Just Believe in Yourself and Attempt the Exam Confidently: SBI PO 2020 Qualifier Aman Kumar Shaw
State Bank of India Probationary Officer Exam 2024 ( SBI PO )
Exam On - 8 Mar '25
SBI PO 2020 Qualifier, Aman Kumar Shaw, has proved that it is possible to crack one of the most competitive banking exams in the country on the first attempt. He believes that to attain success it is important to sacrifice one’s comfort. In an interview with Shiksha, he shared his preparation strategy and tips for future SBI PO aspirants.
SBI PO Topper Interview: Know How Aman Cracked the Exam in First Attempt
SBI PO Topper Interview: State Bank of India (SBI) every year conducts SBI PO exam to select eligible candidates for the Probationary Officer (PO) post in its various branches spread throughout the country. Around 10 lakh candidates register for the exam every year. This exam is considered one of the most competitive banking exams in the country as a large number of candidates apply and appear for the exam. Though a large number of candidates appear for the exam, however, only a few can crack the exam. Where it becomes difficult for many candidates to crack the SBI PO exam after many years of preparation, this West Bengal boy, Aman Kumar Shaw, aced the exam on his first attempt and without any coaching. He is currently posted as SBI PO in the Raghumathpur branch in Purulia district for rural/semi urban assignment.
In an Interview with Shiksha, Aman shared that by cracking the SBI PO exam and getting the job, he has fulfilled his mother’s dream who raised him single-handedly. Besides SBI PO, Aman has also cracked IBPS RRB PO and IBPS Clerk in the same year.
Initially, he enrolled himself in Chartered Accountancy Course but had to leave it midway due to the duration of the course and financial problems. After this, he started preparing for bank exams. Sharing his roadmap to success, Aman said, “I took 1.5 years to learn and clear the concepts in order to crack the SBI PO exam. The main challenge I faced during preparation was that I did not buy any mock test series for which I could practice many questions before appearing in the exam. I did not take any coaching and relied on the online resources for preparation.”
“Aspirants who are preparing for SBI PO exam should get their basic cleared for all the sections and attempt mock tests. They should practice simultaneously for prelims and mains exams as well. They should just believe in themselves and attempt the exam confidently,” Aman further added.
We have provided the full interview below where Aman shared his preparation strategy for SBI PO, good books and important tips for future SBI PO aspirants. Read below and know how Aman has cracked SBI PO exam on the first attempt without any coaching.
Also Read:
SBI PO Topper Interview with Aman Kumar Shaw
Q: Tell us something about your background?
A: I have done my graduation in commerce. As my mother raised me single-handedly, it was important for me to get a job as early as possible. By getting this job, I have fulfilled my mother’s dream.
Q: What was your overall and section-wise marks/score in SBI PO exam? Which year did you qualify the exam and where you are currently working? Tell us something regarding your roles and responsibilities.
A: My overall score in SBI PO exam was 59/100 in prelims, 98/200 in mains and 43/50 in GD/Interview. I qualified the exam in 2020 and joined in March 2021. I am currently posted in the Raghunathpuram branch in the Purulia district (West Bengal) as my rural/semi-urban assignment. I am associated with the retail credit in the advances section where I am assigned to process loans and engage in cross-selling.
Q: What made you pursue a career in banking? Which other exams did you appear in and which all you have been able to crack?
A: As I have completed graduation from the commerce stream, therefore, I was looking for a career in Finance. I started my career by enrolling myself in Chartered Accountancy course but had to leave it midway due to financial problems and the duration of the course. It is after leaving the Chartered Accountancy course I started preparing for banking exams.
Q: How much time did you prepare for the SBI PO exam? Did you crack it on the first attempt?
A: It took 1.5 years to learn the concepts for clearing SBI PO exam. I cracked the exam on the first attempt. In 2019, I appeared for SBI Clerk exam but failed to crack it.
Q: Tell us regarding the challenges you faced while preparing for the SBI PO exam?
A: The problem I faced while preparing for SBI PO exam was that I did not buy mock test series for which I could not practice many questions before appearing in the exam.
Q: Did you take any coaching for the exam. If yes, from where and for how long?
A: I did not take any coaching and my only source of preparation was referring to the free online resources and practice sets. It is time taking process, as you need to search the contents but works appropriately if you are dedicated enough.
Q: How to prepare for SBI PO exam? Tell us the strategy you applied to prepare for the exam?
A: Aspirants need to clear their basic of all the sections. They need to attempt mock tests and practice simultaneously for prelims and mains exams. They should make a routine of reading current affairs on a daily/weekly basis. They should understand their strengths and attempt the exam accordingly.
Q: Is coaching important to crack the exam?
A: It is necessary for someone who wants to connect everything from the start. If your concepts are on the line, there are enough free online contents to help you.
Q: Tell us regarding the SBI PO study routine. What is the ideal time to begin SBI PO preparation?
A: I had a routine of studying one subject for two days consecutively, on the first day I used to clear the concepts and the next day I attempted mock tests. I used to attempt two full-length mock tests. Candidates must begin their preparation for SBI PO exam immediately after graduation. I used to study for five to six hours regularly.
