Every year lakhs of aspiring candidates apply for banking jobs in India. The salary and facilities offered by these banking companies make these jobs the most in-demand in the country. The banking jobs offer great career growth and social recognition. IBPS stands for Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducts an exam to recruit candidates for the post of PO (Probationary Officer). The candidates will be working in public sector banks which are among the most prestigious organisations in the country. The recruitment is done in three phases, including prelims, mains, and interview. The candidates will be working in one of the following banks if selected:

• UCO Bank
• Canara bank
• Indian Overseas Bank
• Central bank of India
• Indian bank
• Union Bank of India
• Punjab and Sind bank
• Punjab national bank
• Bank of Maharashtra
• Bank of Baroda

Candidates aspiring to crack this exam should work hard with dedication. The IBPS PO exam is easy to crack, but the increasing number of candidates applying for this exam makes it very competitive. A good approach with proper planning in the right direction will lead you to success. Learning from our mistakes and mistakes of other candidates and applying the right techniques in our preparation is important too. Many candidates make common mistakes in their preparation journey that can harm their preparation. Here, we list down the tips to be followed and mistakes that should be avoided by the aspiring candidates.

• Understand and analyse the exam pattern and syllabus: Before starting the preparation for any exam, the aspirants should understand the exam pattern of IBPS PO. There are many factors that vary from one exam to another. Note down the important points and keep those in mind during your preparation. Things like sectional cutoff, negative marking, time limit, sectional timing, etc. should be noted down carefully. These are important deciding factors for success in competitive exams. Download the latest and updated syllabus from the official website and go through it. Analyse your weak and strong areas and prioritise your subjects and topics accordingly. Do not invest a lot of time in collecting useless and redundant resources. Use only standard books and references for studying. Understand the time limit you have to prepare for the exam. Utilise the time wisely.
• Prepare a suitable timetable: Discipline and consistency are the basic and most important deciding factors of success. Do not get overwhelmed and carried away by the time table of your friends and seniors. Understand your own capacity and frame your timetable accordingly. Understand the weak areas and prioritise them. You should invest more time in weak areas until you gain enough confidence. Make sure to keep some time for practising your strong areas. Strong areas are often taken for granted by the aspirants. These are the topics that will make a difference in your performance. Regular practice of stronger areas will save you from panic and studying those topics all over again at the last moment. Study smartly and effectively. Include mock tests and regular practice papers in your timetable. Crack the IBPS PO Test Series with Oliveboard and evaluate your strong and weak areas. 
• Make a habit of reading and writing: Invest some time every day to read newspapers and magazines. This will improve your reading speed and vocabulary. This habit will improve your English comprehension which is an important part of your IBPS PO syllabus. Staying updated with the latest and important news will help you to improve your general knowledge and general awareness. These are important sections in the IBPS PO exam and carry high weightage in the total marks. Reading topics related to finance, economy, culture, business, and banking is a good practice and it will also help you to perform well in your interview.
• Prepare for mains and prelims simultaneously: Prelims is the first stage of the exam so candidates focus on this exam but take the Mains exam for granted. You must prepare for prelims but keep your preparation for the mains exam going on side by side. The time given between prelims and mains exam is less and is not sufficient to prepare for mains from scratch. You should not rely on the small-time window and prepare beforehand. This will also save you unnecessary stress at the last moment. Some topics are common in the syllabus of mains and prelims. It is easier to prepare simultaneously and you can clearly understand the difference in the pattern of both the exams.
• Remember and apply shortcuts and tricks: Shortcuts are very effective while attempting objective type paper. Make a list of shortcuts and go through them on a regular basis. This will save you time during the exam. Apply the shortcuts in your mock tests and practice tests too to get used to them. While shortcuts are effective, you must be careful. Shortcuts are reliable only if the basic concepts are clear. Sometimes, the questions can be tricky and shortcuts might not work. The examiner wants to check the basic knowledge. You must be aware of the specific conditions where the shortcuts are applicable. 
• Do not miss out on revision: Many candidates have the habit of reserving the time for revision at the final stages of preparation. Though you must stop studying new topics and focus on revision during the final stages of preparation, a regular revision from the beginning is important too. The syllabus is vast, it is common for aspirants to forget after studying. To avoid re-reading the same topics, you must revise regularly. Set targets in your study plan. The timely revision will help you to keep a check on your memory. It will also help you to identify the weak areas that you might need to go through again. Revision is the key to success in these competitive exams. It will boost your confidence. 
• Do not panic and stay motivated: Candidates who are preparing for this exam are also in contact with other aspirants. They will get involved in discussions and share tips and techniques too. While some tips are helpful, some are not. You must be smart enough to identify what is right for you and apply them. Do not get carried away by other people. Understand that everyone’s journey and capacity are different. You must focus to give your best in your capacity. It is good to push your limits, but this is done gradually. Do not overburden yourself. Sometimes you might not score well on your tests, take that as a challenge. Work on it, and attempt the tests again. The idea is to keep moving. Do not underestimate small progress. They are the small building blocks to your success. Sometimes, it might get difficult to stay motivated. It is common. You must trust yourself and pick yourself up. Talk to friends and family if you need support.