With the SBI PO prelims coming to an end, the journey towards an officer job in State bank of India has only reached half way.After the prelims results, the action shifts to phase II in SBI PO recruitment 2017 for 2300 vacancies, which is the main examination.So here we explain on how to prepare for SBI PO main exams with the available books & mock tests.
The SBI PO prelims results are to be released on May 17 & only those who secure the necessary cutoffs in prelims will qualify for the mains.
As the main examination scores will be considered for final merit list, candidates are required to perform well and post high scores inorder to push aside the competition.
SBI PO Main Exam on June 4 – See Pattern
The SBI PO main examination pattern has not changed and is the same like previous year.Make sure to understand the paper structure first as we explain it below.
Some of the important points you need to note are:
- Negative marks of 0.25 will be reduced for each wrong answer in objective test
- Objective paper is for 3 hours & total marks are 200 for 155 questions.
- There is a time limit for each section.
Descriptive test should also be answered online, on the same day immediately after completing the objective papers.
Time Limit for Each Section: Gone are the days when you can choose any section to answer.As part of the revised pattern, there is a time limit for each section within which the questions should be answered.
Once the duration set for that specific paper is over, the system will automatically proceed to the next section.
In what order should I attend the papers?
Candidates have to attend the questions in the following order only, which is already set by the system:
Default order: General awareness > English language > Reasoning > Data Interpretation
You cannot move to another section randomly, before the time for that specific section ends.
SBI PO Mains Study Materials
Qualifying in SBI PO mains alone is not important but you need to score more in order to get shortlisted for Interviews.
We recommed the following SBI PO mains books and online practice tests, that will help you to prepare and revise extensively.
* SBI PO Mains Exam Guide – Click here to buy online for Rs.261
* SBI PO Mains Online Mock Tests (for practice) – Click here to buy for Rs.499
Cutoffs to Score in SBI PO Mains
To qualify in SBI PO mains, candidates should pass in each objective test paper by securing the necessary sectional & total cutoffs.Similarly, the descriptive test will also carry a separate cutoff.
The total score in both tests would be taken into account in preparing the merit list for GD/ interviews.
The SBI PO previous year cutoffs on total score were
- General: 90
- OBC: 87.25
- SC: 78
- ST: 78.75
Since the SBI PO 2017 also follows the same pattern like last year, the cutoff scores could be in the above range only.
Therefore, concentrate on attempting as many answers as possible because accuracy plays an important role in sbi recruitments.
Aim for 90+ attempts: Of the total 155 questions, aim to attend atleast 90+ questions correctly with 100% accuracy to stay in safe zone.
How to prepare for SBI PO Mains in 20 Days?
With the main exams scheduled to happen on June 4, there are only 10 days remaining to get prepared.
So a common study plan for SBI PO main exams wont help as the time is less & each person will prefer to study at their own pace during these days.
Steps to Follow: Hence we are giving some steps that you can follow to maximize the preparations within this short duration.
# 1: The two easy to score papers are: General awareness, Marketing, Computers & General Awareness.Start by preparing them first.
# 2: Look at your preliminary test scores & find which sections you need to improve.
# 3: Practice questions from those sections everyday for atleast an hour.Don’t think of revising them on the last day.
We recommend Oliveboard`s SBI PO Mains Mock Tests for Rs.499 – Click here to buy
# 4: Reasoning section carries the maximum duration of 60 minutes.So questions could be of higher level which means you need to allot more time in practicing different types of reasoning problems.
Preparing for Descriptive Test:
This 1 hour test shall have Letter writing & Essay question only.It carries 50 marks & you need to qualify in this test separately as well.
Checkout SBI PO descriptive test previous year question, cutoffs & paper pattern
Since descriptive test should be attended only on computer, follow these methods to practice.
1) Letter Writing: Open a MS-Word document & start writing letters to make yourselves comfortable in typing.You may also refer our article on how to write letters in SBI PO exams
2) Essay Writing: Read an article from newspapers or online news websites & try typing them in your own words.See the correct format of writing essays in exams
Since we only have limited time in hand, make sure to spend more time in doing practice exercises & revisions.