It has been reported that the online IBPS PO/MT CWE VI Main examination held on 20th Nov 2016 was almost of the same difficulty level as the one held in 2015, except for the fact that some new question types, which were asked in SBI PO 2016 Main Exam earlier, were also asked in this exam.

The Reasoning Section was the most difficult section of all the five sections. The Quant section was time-consuming. The English section ranged between moderate to difficult. The GA section was moderate while the one on Computers was easy.

The following changes / new question types were noticed in this paper.

1. Questions on Data comparison were asked in this exam. Questions of this type were asked for first time in the SBI PO 2016 Main Exam that was held in July 2016.
2. A new format of Syllogism questions was presented (Conclusions were given in the question and the student need to identify the statements from the choices)
3. Questions on Input-Output were absent.
4. The Cloze test paragraph in the English section was conspicuous by its absence.
5. New model of questions viz., Para forming Questions (Odd one out from given sentences) were introduced this year. The question types viz – Para Forming questions (Odd one out), Data Comparison, Para Completion etc, have been covered by us in various mock tests that were provided to our students as a part of online support. Hence for T.I.M.E. Students it would have been a comfortable ride while attempting these question types.

The snap shot of the exam is given below.

The analysis of the above mentioned session, as reported by our students, is given below.

Quantitative Aptitude:

According to the feedback received from our students who appeared for this exam, this section can be rated as difficult and time-consuming.

The questions on DI were quite lengthy and tedious; the questions on caselet were difficult. The questions on number series reportedly ranged from easy to moderate.Individual questions in this section were based on topics like Ratio, Time & Work, Time & Distance, Mensuration, Mixtures, Percentages, Profit & Loss, Partnership, Simple and Compound Interest,Probability etc.. Though not direct questions ,they were reportedly tricky ones and a complete knowledge of concepts was mandatory in order to solve them. Questions on Data Sufficiency ( 3 statements) were present in this test.There were 5 questions on Data comparison that were asked in this exam for the first time.

Reasoning:

This section has been given a ' difficult' tag.

The emphasis here was on puzzles, which were tough to tackle. The questions on deductions (new format – conclusions were given,students had to find the statements) were difficult and time-consuming. There were no questions on Input – output. Questions on Coding-Decoding were also difficult.The Data Sufficiency topic posed moderate to difficult questions. About 10 questions were asked on Critical Reasoning.

English Language:

This section was difficult as compared to that of last year.There were two RC passages with a total of fifteen questions . New question types – Out of Context (Odd one out from given sentences), direct Synonym/Antonym questions were asked in this exam. These were asked earlier in the SBI PO 2016 Main examination.

Questions on Out of Context (Odd one out from given sentences), direct Synonym/Antonym can be termed as moderate - difficult. Grammar and word replacement questions were easy to moderate.

There were no questions on the cloze test passage,which till now was a regular feature.Overall, this section can be pegged as 'moderate'.

General Awareness:

Almost half of the questions asked here were on Banking Awareness and Indian Economy,while the others were drawn from Current Affairs. Students have reported this as a moderate section.

Computer Knowledge:

There were 20 questions on Computers, and they dealt with MS Office, Networking, Operating system, Internet, Memory, Basics and Computer Architecture etc. Only 2-3 questions were considered difficult by students. It has been reported by T.I.M.E. students that about 50-60% of questions that were asked in this section were also a part of the material that was provied to them by T.I.M.E. for a comprehensive preparation of the exam.

The analysis of IBPS PO 2016 Prelim exam held on 16th , 22nd & 23rd is presented below. The difficulty level, topic wise split and question types ( in all the three sections) were almost similar across all the slots.

Snapshot of the Exam:

No of choices per question – 5
Negative Marking – 0.25of the marks assigned to the questions
The overall analysis of the above mentioned sessions, as reported by our students, is given below.

Quantitative Aptitude:

• According to the feedback received from our students , this section can be rated as easy to moderate and time-consuming.
• The 5 questions on Approximations can be rated as the easiest .
• There were 5 questions on Quadratic comparisons which were also easy as they dealt with small values.
• There were 10 questions on Data Interpretation and almost all questions involved lots of calculations.
• The other 5 questions on Number series varied between easy to moderate.
• Individual questions in this section were 10 in number. These were a combination of easy, moderate and difficult ones.

