Dear IG Aspirants, The most awaited IBPS PO mains exam 2018 is over. As expected the paper is full of surprises. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS Clerk Mains 2018 might rise up with a lot of questions regarding exam preparation. If you have a clear idea about the Questions Pattern & New Pattern Questions asked in IBPS PO Mains 2018 you can easily tackle the IBPS Clerk Mains 2018 Examination. Here we IG Team has provided a detailed analysis of the new pattern of questions asked in IBPS PO mains 2018.
Generally when the difficulty level of the exam is too high then cut-off is likely to be low and when the difficulty level of the exam is too low then the cut-off is likely to be high. One can’t predict the difficulty level of the exam. IBPS often give surprises but if we have a look at ongoing recruitment for IBPS Clerk Mains, the pattern and changes are done in IBPS PO Mains might help in preparing for it. Here we have analyzed each and every section based on IBPS PO Mains exam which was held on 18th November 2018.
Exam pattern analysis:
The major difference in the pattern of IBPS PO and IBPS Clerk is the total number of questions and the level of the paper. There is no major change in the syllabus of both exams. Preliminary examination syllabus topics in Quantitative aptitude such as Approximation, Simplification, and Quadratic equations might be asked in Clerical level main exams. Similarly, in Reasoning part, the topics like Syllogism and Inequality might be asked in Clerical level main exams.
IBPS PO Mains has 155 questions which carry 200 marks and IBPS Clerk Mains has 190 questions which carry 200 marks.
The pattern of IBPS PO Mains is as follows:
| S.No. | Name of Test | No. of Questions | Max. Marks | Medium of Examination | Duration |
| 1 | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 | English & Hindi | 60 minutes |
| 2 | English Language | 35 | 40 | English | 40 minutes |
| 3 | Data Analysis and Interpretation | 35 | 60 | English & Hindi | 45 minutes |
| 4 | General, Economy/Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 | English & Hindi | 35 minutes |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 180 minutes | ||
| English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) | 2 | 25 | English | 30 minutes |
The pattern of IBPS Clerk Mains is as follows:
| S.No. | Name of Test | No. of Questions | Max. Marks | Medium of Examination | Duration |
| 1 | Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude | 50 | 60 | English & Hindi | 45 minutes |
| 2 | English Language | 40 | 40 | English | 35 minutes |
| 3 | Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | English & Hindi | 45 minutes |
| 4 | General/ Financial Awareness | 50 | 50 | English & Hindi | 35 minutes |
| Total | 190 | 200 | Â | 180 minutes |
Section-wise analysis:
Data Analysis and Interpretation/ Quantitative Aptitude:
In PO Level examination the Quantitative section is mainly focused on Data Analysis and Interpretation whereas in the Clerical level exam the questions were based on Numerical Ability, DI and Application sums.
In IBPS Clerk Mains Quantitative aptitude section contains 50 questions which carry 50 marks.
Main topics to be covered as per previous exam analysis were:
- Data Interpretation (Normal and Application based)
- Data sufficiency
- Quantity I and II
- Number series (Missing/wrong)
- Application sums
Data Interpretation:
There might be 3-4 Sets of DI in the paper which consists of 3-5 questions.
As for the exams were evolved the following changes has been made:
Till SBI PO mains 2017, the Data Interpretation questions were a step calculative than prelims. In SBI PO they have introduced Application based Data interpretation. In SBI Clerk Mains 2018 they have introduced application based missing caselet. In IBPS PO Mains 2018 Data sufficiency based DI were asked and missing caselets were asked.
Data sufficiency:
There might be 4-5 questions covered from this topic.
Mostly all the questions were based on application sums. There may be 2 statements or 3 statements in data sufficiency questions.
Quantity I and II / Quadratic Equations:
There might be 3-5 questions covered from this topic.
Quantity I and Quantity II questions were replaced for Quadratic questions starting from RBI Grade-B 2016. In IBPS PO Mains 2018 three Quantities were asked where the options were in coded form.
Most of the questions in Quantity I and II questions were asked from algebraic equations, Geometry, Quadratic equations, and application sums based.
Number series (Missing/wrong):
There might be 4-5 questions covered from this topic.
Questions were asked from wrong or missing number series. In IBPS PO Mains 2018, the questions were based on two parallel series.
Application sums:
There might be 10-15 questions covered from this topic.
In IBPS PO Mains 2018, filler based application sums were asked and the questions had some data accompanied by a set of questions numbered- (a), (b), (c) and the candidates were asked to solve the data and identify that which part of questions in the options can be found.
Major Topics to be practiced:Â
- Application-based DI (Most asked topics were Time and Work, Profit and Loss, Boats and Streams, Partnership and Probability)
- Missing Caselets based on application topics
- Data sufficiency based DI
- Quantity I and II questions
- New pattern application sums
- Approximations
Click here to download PDF of memory based questions on IBPS PO Mains-Quantitative Aptitude
Click here to download PDF of Hard level Data Interpretation Questions
Questions based on new pattern exclusively for Mains will be provided soon.
