CWE (PO)
Bank Common Test Prep
Written Examination - June 17, 2012
Exclusive Analysis - PO Entrance It must be a day of relaxation and celebration for
OVERVIEW
many candidates aspiring for a government job. The second CWE has been conducted at various centers in various cities across I ndia. Lakhs of candidates (approx. 15 lakhs) appeared in the test to prove their candidature for a secure and satisfying job in a public
www.CLeducate.in
Objective Test Total questions - 250 Sections - 5 No. of ques. in each section - 50
sector bank. The test was conducted in two shifts by the Mumbai
Marks per question - 0.5 for English and 1 for other sections.
based autonomous body, IBPS (Institute of Banking
Negative marking - 25%
Personnel Selections). The morning shift was from
Sectional cut-off - Yes
9:00 am and the evening shift was from 2:30 pm.
Time allowed - 150 minutes
The testing-body has tried and maintained almost same
Number of answer choices - Five
level of difficulty and variety of questions asked. The macro pattern of the test was already declared. And
Descriptive Test -
a lot of students were prepared by rigorous training
60 minutes and 50 marks to be scaled down to 25 marks
by themselves or by training institutes believing in the
Letter Writing - 15 marks
philosophy that chance favors the prepared mind. The test didn't put any surprise apart from the increased level of difficulty. As declared it was divided into two
Essay Writing - 20 marks Precis Writing - 15 marks
parts - Objective and Descriptive. The details of the same are shown in the table that follows.
S. No.
Test
No. of questions
Maximum Marks
Time allowed
Objective Test 1
Reasoning
50
50
2
English Language
50
25
3
Quantitative Aptitude
50
50
150 minutes
General Awareness 4
(with special reference to Banking Industry)
50
50
5
Computer Knowledge
50
50
Descriptive Test 1
Essay
1
2
Letter
1
3
Precis
1
25
60 minutes
Disclaimer: We have been able to collect some questions (on the basis of memory) from the students who had taken the exam. The same have been created purely for the purpose of reference for students, who wish to take the upcoming exams. We fully understand and acknowledge the fact that these questions are the property of IBPS and they have been replicated here for student reference only.
1
Bank
Test Prep
www.CLeducate.in
The basic sequence of sections with possible attempts is as follows –
S. No.
Test
No. of questions
Possible Attempts
Suggested Time (in minutes)
Level of difficulty*
Decent Score
1
Reasoning
50
30
35 to 40
4
24-26
2
English Language
50
40
25 to 30
3
16-18
3
Quantitative Aptitude
50
32
35 to 40
4
26-28
General Awareness 4
(with special reference to Banking Industry)
50
45
20 to 25
3
35-40
5
Computer Knowledge
50
45
20 to 25
3
35-40
1 - Easy, 2 - Average, 3 - Moderate, 4 - Difficult, 5 - Very Difficult
OBJECTIVE TYPE Section I - Reasoning
As such no new variety of question was tested and the macro pattern remained the same for this section.
The difficulty level of the sections was tougher than the last CWE (PO).
In both the slots, there were ten questions on
CodingDecoding, Relations, Direction Sense 20%
Break-up of Reasoning Section Visual Reasoning 20%
Selection Criteria 10%
Visu al Reasoning (Non-Verbal Reason ing). Five questions were based on Series and five were on Odd One Out.
Around fifteen to twenty questions of Inferential R ea s o n i n g to pi c s li ke S y ll o g i s m , S t a te m e n t -
Sitting Arrangement 10%
Assumption etc. were asked in both the slots.
Input-Output 10%
Inferential Reasoning (StAs, Syllogism)
30%
One set of five questions on Sitting Arrangement was there in both the slots.
One set of five questions based on Input-Output arrangement was there in both the slots.
One set of five questions was there in both the slots on Selection Criteria - Decision Making.
Rest of the questions were based on other Logical Reasoning topics like Coding and Decoding, Relatio ns and Direction Sense.
The options (answer choices) of Statement-Assumption questions were not like the regular set, the same were possibly changed, to test the presence of mind of candidates.
2
Bank
Test Prep
www.CLeducate.in
Section II - Quantitative Aptitude
Like the Reasoning section, in this section also, there was no Break-up of Quantitative Aptitude Section
major change in the pattern. The difficulty level of the section was definitely higher.
