of words in some situations in daily life or if you are required to write an
essay type answer to a descriptive question? Don't worry, this is not some clinical
disorder, but a simple case of "lack of vocabulary building initiatives".
How to build your vocabulary? Follow Drill 1 mentioned above, listen to English
News channels like BBC, CNN etc. and read some good English books or magazines.
You can also make use of "Word Power Made Easy" by Norman Lewis to build
your vocabulary.
Apart from the above drills, make sure you are good at attempting the Comprehension
section in the exam. In the following paragraphs, I have mentioned some points to
remember on attempting the Reading Comprehension.

While reading the paragraph, make sure to make short notes of the important
points.
Don't rush to read the paragraph, make sure you understand what is the
question. This will help you figure out the important points while reading.
Make sure, you read the paragraph patiently and at least twice.

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