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.
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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.
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A mass communication and journalism post-graduate, Anangsha has worked as a reporter and sub-editor and enjoys working in the education domain.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a week ago
The marks scored in Preliminary exam will not be added to prepare the final selection list. Marks scored in Stage 2, which is out of 250, will be converted in a proportion out of 75 marks and Stage 3 scores of candidates, which is out of 75 marks will be converted to 50 marks.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, you can appear for the SBI PO exam after graduating from Netaji Subhas Open University, as long as your degree is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The eligibility criteria for the SBI PO exam require candidates to have a graduation degree from a recognised university, and N
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The in-hand salary of a Probationary Officer at the SBI becomes INR 52,820 after deductions from the gross salary which is INR 65,780. The salary of SBI PO after deductions is given below.
Particulars | Amount |
Income Tax | INR 3,290 |
Professional Tax | INR 200 |
PF Contribution | INR 4,196 |
Contributory Pension Fund | INR 5,274 |
Total Deductions | INR 12,960 |
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
SBI PO application form 2024 cannot be submitted offline. Candidates need to fill the application form online only. The application process of SBI PO comprises several stages such as registration, uploading of scanned photograph and signature, filling the detailed application form, uploading the lef
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The Group Exercise carries 20 marks and 30 marks are allotted for the interview. Candidates qualifying for Group Exercises and Interview under the ‘OBC’ category will be required to submit an OBC certificate containing the ‘Non-Creamy Layer’ clause. Candidates should score minimum qualifying marks i
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
SBI PO merit list is prepared based on the marks obtained in the mains exam and interview & GE. Tie-breaking formula is applied to prepare the merit list along with other factors such as cut off marks, number of applicants, and more. The merit list is made available in PDF format along with the cate
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
SBI PO result is announced online only. There is no facility to check the result offline. The link to check the result is activated on the official website. However, the direct link to check the result is provided on this page. SBI PO result can be accessed by logging with the required credentials.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The admit card of SBI PO contains the following details.
Candidate’s details | |
|---|---|
Candidate’s name | Photograph |
Signature | Correspondence address |
Exam Details | |
Roll number | Password |
Registration number | Venue of exam |
Date of exam | Reporting time |
Venue code | General instructions |
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
There are no sectional cut off in SBI PO prelims and mains exams. Candidates are only required to secure the overall cut off in the exam. Only those candidates are considered for the next round who secures the cut off marks. The cut off is the minimum qualifying marks that candidates need to secure
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
SBI PO prelims cut off is not taken into consideration for final selection. The cut offs of the mains exam and interview are taken into consideration for final selection. SBI PO cut off for the prelims exam is only considered to select candidates for the mains exam.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Are marks obtained in SBI PO prelims exam counted for final merit list?