Other Topics 40%
There were a total of fifteen Data Interpretation (DI) questions
Data Interpretation 30%
in both the slots.
Numerical Ability 20%
In both th e cases eith er the DI qu estion s ques tions were based on two different graphs (whether it be a combination of pie-table or pie-bar, as was the case was in evening slot) or they were based on two different set of information, clubbed into a single graph (as was the case was in morning slot), the
Logical Number Series 10%
common thing was that the students had to deal with two sets of information. This led to increased time spend on the qu es ti o n s . M o s t o f t h e q u e s t io n s i n D I w er e ba s e d o n applications of Ratio and Proportion and took longer time to solve.
There were around ten questions based on Numerical Ability.
Five questions were based on Logical Number Series.
Rest of the questions were based on standard topics like Averages, Percentages, Profit and Loss, Wor k and Time, Time Speed and Distance, SI and CI, Probability, Permutation and Combination, Allegation and M ixtures and Clocks.
Section III - General English
The difficulty level of this section was moderate.
There were fifteen questions based on Reading Comprehension in both the slots. Out of these fifteen questions, five were contextual meaning of the word.
S o m e wo rds tes ted h ere were - M yth , Tepid an d M yriad (Antonyms) & Clock, Abate and Emerging (for synonyms)
No . o f q uest io n s
Re ad ing Comp re he nsio n (O ne p assage )
15
Fill in t he blanks (parag raph) Clo ze t e st
10
P ara Jumble E rro r sp ot t in g
5 10
In RC most of the questions were based on the understanding of the passage and were inference based.
To pic
One set of ten questions of cloze test (ten blanks were given in a paragraph) was there in both the slots. In one of the slots the cloze test was based on a passage discussing Global warming.
P hrase re p lac e me n t
5
FIB (o ne b lan k t w o opt ion s) mo rnin g slo t 5 O d d one out an d O ne w ord su bst it u t io n - e ve n ing slot
Five questions of Para Jumble were there in both the slots.
Ten questions of Error Spotting were there in both the slots. The Errors Spotting questions were bas ed on the formation of the sentence.
The rest five questions, which were the only questions different type in both the slots were morning slots - one liner FIBs in which, for the one blank in each option two words were given and evening slot - odd one out and one word substitution, questions were there.
3
Bank
Test Prep
www.CLeducate.in
Section IV - General Awareness
The ratio of Banking Awareness to Current Awareness questions was 1:1.
This was a change over the last test, when more questions were from the Banking Awareness Section.
This time more number of questions were Current Affairs of last three months were there.
Many of the questions were from the CL mock tests and the weekly GK supplements.
Section V - Computer Knowledge
The question s in this sectio n were practice oriented and were inten ded to c heck the practic al knowle dge related to computers.
The questions were on networking, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Hardware, Internet etc.
Student complained that the language used in this part of the test was very complex!
DESCRIPTIVE TYPE Essays (20 marks) - Three topics were given out which candidates have to write essay of around 250 words on any one of them. 1.
Growth of Banking Sector in India (morning shift) / Growth of Insurance Sector in India (evening shift).
2.
Role of Microfinance in Human Development (morning shift) / Corporate Social Responsibility (evening shift)
3.
Related to Business topic
Letter (15 marks) - Three topics were given out which candidates have write on one. 1.
Wr it e a l et ter t o bro th er/ s i s t er de s c rib in g t h e s ign if ic an c e o f c e n s u s in te n ye ars . ( m o rn in g s h i f t ) / Write a letter to brother/sister describing the significance of UID programme of GOI. (evening shift)
2.
Write a letter to an authority about providing education facilities in your area. (morning shift)/ Write a letter to an authority about providing recreational facilities in your area. (evening shift)
3.
Write a letter to your sister describing your financial situation.
Precis (15 marks) - A passage on poverty was given and candidates have write a title and summary. (In both the slots) Overall the paper was a bit difficult as compared to last year. However, students who have done well in GK and Computer awareness can comfortably sail through. Our mock tests have more or less reflected the difficulty level as well as the pattern.
A score of 140+ should be a decent score. Further, IBPS will issue scorecards to all successful candidates, who score a minimum cut-off in eac h section. For the last test, the same was set at 24 marks per section. Looking at the difficulty level of the current test, the same may be reduced. The score cards provided by IBPS will be valid for one year.
