How to Prepare English for IBPS PO Exam 2025 – Tips & Tricks
How to prepare for IBPS PO English – IBPS PO is one of the most notable and challenging exams conducted today. Lakhs of students register for this exam to secure a job in the banking sector, but an exam like IBPS PO requires dedication and in-depth knowledge of the topic. It is also essential for candidates to have in-depth knowledge about the IBPS PO exam pattern and syllabus.
Access the unlimited IBPS PO Prelims mock test from Embibe and improve the preparation level. Candidates can follow the below-mentioned steps to take the IBPS PO Prelims mock test questions:
1st Step: Visit Embibe’s official website, i.e., embibe.com.
2nd Step: Use the mobile number/email to log in and select ‘Test’
3rd Step: Then select Goal as ‘IBPS PO Prelims’ under Banking.
4th Step: Click Next and select the preferred language.
5th Step: Once done, click on the below-mentioned links to practice the IBPS PO Mock Test questions.
How to prepare for IBPS PO English – Syllabus
Before proceeding with preparation strategies for English, candidates must know the topics asked in the exam, the number of questions and other aspects of this section.
IBPS PO Prelims Sectional Overview
Sections
Number of Questions
Marks
Duration of Exam
English
30
30
20 Minutes
Quantitative Aptitude
35
35
20 Minutes
Reasoning Ability
35
35
20 Minutes
Topics of IBPS PO in English – Prelims
Paragraph Completion
Fill in the blanks
Multiple Meaning/Error Spotting
Para jumbles
Reading Comprehension
Cloze Test
Miscellaneous
IBPS PO Mains Sectional Overview
Sections
Number of Questions
Marks
Duration of Exam
English
35
40
40 Minutes
Data Analysis and Interpretation
35
60
45 Minutes
Reasoning and Computer Aptitude
45
60
60 Minutes
General/Economy/Banking Awareness
40
40
35 Minutes
In the mains exam, candidates will also have to write one letter and an essay in English. Check the table below for more details:
Sections
Number of Questions
Marks
Duration of Exam
English
2
25
30 Minutes
Topics in IBPS PO Mains English Section are –
Verbal Ability
Paragraph Completion
Fill in the blanks
Error Spotting/Multiple Meaning
Phrase Replacement or Word Replacement
Reading Comprehension
Grammar
How to prepare for IBPS PO English – Topic-wise number of questions (Expected)
How to prepare for IBPS PO English – About the topics
Cloze Test: This section tests the candidate’s analytical ability. They are advised to read the whole passage and try to understand the context before finding the answers. Cloze test will likely carry around five to seven marks. Candidates must know the right way can ace this topic with expertise.
Grammar: Questions from Grammar can be tricky as well. Candidates will need to solve the following types of questions – sentence correction, finding the grammatically correct sentence or finding the grammatically incorrect sentence. To score good marks in this topic, candidates must know the essential grammatical topics and practice them. They must know – Adjective, Nouns, Pronoun and other such topics.
Para Jumbles: This section is time taking, and tricky to solve the questions. To solve this topic, candidates are required to practice as much as they can to score good marks. There might be questions for five marks from this section.
IBPS PO English Preparation Tip #1 – Start Early
Candidates must start their preparation early to gather all the essential study material and formulate a proper plan for their duration of preparation. Making a layout and studying accordingly will increase productivity.
During the initial phase of preparation, the candidates must divide the time equally that is required on each topic and subtopics.
They must make a priority list of the subjects that they will cover during the preparation time.
Adhere to the plan during the preparation phase.
IBPS PO English Preparation Tip #2 – Know the strength and start with it
Start with the topics which the candidates know they can score. As these topics will be easy to cover for them, and it will also require less time. Also, completing the topics early will give candidates a sense of confidence to study further and practise more those sections in which they are weak.
IBPS PO English Preparation Tip #3 – Know the basic concepts
Candidates should have a stronghold on the basics of the topics, especially grammar that can help them perform better in the exam. Candidates should have profound conceptual knowledge of the frequently asked topics like – Synonyms, Antonyms, Comprehension, Jumbled words, Correct spellings etc. The easiest way to keep a hold of the basic concept is by preparing short notes of specifications, and concepts and arranging them in one place. When the concepts are clear, candidates will be able to learn and try to solve more questions from all the topics.
