Bank PO at a glance

Conducting body

SBI (for SBI PO); IBPS - Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (for PSB PO recruitment via IBPS PO); RBI (for RBI Grade B Officer)

Full form

Bank Probationary Officer (SBI PO + IBPS PO + RBI Grade B)

What is the Bank PO exam format?

Duration: Prelims: 1 hour (Mains: 3 hours+) - both computer-based

Scoring: +1 per correct (varies by section); -0.25 negative marking. Sectional cutoffs apply.

• Preliminary (SBI / IBPS) - Quantitative Aptitude

  20 min

  35 questions on arithmetic, DI, simplification, number series.

• Preliminary - Reasoning Ability

  20 min

  35 questions on puzzles, seating arrangements, syllogisms, blood relations.

• Preliminary - English Language

  20 min

  30 questions on reading comprehension, error spotting, cloze test, para jumbles.

• Mains - adds Data Interpretation + Analysis, General Awareness (Banking focus), and a Descriptive (essay + letter) section

  3-4 hours total Mains

  Mains questions are harder; cutoffs decisive.

What does my Bank PO score mean?

Top 10 percentile in Prelims + clear Mains cutoff

Strong call for SBI PO Interview / IBPS PO PI rounds. Final selection based on Mains marks + Interview.

Prelims pass + low Mains score

Cut at Mains stage; consider next cycle. Many candidates take 2-3 cycles to clear given the competition (~25,000 SBI PO seats annually for ~30 lakh applicants).

RBI Grade B Phase 2 clearance

More selective than SBI / IBPS PO - only ~300-500 selections annually. Stronger Economics + Finance focus in Mains sections.

How does T.I.M.E. Coimbatore teach Bank PO?

Batch types

Classroom (full-time) • Classroom (weekend / evenings for working candidates) • Online live • Test-series only

Course duration

6-12 months for foundation-to-test track; quicker iteration for repeat candidates

Mock series

Year-round Bank PO mock series - Prelims + Mains specific to SBI / IBPS / RBI patterns

Many Bank PO aspirants are recent graduates targeting government-sector job security or professionals shifting from private to public sector. T.I.M.E.'s prep cycles align to the three major annual notifications (SBI in August, IBPS in September, RBI in April). Fee structure: please enquire below.

Which Bank PO exam should I prioritise?

SBI PO is the most prestigious (largest single recruitment, ~25k seats, premier public-sector bank). IBPS PO covers ~12 public-sector banks combined (Bank of Baroda, PNB, Canara Bank, etc.) with separate cycles. RBI Grade B is the most selective and gates Reserve Bank careers - best for finance / economics-strong candidates. Many aspirants apply to all three.

Is the Bank PO career still worth pursuing?

Public-sector banking offers career stability, structured progression, and reasonable compensation (Rs 12-18 LPA at 5-7 years; Rs 25-30 LPA at managerial levels). Less aggressive than private-sector banking but more secure. For risk-averse graduates from non-elite engineering / commerce backgrounds, Bank PO remains competitive vs private sector entry-level offers.

What's the role of the Interview round?

Mains-clear candidates go through a 25-30 minute panel interview covering banking awareness, current affairs, candidate's background, and behavioural assessment. The interview is decisive - strong Mains scores can fail at this stage with weak interview performance. T.I.M.E. includes mock interview rounds in our final prep phase.