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Bank PO Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is a Bank PO?
Bank PO is one of the most common and sought after exams for the selection of a Probationary Officer in Public as well as Private Banks. Probationary Officer is a managerial level post in a Bank which is considered quite respectful, both in a bank as well as in society. It is in a student’s interest to know that cracking a Bank PO exam can change his/her life forever. All the Chairmen of all the Public Sector Banks, started their career from a Probationary Officer once.
Once you are through the exam, intensive training at the Institute of Banking Management is conducted wherein the candidates are taught all the roles and responsibilities related to the job. The Probation Period of a Probationary Officer may last for approx. 2 years, however, it keeps changing from bank to bank. Today, we are going to tell you what constitutes a Bank PO exam and other important things a student must keep in mind, so, put on your learning hat and read on.
Bank PO Eligibility
As in the case of any other exam, it is very important for a candidate to understand the eligibility criteria of the Bank PO exam before he/she decides to apply and invest their resources for the exam. Candidates must keep the following criteria in their minds before applying for the exam.
- Candidate must be 21-30 years of age while applying for the exam.
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Note- Relaxation of 5 years and 3 years in age are given to candidates belonging to SC/ST and OBC category respectively.
- There must be no criminal record in the candidate’s name.
Bank PO Syllabus and Exam Pattern
The overall selection process for the Bank PO generally consists of three steps. The first two steps are the preliminary written exam and the mains written exam respectively. If a candidate qualifies both the written exam, he/she is called for the third and final step which is a Personal Interview. Once a candidate is through all the three steps of recruitment, a final comprehensive list based on each candidate’s performance is generated with the names of those candidates who are finally selected for the Bank PO jobs.
The syllabus of the exam is designed in such a way that it assesses both, the Aptitude as well as General Awareness of the candidate. The preliminary paper is divided into three sections- Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, and Verbal Ability. The mains paper contains five sections namely General Awareness, Computer Knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, and Verbal Ability.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) for Bank PO Exam 2020
What is the Bank PO examination?
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The full form of Bank PO Exam is the ‘Bank Probationary Officer Exam’. Bank PO is a Scale 1 officer position offered in various banks of the country. Scale 1 officer is a manager level personnel who is entitled to perform managerial tasks. The exam is conducted by various bodies like IBPS, SBI, IPPB etc. to select manager level employees for Banks . Institute of Banking Personnel Selection or IBPS organizes the PO exam to select candidates for this post in 20 Public Sector Banks in India. Other Public and Private banks like SBI and IPPB also hold this exam for the recruitment of Probationary Officers in their respective banks.
How much can I earn as a Bank PO?
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Bank POs is entitled for a handsome salary right from the starting of their careers. The PayScale is different depending on the bank you are working in. Let’s throw some light on the difference in pay scale of two most lucrative exams under Bank PO i.e. SBI PO and IBPS PO.
- If you get recruited in any of the Banks under IBPS, the Final Bank PO Salary including HRA, DA, etc. goes up to Rs. 38,360 – 40,700/- initially. This payscale is entitled to increase as you grow in your career. Apart from the handsome salary, a Probationary Officer is also entitled to get other benefits like Medical Cover, Travel Allowance, Newspaper Allowance etc.
- If you are recruited as an SBI PO, the PayScale is 23700-980/7-30560-1145/2-32850-1310/7-42020. The total compensation per annum is a minimum of ₹7.55 lakhs and a maximum of ₹12.93 lakhs depending on the place of posting and other factors. It can be estimated from above information that an entry-level PO at SBI could earn over ₹1 lakh a month in a city like Mumbai.
Who is Eligible for Bank PO exam?
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Although the eligibility criteria for a Bank PO exam may differ from bank to bank, yet, the general criterias that are being considered by all the banks is listed in the table below.
Nationality of the applicant
Indian*
Age of the applicant
20 years to 30 years**
Educational qualification of the applicant
Should have a graduation degree from a recognized university
*The nationality or citizenship of the applicant who appears for the IBPS CWE or Bank PO examination can be one of the following:
- Indian
- A subject of Nepal or Bhutan
- Person of Indian Origin (PIO) who has migrated from Pakistan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, or one of the listed East African countries.
**The given age bracket is for General category applicants only. Age relaxation of 3 years is applicable for applicants belonging to the OBC category. On the other hand, applicants belonging to SC or ST category will get an age relaxation of 5 years.
What does a Bank PO do on the job?
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The job description or job profile of a Probationary Officer (PO) in a bank consists of a number of duties. Some of these duties can be listed as follows:
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The Bank PO will be responsible for handling public relations, customer’s complaints, and most other issues in regard to customer satisfaction.
- He or she will be responsible for managerial work such as supervising the clerical staff of the branch office.
- A Bank PO will also have to manage the cash flow, loans, finances, and mortgages.
- He or she will be responsible for taking care of the documents related to loans as well (if required).
How many vacancies are there for the Bank PO exam?
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As per the notification of the IBPS Bank PO examination for the year 2020, the number of vacancies can be listed as follows:
- IBPS Bank PO – 4,336
- SBI PO – 2,000
- IBPS RRB PO – 3,352
- RBI Grade B Officer – 199
When is the Bank PO exam?
