How To Prepare for SBI PO 2020-2021 Prelims: The State Bank of India is conducting the PO exam to fill up vacancies for the post of Probationary Officer. In 2020-2021, the Prelims exam is being conducted on 31 Dec 2020 & 02, 04, 05 Jan 2021 in centres across the country. Reportedly, around 10 lakh candidates register and vie for the top position every year. Candidates must be well prepared for this highly competitive recruitment exam. The Prelims exam consist of three papers i.e. English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability. We are providing very useful preparation tips & tricks for SBI PO 2020-2021 Prelims here in this read. Read this article to know how to prepare for SBI PO 2020-2021 Prelims.
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SBI PO 2020-2021 Prelims
The Prelims (Phase I) exam of SBI PO 2020-2021 recruitment is qualifying in nature. The all objective type question paper carries 100 marks. Candidates have to solve 100 objective type questions carrying 1 mark each in a duration of 1 hour. Negative marking of 1/4 marks is applicable to every incorrect answer.
Check out the schedule of events related to SBI PO 2020-2021 here below
| SBI PO 2020-2021 | Date |
| Start of online registration | 14 Nov 2020 |
| End of online registration | 04 Dec 2020 |
| Prelims Admit Card | 3rd week of Dec 2020 |
| Phase I Exam Date (Prelims) | 31 Dec 2020 & 02, 04, 05 Jan 2021 |
| Results of Prelims | 3rd week of Jan 2021 |
| Final result | Last week of Mar 2021 |
SBI PO 2020-2021 Prelims Marks Distribution
Check out the distribution of marks & questions across sections here and read about section wise preparation tips in this article.
| Name of Test | No. of Questions | Duration |
| English Language | 30 | 20 mins |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 20 mins |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 20 mins |
| Total | 100 | 1 hour |
How To Prepare for SBI PO 2020-2021 Prelims – English Language?
The section on English language consist of 30 questions but is a relatively easy scoring section. Therefore, candidates must sharpen their language skills to post a high number of good attempts in this section.
#1: Make reading in English a daily habit. Reading an English daily can help increase vocabulary as candidates will learn new words and their use in speech.
#2: Grab a grammar workbook to practice the basic rules of English grammar. Focus on topics such as tense which form the foundation of sensible sentence formation in the language.
#3: Use a dictionary to learn the meaning of newly learnt words. Use these words to construct meaningful sentences in English to understand their correct usage. Error detection questions are asked in the English section.
#4: Try to learn the antonyms and synonyms of any word newly learnt. Write these down in short notes and revise frequently.
#5: Practice solving English mock tests and previous year papers of SBI PO Prelims. Develop a time management strategy as securing a high number of good attempts is the key to crack this section.
How To Prepare for SBI PO 2020-2021 Prelims – Quantitative Aptitude?
The Quantitative Aptitude is a practice intensive section. 35 questions are asked in this section and candidates must answer them in 20 minutes. Needless to say candidates have to be fast with mental calculations and visualizations. Here are some important tips for Quantitative Aptitude.
#1: Candidates have to practice quantitative aptitude problems to be able to solve the paper within 20 minutes time. Previous year question papers of SBI PO prelims can be referred to for a better understanding of the questions.
#2: Referring to the previous year papers of SBI PO, candidates must identify topics that are conventionally included in the Quantitative Aptitude section. Candidates must focus more on preparations for this section. Topics such as Series, Puzzles, Venn Diagrams, Input-Output, Critical Reasoning, Data Sufficiency are conventionally included in the syllabus.
#3: Solve mock tests for the Quantitative Aptitude section. The more diverse type of problems that candidates solve the better. Candidates must additionally practice mental maths for quick calculations during the exam.
#4: During the last few days before the exam, identify the topics which carry the highest marks in this section and revise these extensively. Topics such as DI & Arithmetic carries more marks as per previous year papers.
#5: It is important that candidates can recall various formula, shortcut problem-solving methods readily in the exam hall. Therefore formula and important techniques of mathematics and calculations must also be revised on a daily basis.
How To Prepare for SBI PO 2020-2021 Prelims – Reasoning Ability?
The Reasoning section carries 35 questions in total and must be completed in a duration of 20 minutes. Candidates can check out some useful tips for the reasoning section of SBI PO 2020-2021.
#1: One of the most important topics of the reasoning section is a syllogism. Questions from syllogism are common in almost all the previous years of SBI PO exam. Candidates must practice diverse syllogism questions to secure a high number of good attempts.
#2: It is very important that candidates can solve reasoning questions quickly and accurately as time is limited to 20 minutes. Candidates are advised to solve mock tests and reasoning papers for competitive exams during the last few days.
#3: For certain sections such as inequalities and equalities, candidates need good skills in implementing mathematical rules and formula. Candidates must focus on memorising formula and their implementation in solving reasoning questions.
#4: Data Sufficiency based questions are asked in the SBI PO exam. These are often time-consuming and calculative in nature. Therefore, candidates must practice shortcut methods to solve such typical questions quickly.
Mock Test for SBI PO 2020-2021
Mock tests are important learning materials for the SBI PO 2020-2021 exam. Candidates have to solve 100 questions in 60 minutes. Candidates have to be fast and accurate because negative marking is also applicable. Candidates are advised to solve mock tests to practice for the test extensively.
Click here for SBI PO 2020-2021 Mock Tests
About SBI PO 2020-2021
The State Bank of India conducts the PO recruitment exam to fill up the vacancies for the post of Probationary Officer. The Bank conducts a three-stage selection process. The Phase I or Prelims exam consists of an objective type paper. Those who qualify have to appear in Phase II or Mains exam which consist of an objective and descriptive paper. Candidates who qualify the Mains exam are sorted through the final interview stage in Phase III.
The detailed advertisement releases on the official website sbi.co.in. The Prelims exam is qualifying in nature which means that the marks are not considered for the final result. However, it is mandatory to pass the Prelims in order to appear in the Main exam. The final results are based on the marks of the Main exam and the final interview stage. Successful candidates are shortlisted in the final merit list. Appointed candidates can be posted anywhere in India.
