The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection is the body responsible for managing and conducting IBPS recruitment in the country. All major Public Sector Banks, except SBI, participate in this recruitment drive and is one of the most sought after banking sector exams in the country.
Although the exam is conducted for recruiting candidates in various PSBs across the country at the post of Officers and Clerks, there is one post for which not every bank aspirant can apply. It is the Specialist Officer exam. The eligibility criteria and educational qualification for applying for the post of SO are different from the other posts.
The IBPS SO exam is conducting for the following specialist posts:
- Information Technology Officer
- Agriculture Field Officer
- Rajbhasha(National Language)
- Law
- Human Resources/Personnel
- Marketing
To check the detailed eligibility details for each post, candidates can refer to the IBPS SO Notification page.
Discussed further below are 8 key tips that can help bank exam aspirants with their preparation, especially for the Specialist Officer exam.
IBPS SO 2021 – Exam Dates
On February 3, 2021, the Institute released the official calendar 2021 and announced the tentative exam schedule for the upcoming Bank SO exam.
The final dates shall be released once the official notification is out, until then candidates can refer to the tentative schedule given below and accordingly start their preparation:
| Phase of the | Tentative Exam Dates |
| Preliminary Exam | December 18, 2021 |
| December 28, 2021 | |
| Mains Exam | January 30, 2022 |
| Interview | February 2022 |
8 Tips To Prepare for Specialist Officer Exam
The syllabus for the Bank SO exam is slightly different from the other banking sector examination. The competition, though, is equally tough and lakhs of candidates apply for merely a few hundred vacancies.
Given below are tips that will help candidates prepare for the upcoming Specialist Officer recruitment:
- Analyse the Syllabus – Apart from the usual subjects like Quantitative Aptitude, English Language, Reasoning Ability and Current Affairs, one additional subjection, i.e., Professional Knowledge is included in the SO Syllabus. Candidates must review in detail the topics which are important and prepare themselves accordingly
- Chalk out a Study Plan – Based on the syllabus, schedule a set time table with sufficient time dedicated to subject-wise preparation, revision and small breaks
- Books, Study Material & Notes – Choose books that have detailed concept explanation, sample questions and practise exercises. Make your own notes which are clear and easy to understand
- Use Professional Knowledge as an advantage – Since the minimum qualifying marks are quite high every year, candidates can increase their overall scores if they use the professional knowledge section to their benefit. Since it is their field of study, scoring more is easier in comparison to other sections
- Solve Mock Tests and Practise Papers – Candidates who shall be appearing for the first time and are not much familiar with the exam pattern, can solve mock tests and practise papers to understand the type of questions asked and their complexity
- Take Online/Offline Assistance – Aspirants can join Coaching Institutes to assist and clear their doubts. They can also consider online portals that provide ample study material and video lectures in case of preparation from home
- Review Previous Year Question Papers – To get clarity on the standard of examination, difficulty level and topics that are important from the examination perspective, refer to the questions papers from previous recruitments. These are easily available online
- Study Smart – Banking questions are very objective and direct. Thus, study smart and do not over pressurise yourself. Avoid learning things and focus on understanding them
Since the IBPS SO exam is scheduled for the latter half of the year 2021, candidates have sufficient time in hand to start their preparation and excel in the examination. Thus, all the tips given above shall prove helpful during the preparation.
To know the important dates regarding the call letter or more information about the IBPS Admit Card, candidates can visit the linked article.