A student could therefore, solve around 17 - 19 questions in approximately 20 minutes if he chose judiciously.

Reasoning:

• This section has been given a 'Moderate' tag.
• There were 5 questions on Deductions.
• Symbol-Notation based conclusions were 5 in number and ranged from easy to moderate level.
• There were 4 sets on puzzles - one each on linear arrangement,circular arrangement,floor arrangement and comparisons. There were a total of 19 questions on Puzzles. Puzzles were moderate – difficult. The three questions on Direction Sense were easy- moderate.

About 13-15 questions could possibly be solved in 25 minutes. The topic -wise split, as reported by our students, is as given below:

English Language :

• This section too was along expected lines. This section has been given a 'Moderate – Difficult' tag.
• The 8 questions from the Cloze test passage that appeared in the exam (as reported by our students) can be labelled as easy to moderate.
• The 5 questions asked on 6 jumbled statements in the PFQ part can be termed as moderate.
• There was a lone RC passage with a total of seven questions. The questions framed from the passage were not easy. There were no vocab based questions in RC passage.
• The questions on Grammar ( error identification ones) were 10 moderate ones.

Thus, about 12-14 questions could possibly be solved in 15 minutes in the English section. The break-up of the questions is as follows:

Over all, the paper contained a combination of easy, moderate and diccicult questions across all the three sections. The paper can therefore be rated as ' Moderate'.

The SBI PO 2016 Main examination held on the 31st of July 2016, as per the feedback received by our students, was way beyond expectations. This would surely have left most candidates white-knuckled and dazed! There were a lot of changes in the objective test. However, the Descriptive Test was on expected lines and remained similar to the pattern of the SBI PO 2015 Main Exam.

As a consequence, the overall examination was very tough. Data Interpretation and English sections were difficult, while the Reasoning section ranged between moderate to difficult. The General Awareness section was easy and thankfully, on expected lines.

A few surprise elements that were noticed in this paper, as reported by our students, are:

1. A variable marking scheme was introduced in the examination without warning, with many questions carrying 1 mark, 1.5 marks, or 2 marks each, in different parts of the exam.
2. There was a deviation from the standard bank exam pattern, with commonly asked question types like Close test and Paragraph formation questions being taken off the board in the English section, and replaced with a couple of new and previously unseen ones. In Mathematics, the questions on Comparisons were of different type, while in Reasoning, a new pattern of Series (Based on conditions), Decision Making (Logical Reasoning) questions presented in form of flow chart, were brought in.

The snap shot of the exam is given below.

(A) Objective Test:

The section wise analysis of the above mentioned session, as reported by our students, is given below. The sections in the exam were in this order - Reasoning & Computer Ability, followed by English and GA sections, and concluded with Data Analysis and Interpretation.

Data Analysis & Interpretation:

According to the feedback received from our students who appeared for this exam, this section can be rated as difficult and time-consuming.

The questions on DI (including caselet), as reported, were of 2 marks each, and the rest of them of 1 mark each. Questions on Data Comparision, which have not been asked in earlier bank exams, found a place in this exam.

Reasoning & Computer Ability:

This section has been given a 'difficult' tag.

Overall, this section has been rated as both difficult and time-consuming by our test-takers. There were no questions asked from Computers, a trend which was seen in the SBI Clerk 2016 Main Exam.

The following table gives the break-up of various question types.

Questions on Series, Critical Reasoning and Flow chart were of two marks each; thus a total of 15 questions carried two marks each, whereas each of the the remaining 30 questions carried a single mark.

English Language:

This section was a shocker! Many of the conventional and often-asked questions were conspicuous by their absence. New and question types earlier unknown to Bank exams were introduced this year, thus raising the difficulty level of this section of the exam much higher than anticipated by most.

Surprisingly, the paragraph jumbles questions, Cloze test, questionson Error identification and / or Phrase replacement were missing this year. The questions on RC, as reported, were of 1.5 marks each, and the rest of them of 1 mark each

Thus, this section can be rated as extremely difficult, as here, students had to not only deal with the surprise presentations, but also understand how to answer them.

