Competitive exams in India -an overview

COMPETITIVE EXAMS-
AN OVERVIEW
BY
PROF.A.BALASUBRAMANIAN
Centre for Advanced Studies in Earth Science,
University of Mysore, India

The situation today
 Employment is generated by the
emergence of new ways of life
 Service sector as the greatest engine
for job creation
 Shortage of skilled workers, not
shortage of jobs
 Full competitions - everywhere

LEVELS OF COMPETITIVE EXAMS
 UNIVERSITY LEVEL- ENTRANCE
TESTS/MAT
 STATE LEVEL- KPSC, MINISTERIAL
DEPTS
 REGIONAL LEVEL-RAILWAYS, BANKS
 NATIONAL LEVEL- UPSC, SSC,
BANKING SERVICE, INSURANCE
SECTOR, FINANCE COMPANIES,
INDUSTRIES, NET/CSIR, CBSE,
 THOUSANDS OF PRIVATE
COMPANIES LIKE INFOSYS, TCS,
AUTODESK, ORACLE,ETC

UNION PUBLIC SERVICE
COMMISSION
PROGRAMME OF EXAMINATIONS–
2015 Services for which UPSC conducts
the Civil Services examinations every
year:
(i) Indian Administrative Service.
(ii) Indian Foreign Service.
(iii) Indian Police Service.
(iv) Indian P & T Accounts & Finance
Service, Group ‘A’.
(v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service,
Group ‘A’.
(vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs
and Central Excise), Group ‘A’.

(vii) Indian Defence Accounts Service,
Group ‘A’.
(viii) Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group
‘A’.
(ix) Indian Ordnance Factories Service,
Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager,
Administration).
(x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’.
(xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.
(xii) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group
‘A’.

(xiii) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group 'A'.
(xiv) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’.
(xv) Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in
Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’
(xvi) Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’.
(xvii) Indian Information Service (Junior Grade),
Group ‘A’.
(xviii) Indian Trade Service, Group 'A' (Gr. III).
(xix) Indian Corporate Law Service, Group "A“.

 (xx) Armed Forces Headquarters Civil
Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s
Grade).
 (xxi) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands,
Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra &
Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group 'B'.
 (xxii) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands,
Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra &
Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group 'B'.
 (xxiii) Pondicherry Civil Service, Group 'B'.
 (xxiv) Pondicherry Police Service, Group
'B‘.

UPSC EXAMS
 Indian Forest Service
 Indian Economic Service
 Information Service
 Many subordinate services
 Direct selection for all central services

CIVIL SERVICES-PLAN OF
EXAMINATION :
 The Civil Services Examination will
consist of two successive stages (vide
Appendix I Section-I below).
(i) Civil Services Preliminary Examination
(Objective type) for the selection of
candidates for the Main Examination;
and
(ii) Civil Services Main Examination
(Written and Interview) for the selection
of candidates for the various Services
and posts noted above.

Age Limits :
 (a) A candidate must have attained the
age of 21 years and must not have
attained the age of 30 years on 1st
August of the year of exam.
 RELAXED 5 YEARS FOR SC/STS+
domiciled in the State of Jammu &
Kashmir , three years in the case of
candidates belonging to Other
Backward Classes +Defence Services
personnel and so on.

The Preliminary Examination
 will consist of two papers of Objective
type (multiple choice questions) and
carry a maximum of 400 marks in the
subjects set out in subsection (A) of
Section-II.
 This examination is meant to serve as a
screening test only;
 the marks obtained in the Preliminary
Examination by the candidates who are
declared qualified for admission to the
Main Examination will not be counted for
determining their final order of merit.

PART-A PRELIMINARY
EXAMINATION
 The Examination shall comprise two compulsory
papers of 200 marks each.
 Paper I - (200 marks) Duration : Two hours
 Current events of national and international
importance.
 History of India and Indian National Movement.
 Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social,
Economic Geography of India and the World.
 Indian Polity and Governance - Constitution, Political
System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues,
etc
 Economic and Social Development - Sustainable
Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social
Sector initiatives, etc.
 General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity
and Climate Change - that do not require subject
specialization

Paper II- (200 marks) Duration: Two hours
 Comprehension
 Interpersonal skills including communication
skills;
 Logical reasoning and analytical ability
 Decision-making and problem-solving
 General mental ability
 Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations,
orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level),
Data interpretation
 (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. -
Class X level)
 English Language Comprehension skills
(Class X level).

UPSC civil services exam
 Note 1 : Questions relating to English
Language Comprehension skills of
Class X level (last item in the Syllabus
of Paper- II) will be tested through
passages from English language
only without providing Hindi
translation thereof in the question
paper.
 Note 2 : The questions will be of
multiple choice, objective type.

Penalty For Wrong Answer
 Candidates should note that there will
be penalty (negative marking) for
wrong answers marked by a candidate
in the Objective Type Question
Papers.

