Do you wish to become a Probationary Officer? Your first challenge will be SBI PO preliminary examination! Overall, there are three stages of assessment before you can actually get shortlisted for the post of PO. Speaking about the initial phase, i.e. prelims exam, the candidates will be required to clear the sectional-cutoff in order to proceed with the successive stages- Main Examination & Interview. Here, we will discuss the preparation tips for preliminary examination without coaching.
Things to remember before studying for SBI PO Prelims without coaching
- It is widely said that ‘You are your best judge’. No one knows you better than yourself! You need to be extra smart if you are studying for the prelims without coaching.
- You must apply for coaching in case you are not optimistic about your success, otherwise you may end up messing up with your preparation.
- To study by yourself, you must seek guidance from former aspirants and learn to manage time efficiently.
- Remember, you need to put twice the efforts of that applied by a coaching student towards the preparation.
- Overall, there are three ways of preparation- (1) Offline institutes, (2) Online Institutes, and (3) Free sources on Google.
5 Ways to crack SBI PO Prelims without coaching
1. Study the exam pattern and syllabus carefully
The official notification will be released in the month of April. After filling up the application form, go through the latest exam pattern and syllabus mentioned in the prospectus of SBI PO 2019. Look for any changes made by the conducting authority for the upcoming exam.
Last year, SBI had added a sectional time limit of 20 minutes to attempt each section. For the time being, let us consider the previous year exam pattern:
| Name of Section | Questions | Marks | Time Allotted |
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 Minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 Minutes |
| Reasoning | 35 | 35 | 20 Minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 1 Hour |
As far as the syllabus in concerned, very slight changes are expected. Until the notification rolls-out you can emphasize on important topics.
2. Important topics (with respect to weightage of marks)
Higher the number of expected questions about a topic, more the importance of that particular topic. In other words, concentrate on practicing topics that will definitely be tested in the question paper. Have a look at topic-wise weightage of each section below:
English Topic-wise marks weightage
| S.No. | Name of Topic | Expected Number of Questions |
| 1 | Reading Comprehension | 10 Questions |
| 2 | Sentence Improvement | 5-10 Questions |
| 3 | Error Spotting | 5-10 Questions |
| 4 | Cloze Test | 5-10 Questions |
| 5 | Fill in the Blanks | 5-7 Questions |
| 6 | Para Jumbles | 4-5 Questions |
| 7 | Vocabulary-based questions | 4-5 Questions |
Quantitative Aptitude Topic-wise marks weightage
| S.No. | Name of Topic | Expected Number of Questions |
| 1 | Data Interpretation | 10-15 Questions |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Questions (Percentage, Profit & Loss, Average, Ratio & Proportion, Mensuration, Time & Work, SI & CI, Surds & Indices, etc.) | 10-12 Questions |
| 3 | Simplification/ Approximation | 5-7 Questions |
| 4 | Number Series | 5 Questions |
| 5 | Quadratic Equations | 4-5 Questions |
Reasoning Topic-wise marks weightage
| S.No. | Name of Topic | Expected Number of Questions |
| 1 | Puzzles & Seating Arrangement | 15-20 Questions |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Questions (Blood Relations, Order & Ranking, Direction & Distance, etc) | 5-7 Questions |
| 3 | Number Series & Alphanumeric series | 4-5 Questions |
| 4 | Syllogism | 4-5 Questions |
| 5 | Inequality | 4-5 Questions |
| 6 | Coding & Decoding | 3-4 Questions |
| 7 | Input-Output | 3-4 Questions |
3. Prefer authentic websites to access online study material
Internet is full of authentic resources, but it too has its share of unreliable links. Try sticking to a single website that can help you prepare for the exam throughout the course of preparation.
You cannot purely rely on online study material as there exists high count of typo errors. It is advised to prefer your reference book for theory as well as numericals.
4. Attempt mock tests/ last year question papers every weekend
During the weekdays, you can study the theory and concepts thoroughly while you should develop a habit of solving mock tests and last year questions over the weekend.
Alternatively, you can first finish up the syllabus during the first 2-3 months and then start attempting mock tests in the remaining period. Depending on the time left for preparation, you can set yourself a proper timetable.
5. Learn to manage your time
You simply can’t waste time when you are not taking the coaching classes. To be honest, it will take you extra time to cover the syllabus and revision as compared to a coaching student. At the same time, you will have to focus on improving your accuracy and speed.
If you are not fast, there’s no use of being accurate! Follow the aforementioned tips if you are not a coaching student, but want to crack the SBI PO prelims exam 2019.
Don’t forget to download SBI PO preparation app. It provides free study material, quizzes, mock test, previous year papers, and all the updates related to the exam.
Contributor: Grade-UP
This is a Guest Post by GradeUP – RajRAS does not claim any responsibility for content and the information. Readers are advised to verify information, facts before considering any action.