General Awareness: 

As reported by our students, about half of the questions asked here were on Current Affairs, a half of the remaioning on Banking Awareness, and the other half on Stock, thus imparting ease of answering to this section.

(B) Descriptive Test:

The topics for this sections were as given below:

1. As a principal of a school, write a letter to the parents of school children, telling them about the importance of parents in children's education.
2. Write a letter to your parents, telling them about your progress in a new job in a new city and the initial adjustments.
3. Write a letter to the editor telling him about the menace of selfies.

1. Write an essay on Pokemon Go – How it is ruining the lives of children
2. Write an essay on the effect of hike on the salaries of an economy
3. Write an essay on the importance of knowing the history of a nation

IBPS has changed the selection pattern of RRB Officer Scale I. The exam will be conducted in two stages – Prelim & Main. This was a single exam till last year.

It has been reported that the online RRB Officer (Scale I) Prelim examination held in November 2016 was moderate in terms of difficulty level. The Reasoning Section was between easy to moderate while the Quant Section was moderate. A similar trend was followed for exams held on all the days and across all the slots.

A snap shot of the prelim exam is given below.

An analysis of the above mentioned session, as reported by our students, is given below.

Quantitative Aptitude:

According to the feedback received from our students who appeared for this exam, this section was time-consuming and can be rated as moderate.

There were 15 questions on DI. These questions were not difficult, but were quite lengthy and laborious. The questions on number series were moderate as reported by our students.

Individual questions in this section were based on topics like Ages, Time and Distance, Time and Work, Averages, Profit and Loss, Partnership, Simple and Compound Interest. Students commented that though these questions were not direct ones, they were certainly lengthy and time-consuming. One needed a good command on fundamentals to attempt these questions successfully. There were 5 questions each on Missing series, Simplification/Approximations and Quadratic Comparisons.

Reasoning Ability:

This section has been tagged as 'easy to moderate'.

There were 15 questions on Puzzles. Questions on deductions were doable. Questions on Symbols Notations, Blood Relations and Direction sense were easy to crack. No questions were asked from topic of Coding-Decoding.

Overall, the paper can be rated as moderate in terms of difficulty level.

The following is the detailed analysis of Preliminary Examination conducted by SBI on 2nd & 3rd July 2016.

• No of choices per question – 5
  
• Negative Marking – 0.25of the marks assigned to the questions
  

The analysis of the above mentioned sessions, as reported by our students, is given below. The exam is in line with the exam conducted by SBI in June 2015. The difficulty level and topic wise break up of questions was same for exams held across various slots on 2nd and 3rd July.

According to the feedback received from our students who appeared for this exam, this section can be rated as moderate.

The 10  questions on DI were straight forward and quite easy.  The  questions on number series and approximations  reportedly ranged from easy to moderate.

The individual questions in this section were based on topics of ages, ratio, time and work, alligations, profit and loss, partnership, percentages, simple & compound interest, probability etc. Though not direct questions ,students commented that they were tricky and a complete knowledge of concepts was mandatory in order to solve them.  Questions on Quadratic Comparisons were easy.

This section has been given an 'Moderate - Difficult' tag. 

The emphasis here  was on puzzles, which were time consuming and difficult to tackle. There were 25 questions on puzzles –  Linear, Floor, Circular, Ranking ,Distributions & boxes with different colours. Questions were also asked from topics of  Symbol-Notation based conclusions, Blood Relations and Direction Sense. No questions were asked from topics of Coding -Decoding and Deductions – This would have come as a surprise to many aspirants.

The topic -wise split, as reported by our students, is given below.

English Language :

The English section comprised 30 questions, the break-up of which is as follows. This section was of easy to moderate difficulty level.

There was a lone RC passage with a total of ten questions; out of these six were a mix of those based on ideas contained in the passage, and remaining four based on the meanings and opposites of words used in the text. The word count of the passage ran into approximately 750-800 words, and can be termed 'moderate'.

The questions asked on Para Jumbled can be termed as moderate to difficult. The two 'fill in the blank' questions can be considered easy to moderate. Grammar questions were quite easy to answer.

The cloze test passage that appeared in the exam (as reported by our student) puts the level of the passage as easy.

Over all, the difficulty level of the paper conducted across all the slots on 2nd and 3rd July 2016 can be rated as Easy to Moderate.