Best Wishes! Team CL Educate
4
Written Examination - June 17, 2012
Exclusive Analysis - PO Entrance It must be a day of relaxation and celebration for
OVERVIEW
many candidates aspiring for a government job. The second CWE has been conducted at various centers in various cities across I ndia. Lakhs of candidates (approx. 15 lakhs) appeared in the test to prove their candidature for a secure and satisfying job in a public
www.CLeducate.in
Objective Test Total questions - 250 Sections - 5 No. of ques. in each section - 50
sector bank. The test was conducted in two shifts by the Mumbai
Marks per question - 0.5 for English and 1 for other sections.
based autonomous body, IBPS (Institute of Banking
Negative marking - 25%
Personnel Selections). The morning shift was from
Sectional cut-off - Yes
9:00 am and the evening shift was from 2:30 pm.
Time allowed - 150 minutes
The testing-body has tried and maintained almost same
Number of answer choices - Five
level of difficulty and variety of questions asked. The macro pattern of the test was already declared. And
Descriptive Test -
a lot of students were prepared by rigorous training
60 minutes and 50 marks to be scaled down to 25 marks
by themselves or by training institutes believing in the
Letter Writing - 15 marks
philosophy that chance favors the prepared mind. The test didn't put any surprise apart from the increased level of difficulty. As declared it was divided into two
Essay Writing - 20 marks Precis Writing - 15 marks
parts - Objective and Descriptive. The details of the same are shown in the table that follows.
S. No.
Test
No. of questions
Maximum Marks
Time allowed
Objective Test 1
Reasoning
50
50
2
English Language
50
25
3
Quantitative Aptitude
50
50
150 minutes
General Awareness 4
(with special reference to Banking Industry)
50
50
5
Computer Knowledge
50
50
Descriptive Test 1
Essay
1
2
Letter
1
3
Precis
1
25
60 minutes
Disclaimer: We have been able to collect some questions (on the basis of memory) from the students who had taken the exam. The same have been created purely for the purpose of reference for students, who wish to take the upcoming exams. We fully understand and acknowledge the fact that these questions are the property of IBPS and they have been replicated here for student reference only.
1
Bank
Test Prep
www.CLeducate.in
The basic sequence of sections with possible attempts is as follows –
S. No.
Test
No. of questions
Possible Attempts
Suggested Time (in minutes)
Level of difficulty*
Decent Score
1
Reasoning
50
30
35 to 40
4
24-26
2
English Language
50
40
25 to 30
3
16-18
3
Quantitative Aptitude
50
32
35 to 40
4
26-28
General Awareness 4
(with special reference to Banking Industry)
50
45
20 to 25
3
35-40
5
Computer Knowledge
50
45
20 to 25
3
35-40
1 - Easy, 2 - Average, 3 - Moderate, 4 - Difficult, 5 - Very Difficult
OBJECTIVE TYPE Section I - Reasoning
As such no new variety of question was tested and the macro pattern remained the same for this section.
The difficulty level of the sections was tougher than the last CWE (PO).
In both the slots, there were ten questions on
CodingDecoding, Relations, Direction Sense 20%
Break-up of Reasoning Section Visual Reasoning 20%
Selection Criteria 10%
Visu al Reasoning (Non-Verbal Reason ing). Five questions were based on Series and five were on Odd One Out.
Around fifteen to twenty questions of Inferential R ea s o n i n g to pi c s li ke S y ll o g i s m , S t a te m e n t -
Sitting Arrangement 10%
Assumption etc. were asked in both the slots.
Input-Output 10%
Inferential Reasoning (StAs, Syllogism)
30%
One set of five questions on Sitting Arrangement was there in both the slots.
One set of five questions based on Input-Output arrangement was there in both the slots.
One set of five questions was there in both the slots on Selection Criteria - Decision Making.
Rest of the questions were based on other Logical Reasoning topics like Coding and Decoding, Relatio ns and Direction Sense.
The options (answer choices) of Statement-Assumption questions were not like the regular set, the same were possibly changed, to test the presence of mind of candidates.
2
Bank
Test Prep
www.CLeducate.in
Section II - Quantitative Aptitude
Like the Reasoning section, in this section also, there was no Break-up of Quantitative Aptitude Section
major change in the pattern. The difficulty level of the section was definitely higher.