How To Apply
 (a) Candidates may apply Online by
using the
website http://www.upsconline.nic.i
n
 Detailed instructions for filling up
online applications are available on
the above mentioned website.
(b) Candidates may also apply Offline
in the Common Application Form
devised by the Commission for its
examinations

KPSC EXAMS
 GROUP-A
 GROUP-B
 GROUP-C
 PRELIMS
 MAIN EXAM

COMPETITIVE EXAMS CONDUCTED FOR
BANKING SERVICE
 COMMON RECRUITMENT
PROCESS FOR RECRUITMENT
OF PROBATIONARY OFFICERS/
MANAGEMENT TRAINEES IN
PARTICIPATING
ORGANISATIONS (CWE PO/MT-
IV)

Institute of Banking Personnel
Selection popularly known as
IBPS Any eligible candidate, who aspires to join
any of the Participating Organisations listed
at (A) as a Probationary Officer/ Management
Trainee or in a similar post in that cadre, is
required to register for the Common
Recruitment Process (CWE PO/MT-IV).
 Candidates who appear and are shortlisted in
the examination, will subsequently be called
for a Common Interview to be conducted by
the Participating Organisations and co-
ordinated by the Nodal Bank with the help of
IBPS.

 Age : Minimum: 20 years Maximum:
30 years ( Relaxation of Upper age
limit for sc st 5 years)
 Other Backward Classes (Non-
Creamy Layer) 3 years ; Persons With
Disabilities 10 years
 Ex-Servicemen, Commissioned
Officers= 5 years.

Educational Qualifications:
 A Degree (Graduation) in any discipline
from a University recognised by the
Govt. Of India or any equivalent
qualification recognized as such by the
Central Government.
 The candidate must possess valid Mark-
sheet / Degree Certificate that he/ she is
a graduate on the day he / she registers
and indicate the percentage of marks
obtained in Graduation while registering
online.

 Prerequisite for job effectiveness is a
judicious mix of competencies.
 While written test focuses on the
intellectual potential, group exercises
concentrate on socio-emotive
traits that are required for the job
effectiveness.
 Group exercises primarily focus on
assessment of latent traits such as
inter-personal competence,
communication, team building skills,
analysis and reasoning, ideation,
leadership traits etc.

 Almost 62 regional rural banks are
participating in the IBPS process. In
order to apply for officer and office
assistants post, you need to clear
IBPS RRB CWE.
 The overall structure of the exam is
similar to the previous exams
conducted by the IBPS i.e. IBPS PO
and Clerk Common written
examinations.
 Sections are also same in all the
exams conducted by the IBPS.
 Vacancy: Probationary Officer in
Nationalized Banks

Participating Institutions:
 Allahabad Bank/ UCO Bank/ Punjab
National Bank/ Canara Bank/Bank of
Baroda/ United Bank of India/ Indian
Bank/Corporation Bank/ Bank of
Maharashtra/ Syndicate Bank/ Oriental
Bank of Commerce/ Punjab & Sind
Bank/Andhra Bank/Union Bank of
India/Vijaya Bank/Central Bank of
India/Bank of India/ Bharatiya Mahila
Bank/ Indian Overseas Bank/Dena
Bank/IDBI Bank

Structure of CWE-Online Exam:
Sr. No. Name of Tests Maximum Marks
Duration
1 Reasoning 50 Composite time of 2 hours
2 English Language 40
3 Quantitative Aptitude 50
4 General Awareness 40
5 Computer Knowledge 20 TOTAL 200
There will be a total of 200 questions and 200 marks
for both RRB office assistants and RRB officer
scale. Both exams will be conducted online. The
duration of the time will be 2hrs and 30 minutes.
Negative marks will be deducted for each wrong
answer i.e. 0.25 marks.

 Last year exam Dates for reference
purpose only
 All eligible candidates who opt for and
wish to avail of Pre-Examination Training
should fill in the relevant column in the
ON-LINE APPLICATION.
 While training will be imparted free of
cost, all other expenses regarding
travelling, boarding, lodging etc. will have
to be borne by the candidate for attending
the pre-examination training programme
at the designated Centres.

 By merely attending the Pre-
Examination Training no candidate
acquires any right to be selected in any
of the Participating Organisations
mentioned.
 The above tests except the Test of
English Language will be available
bilingually, i.e. English and Hindi.

 Penalty for Wrong Answers: There
will be penalty for wrong answers
marked in the Objective Tests.
 For each question for which a wrong
answer has been given by the
candidate one fourth or 0.25 of the
marks assigned to that question will be
deducted as penalty to arrive at
corrected score.
 If a question is left blank, i.e. no answer
is marked by the candidate, there will
be no penalty for that question.

INTERVIEW
 The total marks allotted for Interview
are 100. The minimum qualifying
marks in interview will not be less than
40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWD
candidates).
 The weightage (ratio) of CWE (exam)
and interview will be 80:20
respectively.
 The combined final score of
candidates shall be arrived at on the
basis of scores obtained by the
candidates in CWE PO/MT-IV and

Exam centres in Karnataka
 Belgaum/ Bengaluru/Bidar/
Gulbarga/Hubli/Mangalore/ Mysore/
Shimoga/ Udipi.
 Exam Fees: Rs. 600 (General
Candidates)/ Rs. 100 (
SC/ST/PWD/Ex-Service Candidates)

 PRE-EXAMINATION TRAINING: Pre-
Examination Training may be arranged by the
Nodal Banks/ Participating Organisations to a
limited number of candidates belonging to
Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribes/ Minority
Communities at certain centres viz. Agartala, Agra,
Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad,
Balasore, Bareilly, Behrampur (Ganjam),
Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh,
Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Dhanbad,
Gorakhpur, Gulbarga, Guwahati, Hubli, Hyderabad,
Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Jodhpur, Kanpur,
Karnal, Kavaratti, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow,
Ludhiana, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai,
Muzaffarpur, Mysore, Nagpur, New Delhi, Panaji
(Goa), Patiala, Patna, Port Blair, Puducherry, Pune,
Raipur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Rohtak, Sambalpur, Shimla,
Shillong, Siliguri, Thiruchirapalli,
Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati, Vadodara, Varanasi,
Vijaywada and Vishakhapatnam.

