The SBI PO exam is conducted by the State Bank of India to recruit candidates for the position of Probationary Officers (PO) and is one of the most popular banking exams. It is conducted in three stages every year. After evaluating SBI PO eligibility, candidates must qualify Prelims, Mains and Personal Interview.
SBI PO Mains exam has a total of four sections. Candidates can find many study materials and books for all the sections except for the General and Banking Awareness. The Banking and General Awareness section plays an important role in the final stage of SBI PO Mains. It is a scoring section and every candidate must thoroughly prepare to achieve the SBI PO position. Candidates can increase their overall scores by performing well in this section.
The General awareness section includes topics such as banking knowledge, general knowledge and current affairs. This section will test your knowledge of how much you are aware of the events happening around you. This section does not take much time to finish but to attempt them accurately; you must have strong knowledge of the subject.
This article will provide you with the best preparation strategies for the general awareness section.
1. Make an effective schedule: It is very important for the aspirants to create a study schedule and strictly follow it. Making an effective study plan will help to prepare each and every topic. Importance should be given to high priority topics and then prepare the remaining topics.
2. Read Newspaper Daily: Aspirants should develop a habit of reading newspapers, journals and magazines. It will help to develop your reading skills as well as keeps you updated with the latest news and current affairs related to National, International, Business, financial, Banking, Sports, Economics, etc. This will help to improve your performance in the general awareness section as it gives good knowledge of the ongoing global and important events. It is recommended to read a good English newspaper like The Hindu, Hindustan Times, Times of India etc. And not just general awareness, it will also improve your English language skills and vocabulary for bank exam preparation.
3. Watch Television: Aspirants should take time to watch the national and international news on TV daily. Make it a habit to check the top daily headlines to improve your current affairs knowledge.
4. Choose the Correct Set of Banking Awareness Books: Candidates must choose the right and appropriate study material that has all the updated information regarding the general or current events. But, you should keep in mind that the General Awareness section involves all the current banking schemes, numbers, profits, etc and it is not just limited to the banking awareness or General Knowledge books. Some of the books which you can refer to are Banking Awareness by Arihant Publications or Disha Experts or by Ramesh Publishing House.
5. Give priority to Important Topics: Candidates should first finish all the important topics under the general awareness section.
- Under Current Affairs, Candidates should cover the following topics: National and International awards and honours, International affairs, Books and authors, Governance, schemes, and policies, Summits and treaties, Sports, Science and technology, The currency of various countries and finally, capital and currency.
- Under Banking Awareness, candidates should cover RBI and its functions, Important Bank related terms, Recent banking updates, World financial institutions – functions, National income, Monetary policy, Financial committees, Financial sector regulators, Financial markets.
- Under General Knowledge, it is necessary to read all the general knowledge topics like Books and authors, important days, Capitals, Census, Wildlife parks and sanctuaries.
6. Make Notes: General awareness has vast topics that a candidate finds it tough to remember all the important information, events or topics. Aspirants are highly recommended to make short notes or flashcards while preparing a particular topic which will help you to recall quickly and easily during your revision. As a bank aspirant, all the important events must be noted down as they will benefit your last-minute preparation. Revise as much as possible.
7. Practice Previous Year’s Paper: Candidates should solve the previous year paper as it will help them to get an exact idea of the type of questions that appear in the general awareness section. If lucky, there are chances that candidates may get a few repeated questions. So, it is recommended to solve at least 10 question papers after studying the SBI PO syllabus completely otherwise you may feel confused and less confident about your preparation.
8. Solve Mock Test: Attempt Mock tests and general awareness quizzes as they will give you complete exposure to the examination process. It will also help you to manage time and improve speed and accuracy. You will get to know how much time you are supposed to spend on each section, especially the General Awareness section. Candidates will get familiarized with the questions in the general awareness section of the SBI PO Mains Exam. Attempt as many mock tests as possible as it will help in boosting your confidence as well as you can assess your preparation level.
9. Mobile Apps: It is advised for the candidates to download mobile apps of news channels and other bank exam mobile apps. It can help you to access online news and necessary information related to the exam. The advantage of these apps is that you can access them anywhere and anytime. News apps will provide you with the latest updates every hour in which you can stay updated by just going through the important headlines. There are many banking awareness apps providing study materials, the latest banking and general awareness notes.
10. Visit Bank website: Candidates are also recommended to visit the bank website and read articles related to banking on the internet to get to know about additional information on the new financial policies and programs. Candidates can also learn about a lot of new banking terms.
Hope these tips will help your preparation for the SBI PO exam.
