IBPS PO and SBI PO English: prelims, mains and descriptive

PO English exam pattern

Prelims: a 20-minute order of attack

1. Minutes 0–2: scan the section. Do one-line questions first — word usage, fillers, error detection.
2. Minutes 2–10: cloze test and para jumbles.
3. Minutes 10–19: reading comprehension. Read the questions before the passage so you know what to look for.
4. Final minute: do not guess blindly. At −0.25, guess only after eliminating two options.

Mains: what changes

• Passages are longer and more abstract — economy, policy, technology, philosophy.
• New formats appear every cycle: word swap, sentence connectors, odd sentence out, column-based sentence formation.
• Accuracy matters more than attempts; mains rewards the student who reads carefully.

Descriptive: letter and essay

• Letters — formal (to a bank manager, an editor, a government office) or informal. Learn the format once; spend your time on clear, short paragraphs.
• Essays — banking, economy, digital payments, financial inclusion, climate, education. Use a four-part structure: introduction, two or three points with examples, a way forward, conclusion.
• Typing — the descriptive paper is typed. Practise typing for 15 minutes a day if you are slow on a keyboard.
• Word limits matter — staying within the limit is part of the score.