Banking Awareness: For every candidate aspiring to be a part of the banking sector the banking awareness section plays a very important role. Banking awareness questions cover a major part of the general awareness section. It is impossible to crack the mains and personal interview round of the banking examinations.
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The banking awareness questions are incorporated in the various banking examinations like the recruitment examinations for the post of probationary officers and junior associates/ clerical cadre. These recruitment examinations are conducted by organizations like IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection), RBI (Reserve Bank of India), SBI (State Bank of India), RRB (Regional Rural Banks), etc. This section is also important for the private sector banking recruitment examinations like South Indian Bank, LVB (Lakshmi Vilas Bank), etc.
In this article, we will give you an idea about the importance of banking awareness, syllabus for the examination, banking awareness quizzes, preparation tips by experts, reference books, etc. With the peculiar details, we have attached the links to the industry’s best study material specially curated by our expert faculty. Candidates are advised to take a look at the article carefully before starting their preparation for banking competitive examinations.
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Aspirants keep in mind to understand the examination thoroughly as before starting the preparation it is of utmost importance to understand what you are actually preparing for? Most of the examinations for the banking sector follow a similar pattern for the preliminary and mains test. Though it may vary for particular posts under the recruitment notifications of the different banking organizations. Here we are focusing on the examination pattern for the post of probationary officers, clerks / junior associates, and specialist officers.
The candidates are selected for the post of probationary officers through a three-step process:
Bank Exam Pattern: Preliminary test
| S. No. | Subject | Total Number of Question | Duration |
| 1. | English Language | 30 | 20 Minutes |
| 2. | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 20 Minutes |
| 3. | Numerical Aptitude | 35 | 20 Minutes |
| Total | 100 | 60 Minutes |
NOTE: A total of 100 questions are given in the preliminary phase of the examination. Each question carries one mark. And for every incorrect answer, 0.25 marks are deducted.
Bank Exam Pattern: Mains
| S. No. | Subject | Total Number of Question | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1. | English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 Minutes |
| 2. | Reasoning ability and computer aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 Minutes |
| 3. | Data Analysis and Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 Minutes |
| 4. | General Economy and Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 Minutes |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 180 Minutes | |
| 5. | English Language (Letter Writing and Essay) | 2 | 25 | 30 Minutes |
This is the last and final stage of the selection procedure for the post of probationary officers. The total marks assigned to this phase is 50 marks. The distribution of the total marks between the group discussion round and personal interview round is given below in the tabular format:
| S. No. | Name of the Round | Maximum Marks |
| 1. | Group Exercise | 20 |
| 2. | Personal Interview | 30 |
| Total | 50 |
The candidates are selected for the clerical cadre through a two-step process:
The pattern for both the phases are given below in a tabular format
Clerical cadre: Preliminary Phase
| S. No. | Subject | Total Number of Question | Duration |
| 1. | English Language | 30 | 20 Minutes |
| 2. | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 20 Minutes |
| 3. | Numerical Aptitude | 35 | 20 Minutes |
| Total | 100 | 60 Minutes |
NOTE: A total of 100 questions are given in the preliminary phase of the examination. Each question carries one mark. And for every incorrect answer, 0.25 marks are deducted.
Clerical Cadre: Mains Phase
| S. No. | Subject | Total Number of Question | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1. | English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 Minutes |
| 2. | Reasoning ability and computer aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 Minutes |
| 3. | Data Analysis and Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 Minutes |
| 4. | General Economy and Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 Minutes |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 180 Minutes | |
| 5. | English Language (Letter Writing and Essay) | 2 | 25 | 30 Minutes |
NOTE: There is no group discussion and personal interview round for the selection of individuals as clerks or junior associates. Therefore, the final selection for this post depends on the marks secured in the mains stage of the examinations.
Specialist Officers (SO)
Banking organizations also provide opportunities to candidates having the professional experience to work in various departments at specialized posts as officers. Every year banking organizations release vacancies for some of the common departments like IT(Information Technology), HR (Human Resources), marketing, law, etc.
