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    SBI PO 2023 Preparation Tips by Expert from T.I.M.E

    SBI PO 2023 Preparation Tips by Expert from T.I.M.E

    Devnath TiwariUpdated on 01 Nov 2023, 10:24 AM IST

    SBI PO Preparation Tips by TIME 2023 - As there is a lot of time these days when people are at home, here are a few SBI PO 2023 preparation tips by TIME, one must follow to prepare for the Probationary Officers exam. Candidates have to properly divide time for each section of SBI PO exam and keep some time for yoga and exercise. As for a healthy mind, we need a healthy body. Breaks should also be taken while studying to overcome monotony. One also should work on 2 to 3 three subjects daily based on chapter completion rather than just the number of hours spent on studies.

    SBI PO 2023 Preparation Tips by Expert from T.I.M.E
    SBI PO preparation tips 2023 by TIME

    Daily and weekly goals should be based on chapters and not on number of hours with the books every day. The daily output should be measured and reviewed every week and routine should be made accordingly. The real challenge is how to keep oneself motivated during the preparation. Read the complete article by Amit Poddar, Sr. Regional head, T.I.M.E. Delhi who provides vital preparation tips related to SBI PO entrance exam. The SBI PO full form is State bank of India Probationary Officers. The SBI PO official website is sbi.co.in and it is India's most popular banking competitive exam.

    According to the exam pattern of SBI PO, there are two levels for the exam- Preliminary and the mains exam. After one clears both levels, one is called for the interview process. Three areas are tested in the Prelim exam viz. English. Quantitative and Reasoning ability. And the areas tested in the mains exam are Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, Data analysis and Interpretation, GK/GA, English, and descriptive writing.

    The task in front of the aspirants is huge as they need to work on all the areas. A lot of students tend to ignore the mains exam initially and focus only on the preliminary, which is in no way the right approach as the gap between the prelim and mains can be of only a few weeks. The preparation for prelim and mains should be done together thinking that you will crack the prelim exam. Optimism is the key to success in any entrance exam.

    Also Read:

    SBI PO preparation tips - Section wise

    English language:

    English section is all about antonym, synonym, para jumble, passages, fill in the blank, cloze test, error identification, etc. The passages may be based on the areas like Business, economics, Technology, Modern History, Philosophy, etc. So, one has to practice at least 2-3 passages daily and work a lot on para jumble, vocab and grammar as they prepare for SBI PO 2023. Reading comprehensions and para jumble are skill based questions and the aspirants need to practice a lot of questions to reach a good accuracy level.

    To improve vocabulary one should depend on roots, prefix, suffix, etc. as smart work and intelligent guess work can help crack even tough words given in the exam. Common sense plays a vital role in tackling grammar questions than only remembering the rules of grammar. Preparing for this section is like taking medicines and one has to practice RCs Vocab, etc. on a daily basis.

    Quick Links

    SBI PO - General Knowledge:

    General/ economy/Banking awareness questions can be dealt with properly, only if a student has given time to daily newspapers and magazines while they appear for SBI PO 2023. A good reading habit will not only help you ace the English section but also the GK section. Gk capsules and ppts prove very helpful as the students prepare for current affairs. In this section candidates can score high marks if one is confident about the answers. So, be thorough with the last six months current affairs at least and go through some static GK as well. In the last few years about 70 % – 80 % of the questions asked here were on Current Affairs and the remaining on Banking Awareness, Union Budget, Monetary policies, FDI etc.

    SBI PO - Quantitative Aptitude:

    The Quantitative aptitude section in the prelim exam is mostly based on quadratic comparison, simplification, data interpretation, number series, Ages, Percentages, Time & Work, Time & Distance, Boats & Streams, Probability, Geometry & Mensuration, Mixtures & Allegations etc. To do well in this section, one has to be clear on the concepts and very good in speed and accuracy. Learning some faster calculation tricks and Vedic Maths can be certainly of some help.

