IBPS Books

The Institute for Banking Personnel Selection conducts recruitment examinations for public sector banks across the country. It also selects clerks and managers for regional rural banks. A large part of effective preparation for these exams depends on the choice of IBPS books.

Know about other bank exams at the linked article.

Since the examinations are well known and highly competitive, there is no dearth of books for them. However, the best IBPS books cover the subjects in an innovative manner and are highly relevant for the exam. We will discuss a few strategies for choosing IBPS preparation books and also list specific books for each exam.

IBPS Exam Preparation Tips

Before we give a list of the books necessary for IBPS exam preparation, we will first present the tips and tricks that will help a candidate to pass any of the IBPS exams with relative ease. Do note the tips will be generic in nature and thus applicable to all the IBPS exams.

• Creating a timetable will once the candidates get an idea about the exam pattern and syllabus of any IBPS exam will help immensely. The time table in question should be realistically made, it should not be beyond the scope of learning for the candidate. Ideally a timetable should allocate at least 5-6 hours for daily studying. Emphasis should be on allocating more time for sections and chapters that one is week and keep less time for the chapters one is good at.
• Both reading and writing is a good habit that will be helpful in your IBPS exam preparation. In fact the reading habit will come in handy when reading IBPS books or any other bank exam preparation book for that matter. The writing skill comes in handy when you jot down important points or an event which you come across. Reading newspapers, magazines, etc will help in gain knowledge on current affairs. Mastering the reading and writing skills will be useful in descriptive English language as well.
• Strengthening the basics of any subject is crucial to passing the IBPS exam or any other exam for thayt matter. This will help in testing the analytical skill which requires basic knowledge of every concept present in the syllabus. An example is that to master quantitative aptitude one must remember the equations properly without mugging them up. Similarly, understanding the theories behind the reasoning ability section will help.
• In order to retain whatever has been learnt, it is better to jot down some small note. The IBPS syllabus is quite vast and its only predictable that one cannot retain all the concepts learnt. That way one will be able to have a quick look at all the concepts when the exam time comes around.
• The IBPS exam preparation strategy will be incomplete if you do not practice regularly and rigorously.
• Taking mock tests is an important part of a good IBPS  Preparation Plan as it will help in understand the kind of question asked and improve your test-taking skills.

IBPS Preparation Books

The best way to select IBPS preparation books is to familiarise yourself with the syllabus. The institute publishes an indicative syllabus which is available on the exam notification. The detailed syllabus is drawn up by studying previous years’ papers and sample papers available on the institutes’ official website. In general, the following subjects are common to all exams held by the IBPS:

• General and Banking Awareness(Common for IBPS PO, Clerk and RRB and Specialist Officer – Law, Rajbhasha)
• Quantitative Aptitude(Common for IBPS PO, Clerk, RRB and SO – Technical)
• English Language(Common for All Exams conducted by IBPS)
• Reasoning(Common for All Exams conducted by IBPS)

Find the detailed syllabus of IBPS examinations here:

The following are some important IBPS preparation books:

• General and Banking Awareness: Candidates can refer to the “Manorama Yearbook” to cover a majority of the syllabi for bank exams. The bank PO exam requires more in-depth coverage so this should be supplemented by other books. You can find the full list of IBPS PO books here.
• Quantitative Aptitude: “Quantitative Aptitude by R.S Agarwal” is considered the best book for quantitative aptitude for all IBPS exams. It is sufficient for the bank clerk examination. However, candidates should also refer to the previous year’s question papers to gain experience on the pattern of questions asked in IBPS exams. The full list of IBPS clerk books is available here.
• English Language: The English language section of all IBPS examinations is of a similar standard. The syllabus can be covered by reading “Wren and Martin’s English Grammar and Composition”.
• Reasoning: The Reasoning portion is common for all examinations of the IBPS. It tests the candidate’s ability to solve verbal and non-verbal problems using logic. The best book for this subject is “A Modern Approach to Reasoning by R.S Agarwal”. This book should be supplemented by “A New Approach to Reasoning: Verbal and Non-Verbal by B.S Sijwali and Indu Sijwali”.

Apart from books, solving mock tests, quiz and previous year papers can also be of great help for candidates. Given below is the list of mock tests that candidates can refer to while preparing for bank exams:

The books mentioned above are sufficient to prepare for any examination conducted by the institute. However, depending on the syllabus and specialisation required for specific examinations, additional books should be studied. For example, for Specialist Officer’s exam, the institute specifies subjects based on vacancies that the participating banks have. For these, candidates should refer to textbooks in their respective subject.

Candidates should also regularly read newspapers and magazines to keep abreast of current affairs.

While choosing an IBPS exam book, the candidates should keep in mind the following main factors:

• The book should adequately cover the subject. This means a reasonably detailed coverage of concepts relevant for the exams should be the first priority.
• The book should be easy to understand and should be of a reasonable length. This would enable faster and more efficient preparation.
• The book should have enough practice questions and end of lesson exercises so that candidates can test their knowledge and revise effectively.

The best IBPS books and study material, coupled with a good preparation strategy and discipline will ensure success in these exams. Candidates can refer to BYJU’S website for study material and updates on all upcoming bank exams.

To know more about bank exams, check out: