IBPS PO vs IBPS Clerk: Know the Difference

 

IBPS PO vs IBPS Clerk

The IBPS is expected to release the official notifications for IBPS PO and Clerk sometime soon. Every year lakhs of candidates sit for the IBPS PO and Clerk exams making them two of the most sought-after examinations conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection.

We suggest you stop waiting for the notification & start your preparations for the exam. However, some of you may still be confused about which one to choose between the two.

Therefore, in the following article, we are providing you a brief comparison between IBPS PO and IBPS Clerk to help you make the right choice:

 

Salary, Promotions & Perks

IBPS PO

The basic salary of a Probationary Officer is 23,700/-. The in-hand salary drawn by an IBPS PO is approximately 38,360 to 40,700. However, the salary will vary according to the location of posting.

Perks: Dearness allowance, Special allowance, House rent allowance, City compensatory allowance, Travel allowance, Leased accommodation, Newspaper reimbursement, Medical aid, Benefits under the New Pension Scheme.

 

IBPS Clerk

The basic salary of a bank clerk is 11,765. The in-hand approximate salary of a bank clerk per month is 19,461/-. The salary will vary according to the location of posting.

Perks: Dearness allowance, House rent allowance, Medical allowance, etc.

 

Designation

IBPS PO

After appointment, candidates are given a 10 to 20 days (duration varies from bank to bank) induction training in Management Training Academics of the bank. After the completion of induction training, candidates can be posted anywhere in India since a Government Bank Officers service is pan-India. Assistant Managers have to go through a probation for 2 years.

During probation the officer is exposed to all kinds of work from different departments. The Officers may undergo frequent transfers or deputations during their probation period. Post-probation, the officers are confirmed as Assistant Manager and given a permanent posting.

 

Career progression:

This is what an ideal career progression of an IBPS PO looks like:

Junior Management Grade – Scale I: Probationary Officer

Middle Management Grade – Scale II: Manager

Middle Management Grade – Scale III: Senior Manager

Senior Management Grade – Scale IV: Chief Manager

Senior Management Grade Scale V: Assistant General Manager

Top Management Grade Scale VI: Deputy General Manager

Top Management Grade Scale VII: General Manager

Executive Director (ED)

Chairman and Managing Director (CMD)

 

IBPS Clerk

Post-selection, the IBPS Clerk candidate has to undergo a probation for six months.

 

Career progression:

IBPS Clerks get a chance to get promoted to higher levels through promotional examinations within 2 years of joining the bank. Upon successful completion of the exam, clerks can get promoted to officer post, which increases their salary and changes their job profile.

 

This is what an ideal career progression of an IBPS Clerk looks like:

Bank clerk

Officer

Senior Officer

Assistant Manager

Manager

Senior Manager

Chief Manager

Assistant General Manager (AGM)

Deputy General Manager (DGM)

General Manager (GM)

Executive Director (ED)

Chairman and Managing Director (CMD)

 

Clerks have two ways of getting promotions in a bank:

1. Internal exam: Most effective
2. Post-graduation degree

Increments of candidates while working as a clerk depends on their performance during probation as well as while working with various departments. After a few years of service, eligible bank clerks can take internal promotional exam to become a Trainee Officer (TO) and then later Probationary Officer.

 

Job Profile & Responsibilities

IBPS PO

Probationary Officers need to have knowledge in various departments like Finance, Marketing, Loans & Advances, Accounting, etc.

Following are some of the duties assigned to Probationary Officers in banks:

Managing the front-desk: Probationary Officers are responsible for guiding customers, handling their complaints, introducing new products and services to them, issuing Demand Drafts, Cheques, ATM cards, etc.

Bring new business: Probationary Officers  are responsible for bringing the bank new business and marketing their schemes

Supervising work: Probationary Officers must supervise the work of Bank Clerks such as cash management, account opening, checking cash transactions and authorizing them, dealing with customers, proofreading data entry done by clerks.

Process loans: POs are also responsible for providing & documenting loans and supervising the transactions

 

IBPS Clerk

Bank Clerks serve as the first point of contact sought by customers for inquiries & guidance.

