Attempt Strategy for Reasoning Section in IBPS PO Mains

IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) PO (Probationary Officers) is one of the most prestigious exams for candidates who are aiming to become banking personnel. IBPS PO examination comprises a preliminary exam, mains exam, and an interview. There are fewer vacancies and the competition is high. The main examination is one of the most important and toughest hurdles. To excel in this stage we will get acquainted with the attempt strategy for the reasoning section in IBPS PO mains. This will enhance your chances of clearing this stage of the exam.

To ace IBPS PO Mains, the reasoning section is one of the most important sections to improve your score. This section is considered as lengthy, tough, and tricky by the candidates because of the complex nature and the time-taking structure of questions. his exam is a test of speed and accuracy of a candidate. Also, this stage is not like the IBPS PO prelims which is just qualifying in nature. The total score of the main examination is calculated for the final merit list which makes this stage of the exam pivotal.

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1. IBPS PO Mains Exam Pattern 2022

Sr. No.	Name of Tests	No. of   Questions	Maximum Marks	Medium of Exam	Time Allotted
1	Reasoning and Computer Aptitude	45	60	English and Hindi	60 minutes
2	General/Economy/Banking Awareness	40	40	English and Hindi	35 minutes
3	English Language	35	40	English	40 minutes
4	Data Analysis and Interpretation	35	60	English and Hindi	45 minutes
	Total	155	200	——-	180  minutes
5	English Language (Essay and Letter Writing)	2	25	English	30 minutes

There will be a 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 a penalty to arrive at a 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.

Each candidate will be required to obtain a minimum score in each test of the online main examination and also a minimum total score to be considered to be shortlisted for an interview.

2. IBPO Mains Syllabus and Weightage for Reasoning Section

Reasoning is covered under the Reasoning and Computer Aptitude section and around 41 – 43 questions from reasoning are asked. To improve the attempt strategy for the reasoning section in IBPS mains the candidates are expected to have a clear idea of the weightage of important topics.

The important topics of the section, the number of questions, and the level of questions for the IBPS PO main exam are mentioned below:

Important Topics	No. Of Questions	Level of the questions
Seating Arrangement and Puzzle	10 – 13	Moderate – Difficult
Coding-Decoding	4 – 5	Moderate
Direction Distance	3	Moderate
Verbal and Critical Reasoning	5	Difficult
Blood Relations	5	Moderate – Difficult
Scheduling	3	Moderate
Syllogism	3	Moderate
Data Sufficiency	3 – 5	Difficult
Ordering and Ranking	2	Moderate
Machine Input Output	3	Moderate – Difficult
Total	41 – 43	Moderate – Difficult

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Apart from these topics the other topics like Inequality, Alphanumeric Series, Alphabet Based questions, Slots Based questions, etc.,  are also expected. The difficulty level of these questions can be between moderate to difficult.

3. Attempt Strategy for Reasoning Section in IBPS PO

1. As you are aware of the important topics, aspirants need to prepare a study plan to complete the syllabus before time. Aspirants need to make sure that days are kept aside in the study plan to practice as many as mock tests. Start with the individual topics first and then go for the reasoning section as a whole to practice the questions.

 2. Candidates need to work on the fundamental concepts and clear any doubts regarding the topics. To improve your clarity of concepts Oliveboard Edge is the best platform as it provides live courses for IBPO PO main exam.

3. The reasoning section evaluates the reasoning intelligence and logical approach which is required to improve the problem – solving skills. Therefore it is required that aspirants should work more on logical skills. This can be easily done by practicing questions and quizzes.

4. Realizing the mistakes and making honest efforts to improve is the best possible way to tackle any topic. Identify your weak areas and spend most of the preparation time to convert them into strong areas.

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5. Identify your strong areas in this section. This can be easily figured out by practicing more and more mock tests. Try to solve as many questions which seem complex and time – consuming to you.

6. Identify the less time taking and more time taking problems in the question paper and attempt the less time taking ones first as these are comparatively less complex. Make sure that all these less time taking questions are attempted as there are fewer chances of making mistakes in such questions which will easily increase your cumulative score.

7. Read every word with maximum attention and consider all the possibilities while attempting any question.

8. First try to attempt the questions which are asked on relatively easy topics and then go for complex and difficult questions.

9. Puzzles, Seating Arrangements, Input-Output, etc. are time – consuming but they are asked in sets and you need to solve the logic behind it. This takes time and these are more mistake-prone questions. Hence, it is advised to attempt these after the relatively easy ones.

10. Any area or topic in this section can be improved by more and more practice and by analyzing the mistakes occurred. Mock tests by Oliveboard will surely help you give a hands-on experience of the exam.

11. Try to practice previous years’ exam papers and analyze the pattern and types of questions asked. This is essential as this will make you acquainted with the pattern of questions and will help you to prepare a better study plan and exam strategy.

12. Do try to avoid time pressure as it will hamper your performance.

13. Do not spend more time on questions that are difficult no matter how well-versed you are with that particular topic.

IBPS PO Exam: General Tips and Tricks

Here are a few tips and tricks to clear the IBPS PO Exam. 

1. Make Time Table- Many students apply for any exam but then do not study systematically. For systematic study you need a proper time table. So first of all prepare a time table covering all the topics asked in the exam.
2. Read good books: There are plenty of books available in the market, but reading all of them will be of no use. Refer to the standard books only. If you have notes from your coaching institute then refer to them for your preparation.
3. Practice is the key: One thing that sets toppers apart is the habit of Practicing as much as they can. For this exam, Practice is the key, you have to practice a lot of questions before appearing in the actual exam.
4. Mock Tests: Join a mock test series for better understanding of the actual exam level, test series can immensely help you in acing this exam.
5. Previous Year Question Papers: Go through the previous year question papers, It will help you to get a better idea of the level of exam and the kind of questions asked. 

This is the attempt strategy for the reasoning section in the IBPS PO exam. Try to implement this in your daily preparation of IBPS exams and you will definitely see an improvement in your performance. As the exam is days away from now do not forget perseverance is the key to achieve the goal. All the best.

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