The banking sector is a lucrative job sector and it attracts many aspirants every year to try for it. Among all the banking exams SBI PO is a most admirable one. On the pyramid of banking exams, SBI PO exam is on the top one and its preparation requires a sheer dedication. To clear any competitive exam hard work and strategy both should be clear. In this article, we will focus on the best strategy to crack SBI PO and give some expert advice to the candidates.
Before appearing for SBI PO exam, be sure about it and don’t get confused between SBI PO and any other competitive exam. SBI PO exam gives limited attempts to aspirants so do not apply to just give a try to this exam. If you are thinking to appear for SBI PO 2019 as a first timer then you should think how to crack SBI PO 2019 in the first attempt because of limitation of attempts.
So here we have SBI PO exam strategy to get success in SBI PO 2019 with flying colors.
SBI PO 2019 Preparation Plan
Every year many aspirants appear in SBI PO exam and only a few of them get success in it. If your question is, how to crack SBI PO 2019 then my answer would be loads of practice under proper guidance. Here guidance means not coaching classes. I have seen many aspirants got success in SBI PO exam without any coaching and many other failed miserably. So joining a coaching class cannot guarantee your success.
To get success in SBI PO 2019 exam, you cannot ignore the importance of SBI PO exam strategy. Below mentioned points will help you to crack SBI PO 2019 exam.
· When to start preparation
I have studied the previous years’ SBI question papers and I have found that the difficulty level is increasing in SBI PO exam every year. So the best strategy to crack SBI PO is ‘sooner is better’. The soon you will start your practice the better you will perform on the exam. The SBI PO 2019 exam will be in June 2019 but you should start your preparation from today itself. We have introduced a 30 days SBI PO exam strategy already but if you have made your mind to appear in SBI PO 2019 exam then don’t wait for long to start your preparation.
· Be Updated about Exam Pattern and Syllabus
To save you from the 11th-hour shock, be aware of the latest changes in SBI PO exam. If you are planning to appear in SBI PO 2019 exam then you should know the SBI PO 2019 exam schedule. The success in SBI PO exam is divided into three steps, the preliminary exam, the main exam, and interview. Here is the exam pattern of SBI PO 2019 written exams.
1. The Preliminary Exam
The SBI Prelim exams contain 100 questions and duration for SBI Prelim exam is 60 minutes. Here are topic wise details of SBI Prelim Exam pattern.
- English Language: Total 30 questions will be asked related to this topic for 30 marks. You should try to give maximum 20 minutes to this part of the exam.
- Quantitative Aptitude: 35 questions from this topic for 35 marks will be there in the exam. Try to solve this part of the exam in 20 minutes.
- Reasoning Ability: 35 questions for 35 marks and time to solve them is 20 minutes.
2. Mains Exam
The total marks worth of mains exam is 250; Objective Test (200 marks) and Descriptive Test (50 marks). The objective test contains the following topics.
- Reasoning & Computer Aptitude: Contains 45 questions for 60 marks and duration is 60 minutes.
- Data Analysis & Interpretation: This segment has 35 questions for 60 marks and duration is 45 minutes.
- General Awareness about Economy/Banking: you need to answer 40 questions in 35 minutes for 40 marks.
- English Language: 35 questions would be there for 40 marks and duration is 40 minutes.
Descriptive exam: A separate exam of 30 minutes duration with 50 marks will be conducted as an English test. But marks of this exam will be evaluated if you scored qualifying marks in Objective type exam.
Accuracy and speed should be your focal point in SBI Prelim exam. Remember that negative marking can eat one-fourth of your earned marks so no guessing game.
· Know the syllabus
If you are wondering about how to crack SBI PO 2019 then the basic rule is to know your syllabus. If you cannot have a strong hold on all the topics make a few of them on your fingertips. It’s a must to know everything about the syllabus before appearing in the exam. This will help you in your preparation of SBI PO.
