A bank clerk is generally the front desk staff in a bank who deals directly with the customers. The clerical staff works at different counters of the bank according to the needs of the bank. Clerks are placed at the counters for cash deposit, cash withdrawal, savings, current deposit, retail loans, business loans, cheque clearance etc.
The clerical staff plays an important role in the bank and we will discuss some important tips in this article on how to crack the bank clerical exam.
The Common Written Exam (CWE) for recruitment of clerical staff in nationalized banks is conducted by IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) every year. The Common Written Exam is the most awaited and highly rated exam for banking sector every year. SBI conducts its own bank clerical exam.With the increasing number of aspirants, the competition for clerical exam has also increased. The CWE requires a focused and planned preparation to be cleared.
The written examination is conducted in two stages:
- Preliminary examination
- Main Examination
The preliminary examination consists of three sections namely Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and English. The Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude section carry 35 marks each and English section carries 30 marks.
The mains exam consists of five sections namely Reasoning (40 marks) English Language (40 marks) Quantitative Aptitude (40 marks) General Awareness (40 marks) Computer Knowledge (40 Marks).
Every part of the preliminary and main exam is important and the candidates need to prepare for each section separately. There is negative marking in this exam and 0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong answer.
Let’s discuss every part of the exam in detail:
Reasoning: The section of reasoning is a highly scoring part of the exam, so the candidates need to focus more on this section. The questions in reasoning part are of comprehensive type and candidates need to prepare and practice for the same. There are puzzles in the form of paragraph and 4 to 5 questions are to be answered based on that paragraph. The comprehension type reasoning if solved wrong, all your answers based on it will be wrong. So you need to solve this part with concentration and care. You should study more and more of Venn diagrams, coding, de-coding, problem-solving, seating arrangements, puzzles based on blood relation, arrangements and inequality type questions.
English Language: The English language is another important and scoring section of the CWE exam. In this part, candidates need to focus more on the selected topics like errors, fillers, comprehension, cloze test, Sentence Improvement, Comprehension Passage etc. The comprehension in this section is very lengthy, so one needs to manage the time effectively between reading the passage and answering the questions. Candidates are advised to prepare the English section properly as it is the very useful and scoring section of the exam.
Quantitative aptitude: Quantitative aptitude is also a very important section of the CWE exam. It plays the final role in the merit of the candidates. This part is more time taking than Reasoning and English. So the candidates need to manage the time well for solving the questions. The students should prepare the questions related to Data Interpretation, Number Series & Simplification, Decimal and Fractions, Simplification, Percentages, Ratio and Proportion, Averages, Interest (Simple and Compound), Profit and Loss, Time and distance, Problems on Sharing, Number Series Frequency polygon, Bar-diagram, Pie-chart.
General awareness: This section is very important and requires a lot of knowledge of the up to date facts, news and current affairs. Mostly the questions are asked from the current affairs related to banking and financial sector, science and technology, sports and culture. Candidates are advised to read magazines and newspaper daily to sharpen their axe on current affairs.
Computer knowledge: in this section 40 questions are asked from the fundamentals of computers. The students need to study the basics of computer such as generations of computers, input & output devices, MS office, internet applications, LAN, WAN, Modem, Computer Abbreviations, Modern-day Technology. This section is the easiest to score and less time taking as the questions are based on the basics of computers.
Here we are providing ten tips to crack the bank clerical examination:
Tip 1: The candidates should work hard as the level of CWE is higher than the other examinations. Make a plan of the syllabus and time to donate to study for each subject. Buy a good book for the preparation of bank clerical exam.
Tip 2: Regular study of the topics of General awareness, Computer science, and English language will help you crack the exam. Candidates should practice the questions of reasoning and quantitative aptitude to score high in merit.
Tip 3: Candidates should topic wise taking one topic at a time. Practice the sufficient number of questions so that all the topics are covered in time. All the topics should be covered at least ten days before the examination.
Tip 4: Candidates should refer different magazines to prepare the current affairs. They may also read Competition Success magazine for general awareness and current affairs. Do not refer to more than 3 magazines or newspapers to avoid the confusion.
Tip 5: Revision is very important of the preparation of any examination. The candidates should revise the entire syllabus after completing it once. You can make notes of the important points to revise in a short period of time.
Tip 6: Candidates should take mock tests to check their preparation level. For mock tests, you can join any institute of download it from the internet. Take online mock tests to practice like the actual exam and manage your time effectively.
Tip 7: Make a strategy to attempt the test in an orderly manner. Attempt the section first in which you are strong and last in which you are weak. Pay attention towards time during solving the questions. You should not waste time on the questions you don’t know.
Tip 8: If you are appearing in the CWE examination for the first time, it is advisable to take guidance from previous candidates who have cleared the exam. You can also take online advice from educational experts.
Tip 9: Candidates should refer to the previous papers and solve them to have the real idea of the pattern and difficulty level of the exam. Practicing the previous year papers will help you prepare better.
Tip 10: You should answer only the questions for which you know the correct answer. Answering the doubtful questions lead to negative marking and may drop your rank low in merit.
Candidates should prepare all the five sections with equal importance. If you are weak in any one section there are chances that you may not clear the exam. So it is advised to prepare all the sections and revise it before the exam keeping in mind the above-mentioned tips. The bank clerical examination if prepared with proper planning and regular practice of the topics in all sections can be cracked in the first attempt.
Also See
Bank Clerical Exam Preparation CDs | MCQ Question Bank with Solution