Preparing for bank exams such as those conducted by IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection), RBI (Reserve Bank of India), etc. requires a thorough understanding of the syllabus and exam pattern, to clear these exams in 2024. These exams are highly competitive and expect a strategic approach to study. In this column, the key topics and structure of the exams, help aspirants to effectively plan their preparation. From the preliminary and main exam to the interview, understanding the detailed syllabus and exam pattern is crucial for success in securing a position in the banking sector.
It typically includes sections such as Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, English Language, General Awareness, and Computer Knowledge.
Bank Exam Syllabus 2024
The competitive exam in the banking sector is generally conducted for two positions i.e. Clerk & Scale I Officer (Probationary Officer/Specialist Officer). The former is a two-tier process (pre + main) while the latter is a three-tier process (Pre + Main + Interview). Some of the prominent banking exams are IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, IBPS RRB Clerk, IBPS RRB Officer Scale I, Officer Scale-II, RBI Grade B, RBI Assistant, SBI Clerk, SBI PO, etc. Today, in this article we will provide the entire bank exams syllabus 2024, along with the pattern of the examination which will help you in acing up your performance for the upcoming examination.
Bank Exam Syllabus 2024 |
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Quantitative Aptitude | Reasoning | English Language | General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness | Computer Aptitude |
Number System, Series |
Puzzle | Reading Comprehension | Banking and Financial Awareness | Internet |
Simplification & Approximation | Syllogism | Error Detection | Current Affairs (5-6 Months) | Memory |
Ratio & Proportion, Partnership | Seating Arrangement | Vocabulary | Static Awareness | Keyboard Shortcuts |
Percentage | Input-Output | Phrase Replacement | Computer Abbreviation | |
Mixtures & Allegations | Blood Relations | Word Association | Microsoft Office | |
Average & ages | Sentence Improvement | Computer Hardware | ||
Profit & Loss | Direction sense | Para Jumbles | Computer Software | |
Time and work & Pipe and cistern | Data Sufficiency | Cloze Test | Operating System | |
Simple Interest & Compound Interest | Coding-Decoding | Spelling Errors | Networking | |
Time & Distance, Boat & stream | Inequalities | Fill in the blanks | Computer Fundamentals/Terminologies | |
Permutation, Combination & Probability | Logical Reasoning | Column Based Fillers | Number System | |
Mensuration (2D&3D) | Sentence Connectors | Basic of Logic Gates | ||
Data Interpretation
( Bar, line, pie, mixed, missing, arithmetic, radar), |
Word Replacement | |||
Caselet DI | Word Usage | |||
Sentence Rearrangement | ||||
Sentence Completion |
Bank Exam Pattern 2024
The first step towards the banking exam preparation journey is to have a detailed analysis of the syllabus and examination pattern. The examination pattern of most of the banking exams is similar. The first stage of banking exams i.e. preliminary stage consists of the following sections:
- Quantitative Aptitude
- Reasoning Ability
- English Language
Bank Prelims Exam Pattern
The preliminary exam pattern of most of the banking exams for the post of clerical cadre and Probationary Officers is the same. The difference arises in the difficulty level of the questions asked in the exam. The pattern of the prelims exam is as follows:
Bank Prelims Exam Pattern 2024 |
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S. No. | Name of Test | No. of Question | Maximum Marks | Duration |
1. | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 Minutes |
2. | Reasoning | 35 | 35 | 20 Minutes |
3. | Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 Minutes |
Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
Bank Mains Exam Pattern
The main examination includes an advanced level of Data Interpretation & Analysis, English Language, and Reasoning Ability in addition to General Awareness in the form of current affairs/banking affairs/financial awareness, etc.