SBI SPECIAL MANAGEMENT
EXECUTIVE
 Vacancy: “Special Management Executive
(Banking) ” in State Bank of India(SBI)
 No of Posts: Scale II (MMGS II) – 135/ Scale
III (MMGS III) – 165
 Expected Salary: Scale II (MMGS II) – ₹
39,000/- / Scale III (MMGS III) – ₹ 52,000/-

 Eligibility: Scale II (MMGS II)
 Age above 25 years and below 35 years as
on 24th July, 2014
 Graduation and MBA/ MMS/ PGDBA/
PGPM/ PGDM, with min. 60% marks. (In
case of CA/ ICWA/ ACS, passing the
respective examination is sufficient).
 Min. 2 years of work experience in a
Scheduled Bank / Public Sector Financial
Institution.
 Scale III (MMGS III); Age above 25 years
and below 40 years as on 24th July, 2014
 Graduation and MBA/ MMS/ PGDBA/
PGPM/ PGDM, with min. 60% marks. (In
case of CA/ ICWA/ ACS, passing the
respective examination is sufficient).

OBJECTIVE TEST: ONLINE
 Sr. No. Name of Tests No of Questions No of Marks Duration
 1 Banking Knowledge 50 50 Composite time of 2 hours
 2 Data Interpretation and Analysis 50 50
 3 Reasoning 50 50
 4 General Awareness 50 50
 TOTAL 200 200
 DESCRIPTIVE TEST: ONLINE
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEST: (LETTER WRITING & ESSAY) 50
75 Minutes
 1/4th negative marking will be deducted for each wrong answer in the
Objective Test.
 Students successful in Online Exam will be called for Group Discussion (30
Marks) and Personal Interview (20 Marks).

Important details:
 Online Registration
Payment of Application Fees (Offline)
 Online Examination (Tentative dates

ASSISTANTS IN RESERVE
BANK OF INDIA(RBI)
 Vacancy: “Assistant” in Reserve Bank
of India(BI) ; No of Posts: 506;
Expected Salary: Rs. 22,732/-
 Eligibility: Age above 18 years and
below 28 years as on 1st July, 2014
 Graduation in any discipline from a
recognized university with at least
50% marks
 Knowledge of MS Word in Computers.

Structure of Online Exam
(Pattern):
 Sr. No. Name of Tests No of Questions
Duration
 1 Test of Reasoning 40 Composite
time of 2 hours
 2 Test of English Language 40
 3 Test of Numerical Ability40
 4 Test of General Awareness 40
 5 Test of Computer Knowledge 40
 TOTAL 200
 Each Question has 1 mark.
 1/4th negative marking will be deducted for
each wrong answer.

Last tear exam details
 Online Registration
Payment of Application Fees(Online)
Payment of Application Fees (Offline)
Online Examination (Tentative dates)
– Varied Dates around the fourth week
of September.

 Interview score of the candidates
failing to secure minimum qualifying
marks or otherwise barred from the
interview or further process shall not
be disclosed.
 A candidate should qualify both in the
CWE and interview and be sufficiently
high in the merit to be shortlisted for
subsequent provisional allotment
process, details of which will be made
available subsequently on IBPS
website.

SBI ASSOCIATE CLERK
RECRUITMENT TO BE APPLIED ON-
LINE
 In SBI and its associated banks like
State Bank of Mysore /State Bank of
Patiala/ State Bank of Travancore/
State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur/State
Bank of Hyderabad
 Vacancy: 6425 vacancies; Eligibility:
A Degree (Graduation level) from a
recognized university, or any equivalent
qualification recognized as such by the
Central/State Government;
 Required Age: Between 20 years to 28
years of age

Selection Procedure: Online
Objective Test
 Sl. No. Subject No of Questions Total
Time
 1 General Awareness 40 Composite time of
Hours 15 Mins
 2 General English 40
 3 Quantitative Aptitude 40
 4 Reasoning Ability 40
 5 Marketing Aptitude / Computer Knowledge 40
 Total 200
 Each Question carries one mark. Each wrong
answer attracts negative marking of 0.25
 Questions left un-answered are not awarded negative
marking.

Last year details of dates of
exams:
 Online Registration of
Applications=20th Nov, 2014 to 09th
Dec, 2014.
 Payment of Fees (Online)=20th Nov,
2014 to 09th Dec, 2014.
 Payment of Fees (Offline)=22nd Nov,
2014 to 11th Dec, 2014. Date of
Online Exam (tentative)= Various
dates in Jan/Feb 2015
 Salary: Rs.17500 per month

INDIAN BANK SPECIALIST
OFFICER RECRUITMENT
 Vacancy: “Specialist Officer” in Indian
Bank; No of Posts: 251 ; Expected
Salary: Scale I: Rs. 25,700/- / Scale
II: Rs. 28,100/- ; Scale III: Rs. 31,500/-
/ Scale IV: Rs. 36,200/-
 Eligibility: Selection Procedure: The
Selection of Candidates will be on the
basis of either ; i. Examination
followed by interview or ii. Short
Listing and Interview. Test whenever
held will be held online. Where ever
there is no test, short listing and
interviews will be held.

