Most Popular Bank Exams Among Freshers

 The go to option for any fresher out of college aspiring for a lucrative and secure career is a bank job. The options are plenty with autonomous recruitment bodies such as the IBPS, SBI, RBI and the private banks conducting their own selection processes to find quality talent for various roles/functions. 

 

#1 State Bank of India (SBI) Exams:

The SBI conducts its own selection processes to hire qualified personnel for the clerical cadre and mid & senior level roles. The most popular exams conducted by the SBI are the SBI PO and the SBI clerk. Both these exams are conducted each year to fill vacancies across SBI branches and offices across India. The SBI clerk is conducted to fill clerical cadre vacancies while the SBI PO is conducted to identify candidates worthy of becoming probationary officers (PO). The role of a bank PO is a managerial role and involves supervision of clerical tasks, introducing new products and increasing the business by marketing products etc. The 

SBI Clerk Salary is significantly lower than that of an SBI PO. An SBI PO makes upto 13 LPA while an SBI clerk makes around INR 23,000 to 25,000 per month depending on the job location. 

 

The syllabus for the initial stages of the SBI clerk and SBI PO are very similar but there is a huge gulf in terms of the difficulty level. The primary eligibility criteria for both the SBI clerk & SBI PO is the same - an undergraduate degree from a recognized University/college. Unlike the bank PO (SBI & IBPS) exams, the bank clerk exams don’t include an interview round which makes them a compelling choice for candidates who crumble under interview pressure.  

 

#2 Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) Exams:

 

The IBPS Exams are considered to be slightly easier than their SBI counterparts. The IBPS PO, IBPS clerk, IBPS RRB and IBPS SO are the most popular exams conducted by the IBPS. Around 10-15 banks including the Allahabad Bank, PNB, Central Bank of India and Maharashtra bank typically recruit through IBPS exams. Since the IBPS exams are a common gateway to several nationalized/renown banks, the number of vacancies up for grabs through the IBPS exams are typically higher than their SBI Counter parts. 

 

The IBPS Clerk Salary is around INR 22,500 whereas the IBPS PO salary is over INR 38,700. The basic eligibility criteria for the IBPS PO and Clerk exams is a UG degree. The other popular recruitment processes conducted by the IBPS are the Regional Rural Bank Recruitment (IBPS RRB) and Specialist Officer Recruitment (IBPS SO). Candidates with relevant skill sets can apply for posts such as marketing/ IT/Law/HR/Agricultural officer.

 

#3 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Exams:

A job in the RBI is considered very prestigious and the RBI recruitment processes are usually difficult and different as compared to those conducted by the SBI & IBPS. The RBI Grade B recruitment is the most sought after recruitment process especially due to the lucrative pay  package (upto 14 LPA or per month take home salary of upto INR 62,400), accelerated career growth and the associated benefits. The benefits include luxurious accommodation, official vehicle, medical insurance cover etc. An RBI Grade B officer can go on to even become the RBI Governor. 

The RBI assistant selection process is also another highly contested exam conducted each year by the RBI to select around 600 - 1000 deserving candidates to fill RBI Assistant vacancies in its offices across the country. An RBI assistant gets a salary of over INR 32,000 per month and also has a chance of getting promoted quickly through merit based process or the normal process. The perks of the job include Transport, House Rent and Dearness Allowances. The RBI assistant is a much better option compared to the IBPS & SBI clerk exams. 

 

#4 NABARD

The National bank for agriculture and rural development conducts the NABARD separate recruitment processes each year to identify deserving candidates for the Grade A officer and office assistant vacancies. Usually, there are about 100 Grade A officer vacancies and a Grade A officer makes a handsome INR 55,600 per month. The NABARD office assistant on the other gets a gross salary of INR 31,000 per month. 

 

With so many exams to choose from, it can be daunting to target the right exams but the good thing is that the syllabus and exam pattern are very similar. Try and attempt as many of these exams as possible to improve your chances of landing a job in the promising banking sector.

 

All the best!