How to Become a Probationary Officer in Bank?

Probationary Officer BANK EXAM, one of the most sought out examinations in the banking sector, which aims at placing young graduates under the various leading banks is getting more popular each year. Every year more than 20 lakh aspirants appear for the Bank PO examination for the post of probationary officer in 17 public sector banks in India and other private sector banks.

Covering of the below topics will give you a broad idea of the roles of a Probationary Officer, the exam, eligibility criteria, and most importantly the salary and growth aspects.

• Role of a Bank PO
• Bank PO Exam
• Bank PO Syllabus
• Bank PO Salary
• Bank PO Eligibility
• Bank PO Preparation
• Bank PO Career Growth

Let us dive into the details on how to become a Probationary Officer in the bank!

The notification is available on the official website, www.ibps.in, with clear instructions for the candidates applying for the examination.

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Role of a Bank PO

Functioning as a public relations officer: The prior thing an officer learns is providing service to customers. You are required to address all the customer related issues. A PO needs to keep track of the latest product schemes and the needs of the customers.

Assisting/Clerical Work: To get acclimatized with the highly diverse work, you can get assigned with clerical as well as assisting jobs. You will be trained in transaction software and familiarized with other operations to manage the post of a cashier etc:

Managerial tasks: Verification of clerical work, managing cash balances and making beneficiary decisions for the bank are important managerial tasks of a PO. Planning, budgeting, marketing, loan approval, and investment management is entrusted to you on the basis of your personal skills and aptitude, once you gain enough experience.

Maintaining Records and proper communication and being up to date on Bank reports: A PO is required to generate the reports related to the deposits, ledgers, withdrawals, etc. to prevent any discrepancies at the end of the day. Maintaining official communication is also a major part of SBI PO job work, which requires the PO to keep a well-maintained official interaction between the customers and other departments.

Bank PO exam

Every year all the government, as well as the private banks, conduct Bank PO exams to recruit young officers. A Probationary Officer is basically an Assistant Manager of Scale I grade in a bank. After the selection criteria are completed, the probation period of a PO may last for 2 years for intensive training at an Institute of Banking Management. Bank PO examination is conducted for the post of probationary officer in 17 public sector banks in India by IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) and SBI known as SBI PO exams mainly. Some of the major banks which recruit for PO’s are:

• Allahabad Bank
• Bank of India
• Bank of Maharashtra
• Canara Bank
• Corporation Bank
• Indian Bank
• Oriental Bank of Commerce
• UCO Bank
• Union Bank of India

Bank PO Syllabus

IBPS PO EXAMINATION PATTERN

The selection is conducted in three phases:

• Tier 1 or IBPS Preliminary Exam and
• Tier 2 or IBPS Mains Exam.
• Which is followed by an interview

Candidates selected after the first two examinations get eligible for the interview, on the basis of which a merit list is published based on the candidate’s performance. The ones who make it to the list are selected for the post of PO.

Cut-off Score:

Each candidate must obtain

• a minimum score in each test of the Online Main examination and also
• a minimum total score to be shortlisted for the interview.

Penalty for Wrong Answers:

There will be a penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests for both – Preliminary and Main examination. For a wrong answer given by the candidate, 0.25 marks will be deducted

The syllabus of Bank PO exam is designed to assess the candidate’s aptitude as well as his general awareness.

The preliminary paper is divided into three sections-

• Quantitative Aptitude,
• Reasoning and
• Verbal Ability.

The mains paper contains five sections namely

• General Awareness
• Computer Knowledge
• Quantitative Aptitude
• Reasoning
• Verbal Ability.

This pattern again differs from bank to bank.

Bank PO salary

The payment made to probationary officers can be described as more than substantial or quite ginormous. The basic pay of an SBI PO is Rs 23,700. In addition to this basic pay, the officers are also eligible for Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance, special allowance, etc. The total salary thus amounts to Rs 40,239 per month.

The salary is almost the same for POs of almost all the banks. There might be a slight variation in the figure with respect to some banks.

 Bank PO Eligibility

• Age:

Minimum: 20 years

Maximum: 30 years

Age relaxation of 5 years is given to candidates belonging to SC and ST. the candidates belonging to OBC categories are given an age relaxation of 3 years. The ex-servicemen and the candidates holding Jammu and Kashmir quota are also given an age relaxation of 5 years.

• Educational Qualifications:

A Degree (Graduation) in any discipline from a Government recognized university or any equivalent qualification recognized by the Central Government. Candidates should have verbal and written proficiency in the official language of the State/UT. The candidate should be able to read, write and speak the language.

Bank PO preparation

Obviously, you would have gotten a general idea of how prestigious and how competent the exam would be. All you need is a systematic proper preparation keeping in mind the current pattern and Bank PO syllabus. You can either prepare for the exam on your own or consider a coaching institute for your preparation. Opting for e-books & Test Series is another option to prepare for bank PO exams.

You can access our mock test series for the IBPS PO exam from here!.

Bank PO Career Growth

The position of PO gives tremendous promotion opportunities within a span of 3-5 years to its employees at a very fast rate with the systematic procedure of conducting promoting examinations every year and interviews. An employee with an upgraded skillset and knowledge is promoted or even sent abroad to experience banking globally! PO provides the golden chance to gain concrete skills in finance management and, giving you one of the best career opportunities in the banking field in India. The salary packages and perks you get are alluring along with job security.

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