IBPS, or Indian Banking Personnel Selection, is the organization responsible for conducting the Common Written Exam (CWE) for recruiting IBPS clerks in public sector banks. The syllabus aligns with the recruitment exams held before the CWE, with a heightened emphasis on General Awareness, given equal weightage alongside other subjects.
The selection of an IBPS clerk is based on CWE topic selection, indicating trainability and the absence of a need for specific expertise in a particular subject. To be selected as a clerk in a public sector bank, one should excel in topics of a general nature. Here are the details of the IBPS clerical position examination:
The CWE pattern is straightforward, involving objective type multiple-choice questions inherited from previous exams. Around 250 questions are posed, each carrying equal marks. All questions need to be attempted within 150 minutes, averaging to about 5 questions in 3 minutes. The topics for study by an IBPS clerk encompass:
• Mental Ability and Reasoning: These questions revolve around alphabet series, number series, coding-decoding, direction tests, arithmetical reasoning, number ranking, blood relations, problem-solving on age calculation, analogy, and decision-making, among others.
• Grammar and English Comprehension: Language skills are tested in this section, covering error correction, subject-verb agreement, modals and articles, tenses, sentence rearrangement, vocabulary, and paragraph comprehension.
• Numerical Ability: This section demands number crunching skills and includes questions on HCF, simplification, LCM, decimal fractions, unitary method, ratio and proportion, time and work, time and distance, average, profit and loss, simple and compound interest.
• General Awareness: This section expects individuals to be well-informed about current events. An IBPS clerk must have a good understanding of major economic/financial news, five-year plans, budgets, current affairs, notable personalities, books and authors, honors and awards, inventions and discoveries, national and international organizations, and important days.
• Computer Awareness: This segment tests knowledge of computer basics such as DOS, their evolution, using windows, commands, various MS Word functions, and internet-related applications.
Tips for preparing for the IBPS examination:
• While preparing for General Awareness, focus more on banking products and terminology, as over 50 questions in the exam pertain to general awareness, with 35 of them related to the banking industry.