Bank PO – Examination structure and pattern

Almost all Nationalised banks conduct this examination to fill vacancies in their respective banks. Examination structure and pattern varies from bank to bank but the general traits stay the same. Following are some of the common guidelines which applies to most of the Bank PO examinations, however aspirants are advised to go through the respective bank advertisement and information booklet carefully. The information provided below is only for general information purposes.
1. Educational Qualifications:
Degree from a recognised University or any equivalent examination recognised as such by the Government of India. Most of the banks ask for 60% in graduation for the unreserved category, however some banks don’t, so please read the advertisement carefully before applying. For reserved categories its usually 55%.
2. Age:
A candidate for this examination should have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years on the 1st January of the year of examination. The age is relaxable for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, etc. as per government instructions.
3. Pattern of the Examination:
The subjects of written test, the time allowed and the maximum marks allowed to each subject shall be as under:

S.No	Test	No. of Questions	Time Allowed	Medium of Exam
(A)	OBJECTIVE TESTS	225	135 Minutes	English / Hindi
1.	Reasoning Ability Test	75
2.	English Language	50
3.	General Awareness	50
4.	Quantitative Aptitude	50
(B)	DESCRIPTIVE PAPER	4	45 Minutes	English / Hindi
	Argumentative Questions

The candidates shall be required to qualify in each objective test as per the cut-off marks determined by individual banks. For wrong answers there is provision for the negative marking which is normally 1/4th i.e. one marks will be deducted for four wrong answers.
Notes:
(i) The candidate has to pass each of the Objective and Descriptive Tests separately.
(ii) However, the tests of Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude and General Awareness is considered for merit listing. The other tests of English Language and Descriptive Questions will be qualifying.
(iii) Candidates, who pass in each tests and rank sufficiently high on the basis of aggregate marks in written tests, would be called for interview. Final selection made is on the basis of the aggregate marks obtained by the candidate in the written tests and interview and shall be strictly according to merit.
5. Syllabus:
(1) Reasoning Ability Test: This is a test which has been designed to ascertain how well you can think. It contains questions of various kinds. It will be partly verbal, that is based on or is related to figures and drawings.
(2) Quantitative Aptitude: The purpose of this test is to ascertain how quick you are in working at numerical calculations. There may be some graphs and tables in this test. Questions are asked about each graph or table. Only one of the suggested answers is correct. You have to read each graph or table carefully and indicate your answer on a separate answer-sheet.
(3) English Language: The purpose of this test is to judge your knowledge in English. In this test, there are passages, with questions based on the organisation of ideas and your understanding of the contents of various passages. Your ability will also be tested through your choice of words, expressions and similar skills.
(4) General Awareness: The purpose of this test is to ascertain a candidates’ general awareness of environment around him and its application to society. The questions will be designed to test the candidate’s knowledge of the current events and of such matters of everyday observation and experience as may be expected of an educated person, including topics on Life Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, etc. There may also be questions on Geography of India, land and her people, History of India, her culture heritage, freedom struggle and salient features of the Constitution of India, Economic and Social Problems.
(5) Descriptive Paper: The Descriptive Paper intends to measure your higher order cognitive abilities as comprehending a situation, analysing it, generating unique ideas or situations, etc., and also your language ability. It is a question-cum-answer-sheet and you have to restrict your answers to the space provided on the answer-sheet. You have the option to answer this paper in English or Hindi or regional languages. In this paper, there are four questions and you are required to answer any three questions in 45 minutes.
6. Initial Pay:
Selected candidates will be on probation for a period of two years. They will draw a starting pay of Rs.17000/- (in SBI it would be around Rs. 20000/-) in the scale of Rs.10000-470/6-12820-500/3-14320-560/7-18240 applicable to Junior Management Grade Scale – I. They are also eligible for D.A., H.R.A. & C.C.A. as per rules in force from time to time.