SBI PO 2020 Preparation Tips During the Lockdown by Expert from T.I.M.E

Things have changed a bit in the recent time as the world is combating a new challenge which has put the world in a standstill. And in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, several banking exams, recruitment processes and result declarations have been postponed. But now, with the countries unlocking themselves, the economic activities have started gearing up and soon we may expect the SBI PO exam announcements. The challenge now is how to start preparing for the entrance exam and manage time in this lockdown period. The lockdown period can be easily utilized to keep oneself busy with the entrance preparation .As there is a lot of time these days when people are at home , one has to properly divide time for each area and keep some time for yoga and exercise as well. For a healthy mind we need a healthy body. Breaks should also be taken while studying to overcome the monotony. Also , one should work on 2 to 3 three areas daily based on chapter completion rather than just the number of hours spent on studies. Daily and weekly goals should be based on chapters and not on number of hours with the books everyday. 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.
Latest: SBI PO 2020 notification to be released anytime soon. Also check other details about SBI PO 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 the 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. So, 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 for any entrance exam. In this lockdown period, there is no dearth of time and devoting around 6 to 8 hrs judiciously can help you get your dream career and a dream job at India’s largest bank SBI.

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Section wise preparation tips

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 2020. 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.

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 2020. 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.

The Quantitative ability 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 & Alligations 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.

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, 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.

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 is 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 help students score well in this section.

Time management plays a very important role in 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 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 strategy is the most important factor which can help you sail through this exam.

SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020 for Preliminary Exam

SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020 for Mains Exam

SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020 for Group Exercises & Interview

SBI PO 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 SBI PO 2019 Prelim exam held on the 9th of June 2019 (Slot 1) has been presented below, so that the aspirants this year can plan their studies accordingly. If we analyse to the SBI PO & Clerk Prelim exams that was held last year, it is seen that there was no change in the structure and there was time limit for each sections.

Snap shot of the Exam:

No of choices per question – 5

On answering incorrectly, candidates would 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.

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.

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 at 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 Relation. 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

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

Over all, the paper can be rated as easy to moderate.

Good Attempts and Expected Cutoffs:

Read More:

SBI PO Syllabus 2020

SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020

SBI PO Question Papers 2020

SBI PO Selection Procedure 2020

SBI PO Preparation Tips 2020

SBI PO Preparation Books