The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection holds the IBPS PO Mains exam to select probationary officers for various banks (IBPS). IBPS PO exam is one of the most competitive exams in the country with lakhs of candidates registering themselves every year. IBPS PO 2022 Prelims exam is scheduled to be conducted on October 15, 16 and 22, 2022. The IBPS Mains exam is scheduled to be conducted on November 26, 2022.
Since the exam for 2022 is yet to be conducted, the IBPS PO Mains exam analysis for the mains examination conducted in 2021, has been discussed in detail in this article. The IBPS PO 2021 Mains exam took place across India on January 22, 2022. Candidates willing to appear for the upcoming IBPS PO exam can refer to the IBPS PO Mains exam analysis for their reference.
Candidates who qualified the mains examination are called for the Interview stage of the exam. Those who score above the cut off are then selected and appointed as Probationary Officers in different Public Sector Banks in India.
To know more about other IBPS exams candidates can visit the linked article.
IBPS PO Mains Exam Analysis 2022
The IBPS PO Mains exam is scheduled for November 2022, the space will be updated after the successful completion of the exam. For a better understanding of the questions paper, exam pattern and the types of questions asked in the exam, it is important to analyse previous year’s papers. Check out the complete section-by-section IBPS PO Mains 2022 Exam Analysis for all slots to learn about the different types of questions asked in the exam.
But before analysing the IBPS PO Mains exam, it is important that candidates go through the exam pattern for the IBPS PO Mains exam. The exam pattern is given below:
| IBPS PO Mains 2022: Exam Pattern | ||||
| IBPS PO Mains Pattern- Paper | Section | Number of Questions | Marks Allotted | Time Allotted |
| Objective Test | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 min |
| English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 min | |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 min | |
| General Awareness, Economy & Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 min | |
| Descriptive Test | English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) | 2 | 25 | 30 min |
For a detailed IBPS PO Exam Pattern, visit the linked article.
IBPS PO Mains Exam Analysis 2021
The IBPS PO Mains exam was conducted on January 22, 2022. The highlights of the exam from Shift 1 are given below:
- The overall difficulty level of the IBPS PO Mains exam was moderate to difficult. The Descriptive test of the mains exam was easy.
- The IBPS PO Main 2022 Reasoning Section had a moderate difficulty level.
- The Data Analysis & Interpretation section was of a moderate to difficult level.
- The level of difficulty for the English section of the IBPS PO Main 2022 exam was also moderate to slightly difficult.
- Likewise, General Awareness was also moderate to difficult.
The overall exam analysis is given below in terms of overall difficulty and good attempts in all the sections.
| IBPS PO Mains 2021 Overall Analysis | |
| Total Questions | 155 |
| Level of Exam | Moderate to Difficult |
| Good Attempts | 82-104 |
| IBPS PO Mains 2021: Sectional Analysis | ||
| Section | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts |
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | Moderate | 20-25 |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | Difficult | 18-23 |
| English Language | Moderate to difficult | 22-24 |
| General Awareness | Moderate | 25-30 |
| Essay & Letter (Descriptive) | Easy | 2 |
Candidates can check the IBPS PO result at the linked article, once the result for the IBPS PO exam is declared.
| Analyse your performance with the Free Online IBPS PO Mock Test Now!
Also, refer to the links given below and ace the upcoming Probationary Officers Exam: |
To know in details about IBPS PO Prelims candidates can visit the linked article.
IBPS PO Mains 2021 Sectional Exam Analysis
Candidates can check the table below for the exam’s section-by-section analysis. Below is a list of a number of questions asked from each topic for different subjects.
IBPS PO Mains Analysis: Reasoning & Computer Aptitude
From this part, 45 questions were asked in total. The table below contains a breakdown of the exact number of questions from each topic in this section that were asked of candidates.
| IBPS PO Mains 2021: Reasoning & Computer Aptitude Analysis | |
| Topic | Number of Questions |
| Box Based Puzzle | 3 Questions |
| Circular arrangement | 4 Questions |
| Direction | 3 Questions |
| Direction Sense | 6 Questions |
| Inequality | 6 Questions |
| Input | 4 Questions |
| Linear Seating Arrangement | 4 Questions |
| Logical Reasoning | 2 Questions |
| Miscellaneous | 8 Questions |
| Syllogism | 5 Questions |
| Total | 45 Questions |
To know more about the IBPS PO exam candidates can visit the linked article.
