Banking Sector these days attract candidates from around the country because of the benefits it proves. And Bank PO job is the most prestigious and sought-after job profile in this sector, because of its high salary and perks, whether it be SBI PO or IBPS PO. Then, qualifying for the IBPS PO exam is a tough task, as lakhs of candidates apply for the recruitment posts released by the various banks every year.
With the increasing competition, it has also become increasingly important to leave no stone unturned in its preparation.
As far as the difficulty level of the IBPS PO exam is concerned, it depends upon the two major factors:
It is hard to define the difficulty level of the IBPS PO exam accurately because every candidate has his or her own strengths and weaknesses and the ability to perform in different circumstances. But one thing can be said about it. The candidate who does proper preparation along with testing his or her abilities via Mock Tests finds it easy to moderate.
Take a look at the selection process to know how many stages are involved in the exam:
| Stage 1 | Prelims Exam |
| Stage 2 | Mains Exam |
| Stage 3 | IBPS PO Interview |
| IBPS PO 2021 Provisional Allotment |
The IBPS PO Prelims exam tests a candidate with 100 questions of Objective type (MCQ). In the second stage, you will have to face Objective questions (MCQ) of 200 + 25 marls of Objective (MCQ) nature, except for the English Descriptive Paper. The last stage, the interview, will test you with Verbal questions of 100 Marks.
The prelims exam of IBPS PO consists of a total of 100 questions with a time duration of 60 minutes.
| S. No. | Name of Test | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| 3 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
Note: As per the official IBPS website, Candidates have to qualify in each of the three tests by securing minimum cut-off marks to be decided by IBPS. An adequate number of candidates in each category as decided by IBPS depending upon requirements will be shortlisted for Online Main Examination. Preliminary Exam Scores are not taken into account while making the final merit list.
IBPS PO Mains exam also entertains Multiple Choice type questions with a slightly higher difficulty level. The Number of questions and the duration of the Exam is higher as compared to the Prelims Exam. In addition, there is also a negative marking of 0.25 in the IBPS PO Main exam for every incorrect answer you will give. Take a look at the table given below to know the No. of Questions asked and the time duration allowed to answer each section of the IBPS PO Mains Exam.
| S. No. | Section Name | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1 | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 minutes |
| 2 | English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 minutes |
| 3 | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| 4 | General Economy & Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 3 Hours | |
| 5 | English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) | 2 | 25 | 30 minutes |
Note: As per the official IBPS website, IBPS reserves the right to modify the structure of the examination which will be intimated through its authorized website. Other detailed information regarding the examination will be given in an Information Handout, which will be made available for the candidates to download along with the call letters from the authorized IBPS website.
IBPS conducts PO exams for 23 public sector Banks of India, the exams are conducted through IBPS PO. As per the experts and teachers, the candidate who cracked the SBI PO would find the IBPS PO exam comparatively easier taking into care the difficulty level of questions asked in both the exams. Also, based on the exam reviews given by the students who appeared in both the exams, it can be said that the IBPS PO exam is easier than the SBI PO. Plus, the number of seats released by the SBI for PO is always less than the seats available for the IBPS PO, as far as the number of candidates opting for the exam is concerned.
The career growth for SBI PO and IBPS PO is almost similar.
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Mock Tests are the best key to unlocking the door to success! Hence, you need to attempt Mock Tests regularly to make your success journey easy!
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