    SBI PO Reasoning Ability:

    The reasoning section requires thorough preparation as these are relatively newer areas for most of the students. The questions are normally based on coding-decoding, blood relations, symbols notations, word formation, critical reasoning, the odd man out, puzzles, direction sense, input-output, syllogism, deductions, etc. Computer knowledge is also tested in the mains exam, so one is expected to be thorough with the software and hardware aspects of computers.

    Other Quick Links : SBI PO Selection Procedure 2023

    Descriptive Test - This section carries Letter and Essay writing. Normally, there are three letters given and the candidate has to write a letter from among them. Among the 3 essays given, one has to be chosen by the test-taker. What is noteworthy is that both the letter and essay are to be written in 150 words each. One should know the exact format of letter writing and essays to do well in this section. A good reading habit and some practice can help students score well in this section.

    Time management plays a very important role in the SBI PO exam. Hence, students must pad up their preparation by taking at least ten to twelve mock tests. Analyzing the mock and identifying the strengths and weaknesses should be the next step. This can also help aspirants come up with the right SBI PO preparation strategy to be applied in the actual exam. As all of us are unique individuals, we should not just believe in hearsay and just copy and paste what others do. Devising one’s own SBI PO preparation strategy is the most important factor which can help you sail through this exam.

    SBI PO Exam Pattern 2023 for Preliminary Exam

    Areas tested

    Number of Questions

    Marks

    Duration

    English Language

    30


    100

    20 Minutes

    Quantitative Aptitude

    35

    20 Minutes

    Reasoning Ability

    35

    20 Minutes

    Total

    100

    1 Hour

    SBI PO Exam Pattern 2023 for Mains Exam

    Areas tested

    Number of Questions

    Marks

    Duration

    Objective Test

    Reasoning & Computer Aptitude

    45

    60

    60 Minutes

    Data Analysis & Interpretation

    35

    60

    45 Minutes

    General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness

    40

    40

    35 Minutes

    English Language

    35

    40

    40 Minutes


    155

    200

    180 mins

    Subjective/ Descriptive Test

    English Language (Letter Writing & Essay)

    2

    50

    30 Minutes

    Total

    157

    250

    3.5 Hours

    SBI PO Exam Pattern 2023 for Group Exercises & Interview (Psychometric Test )

    Section

    Marks

    Group Exercises

    20

    Interview

    30

    Total

    50

    Check Here List of Other Government Exams

    SBI PO 2023 marking Scheme

    There will be a negative marking of one-fourth of the marks assigned to a particular question in the objective test. There is no negative marking in the subjective part of the Mains paper.

    The analysis of the previous years SBI PO prelim exam has been presented below, so that the aspirants this year can plan their studies accordingly. If we analyse the SBI PO & Clerk prelim exams that were held last year, it is seen that there was no change in the structure and there was a time limit for each section.

    Snap shot of the Exam:

    Test Area

    No. of questions

    Duration

    Quantitative Aptitude

    35 Questions

    20 Mins

    Reasoning Ability

    35 Questions

    20 Mins

    English Language

    30 Questions

    20 Mins

    Total no. of Questions

    100 Qs

    60 Mins

    No of choices per question – 5

    On answering incorrectly, candidates lose 0.25 of the marks that were allotted to each question

    SBI PO Exam Analysis as per the inputs that were given by the candidates.

    SBI PO 2023 - Quantitative Aptitude:

    This section can be rated as moderate and was time consuming There were no new type of questions that were asked.

    In this section, questions were not asked from the following topics:

    • Simplifications

    • Approximations

    • Data Sufficiency and Data Comparison.

    There were fifteen questions (3 sets) on Data Interpretation ( five questions each on Table, Pie Chart and Caselet). According to the input provided by the students, questions on caselet were time-consuming. Also five questions each on wrong number series and Quadratic Comparisons. It was easy to solve questions on wrong number series and Quadratic Comparisons

    There were ten individual questions and were either easy, difficult or moderately difficult.

    Hence a student could easily solve at least sixteen to eighteen questions in twenty minutes.

