IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) mains is one of the most sought-after examinations for students of IT, business or agricultural backgrounds to secure a career in various Public Sector Banks. It is scheduled for 24th of January, 2021 and close to 647 IBPS SO vacancies have been released.
The IBPS SO exam has four sections — Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, Reasoning and Computer Aptitude in addition to English Language. Candidates need to focus on smart studying to navigate each section with ease.
Here are some strategies that aspirants can follow to crack the mains:
Familiarize yourself with the basics: For this exam, one needs to be skilled in their area of specialization. The posts that candidates can apply through this examination include IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, Law Officer, HR, Rajbhasa Adhikari and Marketing Officer. The Mains examination consists of technical papers for these posts. It entails a professional knowledge test which includes MCQ of 60 questions that need to be solved within one hour. Additionally, Rajbhasa Adhikari candidates also need to appear for a descriptive test.
The prelim examination serves as a qualifier for the mains. The merit list is based on the combination of marks secured in mains and the interview. It is essential to score good marks in the mains paper to qualify the round.
{{/usCountry}}The prelim examination serves as a qualifier for the mains. The merit list is based on the combination of marks secured in mains and the interview. It is essential to score good marks in the mains paper to qualify the round.
{{/usCountry}}Plan in Advance: It is best to prepare a final revision plan a few days prior to the exam. Review of past exam papers is equally important to get an idea on the weightage of key topics. Revision for technical papers typically take less time since aspirants prepare for these during their graduation/post-graduation. Aspirants can also refer to short notes or capsules present on various online portals for their preparation. It is ideal not to start new topics at the last moment to avoid any confusion.
‘Say Yes’ to Mocks: Candidates must give as many mock tests as they can and analyze the same critically. Owing to tough competition, students sometimes miss the merit list by only 0.25 marks. Additionally, negative marking has an adverse impact on the ranks so mock tests help understand where one is lacking.
Don’t take Stress: Motivation plays an important role in your selection. A positive attitude helps aspirants in doing better during the preparation and exam. To stay fit for the exam, it is important to eat healthy and get plenty of sleep along with minor workouts.
Furthermore, during the exam, it is very important to pay attention to each section. Candidates should first solve easy questions from every section and then get to the un-attempted questions.
Post the mains exams, candidates should ideally focus on preparing for the interview by paying close attention to spoken English and getting well-versed with financial and banking issues.
(Author Aashish Arora is top Educator at Unacademy. Views expressed here are personal)