Banking jobs are a fantastic career option, and lakhs of aspirants apply for the probationary officer (PO) exam. You must apply for the IBPS PO exam to work in a public sector bank. Although the preliminary exams of the PO must be cleared, the main examination can determine the ranking and qualify for the interview or group discussion stage. But before you begin your preparations, you must be well-informed about the IBPS PO mains syllabus. The main exam patterns comprise the English language section (objective and descriptive), data analysis and interpretation, reasoning, computer attitude, and general awareness. And to ace the sections, you must avoid a few things. Due to the below reasons, many aspirants fail to pass the IBPS PO exams.
- Not knowing the tough competition: Since the IBPS PO is a competitive exam, it is obvious the competition will be much higher than expected. After all, the vacancies are in the thousands and lakhs of banking aspirants apply for this exam. According to a website, the IBPS announced more than 6000 vacancies for the probationary officer position in 2022. Another website stated that 5.74 lakh candidates registered in 2022, out of which 4.37 lakh candidates gave the exam. With such statistics, you can conclude that the competition is tough. So, it would be best if you did not take this examination lightly. It is a prime reason aspirants or candidates fail to qualify for the exam. Besides the tough competition, the selection rate depends on the sectional cut-offs and performance. Hence, it is necessary to be aware of the rising competition if working in a bank is a desired career option.
- Unable to manage time: To clear the main exams, you must manage your time effectively. Many aspirants fail to clear them because they don’t spend an hour or two learning and practising daily. It gives the candidates anxiety and decreases their self-confidence. Well, it is necessary to solve the quantitative aptitude section within a stipulated time. For each question in the section, you can attain at least half a minute according to the overall duration. And if you find solutions in a minute or minute and a half, you have learned to manage time efficiently.
- Making incorrect guesses: In the IBPS PO mains, it is essential to skip the question if you need more clarification. That’s because the PO examinations comprise a negative marking of 0.25 marks. For instance, you will lose two marks if you attempt eight wrong questions. Like time, marks are precious too. Gaining two more marks might allow you to be neck-and-neck with the topper of the exam. Therefore, it is vital to avoid guessing in the PO examination, as it is another significant reason for failure.
- Neglecting the previous year’s question papers and mock tests: It is crucial to practise the question papers of the previous years and the mock tests. After all, passing the competitive exams requires a lot of hard work and practice. And you must focus on your IBPS PO mains syllabus. For instance, if you have prepared for the exams but have to test your speed and accuracy, you will have to solve the mock tests and the previous year’s papers. After solving them, you can calculate the scores and understand your mistakes, allowing you to practise them again. You can solve other question papers and give more tests to compare your scores. So, as an aspirant, if you don’t want to fail, you must solve mock tests and previous year’s papers.
Conclusion
Besides the reasons mentioned above, inappropriate study material, being unaware of the exam pattern and attempting challenging questions first are other reasons aspirants fail to clear the banking exams. So, you must consider such points and take steps to avoid exam failure.