1. SBI PO Prelim Syllabus
Here is the topic wise syllabus of SBI PO.
Reasoning: Puzzles and seating Arrangements, Coding-Decoding, Coding Inequality, Syllogism, Input-Output, Series (Numeric, Alphabetic, Symbolic), Direction, Blood relation, Order and Ranking, Data Sufficiency, Logical Reasoning etc.
Quantitative Aptitude: Simplification, Number Series, Approximation, Quadratic Equation, Data Interpretation, Data Sufficiency, Profit & Loss, Time & Work, Ratio etc.
English Language: Reading Comprehension, Para Jumble Cloze Test, Sentence Correction, Error Detection, Fillers, Vocabulary, Paragraph Completion, and Sentence Connector.
SBI PO Main Syllabus
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude: Verbal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Computer Aptitude, Coding-Decoding, Coded Inequalities, Syllogism, Machine Input Output, Data Sufficiency, Direction & Distance, Linear Seating Arrangement, Blood Relations etc.
Data Analysis & Interpretation: Tabular Graph, Line Graph, Pie Chart, Bar Graph, Radar Graph, Caselet, etc.
General Awareness about Economy/Banking: Banking & Financial Awareness, Banking History, Static Awareness, Current Affairs.
English Language: Reading Comprehension, Word Association Pair, Sentence Improvement/Fill in the Blanks, Para Jumbles/Sentence Jumbles/Odd Man Out/Para Completion/Sentence Completion, Cloze Test, Fill in the Blanks, Error Spotting etc.
Check Previous Years’ Papers
When you look at the previous years’ exam papers you get to know about the trend of questions. SBI PO usually doesn’t repeat any question but looking at previous papers can give you an idea of increasing or decreasing difficulty level. You should also try to solve these question papers to understand where you stand in SBI PO preparation. So, involve solving previous years’ question papers in SBI PO 2019 preparation plan. Try to solve the question papers within a decided timeframe.
Practice both the weak and the Strong areas
Every aspirant has some weak and strong points. Usually, we work harder on our weak points and neglect the strong ones or vice versa. But in SBI PO exam you will have to focus on the entire syllabus. For this, you can allot some extra time to your weak areas but simultaneously you will have to keep polishing your strong areas as well.
To work on your weak areas, make a list of them and priorities them according to the marks weightage. To make you proficient in your weak areas first understand their basic and practice them on daily basis. If you are good at something then keep practicing it and try to reduce the consumed time.
Prepare for the Prelims and Mains Exam together
The question of how to crack SBI PO 2019 is about cracking both Prelims and Mains exam of SBI PO. So, prepare the SBI PO preparation plan according to this.
If you are planning to start you mains preparation after clearing the prelim exam then let me tell you that this SBI PO exam strategy will not work perfectly for you. Start preparing for both of exams together because after prelims you will not get much time to prepare for mains.
Mock Tests
Practice mock tests daily. This will improve your speed and you will come to know about your mistakes that can take your marks away in the exam. Initially, you can attempt a mock test of a particular section but after achieving good question-solving speed move to full-length mock tests. In these tests do not ignore even a silly mistake and make sure you won’t repeat any of your mistakes in next day’s mock test. Speed and accuracy should be your focal points in the mock test.
Time Table
SBI PO exam strategy is not complete without a proper timetable so prepare it according to your daily routine. You need to give enough time to all the topics of SBI PO 2019 exam. Try to devote at least 1 to 1.5 hours to each subject.
If you are appearing first time in SBI PO 2019 exam then do think much about how to crack SBI PO 2019 in the first attempt and work on a proper plan that includes understanding the basics of topics.
The Bottom Line
SBI PO exam is not very difficult but yes, in the past few years the difficulty level has increased. So, you need to be extra careful about your studies and SBI PO exam strategy. Don’t take the pressure of SBI PO 2019 exam and be calm. We wish you luck for your exam.
