IBPS RRB Office Assistant Preparation Tips

Scheduled for September/October 2020, the Regional Rural Banks [RRB] Office Assistant exam of the Institute of Banking and Personnel Selection is a much sought-after recruitment exam across the country.

Requiring your utmost attention and dedication, the IBPS RRB 2020 exam is a highly competitive one. Thus, in this article, we have curated the best Section-wise IBPS RRB Clerk Prelims tips so that you can shape up an effective IBPS RRB Office Assistant preparation strategy.

Note: In general, the words Office Assistant and Clerk are used interchangeably.

IBPS RRB Office Assistant Preparation Strategy: Exam Pattern

The exam is conducted in two stages, namely, Preliminary and Mains. While the Prelims exam consists of only two sections-Reasoning and Numerical Ability, the Mains exam is a more comprehensive one having five sections including an English/Hindi Language Paper. The Prelims paper runs for 45 minutes and the Mains paper gives applicants a total time of 2 hours [120 minutes].

Preliminary	*Section*	*Questions*	*Marks*
	Reasoning	40	40
	Numerical Ability	40	40
	Total	80	80
Mains	Reasoning	40	50
	Computer Knowledge	40	20
	General Awareness	40	40
	English Language/ Hindi Language	40	40
	Numerical Ability	40	50
	Total	200	200

Note: There is no Personal Interview in IBPS RRB Office Assistant Exam.

Section-wise IBPS RRB Clerk Prelims Tips

Here is a section-wise breakdown of the IBPS RRB Office Assistant Prelims Syllabus and the best exam tips.

IBPS RRB Office Assistant Prelims Syllabus

The following table presents the common topics asked in the exam in both sections. But, this is not an exhaustive list.

Reasoning Topics

Numerical Ability Topics

Cause & Effects, Assertion & Reason, Statements & Conclusion, Blood Relation, Seating Arrangement, Coding-Decoding, Word Formation, Direction, Syllogism, Alphabet Test, Puzzles, Inequalities, etc.

Simple & Compound Interest, Profit & Loss, Time & Work, Speed & Distance, Time & Work, Simplification & Approximation, Partnership, Percentages, Average, Ratio & Proportion, Data Interpretation, Number System, Series, Permutation & Combination, Probability, Graphs, etc.

NCERT Mathematics textbooks Class IX & X;

Quantitative Aptitude by R.S Aggarwal;

Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma;

General reasoning books by Arihant Publications and R.S. Aggarwal

You have 80 questions to attempt in a total of 45 minutes which translates into 33.75 seconds per question. Develop a solid IBPS RRB Office Assistant preparation strategy by not crossing the time limit of one question and skipping on to the next. Come back later to it at the end. This is one of the best Section-wise IBPS RRB Clerk Prelims tips.

Numerical Ability:

Here is a breakdown of the important sections in the Numerical Ability section in the exam as well as the essential books you must keep on your table. In part

*Arithmetic*	Arithmetic concerns general number line and system, number series, types of numbers such as integers, natural numbers, whole numbers and so on. It is imperative to be thorough with these concepts as it comes into use throughout the whole section. Alongside these, practice BODMAS, short-hand multiplication tricks, tests of divisibility, etc to lessen your calculation time.
*Equations, Functions & Inequalities*	Ranging from easy to moderate level, questions in this section test quick problem solving, simplification skills. Make yourself extremely comfortable with different kinds of variables, their possible and impossible values, signs, conversions and much more. In particular, approximation/simplification questions comprise of around 15 questions which are also of easy to moderate difficulty level.
Probability:	If there can be a question which can make your head go round, it may come from this section. It comprises of various concepts like independent events, mutually exclusive events, outcomes, etc which you must get through with. Common questions include card tricks, die questions, number-related problems, coin toss scenarios, draw of lots and like. Always use diagrams to visualise the problem asked.
Geometry:	This includes problems related to circles, triangles, squares and their related fundamental theorems. Try to visualise the question in your head, go over the possible scenarios, use the information mentioned as well as formulae and check once before moving on.
Data Interpretation	A set of 5 questions is generally asked from Data Interpretation of beginner to intermediate difficulty on a given situational graph or table such as a year-wise progression graph. Fully understand the relation between the graph/table and the questions that follow.

Reasoning:

Out of the 40 questions in this section, around 20-25 questions, going by the trend in previous year’s questions, are asked from topics of Puzzle and Seating Arrangement, Blood Relation, Direction and like. Further, inequality and alphanumeric series questions can give you a much-needed score boost.

Passage/Stimulus/Directions: This is the premise on which the following questions are based. It can range from a few words to a few sentences. It carries all the basic information required, facts and other supporting elements.

Question: Next up is the question which takes a particular scenario or missing link in the premise and asks you to find it. For instance, in a direction-based question, it may ask what was the starting point or ending point of the cyclist.

Choices: You will be given five choices which pertain to five possible solutions. Now as per your understanding of the passage and the scenario posed by the question, you need to connect all of them and arrive at the correct solution.

Read the whole passage/stimulus diligently at least once before commencing your attempt. This becomes all the more important in terms of seating arrangement questions, Statement & Assertion/Conclusion, etc. This is considered amongst the best IBPS RRB Clerk 2020 preparation strategies.
In attempting a reasoning question, do not apply any prior knowledge, view or assumption. Take the information of the passage, question and choices as true and move forward with it.
One of the most effective IBPS RRB Office Assistant preparation strategy is to not work with time considerations at the start and focus on precision rather than speed. With time, as you build up skill and confidence, time yourself and boost it through timed topic-based and mock tests.
Early on, practice as many different types of questions as you can. Refer to previous years question papers and narrow down the essential ones as well as the odd new question. This will help in developing a solid IBPS RRB Clerk 2020 preparation strategy for all categories of questions.

The IBPS RRB Office Assistant Prelims Syllabus, is vast and demanding but with the right preparation strategy and direction, you can break through easily. All the best.

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