IBPS PO Mains Analysis: Data Analysis & Interpretation
A total number of 35 questions are asked from this section.
| IBPS PO Mains 2021: Data Analysis and Interpretation Analysis | |
| Topic | Number of Questions |
| Arithemetic Questions on Time & Distance (3 Points, 2 Cars), Mixture Allegation (% of Milk and Water), Partnership Based, Age based, Profit & Loss, Time & Work) | 7 Questions |
| Caseslet DI(Based on Partnership) | 3 Questions |
| Data Sufficiency(3 statements) | 3 Questions |
| DI based on Price of Share and Number of Shares | Double Line Graph (One even years, one odd year) | 4 Questions |
| DI on Pipe and Cistern(Mensuration Based, Missing DI) | 4 Questions |
| Double Pie Chart DI (4 Schools, Boys, Girls, Ratio) | 5 Questions |
| Logical Tabular DI (Based on Speed, Number of Drifts, Crash) | Formular of Number of Points was given | 5 Questions |
| Number Series(Missing and Wrong Number) | 3 Questions |
| Total | 35 Questions |
Aspirants will find the following links helpful in the preparation of the IBPS PO exams:
| Reading Comprehension | Quantitative Aptitude – Syllabus & Sample Questions | Logical Reasoning |
| Verbal Ability Syllabus | Reasoning Puzzles | Number Series for Bank Exams |
IBPS PO Mains Analysis: English Language
The general level of the English Language section was moderate as well. The breakdown of the topics is given below:
| IBPS PO Mains 2021: English Language Analysis | |
| Topic | Number of Questions |
| Cloze Test | 5 Questions |
| Errors(Based on Word Meaning, Remove Redundant Word) | 3 Questions |
| Inference Based Questions | 4 Questions |
| Miscellaneous | 3 Questions |
| Reading Comprehension 2 | 5 Questions |
| Reading Comprehension(6 words bold and meaning asked) | 6 Questions |
| Similar Meaning Sentence (Statement Given, 5 Options, Need to find the Similar Sentence) | 4 Questions |
| Words Interchange to make Meaningful Sentence | 4 Questions |
| Total | 35 Questions |
IBPS PO Mains Analysis: General Awareness/ Banking Awareness
The General Awareness section was moderate in the overall difficulty. Maximum questions on current affairs were based on the events that took place in December 2021. The questions asked from the Banking Awareness were analytical and inference-based.
| IBPS PO Mains 2021: General Awareness/ Banking Awareness Analysis | |
| Topic | Number of Questions |
| Banking Aptitude | 12-15 |
| Current Affairs | 15-20 |
Certain other banks conduct recruitment for the post of Probationary Officers. To know the job profile, salary structure and exam details for the other Bank PO exams, candidates can visit the linked article.
The questions were asked from the past 2 months but they were in-depth and analytical rather than direct questions. Some of the questions asked in General Awareness/ Banking Awareness are given below:
| Memory Based Question Topics from IBPS PO Mains General Awareness Section |
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Interested candidates can check the tips to ace the IBPS PO Interview at the linked article and prepare themselves for the interaction with the member of the Interview panel.
IBPS PO Mains Analysis: Descriptive Paper
The descriptive paper was easy in terms of the difficulty of the exam. The questions asked were on the following topic:
- Letter to Editor:
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- Awareness Programme for Farmers
- Letter regarding Bank Statement
- Restoration and Protection of Monuments
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- Essays Writing:
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- Impact of Oil Price Increasing
- Modern Technology Makes Life Easy
- Surrogacy
Candidates can check the tips to minimize negative marking in bank exams in the linked article.
IBPS PO Mains Previous Year Analysis
IBPS PO Mains 2020: The IBPS PO Mains 2020 exam was conducted on February 4th, 2021. Given below is the IBPS PO 2020 mains exam analysis for the overall standard of exam:
| IBPS PO Mains Exam Analysis (February 4, 2021) | |
| Total Questions | 155 |
| Level of Exam | Moderate to Difficult |
| Good Attempts | 96-101 |
The IBPS PO mains exam analysis is as mentioned below:
| IBPS PO Mains Exam Analysis (Section-wise) | |||
| Time Duration | Number of Questions | Level of Exam | |
| English Language | 40 minutes | 35 | Moderate |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | 45 minutes | 35 | Moderate |
| General/Economy/ Banking Awareness | 35 minutes | 40 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Reasoning & Computer Awareness | 60 minutes | 45 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Essay & Letter (Descriptive) | 30 minutes | 2 | Moderate |
IBPS PO Mains Exam Analysis (Section-wise)
Since the IBPS PO exam result is not just based on the overall cut off, but the section-wise cut off also plays a very important role. Hence candidates need to pay equal attention while preparing for the IBPS PO exam.
Section-wise good attempts in the IBPS PO mains exam are given below:
| Section-wise IBPS PO Mains Good Attempts | |
| English Language | 25-26 |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | 20-22 |
| General Awareness | 22-23 |
| Reasoning & Computer Awareness | 29-30 |
The detailed IBPS PO Mains exam analysis for each section is given below. Candidates can refer to the data given below and understand the standard of paper set up by the conducting body for the IBPS PO mains exam.
