Banking — IBPS, SBI and RBI

Banking recruitment in India is not one system. Understanding which body recruits for which bank saves a lot of wasted effort.

• IBPS conducts common recruitment for participating public sector banks. You sit one examination and are allotted to a bank based on merit and preference.
• IBPS also runs separate common recruitment for regional rural banks, which has its own notification, examination and local language requirement.
• The State Bank of India does not participate in IBPS recruitment. It issues its own notifications and conducts its own examinations for Probationary Officer, Clerk and specialist posts.
• The Reserve Bank of India recruits independently for Grade B officers, Assistants and specialist roles through its own opportunities portal.
• Private sector banks recruit directly and are not part of any of these processes.

1. A preliminary objective examination, used to shortlist candidates. Its marks usually do not count towards final merit.
2. A main examination, which is more demanding and normally does count towards merit.
3. For officer-level posts, an interview, and in some cases a group exercise.
4. For clerical posts, a local language proficiency requirement, which is taken seriously — candidates are expected to read, write and speak the language of the State they apply for.
5. Document verification and a medical examination before joining.

• Quantitative aptitude and reasoning, under significant time pressure. Speed matters as much as accuracy.
• English language, at a level closer to comprehension and usage than literature.
• General awareness with a heavy emphasis on banking and financial awareness — RBI announcements, monetary policy, banking regulation and recent financial news.
• Computer knowledge for many clerical and officer posts.
• Sectional timing is common, meaning you cannot carry unused time from one section to another. Practising under that constraint matters.