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Time is the common element of any exam, which is equally received by all candidates. Also, Time is the main concern for all objective competitive examinations, whether it be online or offline. In an online test, the concern becomes clearer, when you see the time running on the screen! But many students are cracking the exam, at the same time provided to you! Then why are you not able to pass the test, not able to attempt as many questions that you have solved while practicing or preparing? The answer is simple, you haven’t scheduled the time. The correct time management skills are to be made for the online examinations. In this article let us focus on the SBI PO and Clerk Time Management strategies.
State Bank of India conducts recruitment examinations every year to various posts like Clerk and Probationary Officers. The SBI exams are having glamour, as it is one of the highest-paid public sector-banking jobs in the country. Of the lakhs of candidates applying for the examination, and attending the preliminary phase, only thousands will reach the Mains exam. This number is again reduced when it comes to those attending interviews. The students who are there on the final list will have achieved this because of the proper time strategies they focused on for the prelims and mains.
SBI PO and Clerk Time Management
Before making master plans for the preparation, the aspirants should have a basic idea regarding the examinations, they are going to attend such as:
Understand the Examination
As the exam is online, the first thing to be aware of is understanding the interface. It is often seen among the candidates who attend exams for the first time that they won’t take any mock exams and take them in a simple way like they attend their college exams. But, this is a totally different approach! So, have a basic understanding of the SBI PO and SBI Clerical cadre examination, when it is usually announced, periodicity of the exam, when is the prelims and mains held, is there an interview for the posts, what is job profile for clerk, what is the salary for PO, that is all the basics about the post of your interest.
Know the Time available for the Exam – Prelims and Mains
The next, is our matter of focus, to reach our goal – the time allotted. Time included for all the spheres of examinations:
- The application time period – Apply before the last date, and try to avoid the rush. Apply soon and start your preparation calmly.
SBI Clerk Examination Dates 2021
- The preparation time period – This time period is very crucial. To have a study plan for your exam, understand the examination pattern for the prelims and Mains of Clerk and PO. The complete syllabus for the Clerk and Probationary Officer 2021 is available on our page.
Complete Syllabus for SBI Clerk
SBI PO Prelims Exam Pattern
| SI. No. | Subjects (Objective) | Total No. of Questions | Total Marks | Duration of Exam |
| 1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes for each subject |
| 2 | Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | |
| 3 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | ||
SBI PO Mains Exam Pattern
| SI. No. | Subjects | Total No. of Questions | Total Marks | Duration of Exam |
| 1 | Reasoning and
Computer Aptitude |
45 | 60 | 60
minutes |
| 2 | Data Analysis
& Interpretation |
35 | 60 | 45
minutes |
| 3 | General/Economy/
Banking Awareness |
40 | 40 | 35
minutes |
| 4 | English Language | 35 | 40 | 40
minutes |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 180
minutes |
In addition to the mains examination, there will be a Descriptive Test for the PO examination. It will be a Test of English Language consisting of Letter Writing & Essay writing. The test will have two questions for 50 marks. Those who clear the descriptive tests can only attend the interview.
SBI Clerk Preliminary Exam Pattern
| SBI Clerk Subjects | No. of questions | Marks | Time Duration |
| English language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Numerical ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
SBI Clerk Mains Exam Pattern
| SBI Clerk Subjects | No. of questions | Marks | Duration |
| General/ Financial awareness | 50 | 50 | 35 minutes |
| General English | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| Quantitative aptitude | 50 | 50 | 45 minutes |
| Reasoning ability and computer aptitude | 50 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| Total | 190 | 200 | 2 hours and 40 minutes |
Along with that, the correct and scheduled use of this time available for the preparation of all the above topics will help you to schedule the time for your examination.
Practice Sectional Mock Exams for Upcoming SBI Clerk Exams 2021-22
Time available to attend the examination – Prelims and Mains
Many aspirants don’t know that there is a sectional timing! The sectional timing for each section, the subjects and topics included for prelims, and mains all these are to be the first priority.
So, from the above tables for the examination pattern, aspirants may have an understanding of the exam duration:
SBI Clerk
- Preliminary – 60 minutes
- Mains – 2 hours and 40 minutes
SBI PO
- Prelims – 60 minutes
- Mains – 180 minutes
SBI Clerk and PO Time Management Strategies
1: What does the acronym "ATM" stand for in banking?
Whether it is SBI PO time management or sometimes SBI Clerk preparation strategies, the common element is the subjects. For both exams, the topics to be covered are more or less the same, and the only difference is in the level of questions. For the clerical cadre, the level of question will be easier than that of PO. Let us discuss some of the time management strategies you can follow during the preparation phase or during the examination.
Cover the Subjects -Prelims and Mains
Try to cover the whole syllabus. Aspirants can download the syllabus from the link provided above. It is advised to cover the whole syllabus because questions asked in each shift will be different and the areas focused on can also change. If it is difficult to cover the whole, try focusing on the repeatedly asked section, and don’t skip those topics.
Know Strong Areas
It is important to divide your strong and weak portions. The more confident topics you are having are to be practiced and the weak portions are not to be neglected. Include more time for the weak topics in your study plan and try to improve them.
Neglect the Hard Nut!
As the exam is sectional and sometimes you can’t choose the section of your choice, the selection of questions among the sections is very important. Many students try on questions in the same sequence of exams, and spend more time on those which are hard nuts! It is very important to have a mind to neglect the time-consuming questions. So, it is better you take one minute, of the whole sectional time duration, to scroll through the sectional questions.
Cut Off Score and Negative Marks
Always keep in mind the previous cut-off marks, and keep a target for yourself. And, if it is a difficult paper, obviously the cut-off score will be less. So, in a hurry to solve maximum questions, never add negative marks.
Tips for SBI Clerk and PO Time Management
The tips for SBI clerk time management as well as for the PO includes:
Check the subjects for each phase of both Clerk and PO
Never keep mains preparation after the prelims result. It is a common practice that, a separate preparation for prelims and mains. The preparation can be started together. The prelims exams will be simpler than the mains.
Rely on Short cuts
The approach with shortcuts will help candidates to save time. Like for remembering the squares, cubes, cube roots, square roots, multiplication, division, etc. The profit and loss, percentages, data interpretation, etc., can be solved easily and save time. Similarly, for the
Speed and accuracy
This is the real concern for many aspirants. How to improve speed? Practice – no other simple shortcut available for developing speed. Practice maximum sectional mocks, topi-wise mocks, 10 minutes tests, 30-minute tests, etc. Entri App is providing the latest pattern of questions included in each topic. After each test, check the number of questions attempted and wrongly answered. Record these so you can make an assessment of improvements. The more you practice questions; the accuracy of answers will be improved.
Mock Exams and Previous Question papers
The unavoidable part. How many equations, shortcuts, memory tricks do you practice, without mock test practice, nothing will be worth it! For both SBI PO and Clerk there are a thousand full-length mock tests available. Aspirants should attend a minimum of one full length and 2-3 sectional mock of interest. And attend the mock in one go, approach it in the seriousness of the exam, and take full time allotted. After submission, go through the resulting analytics in the app. Check the marks, negatives, areas to be improved.
Aspirants can get the SBI PO 2021-22 Prelims and Mock test series, click here.
Improve Vocabulary and Grammar
English can be improved by reading English newspapers daily. This really helps you with the vocabulary, grammar, and sentences. The passage comprehension in the prelims also can be improved by this routine.
Previous Exam Analysis
Exam analysis provided on our page will help aspirants to get an idea of the number of questions asked from each topic, the difficulty level of examination, etc. And accordingly, aspirants can prioritize the order of topics and questions that are to be answered.
SBI exams are comparatively tougher than the other banking examinations. The cracking of the online examination is based on the precision and speed of candidates in solving questions. Each section is relevant and you can’t skip any! Hope the article benefited you with some of the facts about the time and its importance in the SBI PO and Clerk examinations. Remember the old proverb, Time and Tide wait for none! So, now, it’s your turn to follow the strategies and make your own time strategies for SBI banking jobs.
