Jobs in public sector banks are among the most coveted jobs in India. Every year lakhs of aspiring candidates apply for these jobs. The jobs in these banks offer high salaries along with many allowances and perks. PO stands for Probationary Officer. It is a very prestigious position in every bank. Candidates are recruited as PO through the exams conducted by the public sector banks. The growth rate of PO is very good which attracts aspiring candidates. The number of vacancies for the posts of PO has been increasing in recent years. Every year a lot of vacancies are filled through the PO exams. Some of these public sector banks recruiting POs are:

• Union Bank of India
• Canara Bank
• UCO bank
• Punjab national bank
• Bank of Baroda
• Indian Bank

The major bank exams that most of the candidates apply for are the IBPS PO exam, SBI PO exam, and IBPS RRB PO exam. The syllabus of these exams is similar. Here we list down the important sections common to the PO exams:

• General and banking awareness
• Reasoning ability and general knowledge
• Data interpretation and quantitative aptitude
• Computer awareness
• English language (both descriptive and objective)

Understanding the exam pattern is the key to crack any competitive exam. The exam pattern varies in the different exams and you must prepare yourself accordingly. Usually, there are three stages in the banking exam: prelims, mains, and interview. There is also a group discussion round in the SBI PO exam. The descriptive section is important for getting a good score and qualifying in the prelims exam. This should not be taken lightly. The important tips that the aspiring candidates can follow when they start their preparation for the Bank PO exam are as follows:

1. Make a proper plan and timetable: The candidate should be well-versed with the exam pattern and the syllabus. Always refer to the latest syllabus and divide it into smaller parts. This will divide the load and you can pay attention to every topic in the syllabus. The exam patterns are different for different exams. You must take a note of sectional time duration, sectional cutoff, overall cutoff, and the order of attempting the questions. You must practice a variety of practice papers to get used to the exam pattern. Take a note of the time you take to solve the questions. It is very important because speed is a deciding factor in the success of this exam. Your timetable should be unique and according to your requirements. Once you are able to identify your weak and strong areas, you can divide your focus accordingly. Reserve some time every day to solve mock test papers. Investing a lot of time in reading is not advisable. You can judge yourself only if you solve questions. Try not to skip any topic of the syllabus and dedicate sufficient time to each topic. 
2. Attempt mock tests regularly: A common mistake that many aspirants make is that they practice insufficient questions. The more you practice, the more you will explore the types of questions. This will also boost your confidence. Attempt sectional quizzes and tests for all the upcoming government exams. This is important because you can focus on individual topics separately and the overall performance separately. It is easy to identify your weaker areas if you attempt the tests. Do not wait for the last moment to give tests. Solve questions after you complete any topic. Make short notes and keep them handy for revision. While attempting tests, you will come across topics that you might have forgotten or you need to read again. This way you can give some time to brush up on such topics. You must analyze your performance after every test. Your score in the mock tests will help you judge yourself but remember it is not your final exam. Do not get carried away by that score. You can always work and improve. Do not get overwhelmed if you score very high because the final exam is always unpredictable. So mock tests should not be taken for granted. 
3. Solve previous year’s bank exam question papers: This is the most important step in your preparation for bank exams. Solving previous year’s question papers will help you to understand the exam mindset and approach. You will get to learn the important topics that you should focus on. It is a very useful measure to help you judge your preparation. You can always perform better if you are able to identify the areas you need to work on.

• Make a reading habit and refer to online resources: Reading English newspapers will improve your vocabulary and comprehension skills. You can note down important things that you learn on a daily basis. It will be easier to go through those during the last moments before the exam. Focus on finance, economy, culture, government schemes, laws, business, tax, etc. while reading the newspaper. This is important for current affairs. Current affairs and English language are scoring topics and will help you to get a good overall score in your exam. Make the best use of the resources available online. They are easy to access and are very helpful. But keep in mind to refer to standard and quality study material. Piling a lot of books and notes is not a good idea. It will just overburden you and you will end up feeling demotivated. Keep your study material brief and accurate. Do not go behind a lot of books. You can download ebooks, and coaching institute notes. 

• Revision: Revision is the key in every competitive exam. The syllabus of the bank PO exams is vast. It is common for aspirants to forget some parts of it. You must revise everything regularly. This will save you time that you might have to invest in studying the same topics again and again. Revision is very powerful and impacts your score significantly. Dedicate some time every day for revision. You can revise small sections every day but make sure to do a complete revision every 15 or 20 days. This will keep you in the flow of the topics. Short notes reduce the time needed for revision. Many candidates keep studying till the last moment and are unable to revise everything. This should be avoided. Make a habit of revision after completion of any topic.