The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection - IBPS conducts the mass examination for the posts of Office Assistant and Officer Scale-I, II, III every year. All major Regional Rural Banks participate in the examination conducted by IBPS. If you, too, are going to participate in the IBPS RRB Exam, then this post is very important for you. Through this article, we will tell you what to do and what not to do to clear the Regional Rural Banking Recruitment Exam and how to do time management for the Bank Examination. Along with IBPS RRB preparation tips, we will also provide old bank exam papers. You just stay connected with us regularly.
🏦 IBPS RRB Overview (Office Assistant & Officer Scale I/II/III)
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts recruitment exams for:
- Office Assistant (Clerk)
- Officer Scale‑I (PO)
- Officer Scale‑II & III (Specialist/General Banking Officers)
All participating Regional Rural Banks recruit through this process
📅 IBPS RRB Exam Pattern – Stages & Structure
Officer Scale I (PO)
Three stages:
- Prelims (Online)
- Mains (Online)
- Interview
Office Assistant (Clerk)
Two stages, no interview: Prelims → Mains
Officer Scale II & III
Single written exam + Interview; no Prelims
Under IBPS RRB Exam, recruitment is done for the posts of Bank Clerk, Bank PO, and Bank SO, for which the candidate must have passed graduation.
🧠 Prelims Exam Pattern (Assistant & Scale I)
- 2 sections: Reasoning Ability & Quantitative Aptitude
- 80 questions total, 80 marks, 45 minutes (composite)
- Reasoning: 40 questions / 40 marks
- Quantitative: 40 questions / 40 marks
- Negative marking: –0.25 for each wrong answer
- Sectional and overall cut‑offs apply
📝 Mains Exam Pattern (Assistant & Scale I)
- 5 sections of objective-type questions, 200 marks total, 120 minutes
- Reasoning: 40 Q, 50 marks
- Quantitative Aptitude: 40 Q, 50 marks
- General Awareness: 40 Q, 40 marks
- English or Hindi: 40 Q, 40 marks
- Computer Knowledge: 40 Q, 20 marks
- Sections except languages are bilingual (English & Hindi)
- Same –0.25 negative marking
- Need to clear sectional cut‑offs
Reasoning | Total time of 2 hours | |||
General Awareness | ||||
Quantitative Aptitude | ||||
English/Hindi Language Knowledge (English/Hindi Language) | ||||
Computer Knowledge | ||||
200 | 200 |
(It will be mandatory to bring minimum marks in each section/subject in the preliminary and main examination of IBPS RRB. On attaining work marks in a single section, that candidate will not be considered a pass.)
🧑💼 Single Exam Pattern (Officer Scale II & III)
- 200 marks written test (no Prelims)
- Duration: 2 hours (2h 30m for Specialist Scale II)
- Sections:
- Reasoning
- Quantitative Aptitude & DI
- Financial Awareness
- English/Hindi
- Computer Knowledge
- Plus Professional Knowledge for Specialist roles
- Interview follows, and final selection is based on a combo of written & interview marks
📚 Detailed Syllabus (Prelims & Mains)
Reasoning
- Seating Arrangements (linear, circular, floor puzzles)
- Blood Relations
- Syllogisms
- Coding Inequalities / Mathematical Inequalities etc.
- Coding-Decoding
- Puzzles
- Directions & Distances
- Statement Conclusions
- Alphabet Series
- Classification
- Analytical Decision Making
- Ordering & Ranking
- Arrangement & Pattern
- Scheduling
- Double Lineup
- Assumptions
- Input‑Output
- Data Sufficiency
Quantitative Aptitude
- Arithmetic: Profit & Loss, Ratio & Proportion, Percentages, Time & Work, Time, Speed & Distance, Averages, SI & CI, etc.
- Data Interpretation (bar, line, pie, caselets)
- Algebra, Quadratic Equations
- Number Series
- Approximation & Simplification
- Data Sufficiency
- Mensuration
- Inference and Probability
- Number Series
- Permutation & Combination
- Number System
- Simplification
- Mix problems, etc.
General Awareness
- Banking terms and financial awareness
- Current affairs (last 6 months)
- Government schemes, RBI policies, Economic Survey, Budget
- Static GK: Countries/currencies, financial institutions, regulatory bodies, microfinance, BASEL norms
Other Things to Know: - Important days/dates
- Full forms / Abbr.
