All competitive exams require focus and time for preparation. SBI PO is considered to be one tough examination to crack. It is a lucrative exam as you can check on Oliveboard, along with other government bank examinations. Hence, the competition is fierce with thousands of people applying and only a limited number of vacancies. Some would say that last month is too late to start the preparation but if you allocate your time efficiently and put in constant effort, it is never too late. If you are one of those aspirants who are on this one month time crunch it is time to buckle up and dedicate yourself to the preparation. In this article, we are providing you with some tips that would come in handy before you sit to study.
Familiarize yourself with the latest syllabus and exam pattern
Before you start your preparations make sure to stay updated on the latest syllabus for the exam and the pattern of the paper. With less time at hand, it is vital that you focus on the required course structure.
The exam is divided into two parts: Prelims and Mains followed by a descriptive test for those who qualify both. The three phases each have different weightage and time duration. The preliminary exam is more of an entrance exam you have to clear to reach the Mains so the syllabus is relatively less. Though there is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer.
Syllabus for prelims:
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English Language: This section has 30 questions in total with a score of 30 maximum marks in 20 minutes. The main focus is grammar, reading comprehension and vocabulary.
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Quantitative Aptitude: With a maximum score of 35 marks, each question of 1 mark, this section can be troublesome if you have difficulty with Mathematics. The topics for this section are basic Maths like profit and loss, work and time and so on but it needs a lot of practice on a regular basis. You have to be clear with the concepts, retain the formulas and make sure to recheck the calculations.
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Reasoning Ability: This section has 35 questions with each question for 1 mark. It is a basic logical reasoning syllabus that requires time and practice. Once you get the hang of the logic behind the answers, it will be an easy sail for this part of the exam.
Syllabus for Mains:
The syllabus for the Mains exam is vast compared to the prelims. The total number of marks are 200 with 155 questions to be completed within 3 hours time.
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Reasoning and Computer Aptitude
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Data Analysis and Interpretation
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General, Economy, and Banking Awareness
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English Language
Gather the study material
It is essential to gather proper study material so you do not lose time in flicking through random books or searching for topics. Buy the books with the latest syllabus or you can get all the required study material on Olive Board. There are papers with sectional questions that help you improve your speed. The mock papers are designed to assist you in enhancing your time management and giving you an idea of the exam paper pattern. You can also check the previous year question papers for more practice.
Study Routine and Time Management
The last month is mostly for revision and more practice, so that is what you have to do along with learning the concepts. You will have to dedicate a couple of hours every day to each subject to qualify for the exam.
There is no shortcut to ace the examination. You may be out of school and college but you have to discipline yourself to follow a study routine. It does not sound pleasant to sit at your study table for hours at a stretch so make a schedule that is comfortable to follow. Take breaks of 5-10 minutes in between. It will prevent you from cramming things up and rather retain what you learn.
While regular intervals seem like leisure time, they are anything but that. Try to walk around and have healthy snacks during the breaks and avoid the screen. Television and social media, however amazing, are a big distraction and you might lose track of time when you open either of them.
Practice, practice and more practice
This particular point is highlighted and repeated time and again because of its importance. There are a number of aspirants each year and more if you add the aspirants reappearing for the exam with limited vacancies. All of which makes the examination a rat race. Hence, it is on you to give yourself enough time to learn the topics and formulas. Then take the time to revise them through practice. The more you practice, the more you improve your speed of answering the questions and also enhance your accuracy.
Reasoning and quantitative aptitude are two sections that require more practice in regard to solving more questions. As for English, you should make a habit of reading an article or two every day to work on your vocabulary. The books provide you with basic grammar rules that you need to keep in mind but otherwise, everything depends on the amount of time and effort you put into preparing each section.
Are you ready to take the SBI PO exam?
Even with the limited time, you can crack the SBI PO exam. Do not allow anyone to make you believe otherwise. You have to be dedicated to the preparation and keep faith in yourself before anything else.
There are many aspirants for the exam but you have to focus on yourself and use your methods to prepare. Everyone has different capabilities and their way of going about something. Till the time you keep your head in the game and see the goal clearly you can achieve it.
Nevertheless, do not pressurize yourself. You have to give your best keeping in mind the time duration and negative marking scheme. It is essential that you do not go unprepared but do not skip meals or sleep over the examination. There are various opportunities yet nothing is enough to let your health be affected.
About the Author:
Chetan Sharma is a professional digital marketer and blogger at heart. He owns multiple educational blogs like HSSLIVE and many others.