The Institute of Banking and Personnel Selection [IBPS] PO Preliminary Examination is slated for October 3^rd, 10^th& 11^th 2020 while the Mains examination goes into November 28^th 2020 and the Interview will be held in Jan/Feb 2021. Selected candidates are recruited as officers across 11 Public sector Banks namely, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank and so on.

The online registration window for IBPS PO 2020 exam ends on August 26^th 2020. This period before the exam is extremely crucial and students must focus on building on strong exam level efficiency and time management skills. Mentioned in this blog are some of the handpicked IBPS preparation plan tips that you can utilize in multiple ways.

IBPS PO Preparation Strategy 2020: Syllabus & Exam Pattern

The exam is divided into three major categories, namely, Reasoning Ability, English Langauge and Numerical Ability. Candidates are required to qualify the individual cut-offs on each section. The following table will help you in your topic wise preparation for IBPS PO.

Section	Marks	Questions	Total Time	Topics [Tentative]
Reasoning Ability	35	35	20 minutes	Blood Relation, Seating Arrangement, Cause & Effects, Assertion & Reason, Statements & Conclusion, Coding-Decoding, Word Formation, Directions, Syllogism, Alphabet Test, Puzzles, Inequalities, etc.
Quantitative Aptitude	35	35	20 minutes	Profit & Loss, Simple & Compound Interest, Time & Work, Average, Ratio & Proportion, Case Study Analysis, Number System, Permutation & Combination, Probability, Graphs, Speed & Distance, Time & Work, Simplification, Partnership, Percentages, etc.
Engish Language	30	30	20 minutes	Reading Comprehension, Sentence Correction, Error Detection, Jumbled Sentences, Active & Passive Voice, Cloze Test, Vocabulary [Synonyms, Antonyms, One-word Substitution], etc.
Total	100	100	60 minutes

Note: There is a negative marking of 0.25 marks per question.

IBPS PO Preparation Strategy 2020: Reasoning Ability Section

The Reasoning section tests the basic logical thinking and problem-solving abilities of the candidate. Here are a few specific guidelines you can include in your topic wise preparation for IBPS PO.

• Recommended IBPS PO preparation Books: Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by Dr RS Aggarwal [S. Chand Publications]; A New Approach to Reasoning By B.S. Sijwali & S. Sijwali [Arihant]; Reasoning Book for Competitive Examinations by Pearson; Analytical Reasoning by M.K Pandey.

• Start with the portion you are comfortable with. Typically, in the first half of 20 minutes, cover up coding-decoding, syllogism, inequalities and series. This will give you a good confidence boost for the second half in which you can tackle the tricky and knotty questions like seating arrangement, blood relation, amongst others. Further, leave one-two minutes in the end for revision.
• Construct your IBPS preparation plan knowing your strengths and weaknesses in the reasoning section. Typically, 23-26 questions are considered as a safe attempt concerning the negative marking attached.

• Do Not incorporate any outside or prior information.

IBPS PO Preparation Strategy 2020: Quantitative Aptitude

This section tests your efficiency and familiarity with numbers and the fundamental mathematical numerical operations detailed in the above section. Here are a few tips that will help you shape up your IBPS preparation plan.

• Recommended IBPS PO preparation Books: NCERT Mathematics textbooks Class IX & X; Quantitative Aptitude by R.S Aggarwal; Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma; Quantitative Aptitude for All Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha/ McGraw Hill Education

• Prepare diligently on the number system, types of numbers series, inequalities and functions and equations as part of your IBPS preparation plan as this is the backbone of this quantitative ability section. Applicants need to be familiar with fundamental rules like BODMAS, divisibility, comparison with numbers, simplification of equations, signs and conversion, variables etc.

• A majority of questions blend up concepts of averages, percentages and ratio & proportion. During the first 10 minutes, focus on such questions to give you a good head start. Then move on to equations [linear & quadratic] which are of moderate difficulty.

• There are two-three data graph/chart/table-related questions as well which are time-intensive but scoring. Conversely, you can begin with DI question first and then move onto other questions. The most important tip listed in quite a few IBPS PO preparation books is to visualize the problem.

IBPS PO Preparation Strategy 2020: English Language

For English language, Wren & Martin’s English Langauge & Comprehension is said to be one best IBPS PO preparation books along with Objective General English by S.P. Bakshi and Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis. Given below are some suggestions for your topic wise preparation for IBPS PO in terms of building solid English grammar, vocabulary and reading skills.

• Questions consist of three parts: Directions/Passage, Task/Question and Choices.

Directions/Passage is the premise on which RC questions, Error Detection and like questions will be based. Containing all the necessary information, you need to understand the respective elements and apply it concerning the question or task. The task/question presents you with a specific scenario or missing link in the passage. Read the task carefully to recognize what you are being asked. Lastly, the choices are the plausible answer options you have from which one is correct. Either you can go via the traditional route and read the passage thoroughly in full and arrive at the answer or via the question-based route wherein you read the questions and find the related reference in the passage. Employ a way that suits the need of the question.

• Either you can choose to start with Reading Comprehension questions or end with it. Para jumbles fill in the blanks, error detection and sentence correction tend to take only about 10-12 minutes if done efficiently.

• For vocabulary-related questions across the section, focus on word roots, antonyms, synonyms, origin, common usage and related phrases. Don’t dwell on them if you don’t know the answer.

The most instrumental tip for topic wise preparation for IBPS PO is to keep a strict schedule. You have at least 30 questions to attempt in each section in less than 20 minutes so learn to skip questions if you don’t arrive at the correct answer. On the day of the exam, don’t panic, have faith in yourself and give your best.