5 questions about IBPS PO/Clerk, SBI PO/Clerk, RBI Grade B
IBPS PO recruits for 11 public sector banks (excluding SBI). SBI PO recruits only for State Bank of India. The exam pattern is almost identical but SBI PO is generally considered slightly harder with higher cutoffs. SBI PO has a faster career progression and slightly higher initial pay. Both are excellent career options with similar job profiles.
Starting basic pay: Rs 36,000 (as of 2024 revision). With DA, HRA, and allowances, the take-home in a metro city is Rs 50,000-55,000. After 7 years, a PO typically reaches Manager rank with Rs 65,000-75,000 take-home. Additional benefits include pension, medical insurance, home loan at concessional rate, LTC, and performance bonuses. Annual CTC is Rs 9-10 lakhs initially.
Month 1: Master basics of Quant (percentage, ratio, DI) and Reasoning (seating, puzzles, syllogisms). Read newspaper daily for GA. Month 2: Topic-wise practice with timer. Start Banking Awareness (RBI policies, schemes). Take sectional tests. Month 3: Full-length mock tests (minimum 20). Revise GA capsules. Focus on speed — banking prelims give you 36 seconds per question.
Extremely important, especially for Mains. Banking Awareness carries 40 marks in PO Mains and can make or break your selection. Cover: RBI governors and committees, recent policy changes, financial inclusion schemes, BASEL III norms, types of accounts/loans, priority sector lending, and banking abbreviations. Most questions are factual — pure memorization with regular revision.
Yes, there is significant overlap. Quant, Reasoning, and English are common to both. The differences: Banking has Banking Awareness and sectional timing. SSC has Trigonometry and General Awareness with more static GK. Strategy: prepare the common subjects together, then dedicate exam-specific time for Banking Awareness (for banking) and Trigonometry + Static GK (for SSC).