GRADE-A OFFICER” IN SMALL INDUSTRIES
DEVELOPMENT BANK OF INDIA (SIDBI)
 Vacancy: “Grade-A Officer” in Small
Industries Development Bank of India
(SIDBI)
 No of Posts: 80 ; Expected Salary:
Rs. 41,000/-
 Eligibility: Between 21 and 28 years
of age 1st July, 2014. Bachelor’s or
Master’s Degree with minimum 60%
(55% for SC/ST) marks in aggregate in
any stream, in either of the two
qualifications, from a recognized
institute/University.

 Selection Procedure: The selection
process for the post would be by way of
an online examination followed by
Personal Interview. Candidates who
qualify based on the minimum cut-off
marks decided by the Bank, would be
called for interview.
 Last exam Important Dates: Online
Registration – 1st July, 2014 to 1st
August, 2014. Payment of Application
Fees(Online) – 1st July, 2014 to 1st
August, 2014.

RAILWAY RECRUITMENT
CONTROL BOARD (RRCB)
 Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB) is fully organized and
operated by Government of India under Ministry of Railways. RRCB
under Railway recruiting boards (Present 19) calling various posts /
vacancies through direct recruitment and competitive examinations
for every year.
 Railway Recruitment Posts: Gazetted (Group 'A' and 'B') and Non-
gazetted (Group 'C' and 'D'). C. 19 RRBs to recruit Group C and
D posts.
 Group 'A' Posts - Group A posts is carried out by UPSC - appointed
through Civil Service Exam, Engineering Service Exam, and
Combined Medical Service Examination.
 Group 'B' Posts - This posts are not open to directly. The Group B
posts link Section Officers Grade - upgraded posts from Group 'C'
railway employees on deputation basis.
 Group 'C' Posts - Technical and Non-Technical cadre posts like
Clerk, Station Master , Ticket Collector, Commercial Apprentice,
Traffic Apprentice, Engineering posts (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical,
Signal & Telecommunication) etc.
 Group 'D' Posts - These posts in various disciplines include
Trackman, Helper, Assistant Points Man, Safaiwala, Ganman, Peon
etc.

Indian Railway Recruitment
Zones:
 Indian Railways organizational
structure is divided into 17 zones,
which are further sub-divided into
various city wise divisions.
 All RRBs official website links and
contact E-Mail List Visit -
http://www.rrcb.gov.in/rrbs.html.

General Insurance Corporation RECRUITMENT
2015 APPLY ONLINE (OFFICERS 65 VACANCIES)
 General Insurance Corporation of
India (GIC Re) is looking for Young,
Energetic Graduates / Post Graduates
for filling up 65 positions of Officers in
the cadre of Assistant Managers
(Scale-I) to be based in its offices in
India and abroad (primarily to be
posted in Head Office, Mumbai).

 Online Registration between 25th
December 2014 to 24th January 2015.
 General Insurance Corporation of India
(GIC) Re, published notification for
recruitment for Officers in the cadre of
Assistant Managers (Scale-I) post in
India & abroad (primarily to be posted in
Head Office, Mumbai) and will be liable to
be posted anywhere in India as well as
abroad as per the requirement of the
Corporation.

 Last date for Online Application:
24/01/2015. Last date for accepting
acknowledgement slips with required
documents by post: 30/01/2015 .
Intimation to candidates regarding
Downloading of admit cards by
sms/email latest by: 13/02/2015
 Online training for SC/ST/OBC begins:
13/02/2015. Online training for
SC/ST/OBC ends: 27/02/2015
 Tentative Date of Written Test:
01/03/2015

UNITED INDIAN INSURANCE
CO. LTD (UIIC)
 United Indian Insurance Co. Ltd (UIIC) publishes
its Call letter notification for Assistants (Clerks)
Online Examination, every year. This exam will be
held in January.
 Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India announced
recruitment for theInsurance Advisor Posts.
 No. of Posts: 1524
 Names of the Posts: Insurance Advisor
 Age Limit: 18-50 years for Post No.1, 18-55 for Post
No.2, 18-33 years for Post No.3 and 18-60 years for
Post No.4. Education Qualification: Candidates
should possess HSC for Post No.1, 3 & 4, SSC and
HSC & Diploma & Graduate and Post Graduate and
M.Phil and Doctorate for Post No.2, See detailed
advertisement.

REPCO BANK
 Repco Bank published notification for recruitment
for Probationary Officer (PO) & Clerks Post.
 Total No of Posts: 115
 Names of the Posts: Probationary Officers: 15 Posts/
Jr. Assistants / Clerks: 100 Posts
 Age Limit: 21 to 30 Years for Sr.No:1 Post & 21 to 28
years for Sr. no. 2 post (as on 01/11/2014)
 Education Qualification: Probationary Officer:
Graduation or Post Graduation in any discipline with I
class, 60% marks from any University recognized by
UGC.
 Jr.Assistant/Clerk: Graduation in any discipline from
any university recognized by UGC.
 Selection Procedure: Probationary Officer: Online
test, Group discussion & Interview. Junior Assistant:
Online test & Interview.

