The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection announced the Clerk Recruitment Notification for 2021. The IBPS Clerk exam has to be one of the most prestigious exams for anyone who aspires to get into banking as a profession. Each year, quite a large number of candidates appear in this examination. The exam is scheduled in two rounds, namely, the prelims and the mains. Candidates who clear the prelims and then get selected after the mains on the basis of their performance get a chance to take up working in public sector banks. Since the IBPS clerk exams are already knocking at the door, candidates looking to appear in the prelims exam this year have to gear up with their final preparations because there is hardly any time left.
To begin with your preparation, first and foremost you have to know the pattern of the Clerk exam as well as the syllabus and important topics for every section. This way, you can also develop personalized and effective strategies for cracking the IBPS clerk exam. Solving the IBPS clerk mock test free will let you have a clear picture of the structure of the paper, how difficult the questions are, along with the important topics that you simply cannot skip or miss. This is going to help you in prioritizing and planning for the preparation of the exam in sync with it. Note here that besides finishing the actual syllabus for Clerk, you have to also take out time to chalk out other strategies for successful exam-taking, such as managing your time, selecting the questions, and so on. Through this article, we will discuss the preparation strategies for successfully clearing the IBPS clerk exam.
Important Strategies for Preparation
The two phases of the IBPS Clerk exam are:
- the Preliminary stage
- the Mains stage.
To get placed successfully, examinees must clear the cut-off in both phases. The preliminary round is to shortlist the candidates who will be eligible to sit for the second and final mains examination. Candidates get selected on the basis of their score in the Mains round.
The Preliminary Phase
Because the only purpose of the Prelims round is shortlisting candidates eligible for the Mains, your first target should be clearing the cut-off. Nonetheless, it is a good idea to take the preparation seriously right from the very outset, instead of only trying to clear this cut-off. This is because the three sections from the Prelims syllabus are also a part of the Mains. The duration of the Preliminary round is 60 minutes. There are three sections in the exam and all the questions carry one mark each. The division of questions is as follows:
- English Language- 30
- Quantitative Aptitude- 35
- Reasoning Ability- 35
Keep in mind that candidates have to score more than the cut-off in all three sections, so it is important to plan your preparation with respect to the same.
Prelims- English Language
The section on the English language is for testing a candidate’s basic proficiency such as English vocabulary and understanding of grammar:
It is a good idea to make sure to follow the following points as you are preparing for the exam.
- Read books, newspapers, etc. carefully and take note of new words and thereby improve your vocabulary.
- Thoroughly read and practice the basic rules of grammar.
- Practice solving sample questions regularly.
Prelims- Numerical Ability
The numerical ability section is fairly difficult because it involves the application of several formulas. But with proper preparation and hard work, this can also prove to be the one with the highest score.
- Learn and practice all the formulae of every individual topic
- There is no way to understand the application other than solving as many problems as possible
- Go through tricks for solving problems to save time
- Revise your formulas frequently and practice questions from any topic that you think is difficult to increase your confidence as well as to brush up your knowledge.
Prelims- Reasoning Ability
The reasoning section is extremely scoring provided that you understand the logic of all the topics and practice thoroughly.
- You have to figure out the theory of the topics.
- Solve at least 25 questions from three of the prescribed topics daily.
If you can carry on with the preparation for the IBPS Clerk exam in this way, you are surely going to crack the Preliminary round with a great score. As the time duration of the Preliminary stage is just one hour, you must learn how to manage your time properly. A good practice is to solve practice tests and mock tests in a timed environment.
The Mains Phase
Other than the three previously examined sections in the Preliminary exam, the second round also has two other sections. These are General Awareness and Computer Aptitude. The question and marks division are as follows:
- General and Financial Awareness- 50 Questions (50 marks)
- General English- 40 Questions (40 marks)
- Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude- 50 Questions (60 marks)
- Quantitative Aptitude- 50 Questions (50 marks)
Mains- General Awareness
The section on General and Financial Awareness will test the candidates for their awareness of current affairs. Note that you must give special attention to the topics listed below:
- News related to banking
- Rules and regulations in the sector
- Recent and upcoming economic policies
- Budget and finance
If you want to score the most possible marks in this section, make it a point to read newspapers as well as financial magazines across the past six months to note all important information.
Mains- Computer Aptitude
The computer aptitude section is included to check if the examinees’ have the basic knowledge of the hardware as well as software of a computer. This is not a difficult part at all, and only an hour per day is more than enough to excel in the same.
With the help of this in-depth preparation plan for the IBPS Clerk exam, you can easily crack the exam and start your dream job.