For Clerk Post
The exam pattern of the mains exam for the recruitment of clerical cadre is as follows:
Bank Mains Exam Pattern 2024 For Clerk |
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Subjects | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
English Language | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 45 minutes |
Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude | 50 | 60 | 45 minutes |
General/Financial Awareness | 50 | 50 | 35 minutes |
Total | 190 | 200 | 160 minutes |
For the Probationary Officer(PO) post
The PO main exam pattern consists of objective paper as well as descriptive paper. The main exam pattern is as follows:
Bank Mains Exam Pattern For PO | ||||
Sr.No. | Name of the Test | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
1 | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude
Section A Section B |
45 | 60 | 60 minutes |
2 | English Language
Section A Section B |
35 | 40 | 40 minutes |
3 | Data Analysis & Interpretation
Section A Section B |
35 | 60 | 45 minutes |
4 | General Economy & Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
Total | 155 | 200 | 180 minutes | |
5 | English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) | 2 | 25 | 30 minutes |
The descriptive paper of the main exam consists of English Language( Letter writing and essay section). There are 2 questions from this section for which 30 minutes is allotted and it can fetch you 25 maximum marks.
After qualifying the prelims and mains examination successfully candidates have to go for an interview session. When cleared all these three sections a candidate is qualified for the post of Probationary Officer.
Bank Exam Pattern For SO
Prelims Exam Pattern For SO
Bank Prelims Exam Pattern For SO |
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Sr. No. | Name of Tests | No. of Questions |
Maximum Marks |
Medium of Exam | Duration |
1. | English Language | 50 | 25 | English | 40 minutes |
2. | Reasoning | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | 40 minutes |
3. | General Awareness with Special Reference to the Banking Industry |
50 | 50 | English and Hindi | 40 minutes |
Total | 150 | 125 | 120 minutes |
> For the Post of IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer
Bank Prelims Exam Pattern For SO |
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Sr. No. | Name of Tests | No. of Questions |
Maximum Marks |
Medium of Exam | Duration |
1. | English Language | 50 | 25 | English | 40 minutes |
2. | Reasoning | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | 40 minutes |
3. | Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | 40 minutes |
Total | 150 | 125 | 120 minutes |
Mains Exam Pattern For SO Posts
The Pattern for Mains Exam includes the Professional Knowledge for various Posts.
For the Posts of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer
Bank Mains Exam Pattern For SO |
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Name of the Test | No. of Questions |
Maximum Marks |
Medium of Exam |
Duration |
Professional Knowledge | 60 | 60 | English & Hindi | 45 minutes |
Bank Mains Exam Pattern For SO |
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Name of the Test | No. of Questions |
Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
Professional Knowledge (Objective) | 45 | 60 | English & Hindi | 30 minutes |
Professional Knowledge (Descriptive) | 2 | English & Hindi | 30 minutes |
Syllabus for Bank Exams 2024
Before starting the preparation for the examination, the wise thing to do is to know what exactly you have to study. Many a time students work hard, give ample amount of time but still fail to grab the selection. One of the reasons that we can figure out is that students generally don’t stick to the syllabus. They spend so much time solving a higher level of question that they forget that the first stage is prelims and the questions asked in it are of foundation to moderate level while in mains the level of questions is moderate to high. The majority of the students can’t qualify for the first stage because they don’t have the speed.
You shouldn’t give a mock test of a high difficulty level because it will serve no purpose for you. Knowing the syllabus and sticking to it is one of the golden rules that students need to learn and understand to ace the banking sector exams.
Generally, the syllabus of all the major banking exams remains the same. The direct links to view the syllabus of all the major exams conducted by IBPS are mentioned below:
Bank Exam Selection Procedure
Candidates must know the selection procedure of the various job profiles in the banking sector as it will shape their preparations for all the stages. Below is the Bank Selection Procedure for various posts
Bank Exam Selection Procedure |
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Posts | Selection Procedure |
Bank Clerk (Office Assistant) | The selection process of a Bank Clerk consists of only two stages:
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Bank PO (Probationary Officer) | The selection process of a Bank PO consists of 3 Stages:
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Bank SO (Specialist Officer) | The recruitment of a Bank SO will consist of two stages:
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