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The important dates in relation to the Bank PO Exam dates can be listed as follows:
Name of Exam
Date of Exam
SBI PO Notification
April 2020 (tentative)
SBI PO Mains
July 2020 (tentative)
IBPS PO Notification
August 2020 (tentative)
IBPS PO Prelims
3, 4, and 10 October 2020
IBP PO Mains
November 28. 2020
IBPS RRB PO Notification
July 2020 (tentative)
IBPS RRB PO Prelims
26 and 27 December 2020
IBPS RRB PO Mains
30 January 2020
How can I apply for the Bank PO exam?
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A candidate can apply for the Bank PO exam through online mode only. Candidates must follow below given steps to successfully apply for the Bank PO exam.
- You can register through the official website of IBPS or the respective bank and click on the ‘Home Page’.
- You can pay the Application fees through multiple options like: Debit Card/Credit Card/Internet Banking/Cash Cards/Wallets, etc.
- A valid and active email id should be used.
- A scanned photograph and Signature must be ready with the candidate to upload in the form.
- Submit the Application Form.
- Candidates can print the Application form for future references.
Above mentioned steps will result in the successful submission of the Application form.
What is the Bank PO exam pattern and Selection Process?
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The Bank PO exam pattern varies across banks and is subject to change as it is set by their own conducting bodies. The most common examination pattern adopted by a majority of Banks for their PO recruitment comprises of the following steps:
- Preliminary Examination
- Mains Examination
- Interview
- Group Discussion (only for SBI PO examination)
The preliminary examination conducted by a majority of banks in 2020 is only qualifying in nature and thus the marks are a signal of merit which are then clubbed with the interview scores.
Kindly find the Bank PO exam patterns which is widely accepted across SBI, IBPS RRB and IBPS examinations:
Bank PO and IBPS PO Exam Pattern
Sections
No. of Questions
Marks
Preliminary Exam
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
35
35
English Language (EL)
30
30
Reasoning Ability (RA)
35
35
Mains Exam
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
35
60
English Language (EL)
35
40
Reasoning Ability (RA)
45
60
General Awareness (GA)
40
40
IBPS RRB PO
Preliminary Exam
Reasoning Ability (RA)
40
40
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
40
40
Mains Exam
English/Hindi Language
40
40
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
40
50
Reasoning Ability (RA)
40
50
General Awareness (GA)
40
40
SBI PO
Preliminary Exam
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
35
35
English Language (EL)
30
30
Reasoning Ability (RA)
35
35
Mains Exam
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
35
60
English Language (EL)
35
40
Reasoning Ability (RA)
45
60
General Awareness (GA)
40
40
How to prepare for the Bank PO exam?
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The Bank PO examination is tough to crack as it has a vast syllabus and thus requires a thorough preparation in a planned manner. Here are effective tips which you can make use of while preparing for the exam:
- Create a strategically planned out study plan which has been designed in a systematic phase-wise manner. It is critical one has the complete knowledge about the exam to ensure that all relevant topics are covered.
- Practise mock tests in a periodic manner and do cover previous year papers and sample practise papers so as to familiarize and gain a better understanding of the type of questions asked in the exam.
- Time Management is key in preparing for the exam. Since it is a timed examination, the technique to solve the paper in the given amount of time needs to be imbibed.
What is the previous year cut off for the Bank PO exam?
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Candidates may refer the following IBPS PO cutoff category-wise, sectional and overall cutoffs for the preliminary and main examination of the previous year below:
IBPS PO Prelims Cutoff 2019 (Overall)
Category
IBPS PO Cutoff (Out of 100)
IBPS PO Prelims Cutoff 2019 (Sectional)
Section Name
IBPS PO Cutoff (General/ EWS)
IBPS PO Cutoff (SC/ ST/PWD)
Reasoning Ability (RA)
10.25
6.50
English Language (EL)
10.50
6.50
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
8.75
5.25
IBPS PO Main Cutoff 2019 (Overall)
Category
IBPS PO Cutoff (Out of 225)
Can a B.Tech student apply for the IBPS PO exam?
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Yes, any graduate student belonging to any education stream is eligible to appear for the IBPS PO exam.
Are 60% marks necessary in graduation to appear for IBPS PO exam?
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No, it is not necessary to have 60% marks in one’s graduation. However, these rules vary across banks as each of them might have a different criteria. We request you to kindly check the detailed eligibility criteria for each of the banks.
Is IBPS PO a government job?
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No, IBPS PO is not a government job type. Even if the banks are public sector banking entities and are under control of the Government of India, employees of these banks continue to be under the respective PSBs and not the government.
Is IBPS PO job considered as a Grade A job?
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As mentioned above, the Banking Sector (IBPS PO) is not a part of the public sector jobs. Grade-wise classification is applicable for government sector jobs but banking jobs are classified into scales. For your reference, a Bank PO Fresher would be considered as a Scale 1 officer.
Reference Links
www.rbi.org.in
www.sbi.co.in
www.ibps.in
