The IBPS PO 2016 preliminary exam has begun & many candidates have appeared on the first day itself.So here is the IBPS PO prelims 2016 exam review that will help those appearing for tests in the next shifts.You all know that the qualifiers of this test are only eligible to take the main exam.Hence we have also listed the expected cutoffs based on inputs.
The IBPS PO preliminary examination is held for recruitment of PO (officers) in public sector banks.It is scheduled to happen on October 16, 22, 23 & 27th at various centres across India in different time slots.
As per the IBPS PO preliminary exam pattern, you are required to 100 objective type questions in 1 hour.This online test will have 3 sections – English, Quantitative Aptitude & Reasoning Ability.
UPDATE: IBPS PO Prelims Exam 2016 results are declared.Check them here.
This online facility to view your IBPS PO prelims results will be active till November 11th
IBPS PO Prelims Review: Not Easy Though
After the test was complete, we got in touch with some candidates & coaching institutes to share their IBPS PO prelims exam review.
October 16: On this day, many termed the paper was easy to moderate.English & Reasoning sections were considered difficult by majority of people.
October 22 & 23: The overall difficulty level of test across all the shifts was viewed as moderate to difficult.Like the previous shift, questions in english section were tough for many candidates.
Though majority of questions were from expected chapters, few problems in quantitative aptitude was taking too long to solve.Due to this, candidates had to allot more time in understanding it & use appropriate method to arrive at the correct answer.
A statement mentioned by lot of aspirants is “English was the most difficult part among the 3 sections.”
The breakup of questions from the paper are given below.
Quantitative Aptitude: As usual, the problems in quants consumed time because of its calculative nature.It had questions from:
- Number series – 5
- Approximations – 5
- Data interpretation – 10 (5 from tabular representations & 5 from graph)
- Quadratic equations – 5
- Other topics – 10 (Profit Loss, Partnerships, Average,Time & Work, CI/ SI, Average, Ratio, Proportion, Percentage, Boats & Stream.
Good number of attempts: 16 – 25
Reasoning: It had a total of 35 questions, which were quite easy (except puzzles) & many are confident to score good marks in this section.
- Puzzles & Arrangments: 15 – 20 (circular, floor, linear etc.,)
- Direction Sense 3 -5
- Inequalities: 5
- Syllogism: 5
- Blood relation: 3 – 5
Good number of attempts: 15 – 22
English: This part was the toughest among all sections for most candidates as questions were difficult & had to spend time in choosing the correct answers.
- Reading comprehension: 5 – 7
- Cloze test: 8 – 10
- Error spotting: 10
- Parajumbles: 5
- No synonyms/ antonyms in few shifts
Good number of attempts: 9 – 15
Eventhough majority of candidates agreed that the paper was moderate, lack of time was a general complaint from everyone.
Hence we can confidently say that like previous years, time management holds the key on whether an individual gets shortlisted for IBPS PO mains or not.
Expected IBPS PO Prelims Cutoffs
Predicting cutoff scores for a common bank exam written by over 10 lakh people is absolutely not possible.
But by looking at previous or similar tests & taking those factors into account, we have managed to pinpoint the range within which the cutoffs could fall.
Safe Attempts: Most have attended between 38 – 50 questions correctly while very few managed to complete 60+ questions.
If you are looking for the IBPS PO prelims expected cutoffs, we hope it could fall in the following region:
Section-wise:
English: 4 – 8
Reasoning: 8 – 12
Quantitative aptitude: 6 – 11
Total Cutoffs (expected):
| General | 35 – 42 |
| OBC | 33 – 41 |
| SC | 28 – 32 |
| ST | 20 -28 |
Accuracy: All those who were cool during the course of the test inspite of the short time can secure decent scores.The reason why I say this is because of negative marks.
Do read: How many will qualify in IBPS PO prelims & when are the results?
Candidates who rushed to complete at the last minute may find their scores going down further as their no. of wrong answers increase.Therefore it could be a close call for many individuals.
What`s your Experience?
How did you perform in the prelims? Where do you think the cutoffs will head?
Share the attempts & areas to concentrate with other readers so that those appearing for next week will find it useful