Q: What should be the section-wise strategy for SBI PO exam?
A: The section-wise tips to crack SBI PO exam is given below:
Reasoning: It is a dynamic subject, instead of referring to the books, learn the concepts online and practice thoroughly to improve your timing.
Quants: Analyse your strong and weak points. Concept building is an important part so invest yourself in building concepts. Attempt the questions which you are confident of.
English: Read newspaper or storybooks and understand them in your own language. Tense, voice, subject-verb agreement, and narration are some important topics to learn.
General awareness: Make a habit of reading current affairs and making notes as it will help in revision.
Q: Share your interview experience with us. What kind of questions are asked in the interview?
A: In interview, questions are asked about family background, educational qualification, current affairs, hobbies, economic affairs, etc. It is important to remain honest while answering questions during interview.
Q: Any message or advise to the future banking aspirants?
A: Just believe in yourself and attempt the exam confidently then success is yours. To attain success, one needs to sacrifice their comfort.
Read More:
A mass communication and journalism post-graduate, Anangsha has worked as a reporter and sub-editor and enjoys working in the education domain.
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
Jul '25 | IBPS PO 2025 application form |
4 Oct '25 - 11 Oct '25 | IBPS PO Prelims Exam 2025 |
22 Jan '25 - 11 Feb '25 | IAS 2025 Application Dates |
12 Feb '25 - 18 Feb '25 | IAS 2025 Application Correctio... |
31 Jul '25 | IBPS Clerk Application Form 20... |
31 Jul '25 | IBPS Clerk 2025 notification |
Aug '25 | SSC JE Tier 1 Application Proc... |
Oct '25 | SSC JE Tier 1 Exam 2025 |
27 Jul '25 | IBPS RRB PO 2025 Prelims Exam |
2 Aug '25 - 3 Aug '25 | IBPS RRB PO 2025 Prelims Exam |
22 Feb '25 | SBI Clerk 2025 Prelims Exam |
27 Feb '25 - 28 Feb '25 | SBI Clerk 2025 Prelims Exam |
Dec '20 | Conduct of Interview |
Sep '20 | Mains exam |
31 Jan '25 | UGC NET 2024 December Provisio... |
31 Jan '25 - 3 Feb '25 | UGC NET 2024 December Provisio... |
Feb '25 | Kerala SET Exam 2025 for Janua... |
15 Jan '25 | Kerala SET 2025 Admit Card |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Yes, the SBI PO (Probationary Officer) exam is conducted entirely online, including both the preliminary and Mains stages, where candidates answer questions on a computer system provided at the exam center; this means you will take the test digitally on a computer screen.
Key points about the SBI PO
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
SBI PO prelims result 2025 will be announced in April 2025. The result will be announced on the official website. Candidates can download their results by logging with the required credentials. The hard copy of the result is not sent to candidates by post.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
The 8th Pay Commission was approved by the centre recently. Students had the query whether there will changes in the SBI PO salary due to the 8th Pay Commission. There will be no changes ine salary structure since the salary structure of SBI PO operates independently of Central Pay Commission's reco
M
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a month ago
Few important points related to SBI PO vacancy are given below:
- SBI PO vacancy reserved for the OBC category are available only to the Non-Creamy Layer OBC
- Creamy Layer OBC candidates should indicate their category as General
- SBI PO vacancy for PWD category candidates are reserved horizontally
- PWD categ
A
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a month ago
SBI PO 2020 vacancies are given below.
Category | Total |
|---|---|
Vacancy | 2000 |
Backlog | - |
Total | 2000 |
I
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a month ago
SBI PO vacancies 2023 are given below.
| Category | SC | ST | OBC* | EWS^ | GEN | Total | VI# | HI# | LD# | d & e# @ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Current Vacancy | 300 | 150 | 540 | 200 | 810 | 2000 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Backlog Vacancy | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 16 | - | 16 |
Total Vacancy | 300 | 150 | 540 | 200 | 810 | 2000 | 20 | 36 | 20 | 36 |
B
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a month ago
SBI PO salary slip help candidates to know the break-up between the gross pay, allowances, deductions and net pay. The gross SBI PO salary will be the sum of your basic pay and allowances. From the gross pay, if you take out the deductions, you can come to know the net SBI PO salary in hand per mont
I
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a month ago
While writing any problem related to SBI PO application form, candidates should not forget to write the registration number, mobile number and email ID. In case of application failure or any error message, the examination authority will require the screenshot of the error in JPG, GIF format or as
C
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a month ago
The registration number and password are sent by auto-response Confirmation emails. Delivery of these emails purely depends upon the correctness of E-Mail ID provided, Policy of your E-Mail Service Provider to accept and Divert such emails under Bulk or Spam Mails or bounce back such mails without a
M
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a month ago
After successful registration, the registration number and password are displayed. Candidates are advised to note down the same carefully and preserve it. If you do not preserve it, you will not be able to Re-Print the Application and download
the Call Letter, results etc.
R
Beginner-Level 4
Can you share details about SBI PO exam? Is the exam conducted online?