Group discussion and personal interview is the final 2 steps for the selection procedure in banks and other entrance exams. Most of the bank now accept IBPS score which is the written test score. Those who are selected in IBPS are called by the bank for the group discussion and personal interview.

Generally, in the group discussion, candidates are divided in groups and a topic is then given. Each group is given some time to discuss the topic among themselves. Then, each candidate has to speak on the topic for 2-3 minutes.

Below are some rules which each candidates should follow in group discussion and personal interview. These rules will surely help you a lot.

1. Whatever time is given for discussion, utilize it carefully. Proper discussion, analysis is important and then thoroughly arrive at conclusions. Always stick to the point for which you can give objectives. Irrelevant points and facts should be avoided.

2. If you want to say something or ask something to another candidate, always raise hands first. But be sure, you donot deviate from topic.

3. Maintain etiquettes in the discussion room. Never do personal attack on anyone. Rather try to oppose to the points given by others by relevant examples.

4. It is always advisable to put a valid point infront of others. This can lead to gaining of more points. Don’t try to mislead others by saying wrong facts.

5. Negative impression should be avoided at all cost. Try to show your leadership quality by putting your views in a diligent and striking manner. Always listen to others carefully.

6. Be polite always. Be calm but not quite.

7. Your thoughts should be clear enough. Be logical while answering something or while questioning others.

8. Never ever use slang or abusive language. It will put a very negative impression of yours.

9. Avoid negative body languages like shaking legs, yawning, swinging pens etc. Always try to be alert and active.

Bank PO exam is the most competitive exam these days. It is given by large number of candidates each year. Exam for Probationary officer is divided into 2 parts- objective and descriptive. The objective test is of 2 hours and consists of 4 sections viz English language, General awareness, Data analysis & interpretation and reasoning. Each section is of 50 marks. The Descriptive test is of 1 hour and is of 50 marks.

In order to crack the bank PO exam, you have to prepare well and thoroughly. Keep in mind, each and every topic and section is important. Don’t miss anything. Inspite of full preparation through out the day, last minute preparation is equally important. Make some strategy of your own so that you clear the exam with flying colors.

Following points should be kept in mind while preparing for the exam-

1. Each candidate should make a plan and try to follow with it. You should decide before hand only that which section is to be attempted first and which to be attempted at last and how much time will be given to each section. It means if you have decided that you will give 40 minutes to reasoning section then, stick to it. If in the exam, after completion of 40 minutes, if your reasoning section is still left then leave it for a moment and if time permits, you can again try left over questions in the last.

2. Attempt the questions in 2 rounds. In each section, first attempt all the easy questions and leave the hard tough questions. This way you will be able to solve all the easy questions and score can be increased.

3. Start with the easy section. First go through the entire question paper. And the section which seems to be most easy to you, start with that. This will help you to gain confidence. Difficult part should be attempted at last.

4. Don’t stuck with any questions. Suppose while solving any particular question, you are not able to find answer even after 2-3 minutes, then leave it for that time. Try to solve other questions and if time is still left, you can again go back to that question and try again. This will save a lot of time.

5. Fill the OMR sheet along with solving questions. Many a times it is seen that candidates solve the questions first and then fill the OMR sheet at the end. And sometimes there is no time left to fill it. Its so frustrating that you solve the questions but could not clear the exam because you have not filled the sheet.

6. Take proper sleep the night before the exam. Also take light breakfast in the morning.

Whenever you are taking any bank exam, try to avoid giving wrong answers. As each wrong answer will be awarded negative marking which is often 0.25 – 0.50 marks. This is the main concern of a candidate while giving a bank exam.

However, you can avoid such negative marks by paying attention to the points given below. I hope this would help you a lot.

1. Practice as much as you can before the main exam. Make sure you do lot of mock test papers. This will increase your speed and accuracy so there will be no hurry in the exam, which is the main reason of wrong answer in any exam. Also regular practice gives you a lot of confidence.

2. Avoid guessing at any cost. Often when we don’t know the answer in a multiple choice question, we take a guess and mark any of the 4 choices by mere guess. But this can turn out to be fatal. Don’t make a guess unless you are somewhat sure. This can make your score down.

3. In a bank exam, answers has to be marked on a OMR sheet. So be very sure before marking on the sheet as answers once marked can not be erased or changed. Also avoid over writing. This will make the answer wrong.

4. Never stuck with one question. This will reduce the time for solving other questions and so the chances of making a mistake becomes more. So if you are not sure about a question, switch over to another one and if you have time left at the end, try to solve those questions again.

5. Make a habit of reading questions thoroughly. Often you read the question partially and so give wrong answer. So try to avoid this habit.

6. Make your own strategy of solving the question paper. While solving the mock papers, try to make a strategy like solve English paper first, then quantitative or vice versa. This will help in the main exam for sure.

7. Always try to attempt the easy questions first. This will save a lot of questions and will also give you an idea about how many more questions need to be solved to clear the exam.

8. It is very important to avoid solving questions at the last minute. There is high risk of giving wrong answers in such cases.