How to Crack Banking Exams After Completing BCom/MCom Online

How to Crack Banking Exams After Completing BCom/MCom: Cracking banking exams after completing your Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) or Master of Commerce (MCom) is a promising path toward securing a stable and rewarding career. The banking sector offers numerous opportunities for growth and development, making it a desirable field for many aspirants. However, the competition is fierce, and success requires not only hard work but also a well-structured and strategic approach. This blog will outline a focused plan to help you crack banking exams after completing your BCom/MCom, leveraging your educational background and providing practical steps to enhance your preparation.

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How to Crack Banking Exams After Completing BCom/MCom: Key Steps 

Cracking banking exams after completing BCom/MCom requires a strategic approach, leveraging your academic background and honing specific skills. With the right preparation plan, time management, and consistent practice, you can successfully clear these competitive exams and secure a rewarding career.

1. Understand the Exam Pattern and Syllabus

Before diving into preparation, it’s crucial to understand the exam pattern and syllabus. The major banking exams, such as those conducted by IBPS, SBI, and RBI, usually follow a similar structure:

• Preliminary Exam: Objective type questions testing your skills in General English, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability.

• Mains Exam: More comprehensive, including objective questions (similar to Prelims) along with Descriptive Writing (for officer-level exams).

• Interview: Personality test and a deeper evaluation of your communication skills (for officer-level roles).
  
  

Being clear about the syllabus helps you prioritize your preparation and allocate time to each section effectively.

2. Leverage Your BCom/MCom Background

Your background in BCom/MCom is an asset in cracking banking exams, as it equips you with key skills for several sections. Here’s how to use it:

• Financial Awareness & General Knowledge: Your understanding of economics, accounting, and financial concepts will serve you well in the General/Financial Awareness section. Focus on key topics such as the financial system, banking terms, and government policies. Regularly read financial newspapers (e.g., Economic Times, The Hindu) and monthly banking magazines to stay updated.

• Quantitative Aptitude: With a strong foundation in mathematics, you can excel in the Quantitative Aptitude section. Brush up on topics like percentages, time and work, interest calculations, profit and loss, and data interpretation. As you practice, focus on speed and accuracy.

3. Create a Realistic Study Plan

Time management and structured study are essential to cracking banking exams. Create a study plan that is realistic and achievable, focusing on both strengths and areas of improvement.

Example Weekly Study Plan:

 4. Focus on Core Sections

To excel in banking exams, prioritize the core sections and practice regularly.

a) Quantitative Aptitude

This section is crucial and often time-consuming. Focus on building speed and accuracy by practicing a variety of problems. Pay particular attention to:

• Data Interpretation: Bar charts, pie charts, tables, and line graphs are common in exams. Solve these with time constraints to develop speed.

• Arithmetic: Focus on Profit & Loss, Simple and Compound Interest, Averages, Time & Work, and Speed, Time, and Distance.

• Number Series: Learn different types of number series and practice solving them quickly.

b) Reasoning Ability

This section tests your logical thinking and problem-solving skills. Key areas to focus on include:

• Puzzles and Seating Arrangements: These are often asked in large numbers. Practice different types of puzzles—linear, circular, and floor-based.
• Logical Reasoning: Focus on input-output, direction sense, and coding-decoding questions.
• Verbal Reasoning: Work on analogies, blood relations, and series-based questions.
  
  

c) English Language

Your BCom/MCom background should help you with English, but you need to refine your skills further for the banking exams. Focus on:

• Reading Comprehension: Regularly practice reading passages and answering related questions.

• Vocabulary: Build your vocabulary by learning new words, synonyms, and antonyms.

• Grammar: Focus on topics like sentence correction, error spotting, and sentence rearrangement.
  
  

d) General Awareness and Financial Awareness

General awareness is crucial for cracking banking exams. As a BCom/MCom graduate, you may already have some knowledge, but you need to stay updated on key current events. Focus on:

• Banking and Financial Terms: Understand terms related to banking operations, financial markets, and government schemes.

• Current Affairs: Stay updated on national and international affairs. Focus on topics related to banking, finance, economy, and government policies.

• Monthly Magazines and Newspapers: Read banking-related magazines and newspapers like Banking Chronicle and The Hindu.

e) Descriptive Writing (For Officer-Level Exams)

For exams like SBI PO and IBPS PO, you will need to write essays and letters. Practice writing on topics like economic issues, social issues, and current affairs. Focus on structuring your essay clearly, with an introduction, body, and conclusion. 

5. Take Mock Tests and Analyze Performance

Mock tests are one of the most effective ways to evaluate your preparation. Regularly take mock exams under timed conditions to simulate the real exam experience. After each mock test, analyze your performance:

• Identify areas where you struggled, and revisit those topics.

• Focus on improving your speed and accuracy.

• Practice writing the descriptive section to improve fluency and expression.

6. Time Management During the Exam

Efficient time management during the exam is crucial to attempt all questions within the time limit. Here are some tips:

• Prelims Exam: Allocate time to each section—typically, 20 minutes for English, 35 minutes for Quantitative Aptitude, and 35 minutes for Reasoning Ability. Aim to solve 80-85% of the questions accurately.

• Mains Exam: During the Mains, manage your time between the objective and descriptive sections. Focus on solving objective-type questions quickly, and leave adequate time for the descriptive section.

7. Stay Motivated and Positive

Cracking banking exams requires persistence. Keep a positive attitude, and don’t get discouraged by setbacks. Surround yourself with a supportive study group or online community where you can discuss concepts and share tips. Take regular breaks to avoid burnout and keep your mind fresh.

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