NABARD
 NABARD inviting applications from Indian
citizens for the post of Assistant Manager
(Grade ‘A’) in the Rural Development
Banking Service (RDBS), Rajbhasha
Service, Legal Service, Protocol &
Security Service and Manager (Grade ‘B’)
(RDBS).
 Imp Note: Candidates can apply only ON-
LINE on NABARD website between 24
December 2014 and 15 January 2015
after carefully going through all the
instructions given in this advertisement.
 Total no of Posts: 128 Posts

 Name of the Posts:
 Assistant Managers (Grade 'A' ) in Rural
Development Banking Service (RDBS):
100 posts
 Assistant Managers (Grade 'A' ) in
Rajbhasha Service: 09 posts
 Assistant Managers (Grade 'A' ) in Legal
Service: 03 posts
 Assistant Managers (Grade 'A' ) in
Protocol & Security Service: 10 posts
 Managers (Grade 'B' ) in Rural
Development Banking Service (RDBS):
06 posts

SMALL INDUSTRIES DEVELOPMENT
BANK OF INDIA (SIDBI)
 GRADE-A OFFICER” IN SMALL INDUSTRIES
DEVELOPMENT BANK OF INDIA (SIDBI)
 Vacancy: “Grade-A Officer” in Small Industries
Development Bank of India (SIDBI)
 No of Posts: 80
 Expected Salary: Rs. 41,000/-
 Eligibility: Between 21 and 28 years of age 1st July,
2014
 Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree with minimum 60% (55%
for SC/ST) marks in aggregate in any stream, in either
of the two qualifications, from a recognized
institute/University.
 Selection Procedure: The selection process for the
post would be by way of an online examination followed
by Personal Interview. Candidates who qualify based on
the minimum cut-off marks decided by the Bank, would
be called for interview.

RBI ‘GRADE-B OFFICER’
RECRUITMENT
 RBI ‘Grade-B Officer’ Recruitment 2014-15 : Apply Online
 No. of Vacancies: General – 58/Schedules Caste –
15/Scheduled Tribe – 08/O.B.C. – 36/TOTAL – 117
 Emoluments: Salary per month – Rs. 51,517/-
 Eligibility Criteria: Between 21 and 30 years of age as on
Age 01st June, 2014
 Educational Qualification: Graduation or equivalent with a
minimum of 60% marks
 OR A Second Class Master’s Degree with minimum of 55%
marks
 OR A Doctorate Degree; with minimum of 50% marks
 OR Chartered/Cost Accountant/Company Secretary (ACS)
with a Bachelor’s Degree;
 OR A Post Graduate Diploma in Management / MBA
qualification from institutions recognized by Government of
India / University Grants Commission, with Graduation /
Bachelor’s Degree.

 Written Exam Details:
 Phase I: Online Examination (Objective Type)
 Last year Dates of Examination were –
2nd,3rd,9th,10th August, 2014
 Total Marks – 200 Total Time – 130 Mins
 Section in the Paper i. General Awareness.
ii. English Language. iii. Quantitative Aptitude.
iv. Reasoning-
 Date of Result of Phase I Exam –
August/September, 2014
 Phase II: Written Examination (Descriptive Type)
 - Date of Examination –September/October,
2014
 - Descriptive Examination will have three papers
on
i. English
ii. Economic and Social Issues
iii. Finance and Management

Written exam (Maximum Marks- 100)
 PAPER I ENGLISH
N.B.-(l) All questions are compulsory.
(2) Figures to the right indicate marks.
(3) Each question must be started on a
fresh page.
(4) All parts of a question must be
answered together without other
answers intervening.
(5) Marks will be deducted if an answer far
exceeds or falls short of the set limit or is
irrelevant or if the handwriting is illegible.
(6) Answers must be written in English.

1. Write an argumentative essay of about
500 words, on anyone of the following
:- (40 MARKS)
(a) Does Politics need Ethics?
(b) Cricket unites the World!
(c) Do Growth and Inflation go together?
(d) Is Environment our Social
Responsibility?
(e) Travel and Tourism is a booming
business.

Another year
1. Write an argumentative essay in about
500 words on anyone of the following
topics :- 40 MARKS
(a) Can technology bring about economic
growth with social justice?
(b) Has the RBI succeeded in curbing
inflation?
(c) Can we have a corruption-free society?
(d) Has the economic balance of power
tilted eastwards?
(e) Is social 'net' working a blessing or a
curse?

Another year
1. Write an essay of about 500 words on
any one of the following :— 40 MARKS
(a) Can the Food Security Bill help ?
(b) Has Gold lost its Glitter ?
(c) Sports other than Cricket, are winning
us medals today.
(d) How do Hi-Tech gadgets Rule our
Lives ?
(e) Environmental disasters are not only
due to Global Warming.
(f) Indian Food is popular Worldwide !!

 2. COMPREHENSION PARA AND
QUESTIONS

3. Attempt anyone of the
following in about 250 words ;-
20 MARKS
(a) Draft an investigative report on a fire that broke out
in the accounts department last week. Suggest
safeguards to handle such accidents in the future.
(b) Make a proposal on behalf of the employees to the
General Manager of the R B. I. on the need for some
Yoga and Stress Management Programmes for the
officers, twice a year to increase their efficiency. You
are the H. R Manager.
(c) With Corporates supporting social causes it is
suggested that the RB.I. can organise a Maths Quiz
with cash awards for underprivileged children. As
General Manager put your ideas forward to the Head
Office.