    Topic

    No. of Questions

    Data Interpretation (3 sets. Pie Chart + Table, Bar Graph and Caselet)

    15

    Number Series (Wrong number)

    5

    Quadratic Comparisons

    5

    Individual Questions(Ages, Percentages, Time & Work, Time & Distance, Boats & Streams, Probability, Geometry & Mensuration, Mixtures & Alligations etc..)

    10

    SBI PO 2023 - Reasoning:

    As per the inputs that were provided by the students some of them found it easy while others found it difficult.

    There were twenty questions on Puzzles (Linear Arrangement (five persons all facing North) + Distribution, Comparisons (7 persons and their ages), Distribution), which were of easy to moderate level of difficulty. Square Arrangement (Persons sitting in the middle facing centre and persons sitting at the corners facing outside). There were four questions on Symbols & Notations, five questions on Coding-Decoding, and three questions on Blood Relations. Most of the questions were once again moderately difficult there was one question on Odd Man Out which the candidates found it easy.

    In twenty minutes, candidates could at least twenty to twenty four questions.

    Topic- wise Break Up

    Topic

    No of Questions

    Square Arrangement (Persons sitting at the middle facing centre and persons sitting at the corners facing outside), Puzzles (Linear Arrangement (5 persons all facing North) + Distribution, Comparisons (7 persons and their ages), Distribution)

    20

    Coding – Decoding

    5

    Symbols & Notations

    4

    Blood Relations

    3

    Word Formation

    2

    Odd man out

    1

    SBI PO - English Language :

    Students found the English Language section as easy.

    • The only Reading Comprehension passage was conventional in its presentation and there were eight questions which were asked. There was 1 Vocab based questions and 1 question on FIB. The passage was based on Economy.

    • There were five questions on wrongly spelt words.

    • There were seven Error Identification Questions. All these five questions were easy to solve.

    • Candidates had to answer two questions on Matching the sentences which were given in two columns.

    • Also there were three questions on Fill in the blanks(Single blank).

    • There were 5 questions on Para Jumbled Sentences. Five sentences to be rearranged to form a meaningful paragraph.

    Easily, students could solve seventeen to nineteen questions.

    Topic wise break up for English Language Section

    Topic

    No of Questions

    Reading Comprehension

    8

    Para Jumbled Sentences

    5

    Wrongly spelt words

    5

    Error Identification

    7

    Match the sentences given in two columns

    2

    Fill in the Blanks (Single Blank)

    3

    Overall, the paper can be rated as easy to moderate.

    SBI PO - Good Attempts and Expected Cutoffs:

    Test Area

    Good Attempts

    Quantitative Aptitude

    16 - 18

    Reasoning Ability

    22 - 24

    English Language

    17 - 19

    Overall

    55 – 61

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    Questions related to SBI PO

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to SBI PO ?

    Hello Aspirant,

    Generally, having vitiligo does not prevent you from working in a bank like SBI as a PO or Clerk, or in other banks.

    Bank eligibility primarily focuses on:

    • Educational qualification

    • Age limit

    • Nationality

    • General good health

    Vitiligo is a skin condition that affects pigmentation and is not typically

    If your parents’ income exceeds the OBC NCL limit this year, you should apply under the General category for IBPS PO and SBI PO recruitment. Previous years' applications under OBC NCL do not affect the current year's eligibility if income criteria change.

    Hello aspirant ,

    I hope you are doing well. As per your mentioned query , practising previous year question papers helps you to find the difficulty level of an exam . You also get to know about the exam pattern , important topics as well. It will boost your preparation.

    Hi Akarsh,

    The eligibility for the SBI PO exam is based on specific age criteria mentioned in the official notification.

    SBI PO Age Criteria :

    • Minimum Age : 21 years.
    • Maximum Age : 30 years.
    • Age relaxation is provided for reserved categories as per government norms.

    If you're being declared

    Hello Saurav,

    It is unlikely to create a problem during the document verification (DV) process, as long as the university name on your certificates matches the details provided in your application form. However, since your college (ABC) is affiliated with XYZ University, it's important that the certificates or documents you