The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection is the supreme body that conducts the recruitment examination for the post of clerk in the dominant public sector banking institutions. Around 50 lakh aspirants made a successful registration for the IBPS clerk examination in 2020. You can easily figure out the immense competition for the vacancies that are too minuscule, around 5000 in 2020 compared to the huge number of aspirants to those seats. A bank clerk engages in direct transactions with the customers and is responsible to perform a variety of functions including:
- Deposit and Withdrawal of funds as per the demand of the customers
- Opening bank accounts and addressing other queries as brought to attention by the customers
- Deposition and Withdrawal of Cheques Demand Drafts etc. according to the customers’ requests.
A Clerk enjoys the perks of a handsome salary, dearness allowance and house allowance among other benefits. So, enjoying these benefits provides a sense of balance and long-term financial security because of the retirement benefits. Therefore, a large section of the population aims to clear the IBPS Clerk exam, particularly the middle-income groups because of the systematic advantages available as a government servant.
This article will resolve your queries regarding the IBPS Clerk examination and will provide necessary assistance in preparation for this exam. You must follow the tips given below to perform your level best in the IBPS Clerk Examination:
- Understand the Eligibility Criteria and Vacancy Status. It is essential to have a decent knowledge of the eligibility criteria, educational qualification and age limit that should be satisfied by any candidate to register for this exam. The aspirant must be a graduate, with a degree in any discipline from a university recognized by the government of India. The candidates must make sure that they know how to speak and write the regional language of the particular state they wish to apply for. Every state issues different vacancies for the post of clerk in the banks. So candidates should know about the limited vacancies so that they prepare themselves for the stringent competition accordingly. As an aspirant, you must also know the age limit that is set for the candidates who appear for this exam. The minimum age for a candidate belonging to the unreserved category is 20 years and the maximum age is 28 years. The candidates under the reservation policy of the government enjoy many relaxations concerning the age criteria. You must be aware of these relaxations. The candidate must be computer literate, meaning that he should have decent operating knowledge related to computers. Last, the candidate applying for the post of IBPS Clerk must be an Indian national, a citizen of Nepal, Bhutan or a Tibetan refugee settled in India. There are many relaxations for Persons with Disability (PWD) candidates. You can see more information about those relaxations here.
- An honest analysis of the syllabus is crucial to understanding the basic structure of the question paper. The first stage comprises three sections – English language, Numerical Ability and Logical Reasoning. A candidate must score more than the cut-off to qualify for the final stage of the exam. The passing marks are decided every year in correspondence with the difficulty level of the examination. Many Candidates are shortlisted by the IBPS as per the requirement, for the second stage of the test. The syllabus for the second, final stage of the test is the Mains exam. It primarily constitutes four sections – English; General/Financial Awareness; Logical Reasoning and Computer aptitude; Quantitative Aptitude. There is a negative marking for the incorrect attempts as well. A penalty of one-fourth of the total marks assigned to a particular question is provided for each incorrect attempt made by the candidate. However, it is important to note that the marks secured by a candidate in the first stage have no direct relation to the final selection phase. But, the candidate must qualify the second stage to become eligible for the final merit selection process. Moving onto the syllabus of the exam, many topics should be covered thoroughly for securing the top ranks in the merit list.
- English Section- Reading comprehension, Spotting errors, Fill in the blanks, Sentence improvement.
- Quantitative Aptitude- Numerical Ability, Data Interpretation, Quadratic Equations, Data sufficiency, Number series.
- Logical Reasoning – Puzzles, Syllogisms, Coding-Decoding, Blood relations, Direction Sense, Order and ranking.
- Computer aptitude – Basic knowledge about the evolution and history of computers, hardware, software, basics of languages, operating system, MS Office, short-cut keys.
- General/Financial Awareness- Major government schemes and policies, Banking and financial awareness, static knowledge and current affairs.
- Segregate the effective sources for preparation. It is crucial to use the best available knowledge resources for the preparation for the IBPS Clerk exam. Many online and offline resources offer detailed information about the topics mentioned in the syllabus. It is up to your will and comfort to decide to self-prepare for this exam or join the coaching institute for necessary guidance. Every candidate will have a distinct thought process and ability to perform critically when the situation demands so. You must look out for the most appropriate reading material and segregate them according to your pattern of understanding and interpretation of information. A continuous and dedicated preparation for four to five months is necessary to crack an exam as competitive as the IBPS Clerk exam. You must practice the puzzles regularly and try to maintain your level of focus and attention at all times.
So, these were the tips you should follow to secure your desired rank in the IBPS Clerk exam. You must be confident with your preparation and move ahead with an optimistic approach. Many distractions are bound to appear at different phases during the preparation, but you must stay committed to your ultimate goal and strive to work as hard as you can to achieve your goal. There are no shortcuts to clearing such competitive examinations. You must not try to put things up to the test based on hard luck and minimal efforts. There is no escape from hard work if you want to achieve something in life.
