The present position of every country is in itself an answer to the choice of employment of its citizens. India, being a country which is termed as a developing one needs to be financially stable where it can overcome the situations of undercapitalized country and over capitalized country, therefore, the role of banks are very vital and from the employment prospect one can very well understand the importance of being in such a field. IBPS, which is also known by the name of Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, is one institution which propels such functions of selecting candidates and providing them with an entry to the world of banking. India, on the other being a country that has consistently faced problems with respect to its population and therefore the competition for such a vacancy can only get stiffer and stiffer.
What is IBPS?
The need for an institute which specialized in such a key area was always required as the number of candidates for the same place is way more than the average. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection is a sovereign body has been formed in order to provide the banks with the required number of candidates each year. The examinations are conducted in order to get the best candidates as Management trainees or Probationary Officers (PO). Examinations are conducted twice in each year for providing the banks with the ideal candidates who has sufficient knowledge as per required by the banking institutions. Being conducted in all over India, the scope for partiality is nil and therefore can be treated as one of the most awaited exams help in the year after CAT (Common Admission Test). The examination result is just like a teenager’s higher secondary report card whereby his merits can give him a way through to one of the best colleges in India, similarly, the IBPS examination is also a stage where performance matters and the best among the rest gets the first shot in the best banking institutions. The examination which will be held by IBPS know as Common Written Examination (CWE) for banks.
Participating Banks
There are 19 public sector banks who are participating in common written examination.
Allahabad Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Andhra Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, Bank of India, Punjab & Sind Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Syndicate Bank, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, Central Bank of India, United Bank of India, Corporation Bank, UCO Bank, Dena Bank, Vijaya Bank, Indian Bank
Why Common Written Examination?
Unlike CAT, the examination hosted by IBPS is in written form and commonly known as Common Written Examination or the CWE whereby candidates are allowed to express their best views to thriven questions. The reason behind such is to reduce the changes of vague answers amongst the candidates. It has often been observed that in case of multiple choice questions or the MCQ, students sometimes inspire of not knowing the answer opts for a choice and in case it goes right dimities the quality of candidates selected in the examination. Therefore, a written examination appears to be more comprehensive way of selecting the candidates which also has evidences of explanation that a candidate puts in his each answer.
Procedure for selection?
In simple terms, one can say that the best candidates out of the lot are only selected on the basis of merits obtained by them. Now coming to the technical term of selection, the selection procedure of the candidates are done on the basis of the average which is itself computed as Average scored by the Candidate less one fourth standard of deviation for General category candidates and Average less three-fourth of Standard Deviation for Reserved Category candidates. The procedure, though being a complex one is one of the most fairly based procedure which can be obtained by the institution for selecting the best candidates in all over India. The validity of such result lass up to a year and the candidate must take opportunity in order to get the best result out of it. Candidates who belong to Schedule caste or tribe are also required to go through a pre examination training which enriches their knowledge and allows them to have an edge over the other candidates.
Syllabus for Examination?
The Examination is typically based on ensuring that the candidates must possess proper banking knowledge as they will be burdened with responsibility in their course of employment. The syllabus for such examination is basically compromises of a mixture of elements which tests the knowledge of a candidate from every point of view. There are various subjects which a candidate needs to prepare in form of reasoning, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and Computer Knowledge. These area tests the candidate’s theoretical as well as practical knowledge along with general knowledge resulting into a 100% assessment of a candidate. There has been a chart issued by the department of the service exams and according to the chart the distribution of marks in various fields are as follows:
| Sr. No | Name of Tests (Objective) | No.of CWE Questions | Maximum Marks | |
| 1. | Reasoning | 50 | 50 | |
| 2. | English Language | 50 | 25 | |
| 3. | Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | |
| 4. | General Awareness (with special reference to Banking Industry) | 50 | 50 | |
| 5. | Computer Knowledge | 50 | 50 | |
| Descriptive Paper on English Composition (Essay, Précis, Letter Writing etc) | 25 | |||
| Total | 250 | 250 |
Eligibility Criteria to apply and Qualification
One of the most important areas of this examination is the eligibility criteria of the candidates. The candidates are judged on two bases over here, namely, educational qualification and general requirements. The prime criteria are in for m of educational qualification. A candidate in order to get a chance for sitting in this examination is required to obtain a bachelor degree from any background. In other words, a candidate must be a graduate whereas the stream is not an issue as it is applicable for all. Coming to the other criteria, that is, the criteria of general requirement, the candidate shall have the basic requirements in form of having a sound mind and should not be involved in any kind of criminal offense which puts a black mark on his character. The resultant of such makes it harder for the authorities to believe in the candidate. Added to it, a candidate is expected to follow the guidelines are prescribed by the regulating authorities and abide by it.