IBPS PO English Preparation Tip #4 – Collect the Resources
By now candidates will get a clearer picture of the types of questions and the trend of questions asked in the previous year’s IBPS PO English examination, collecting the necessary study material to study becomes no less than a Herculean task.
Without any doubt that there is abundant study material available offline as well as in online mode. Picking the precise guidance material becomes essential. Here are some tips on how to select the study materials for IBPS PO English preparation tips –
The study material for IBPS PO must explain all the topics in a simple yet effective and detailed way.
This way, the candidate will get more chances of securing good marks in the examination. There are several other resources available, both online and offline.
They can also shortlist some online videos of the previous year’s toppers. This will help them prepare better.
IBPS PO English Preparation Tip #5 – Books to study from
Candidates must get some books for understanding the concepts and prepare well for the IBPS PO English section. Books will help the candidates in clarifying their concepts. So, candidates can make a list of the best books for IBPS PO English preparation. They can check below some IBPS PO books in preparation –
Books for IBPS PO English
Name of the book
Author or Publisher
Descriptive General English
S P Bakshi and Richa Sharma
Objective General English
R.S Aggarwal, Vikas Aggarwal
Word Power Made Easy
Norman Lewis
English Grammar & Composition
Wren and Martin
Objective English for Competitive Examinations
Mcgraw Hill Education
IBPS PO English Preparation Tip #6 – Short Notes at the rescue
While going through the books, candidates must prepare short notes of important topics and some tips or shortcuts. By preparing the short notes for the IBPS PO English section, they will be able to save some time during the revision period. They can also learn the topics without going through them again before the exam.
Candidates are also advised to spend the last 25 days of their IBPS PO English preparation time for revision. Revision is an essential part of preparation. They must not ignore the revision phase at any cost.
IBPS PO English Preparation Tip #7 – Revise, Revise, and Revise
One of the significant parts which can help the candidates in getting closer to qualify in the English section of IBPS PO is revision. While preparing for the exam, many candidates overlook the revision phase due to which they face failures in qualifying for the exam. The revision will help the candidates in covering all the essential topics in less time and understand them better.
Apart from the points mentioned above, candidates must also work on their speed to attempt more questions. Some of the easy tricks to improve speed for IBPS PO English are given below –
To improve the speed in a short-term period, candidates will have to increase their practice time. Along with that, they can also increase the standard of the questions they are practising. Try to finish the questions in the allotted time.
Also, to better their speed, they must have an understanding of the basic concepts of specific topics. This will help them in solving a problem efficiently and in less time.
Take mock tests daily and compare the speed for each test candidates have taken to date.
Candidates must know the tips, tricks and essential formulas to solve the problem quickly.
IBPS PO English Preparation Tip #8 – Previous Years’ Question Papers
Candidates must solve previous years’ question papers, take the mock test and practise sample papers. One of the most crucial tips on how to prepare for IBPS PO English is solving previous years question paper/sample question papers. To do the same, candidates can take the IBPS PO mock test that is available online.
Also, they must solve the previous year’s question papers and sample papers. Taking mock tests will help the candidates in increasing their accuracy as well as speed.
FAQs on IBPS PO Preparation Tips 2025
Following are the frequently asked question and answers related to IBPS PO Preparation:
Q.1: Can I prepare for the IBPS PO exam without coaching? Ans: Yes, it is possible to prepare for the IBPS PO exam without coaching. Candidates should create an IBPS PO preparation strategy and start early to improve their subject knowledge as well as test-taking skills.
Q.2: How many questions come in IBPS PO? Ans: The question paper of IBPS PO Prelims contains 100 objective-type questions. Whereas the Mains consists of 155 objective-type and 2 descriptive-type questions.
Q.3: Will theIBPS PO mock test help candidates in scoring high marks? Ans: Yes, attempting mock tests helps the candidate in identifying the weak and strong areas. Also, taking mock tests improves time management, speed, accuracy, and to attempt this a strategy is required to score good marks.
Q.4: When will IBPS PO 2025 notification release? Ans: The detailed IBPS PO Notification 2025 PDF will be released by IBPS.
Q.5: What are IBPS PO 2025 Exam Dates? Ans: According to the IBPS calendar, IBPS PO mains will be conducted on November 30, 2024.