- Current Bank Rates
- Countries' Capital & Currency
- Census
- Banking Awareness and the Indian Financial System
- History and Structure of Indian Banking.
- Functions / Roles / History of regulatory bodies like RBI, SEBI, FSDC, IRDA, PFRDA, FMC, etc.
- Monetary & Credit Policies
- Budget information and current budget
- (International Organisations / Financial Institutions)
- Credit Rating Agencies, Financial Inclusion, Teaser Rates, GAAR, Priority Sector Lending etc.
- Capital Market & Money Market
- Information on government policies like Bharat Nirman, Swavalamban, etc. (Government Schemes - Bharat Nirman, Swavlamban, Swabhiman, etc.)
- Other imp. concepts like - Micro Finance, BASEL, Negotiable Instruments, Base Rate, etc.
- Computer Knowledge Course
- Shortcut keys
- Computer Abbreviations
- Internet (concept, history, work environment, application) - Internet (concept, history, working environment, application)
- History of Computers
- Software & Hardware
- Database - Database (introduction)
- Number System
- Microsoft Office & Windows (MS Windows & MS Office)
- Security System Tools, Virus, etc. (Security Tools, Virus, Hacker)
- Communication - Basic Introduction
- Networking - Networking (LAN, WAN), etc.
- English Language Knowledge (English Language)
- Spotting Errors
- Jumbled words
- Fill in the blanks
- Idioms and Phrases
- Comprehension
- Commonly Misspelled Words
- Phrase substitution
- Jumbled up sentences
- Cloze Tests
- One-word Substitution etc.
- Hindi Language Knowledge (Hindi Language)
- Grammar
- Fill in the blank
- Common mistakes etc.
English / Hindi Language
- Reading Comprehension, Cloze Tests
- Error Spotting, Sentence Rearrangement, One‑word Substitution
- Synonyms/Antonyms, Idioms & Phrases, Fill in the Blanks
Computer Knowledge
- Basics of hardware/software, OS, networking, Internet
- MS Office, shortcut keys, security threats, database fundamentals, history of computers
Financial Awareness (Officer Scale II & III)
- Monetary & fiscal policies
- RBI circulars, priority sector lending, banking structure and history
- Capital & money markets, rating agencies, Indian financial system, government schemes
Professional Knowledge (Specialist Scale II)
- IT Officers: DBMS, programming, networking, security
- Law Officers: Banking laws, constitution, regulations
- Agriculture / CA / Marketing: discipline-specific knowledge
🧰 Smart Preparation Tips
In the IBPS RRB exam, where there is a golden opportunity for all the students preparing for a job in the bank, there is also stiff competition in view of the number of candidates and the number of vacancies. Where you have to pass the 2 written tests and fall in the proficiency category, while at the same time you have to score more than the minimum marks in each section.
- Master the fundamentals first- prioritise reasoning and arithmetic basics before tackling mocks.
- Do regular study- To pass the IBPS RRB Exam, you will have to study regularly. Only your hard work and regular study can help in passing you.
- Time management & sectional strategy- allocate fixed minutes per section and practice sticking to it.
- Avoid guesswork- negative marking penalises wrong answers. Attempt only confident ones. There is a provision for negative marking of 25% in each stage of the IBPS RRB examination.
- Take full-length mocks routinely- to simulate exam conditions and identify weak areas. Solving questions on time in the exam is also an important task. Many times the candidate does not know how to solve the questions due to a lack of practice. Solving Mock question papers gives you information about time management, and by the same self-assessment, you also know the shortcomings in your subject category.
- Stay updated on banking and current affairs- spend 30 minutes daily on news and schemes.
- Revision is key- compile short notes for formulas, shortcuts, and current affairs.
- Focus on language comprehension and computer basics- often overlooked but scoring sections.
- Give enough time to each section: There are many times that the candidate gives more time to the section of his choice and in the end, the time to solve the other section is less. You have to give a minimum time for each section. You should give extra time to any other section only after giving the minimum time to each section. If you do not score a minimum in any section, you will be deemed to be unsuccessful. Do not let the psychological pressure of IBPS RRB coming in the final phase dominate you.
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Entrance Exams