English Language
This section is the most scoring section of the IBPS PO mains exam as it requires no calculation or solutions to mark an answer. But the standard of this section increases by the type of questions asked.
The questions are complex and the options following each one of them make them even more complex.
Given below is the IBPS PO exam analysis for the English language section:
| IBPS PO Exam Analysis – English Language | |
| Reading Comprehension | 12 questions |
| Double Fillers | 2 questions |
| Cloze Test | 4 questions |
| Word Rearrangement | 4 questions |
| Fill in the Blanks | 4 questions |
| Para jumble | 3 questions |
| Connectors | 3 questions |
| Phase Replacement | 3 questions |
There were three reading comprehensions:
- Based on the Economic Survey
- Based on Fishery
- Based on Water Crisis in India
General/Banking Awareness
This section comprises questions from Banking, economic and general awareness. Candidates need to be aware of all the important updates across the world to score well in this particular section.
Also having efficient knowledge about Static GK is an important aspect to score more in this section.
Given below are a few memory-based questions that were asked in the general awareness section:
- 1st Cooperative bank transit to SFB – Shivalik Bank
- Ola Scooty for Women
- IFCA Headquarters
- Reverse Repo Rate
- Signature Visa Debit Card
- International Film Festival Goa Head Jury
- Overnight Loan Rate
- Wooden Satellite launched by which country
- Transfat
- Largest Floating Solar Park
- Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana
- Nasa and ESA crew Indian American person name
- Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana
- Guru Ram Das Airport is in which city
For the daily news and current affairs, candidates must read the newspaper on a daily basis and keep themselves updated with the latest events across the world. Interested candidates can go through the Banking Awareness page in the linked article, to enhance their performance.
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Given below is the IBPS PO Mains exam analysis and the distribution of questions, topic-wise, as asked in the exam held on February 4, 2021:
| IBPS PO Exam Analysis -Data Analysis & Interpretation | |
| Data Interpretation | 23 questions |
| Data Sufficiency | 4 questions |
| Arithmetic | 5 questions |
| Wrong Number Series | 3 questions |
Given below are the topics on which the data interpretation questions were based on:
- Table based DI – Literate/Illiterate
- Caselet – Speed, Distance & Time
- Line Graph – Total Employees; percentage of male and female employees
- Pie Chart Based DI
Reasoning & Computer Awareness
This section was also difficult and time taking for candidates. For this section, candidates get the maximum time but the section also is complex and questions are lengthy.
| IBPS PO Exam Analysis – Reasoning Ability | |
| Puzzles & Seating Arrangement | 28 questions |
| Data Sufficiency | 3 questions |
| Logical Reasoning | 4 questions |
| Input-Output | 5 questions |
| Coding-Decoding | 3 questions |
| Blood Relations | 3 questions |
| Direction & Distance | 2 questions |
Given below are the memory-based IBPS PO Mains seating arrangement and puzzle-based questions:
- Classification Puzzle
- Selection-Based Puzzle
- 2 Parallel Rows
- Linear Seating Arrangement
- Distance-Based Puzzle
Candidates preparing for the upcoming IBPS exams can refer to the bank exam syllabus for the detailed section-wise bank exam syllabus.
Descriptive Paper
The descriptive paper of the IBPS PO mains exam is a 25 marks section and has two questions: one letter writing and one essay.
Given below are the IBPS PO mains descriptive questions for essay writing based on the exam held on February 4, 2021:
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Work From Home
- E-waste Disposal
Following are the topics that were given for letter writing in the mains exam:
- Language problems in Children due to various Applications
- Letter by Bank Manager to the customers for declining the loan
Interested candidates are advised to check the IBPS PO cut off to analyse the sectional and overall cut off declared by IBPS for the Probationary Officers exam and prepare themselves accordingly.
Candidates were supposed to write one essay and one letter from the above-given options.
The IBPS PO mains exam analysis given in this article will help candidates who appeared for the mains exam apprehend their performance. For the candidates who are preparing for the upcoming IBPS PO exam, the IBPS PO mains exam analysis will help in understanding the standard and difficulty level of the exam.
Candidates can also check the IBPS Clerk mains exam analysis in the linked article.
Related Links:
| IBPS PO Preparation | IBPS PO Mains | IBPS Selection Process |
| IBPS PO Exam Dates | IBPS PO Admit Card | IBPS PO Eligibility |
Frequently Asked Questions for IBPS PO Mains Exam Analysis
Q 1. How is the IBPS PO Mains Exam analysis helpful?
Q 2. How many questions can be considered as good attempts in the IBPS PO Mains exam?
Q 3. What are the number of questions in each section of the IBPS PO Mains exam?
Ans. Given below is the section-wise distribution of questions for the IBPS PO Mains exam:
- English Language (Objective) – 35
- Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude – 45
- Data Analysis and Interpretation – 35
- General & Banking Awareness – 40
- English Language (Descriptive) – 2