Generally, the recruitment for the post of specialist officers is conducted in two stages:
The following tables give a section-wise distribution for the preliminary stage along with the marks and time duration of the specific posts.
| S.No. | Subject | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Time Duration |
| 1. | Reasoning Ability | 50 | 50 | 40 Minutes |
| 2. | English Language | 50 | 25 | 40 Minutes |
| 3. | General Awareness with Special emphasis on Banking Industry | 50 | 50 | 40 Minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 120 Minutes |
| S.No. | Subject | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Time Duration |
| 1. | Reasoning Ability | 50 | 50 | 40 Minutes |
| 2. | English Language | 50 | 25 | 40 Minutes |
| 3. | Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 40 Minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 120 Minutes |
The following tables give a section-wise distribution for the mains stage along with the marks and time duration of the specific posts.
| S.No. | Subject | Number of questions | Maximum Marks | Time Duration |
| 1. | Professional Knowledge (Objective) | 45 | 60 | 30 Minutes |
| 2. | Professional Knowledge (Descriptive) | 2 | 30 Minutes |
| S.No. | Subject | Number of questions | Time Duration |
| 1. | Professional Knowledge | 60 | 45 Minutes |
NOTE: A total of 60 questions will be from the professional knowledge subject carrying 1 mark.
After the analysis of the examination pattern. Let’s look at the banking awareness syllabus in detail. For your convenience, we have divided the syllabus into sub-topics
| Indian Banking Sector | ||
| Indian Banking History | Financial Reforms in India | Financial Institutions of India |
| All the Firsts in banking | Financial Inclusion | Risks in the banking sector |
| Banking Reforms in India | Functions of Banks | Types of Accounts |
| Types of Cheques | Different types of loans | Types of Mortgages |
| NRI Bank accounts | ATM Cards and Debit cards | Bill of Exchange |
| Different types of Bank Cards | Fund Transfer Services | Reserve Bank of India |
| Non Performing Assets | RBI Act of 1934 | Banking Regulation Act of 1949 |
| Monetary Policy Committee | Monetary Policies of RBI | Issuance of Currency in India |
| Nationalization of Banks | BRBNMPL | DICGC |
| Subsidiaries of RBI | Credit Control Methods of RBI | National Housing Bank |
| SIDBI | NABARD | Facts about Reserve Bank of India |
| NBFC | Negotiable Instruments | Government Securities |
| ReBIT | IFTAS | SPMCIL |
| Financial Systems | ||
| Structure of Banking Sector | Retail Banking | Types of Retail Banking |
| Financial Committees in India | Banking Committees in India | Types of Banking |
| Money Market | Capital Market | Instruments of Capital Market |
| Instruments of Money Market | Mutual Funds | Small saving schemes |
| Bancassurance | LIBOR | Rate of interest swaps |
| MIBOR | Financial Institutions | International Financial Institutions |
| Green Bonds | NIIF | SWIFT |
| Lending Rates | Currency Circulation | MCLR |
| Payment Banks and Internet Banking | ||
| Internet Banking in India | Bharat Bill Payment System | BHIM |
| Prepaid Payment Instruments | Airtel Payment Bank | Aadhaar Pay |
| Role of Immediate Payment Services in Banking | UPI | Prepaid Wallet Instruments |
| SARFAESI Act | Codes in the Banking sector | NPA |
| BASEL Norms | CIBIL | SEBI |
| Banking Institutions of India | ||
| Nationalized Banks | Public Sector Banks | Private Banks |
| Commercial Banks | Exim Bank of India | Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Ltd. |
| Co-operative Banks | Regional Rural Banks | Small Finance Banks |
| MUDRA Bank | Insurance Companies | NBFCs |
The abbreviation is a topic that is definitely asked in the banking examinations and is easy to remember. Usually, one mark or two mark questions are from this topic only. We have enlisted a few of the banking abbreviations for your reference.
Here we have added the best strategies by our mentors for banking awareness preparation.
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Refer to the following books and study material while preparing for the banking awareness section:
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Q: Which is the best site for banking awareness?
A: Guidely will provide you best quality banking awareness preparation materials and quiz packages.
Q: What is the meaning of banking awareness?
A: In bank exams, banking awareness may be asked in the general awareness section. the banking awareness part will have questions related to banking history, terminologies, technologies, and banking current affairs.
Q: How do you read banking awareness?
A: To prepare banking awareness, read the daily newspapers to get updated with the banking current affairs and latest technologies. Apart from that, use quality study materials for the preparation of banking terminologies, and the history & functioning of the banking industry.