3. Attempt anyone of the
following in about 250 words :-
20 MARKS(a) Indian households have savings of above
30%- one of the highest in the world. A
Committee has been constituted to suggest
various financial products where these
savings can be invested with a view to
protecting the principal from inflation and also
to give positive and real returns. Draft the
Committee Report.
(b) Commuting to office during peak hours has
become an ordeal particularly in large cities.
This is affecting the efficiency of the
employees. As the HR Manager draft a
proposal to be sent to RBI for introducing
flexible working hours in the bank. Highlight
the salient features of' flexi-time' and how it
would enhance efficiency at workplace.

(c) RBI had issued a Notification directing
commercial banks against lending more
than 80% of the value ofthe property for
loans above Rs. 20 lakhs. The President
of the Association of Real Estate
Developers of India has written to RBI
stating that this move does not bode well
for developers as it may lead to drop in
home sales. On behalf of RBI write a
suitable reply to be sent to the President
of the Association. Impress upon the real
estate developers that the notification is
aimed at curbing speculation in the
market and not at affecting home sales.

3. Answer any one of the
following in about 250 words :—
20 MARKS(a) The Chairmen of the Reserve Bank has called
an urgent meeting to examine the problem
arising from a sudden spurt of fake notes of
denominations of 1000 and 500 in the market.
Discuss the measures suggested to identify and
stop this flood of fake currency.
(b) Hoardings pose an environmental hazard and
are an ugly sight in any city. Write an open letter,
as a concerned citizen to the Editor, The Times of
India offering your ideas in this matter.
(c) In the wake of online financial frauds and
phishing ; the RBI has decided to send a Circular
to all banks to secure the details of the accounts
of their customers and warn them about such
risks. Draft this circular.

Common Written Examination
(CWE)
 conducted for selection in Banking
sectors: Institute of Banking
Personnel Selection(IBPS)
 Indian PSU banks provide an
excellent opportunity for graduates.
 More than 7.5 lakh freshers will be
recruited by Indian PSU banks over
the next 5 years.

 While the jobs are aplenty, the
competition for these jobs is
equally high.
 But preparation for the exam is key.
 Success rate is only 1.5% - what
this means is less than 2 out of 100
aspirants that take the bank exam
actually get a job.
 Banks select freshers for their
aptitude and train them in
banking, enabling them to move up
in the value chain.

Selection Process for Bank
Exam
 Only 5 – 10% make it through the
Elimination round of the Aptitude
Test.
 Hence it is critical to prepare and
make sure you cross this first
hurdle successfully.

Five success mantras for this
examination are:
 Take Stock: Knowing where you stand
on your Ability to do the Aptitude Test
 Know the Game: Know the examination
process and procedures
 Get Trained: Get help - Professional
Coaching
 Practice: Practice and more practice-
attend model tests.
 Just do it with motivation and
determination. Not for name-sake.

1. Take Stock: Knowing where
you stand:
 This area is normally and easily
overlooked by aspirants.
 Bank exams test only basic Aptitude, and
hence it is easy to ignore the need for
development and falling on the trap ‘I
know all these things’.
 The fact is that the exam covers basic
arithmetic and aptitude. However, what
gets overlooked is the need for speed
coupled with Accuracy.

 In a typical examination, there is a
major time pressure.
 One has to answer 250 questions in
150 minutes – a mere 36 seconds
for each question.

 Hence, knowing how to solve a
problem does not suffice,
knowing how quickly you can do the
same correctly is the key.
 Hence, taking stock of where you
stand with respect to speed and
accuracy on various topics that gets
covered in this exam is a must.

 The best way to know where you are
is to take mock tests and get to know
where you stand in terms of the marks
scored by you, time taken
and compare your marks with the
cut off marks and marks scored by
other aspirants.

2. Know the Game: Know the
type of examination system
 The next step is understand the
examination pattern and system.
While the knowledge required for most
aptitude tests are the same, the strategy
to handle the examination will differ
significantly depending on the exam
itself.
 For example. the Common Written
Examination (CWE) conducted by
IBPS, looks for one to be well rounded
across multiple knowledge and talent

Hence, there are individual cut
offs for each section.
 If one is strong in English & have the
ability to score very high, it will help
his / her score in selection. However,
as a pre requisite one has to cross the
cut-of- mark in each of the 5 sections.
 Thus, if one scores very high on
English and very low in say GK, he /
she will not qualify in spite of the total
marks being better than the average
cut offs. This needs to be understood.

Some of the key areas are:
 Qualifying marks in each section
 Negative marks
 Questions with differing difficulties &
strategy for handling
 Time management in line with the above
pattern
 Taking guidance on each of the exam
and its uniqueness will go a long way in
creating a suitable strategy for one in
attacking this examination.