Age Limit for candidates
Age is a very important concern as it determines the tenure for which a candidate can offer his service to the institution. The current rules and regulations as prescribed by the regulating authority’s states that a candidate should be at least twenty years old in order to sit and compete for this examination whereas the maximum age for candidates has been restricted to 30 years. The range of age has been specially kept in mind so that all candidates shall have the quality of freshness blended with experience. Added to it, the proof of age is also a must for entering into this kind of examinations as otherwise it can also be breached by some.
Common Written Examination Centre
Since the examination is help at a national level, that is, all over India, so it is very important to have numerous centers for examination so that candidates from all over India can participate in the examination and have a fair access to examination. Following are the centers in India:
| State Code | State / UT | Centre |
| 11 | Andaman & Nicobar | Port Blair |
| 12 | Andhra Pradesh | Guntur Hyderabad Karimnagar Rajahmundry Tirupati Vijaywada Vishakhapatnam |
| 13 | Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
| 14 | Assam | Dibrugarh Guwahati Jorhat Silchar |
| 15 | Bihar | Bhagalpur Muzaffarpur Patna |
| 16 | Chandigarh | Chandigarh |
| 17 | Chattisgarh | Raipur |
| 18 | Dadra & Nagar Haveli | Bulsar |
| 19 | Daman & Diu | Bulsar Jamnagar |
| 20 | Goa | Panaji |
| 21 | Gujarat | Ahmedabad Bhavnagar Bulsar Jamnagar Rajkot Surat Vadodara |
| 22 | Haryana | Hissar Karnal Panchkula Rohtak |
| 23 | Himachal Pradesh | Dharamsala Mandi Shimla |
| 24 | Jammu & Kashmir | Jammu |
| 25 | Jharkhand | Bokaro Dhanbad Jamshedpur Ranchi |
| 26 | Karnataka | Belgaum Bengaluru Gulbarga Hubli Mangalore Mysore |
| 27 | Kerala | Kannur Kochi Kottayam Kozhikode Thrichur Thiruvananthapuram |
| 28 | Lakshwadweep | Kavarrati |
| 29 | Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal Gwalior Indore Jabalpur |
| 30 | Maharashtra | Aurangabad Kolhapur Mumbai Nagpur Nasik Pune Solapur |
| 31 | Manipur | Imphal |
| 32 | Meghalaya | Shillong |
| 33 | Mizoram | Aizawl |
| 34 | Nagaland | Kohima |
| 35 | New Delhi | New Delhi |
| 36 | Orissa | Balasore Berhampur(Ganjam) Bhubaneshwar Cuttack Sambalpur |
| 37 | Puducherry | Puducherry |
| 38 | Punjab | Amritsar Bhatinda Jalandhar Ludhiana Mohali Patiala |
| 39 | Rajasthan | Ajmer Jaipur Jodhpur Kota Udaipur |
| 40 | Sikkim | Gangtok |
| 41 | Tamilnadu | Chennai Coimbatore Madurai Salem Thiruchirapalli Tirunelvelli |
| 42 | Tripura | Agartala |
| 43 | Uttar Pradesh | Agra Allahabad Bareilly Gorakhpur Kanpur Lucknow Meerut Varanasi |
| 44 | Uttarakhand | Dehradun Rudrapur |
| 45 | West Bengal | Berhampur (West Bengal) Durgapur Kolkata Siliguri |
How to apply and fees detail?
The examination is a big one and many awaits for it all over the year. Candidates who are desirous of giving the examinations are required to apply over the internet by means of visiting IBPS’s official website. The period of enrollment is also limited as there are restricted seats for this type of examination. In the present year, the date if registration or application is from 09/07/2011 to 01/08/2011 whereas the date of such examination is 18/09/2011.
Coming to the fee section of the examination, the fee for such examination is Rs. 450 which is required to be paid by means of internet banking, on the other hand, if the candidate belongs to SC or ST or PWD, then the candidate is required to pay only Rs. 50 for such examination.
How to prepare?
Efforts pay off if the preparation is done with hard work. General knowledge shall be good and most importantly, previous years’ question shall be closely observed. Best of Luck!
Important Dates to Remember
- Start date for Online Registration: 09.07.2011
- Payment of Application Fees: 08.07.2011 to 30.07.2011
- (both dates inclusive)
- Last date for Online Registration: 01.08.2011
- Last date for Editing Application Details: 03.08.2011
- Download of Call letter for Written Examination: After 04.09.2011
- Written Examination: 18.09.2011
Contact Details
IBPS House, Post Box no. 8587, Kandivali (E), Mumbai 400 101
Email: common@ibpsorg.org Website:www.ibps.in