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude:
In IBPS Clerk Mains Reasoning & Computer aptitude section contains 50 questions which carry 60 marks.
Main topics to be covered as per previous exam analysis were:
- Puzzles and Seating arrangement
- Data sufficiency
- Verbal questions
- Input and Output
- Direction sense and Blood relations
- Coding Decoding/Alphanumeric series
Puzzles and Seating arrangement:
There might be 20-23 questions covered from this topic.
In IBPS PO Mains Exam 2018, mostly a set of puzzles and seating arrangements consists of only 3-4 questions. In seating arrangements, the questions were based on different geometrical forms-Triangular, Rectangular, Circle and Square which is time-consuming.
The Linear based seating arrangements were asked with a distance which is an integral multiple of a number. Certain numbers of people sitting in a row facing same or different directions were asked.
The puzzles were mostly calculative based on ages and numerical values. This section is the most time-consuming section with the maximum number of questions.
Click here to Download PDF of New pattern – Puzzles
Click here to Download PDF of New pattern – Seating Arrangement
Data sufficiency:
There might be 4-5 questions covered from this topic.
Mostly all data sufficiency questions were based on all misc topics, seating, and puzzles. Currently, there are 2 statements or 3 statements in data sufficiency questions.
Verbal questions:
There might be 8-10 questions covered from this topic.
It is necessary to focus on Verbal based questions and Critical Reasoning. In IBPS PO Mains 2018, most questions with 2 marks were asked from Logical reasoning section.
Input and Output:
There might be 4-5 questions covered from this topic.
The pattern of Machine Input-Output questions was replaced with Numerical based Input-Output from SBI PO Mains 2017. In IBPS PO Mains 2018, the Input-Output questions were based on Arithmetic Operations.
Direction sense and Blood relations:
There might be 3-4 questions covered from this Direction sense and Blood relation topics.
The Direction sense and Blood relation questions were transformed into coded from normal data based from 2016. In IBPS PO Mains 2018, the Blood relation questions were based on a puzzle and the questions were asked in the coded form. These questions were time-consuming and tricky.
In IBPS PO Mains 2018, the Direction Sense questions were based on the merged form of a rectangular field which intersects each other. The questions were time-consuming and tricky. Â
Coding Decoding/Alphanumeric series:
There might be 3-4 questions covered from each topic.
In IBPS PO Mains 2018, Coding-Decoding and Alphanumeric questions were based on coded variables with conditions based. The alphanumeric questions were also asked in the same pattern as Input-Output with steps.
Major Topics to be practiced:Â
- Puzzles and Seating based on new pattern
- New pattern of Blood relation and direction sense questions
- Logical reasoning questions
- Input-output Questions based on new pattern
- Coding and Decoding based on new pattern
Click here to download PDF of memory based questions on IBPS PO Mains-Reasoning & Computer Aptitude
Questions based on new pattern exclusively for Mains will be provided soon.
English Language:
IBPS PO Mains 2018 has set a new trend for English Language section to bring up the importance of reading and analytical ability. In IBPS Clerk Mains English Language section contains 40 questions which carry 40 marks.
Main topics to be covered as per previous exam analysis were:
- Reading Comprehension
- Cloze test
- Error spotting
- Double fillers
- Phrase replacement
- Sentence rearrangement
Reading Comprehension:
Since the last exam, there was a single comprehension with 8-10 questions. In IBPS PO Mains 2018, there were around 5-6 short comprehensions with 2-3 questions in each. Around 20 questions were covered in this topic. All the passages were based on economy-and finance-related articles.
Cloze test:
In IBPS PO Mains 2018, the cloze test was clubbed with,
- Error spotting
- Fillers
- Phrase replacement
Around 10 questions were asked. It is important that candidates should invest time in reading the directions very carefully.
Sentence rearrangement:
Currently, the sentence rearrangement questions were asked in the form of jumbling a part of a sentence within itself or by fixing a sentence in a set of 5 sentences.
In IBPS PO Mains 2018, 4 questions from sentence replacement were asked by fixing a sentence.
Major Topics to be practiced:
Study the editorials regularly for Reading comprehension and Cloze test.
Study English Vocabulary regularly.
Click here to view Daily Newspaper Editorials of All months
Click here to view Daily Editorial’s Vocabulary
General/ Financial Awareness:
General awareness plays a major role in Mains level examination. In IBPS Clerk Mains, General/ Financial Awareness section contains 50 questions which carry 50 marks.
Currently, the questions asked in Current affairs related banking awareness were covered from last 6-8 months. So, it is must cover at least 6 months current affairs with prior to the examination. Minimum 20-25 questions were asked from banking related current affairs. It is also important to cover static related banking and current affairs.
Click here to download PDF of Memory-Based Questions on IBPS PO Mains-General awareness
Click here to download PDF of Static Power Capsule
Click here to download PDF of Month wise Current Affairs Capsule