3. Professional Coaching
 Another frequently raised question
among aspirants is that ‘is there a need
for professional coaching for bank
exam?’.
 This arises generally from the fact that
as confident individuals we tend to
believe that we are ready for the
challenge and we can crack any
examination as we know most of the
concepts.
 This confidence is absolutely
necessary. However, confidence alone

 We need to understand the fact that a
person who has an above average
aptitude levels has a fair chance to
crack the exam irrespective of
coaching.
 However, if professional coaching
helps a person to get 10-20
additional marks, this can make a
huge difference – because the
competition is very high and every
additional mark is a value.

 Many people believe that what is
covered in the bank exam coaching
were taught in school.
 But the fact is, most of us tend to forget
what was taught in school and a
refresher is a must for one to be ready
for facing the competition with time
deadlines.

 In addition to preparation, the benefit
of professional coaching includes
ability to create a strategy for the
examination, understand what other
aspirants are doing and also get more
focussed attention on exam specific
development which will come handy
in the GK section of the examination.

4. Practice, Practice and do
more practice
 Practice makes a person perfect.
 It is said with proper reason.
 More the time spent in practicing,
better is the efficiency in the
examination. Higher the efforts prior to
the examination, better is the efficiency
during the examination.
 Hence, a serious contender who is keen
to land a job in banking needs to put
in hours and hours of hard work,
which has the ability of providing rewards
in multiples.

The practice must be well
directed.
 A misdirected practice has the
danger of de railing your preparation.
 For any examination, practice has to
be focused and in line with the
requirements.
 A professional guidance in
understanding the areas which
require practice will go a long way
in making one better equipped to
crack the bank examination.

5. Just do it
 Like in most things in life, success
comes to those who enjoy what
they are doing.
 Bank exam preparation can be an
arduous task. However, one has to
enjoy going through the
preparation.
 Those who enjoy this hard work will
relish the same in the future.

 So put in your hard work with your
own heart and see how the whole
world works towards making your
dream come true.
 You can do it.
 What you need is the right approach
coupled with good strategies for
reaching your destiny.

Summary of Objective General
English
 Categorized into six sections to make
the test process structured and
systematic.
 These are Vocabulary Usage, Error
Detection, Comprehension Ability,
Rearrangement, Selecting
Words/Phrases, and General Usage.

 The first section deals with the right
usage of one’s vocabulary, which is
imperative for articulate
communication skills as well as
proficiency in competitive exams.
 Aspects covered under this are
Synonyms, Double Synonyms,
Antonyms, Homonyms, Word
Substitution, and Vocabulary Test.

 The second part is all about the ability
to comprehend a given text.
 The most challenging task while
assimilating a passage is to grasp the
precise meaning, the correct motif,
implicit hints, and the tone of the written
matter.
 This incorporates four aspects as-
comprehension, techniques required to
derive conclusions from a passage, and
on the detection of the theme.

 The next aspect is about selecting the
right words and phrases.
 This encompasses three areas like
sentence and passage completion and
choosing the correct filler.

 The next aspect is related to
 Error Detection, addresses some of
the most prevalent mistakes that
people are disposed to make.
 This helps people to identify the
errors, rectify them, and subsequently,
avoid them.
 How to spot and avoid common errors,
methods to improve sentences, ways
to emend passages, and select the
correct sentence.

 Writing a well constructed paragraph
can be daunting for some, as it needs
well accommodated sentences.
 The next aspect is the concept of
rearrangement of sentences.
 This deals with the reconstruction of
individual sentences, rearrangement
of already constructed sentences
within a paragraph, reconstruction of
paragraphs in a passage, and the
formation of words.

 Another aspect is related to the
use of idioms, common
phrases, and teaches the
opposite use of active and
passive voice, conversion of
direct speech into indirect
speech and transformation.

Quantitative Aptitude For
Competitive Examinations
 Competitive exams, test the
numerical aptitude of the person
taking the exam.
 These exams test a candidate's
knowledge and skill in basic
arithmetic, algebra, geometry etc.
 They also test the Quantitative
Aptitude skills of the candidate.

 The first part covers arithmetical
ability.
 The second part covers Data
Interpretation.
 Coverage includes Numbers, Average,
Percentage, Decimal Fractions,
 Square Roots and Cube Roots.
 It also covers Problems on Numbers
and Ages, Simplification, Alligations,
and Logarithms- ability to handle
problems.

Other topics include
 Surds and Indices,
 Pipes and Cistern, Chain Rule,
 Boats and Streams,
 Simple and Compound Interests,
 Time and Work, Partnership,
 Problems on Trains, and
 Volume and Surface Area.
 Stocks and Shares, True Discount and
Banker's Discount, Games of Skill,
Races, Permutations and Combination,
Series, Odd Man Out, Clocks, Heights
and Distances, and Calendar.

 The Data Interpretation part covers
Tabulation and various kinds of graphs
like Bar, Pie and Line Graphs.
 The Quantitative Aptitude For
Competitive Examinations covers
every aspect of the numerical ability.

Modern Approach To Verbal &
Non-Verbal Reasoning
 Verbal Reasoning has two sections.
 General mental ability, include
verification of truth of the statement,
 Assertion and reason,
 alpha numeric sequence puzzle,
 direction sense test, series
completion, inserting the missing
character, logical sequence of words,
and logical venn diagrams.

 In the second section,
 Logical Deduction,
 Cause And Effect Reasoning,
 Statement-Conclusions,
 Theme Detection,
 Statement-Arguments,
 Deriving Conclusions From Passages,
 Logic,
 Statement-Assumptions, and
 Statement-Course Of Action.