Following are some of the responsibilities of Bank Clerks:

• Deposit & withdrawal of cash by customers

• Receive demand drafts, cheques, pay orders, dividend warrants

• Issue ESI stamps & cash receipts

• Monitor the work of other bank clerks and the sub-staff

• Maintain record of balance on a daily basis

• Hold valuables of the bank in safe custody (cash, keys, etc.)

• Balance tally, ledger maintenance, data entry, etc.

• Issue cheque books

• Market products and services of the bank

After digitization of banking, bank clerks’ jobs are mostly related to working on computers and entering the daily transactions and other information served to customers.

 

Posting & Transfer

IBPS PO

Assistant Managers get transferred every 2 to 3 years. They’re posted to at least 3 different locations during their probation. Assistant Managers are posted mostly in urban and sometimes rural areas across the country.

 

IBPS Clerk

For bank clerks, chances of getting posted near their home towns or native places is less. Bank clerks are promoted every 3 to 4 years.

 

Selection Procedure

IBPS PO

 

IBPS PO Preliminary Exam

Name of the section	No of questions	Max marks	Medium	Duration
English Language	30	30	English	60 mins
Quantitative Aptitude	35	35	English and Hindi
Reasoning Ability	35	35	English and Hindi
Total	100	100

 

IBPS PO Main Exam

Name of the section	No of questions	Max marks	Medium	Duration
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude	45	60	English and Hindi	60 mins
General/Economy/Banking Awareness	40	40	English and Hindi	35 mins
English Language	35	40	English	40 mins
Data Analysis & Interpretation	35	60	English and Hindi	45 mins
Total	155	200		3 hours
English Language (Letter writing & Essay)	2	25	English	30 mins

 

Phase 3: Personal Interview

Candidates who get shortlisted in the main examination will be called for a Personal Interview conducted by the participating organizations and coordinated by the nodal bank in each state/UT with the help of IBPS.

 

Get access to IBPS exam practice questions in latest pattern. Click on the banner:

 

IBPS Clerk

Phase 1: Preliminary Exam

Sr. No	Name of the section	No of questions	Max marks	Duration
1	English Language	30	30	60 mins
2	Numerical Ability	35	35
3	Reasoning Ability	35	35
	Total	100	100

 

Phase 2: Main Exam

Sr. No	Name of the section	No of questions	Max Marks	Duration
1	General/Financial Awareness	50	50	35 mins
2	General English	40	40	35 mins
3	Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude	50	60	45 mins
4	Quantitative Aptitude	50	50	45 mins
	Total	190	200

 

Phase 3: Provisional allotment

The total marks secured by the candidate in the main exam out of 200, is converted to out of 100 for provisional allotment. A candidate should qualify in main exam with sufficiently high marks to be considered for provisional allotment.

 

Eligibility

IBPS PO

Candidates need to be between the age group 20 – 30 years to be eligible for IBPS PO.

Education: Graduate in any discipline from a University or any equivalent qualification recognized by Central Government.

 

IBPS Clerk

Candidates need to be between the age group 20 – 28 years to be eligible for IBPS Clerk.

Education:

• Graduate in any discipline from a University or any equivalent qualification recognized by Central Government

• Mandatory operating and working knowledge in Computer systems

• Proficiency in the official language of the State/UT

 

Important dates

IBPS PO

Exam	Date
Preliminary Exam	7th, 8th, 14th and 15th Oct 2017
Main Exam	26th Nov 2017

 

IBPS Clerk

Exam	Date
Preliminary Exam	2nd, 3rd, 9th and 10th Dec 2017
Main Exam	21st Jan 2018

 

 

We hope the above comparison helps you briefly differentiate between IBPS PO and IBPS Clerk exams, their salaries, job profiles, career growth, transfers, and selection procedures. Use this handy guide to make the right career choice.

Download this as a PDF.

 

Further reading:

IBPS PO Quantitative Aptitude Preparation Guide 2017

IBPS PO Reasoning Preparation Guide 2017