Other Topics 40%
There were a total of fifteen Data Interpretation (DI) questions
Data Interpretation 30%
in both the slots.
Numerical Ability 20%
In both th e cases eith er the DI qu estion s ques tions were based on two different graphs (whether it be a combination of pie-table or pie-bar, as was the case was in evening slot) or they were based on two different set of information, clubbed into a single graph (as was the case was in morning slot), the
Logical Number Series 10%
common thing was that the students had to deal with two sets of information. This led to increased time spend on the qu es ti o n s . M o s t o f t h e q u e s t io n s i n D I w er e ba s e d o n applications of Ratio and Proportion and took longer time to solve.
There were around ten questions based on Numerical Ability.
Five questions were based on Logical Number Series.
Rest of the questions were based on standard topics like Averages, Percentages, Profit and Loss, Wor k and Time, Time Speed and Distance, SI and CI, Probability, Permutation and Combination, Allegation and M ixtures and Clocks.
Section III - General English
The difficulty level of this section was moderate.
There were fifteen questions based on Reading Comprehension in both the slots. Out of these fifteen questions, five were contextual meaning of the word.
S o m e wo rds tes ted h ere were - M yth , Tepid an d M yriad (Antonyms) & Clock, Abate and Emerging (for synonyms)
No . o f q uest io n s
Re ad ing Comp re he nsio n (O ne p assage )
15
Fill in t he blanks (parag raph) Clo ze t e st
10
P ara Jumble E rro r sp ot t in g
5 10
In RC most of the questions were based on the understanding of the passage and were inference based.
To pic
One set of ten questions of cloze test (ten blanks were given in a paragraph) was there in both the slots. In one of the slots the cloze test was based on a passage discussing Global warming.
P hrase re p lac e me n t
5
FIB (o ne b lan k t w o opt ion s) mo rnin g slo t 5 O d d one out an d O ne w ord su bst it u t io n - e ve n ing slot
Five questions of Para Jumble were there in both the slots.
Ten questions of Error Spotting were there in both the slots. The Errors Spotting questions were bas ed on the formation of the sentence.
The rest five questions, which were the only questions different type in both the slots were morning slots - one liner FIBs in which, for the one blank in each option two words were given and evening slot - odd one out and one word substitution, questions were there.
3
Bank
Test Prep
www.CLeducate.in
Section IV - General Awareness
The ratio of Banking Awareness to Current Awareness questions was 1:1.
This was a change over the last test, when more questions were from the Banking Awareness Section.
This time more number of questions were Current Affairs of last three months were there.
Many of the questions were from the CL mock tests and the weekly GK supplements.
Section V - Computer Knowledge
The question s in this sectio n were practice oriented and were inten ded to c heck the practic al knowle dge related to computers.
The questions were on networking, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Hardware, Internet etc.
Student complained that the language used in this part of the test was very complex!
DESCRIPTIVE TYPE Essays (20 marks) - Three topics were given out which candidates have to write essay of around 250 words on any one of them. 1.
Growth of Banking Sector in India (morning shift) / Growth of Insurance Sector in India (evening shift).
2.
Role of Microfinance in Human Development (morning shift) / Corporate Social Responsibility (evening shift)
3.
Related to Business topic
Letter (15 marks) - Three topics were given out which candidates have write on one. 1.
Wr it e a l et ter t o bro th er/ s i s t er de s c rib in g t h e s ign if ic an c e o f c e n s u s in te n ye ars . ( m o rn in g s h i f t ) / Write a letter to brother/sister describing the significance of UID programme of GOI. (evening shift)
2.
Write a letter to an authority about providing education facilities in your area. (morning shift)/ Write a letter to an authority about providing recreational facilities in your area. (evening shift)
3.
Write a letter to your sister describing your financial situation.
Precis (15 marks) - A passage on poverty was given and candidates have write a title and summary. (In both the slots) Overall the paper was a bit difficult as compared to last year. However, students who have done well in GK and Computer awareness can comfortably sail through. Our mock tests have more or less reflected the difficulty level as well as the pattern.
A score of 140+ should be a decent score. Further, IBPS will issue scorecards to all successful candidates, who score a minimum cut-off in eac h section. For the last test, the same was set at 24 marks per section. Looking at the difficulty level of the current test, the same may be reduced. The score cards provided by IBPS will be valid for one year.
Best Wishes! Team CL Educate
4