 Non-verbal Reasoning,
 Construction Of Squares And
Triangles, Classification,
 Figure Formation & Analysis,
 Series,
 Completion Of Incomplete Pattern,
 Paper Folding, Analogy,
 Analytical Reasoning,
 Cubes And Dice, and
 Spotting Out The Embedded Figures

 Most of the exams are conducted in
prefixed months.
 Hence, Your are sure about the
period of preparation and time
available.
 But you need to manage the time to
study most of the required things.

 TIME MANAGEMENT – It is necessary
to adopt the strategy of optimum
utilization of time.
 Effective Time Management in our lives
today, is a must before preparation of
any exams.
 It calls for the mastery of basic time
management skills. Improve your
"effectiveness Quotient" –
 You need to achieve more in every
minute of the day and to enjoy each
task that you take up.

 You have to have a personal sense of
time or a time log. This helps you to
keep track of how you spend each hour.
 Divide each day for a period of two
weeks into one hour intervals and jot
down what you do in them.
 Subdivide the activities also. At the end
of the week, examine your time log and
the success rate.

 Find that more time is devoted for
top priority activities and less time is
wasted phone calls, coffee breaks,
chatting with friends etc.
 Try to cut down the time spent on
useless activities or stop doing them
altogether.

Manage the stress:
 Most of the centres for the exam do
not have proper facilities which adds
to the stress.
 One sure way of dealing with this
stress is to count numbers or to take a
few deep breaths.
 Meditation and Yoga may help in
dealing with this stress.

 Answering multiple choice
question paper needs a different
preparation and a proper strategy.
 The examination is designed to
evaluate sharp memory and basic
retention power.
 There are ways to increase one's
memory like preparing charts. One
gets confused when faced with mind
boggling facts and figures.

 Important facts and figures can be
simplified and represented on charts
and they can arranged in the form of
tables or graphs.
 You have to make short and brief
notes on each topic so that the entire
syllabus can be revised a day before
the exam.

 It is better to use diagrams and link
words which make it easier to
understand difficult concepts.
 One more technique that can help is
retaining the information by using
your own abbreviations.
 Since the syllabus involves exhaustive
information abbreviations help you to
remember it better.

 It is a good method to remember
dates, facts and figures in a picture
format and to break up complex
names and places into smaller and
simpler words.

 The most important technique is
doing regular revision. This helps in
retaining the maximum information.
 A separate time slot should be given to
doing not only regular but multiple
revisions like daily, weekly, monthly
etc.

 Many candidates make a mistake of
overloading themselves with lots of
information and end up in not
remembering anything.
 One should be able to differentiate
between relevant and irrelevant
information.

 Taking a mock test
 Speed and Accuracy are important.
For this, try to solve some model
question papers on a regular basis.
 A good presence of mind is
required.
 It is necessary to have a positive
attitude and a great amount of will
power to succeed to achieve your
goal.

 How to Prepare Notes- Appearing
for any competitive exam requires a lot
of preparation. You should be ready to
face this challenge.
 It is important to know how to make
use of the available literature
sources and use them in the best
possible way.

Three pronged approach
 The standard three pronged
approach is
a) reading to learn,
b) making effective notes and
c) able to write answers to various kinds
of questions.

 One should make notes from the very
beginning as soon as you have started
studying, and also when the material
is fresh in mind.
 It is better to make notes from all
possible sources, from what you
read, what you hear and from what
you do.
 After making the first brief notes, it can
be expanded and organised properly.
 You can then keep adding information
to it from time to time.

Methods of making notes
 There are different methods of
making notes and one should decide
which method suits you the best.

TAKE CARE:
 Do it smart- work hard, study 10 hours
or more every day, read many books
selectively, make short notes, take mock
tests
 Start early- preparations once you
decide
 See old questions, try to solve them
 Make it as a routine work- chart
 Prepare once- write all

Do it
 Read, Read, Read
 Write notes
 Take guidance
 Get, set, go
 Be confident
 Read newspapers
 Physical Exercises

Avoid
 Multi-tasking
 Loss of concentration
 Distractions
 Moving around
 Loss of sleep
 Unhygienic food
 Overeating/ starving
 Tension

Notes taking
 Use all sources
 Understand and take notes
 Linear notes( headings, sub-headings,
points)
 Pattern notes- write the topic at the
centre of the page, use key words as
radiating items, add extra items,
indicate links

Skeleton Prose
 This is the most common form of note
taking.
 Notes are structured as a sequence of
numbered points and paragraphs, with
headings and indentations - a little like
an essay plan.

How to Take Notes
 summarise - be concise
 be as neat as possible
 use headings and numbered points
 use abbreviations/shorthand (but spell
out personal or place names legibly)
 leave spaces in between your notes
(for amendments and additions)

Taking Notes from Written
Material
 When taking notes from written
material we have to do the following:
 Identify the main points in a
paragraph.
 Transform the main points into note
form.
 Show how these main points are
linked.

Competitive exams in India -an overview

Demand-supply gap in
Karnataka, 2012 to 2022

Final suggestions
Prepare well
Practice well
Perform well
Position well
( in life/job)

Competitive exams in India -an overview

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Similar to Competitive exams in India -an overview (20)

More from Prof. A.Balasubramanian (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

Competitive exams in India -an overview