English Aptitude Preparation for SBI Clerk Exam

SBI is one of the oldest and largely trusted financial institutions of India. State Bank of India announces notification for the recruitment of Probationary Officer post through their online portal and various other channels. Candidates who aspire to be a Clerk in State Bank of India can apply online directly. Below are the details to be furnished for the online submission for SBI Clerk Exam -

• Filling up basic information
• Uploading of photograph & signature
• Preview the Application before final submission
• Application Fee Payment

Preparation for English in SBI Clerical Examination

The English section preparation for the SBI Clerk exam can be broadly divided into four major parts:

1. Vocabulary
2. Grammar
3. Reading Comprehension
4. Verbal Ability

The marking of the paper is common for both the Prelims examination and the Main examination for SBI Clerk. So you do not need to worry much about coming across new topics in the Mains. Your preparation for the Prelims should be sufficient enough not only to make you go through the Mains as well but to crack good scores too.

However, having said that, it must also be kept in mind that the number and difficulty quotient of questions in the Mains are higher than that in the prelims. There are 30 questions in the Prelims and 35 questions in the Mains exam for the English Subject.

So in the time excelling up to the SBI Clerk prelims exam, make sure you practice Vocabulary, Grammar thoroughly. Also familiarize yourself with how to solve Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability questions to be able to crack those.

How to Practice GRAMMAR in English Subject for SBI Clerk Examination

There are problems on the following topics in both Prelims and Main exams.

• Error Spotting
• Phrase Replacement
• Fill in the Blanks (double blanks type)

1. Around 5-10 problems in the paper will be coming from Grammar. The topics include grammar ones like Tenses, Articles, Prepositions, Degrees of Comparison, Subject-Verb Agreement, Conjunctions, Parts of Speech and similar type.
2. Many questions will be testing your grip on basic grammar rules, so these need to be practiced and revised thoroughly.
3. Practice for questions relevant to the topics often asked like Error Spotting and concepts like Degrees of Comparison.
4. Sample papers will give you a fair idea about the difficulty level of problems. So be sure to solve the grammar section from these papers and evaluate your performance accordingly.
5. Take mock tests in a good way and pay special attention to the solutions.

How to Learn VOCABULARY in English for SBI Clerk Examination

1. There are direct questions on the following topics in both Prelims and Mains exams.
   • Cloze Test (5 or 10 blanks passage)
   • Fill in the Blanks (double blanks)
   • Error Spotting
2. The most interesting thing about building a vocabulary and grammar is that it doesn’t require any extraordinary efforts. It keeps on building whether you are reading a newspaper or a novel. Whenever you come across a new word. Look it up in a dictionary or a thesaurus. Note down its meaning, synonyms and antonyms and its usage accordingly. Any day later, try to use these words in sentences of your own to revise the meanings. This would also help you enhance your understanding of the context of the passage and help your English in a profound manner.
3. Solve the vocabulary sections from sample papers and time yourself. This will give you a fair idea about the type of problems asked and the difficulty quotient. It will also give you a good idea about how much work you need to do. 

Here are some quick tips to crack the SBI Clerk Exam:

• Revision is mandatory: Do not try anything new just before a day of the main examination. Revise the books that you already have gone through before. 

• Time Management: The main factor in competitive examinations is speed. Completing papers with a set time-limit is very crucial. Test yourself on topics you have a strong and a weak hold. If you are doubtful regarding any question, do not waste your time. Rather, move on to other questions and in the end try attempting the left ones.

• Negative marking: In order to avoid the negative marking during the examination; mark an answer only if you are fully confident about it. If you will just make wild guesses, it might lead to negative marking.

• D-Day: Students must reach before the time of the examination. To avoid any rush or unforeseen circumstances reach the examination venue at least an hour before.

• Sleep is very important: Take a good sleep before the day of the examination. Stress never solves the problem. Be calm and give your best shot.
• Food: Eat light on the day of the examination to avoid any medical complications. 
•  Get distractions away : If you really want to study effectively, here is the kicker: Put aside all of your social networks, mobile apps, and computer games during your study sessions. If you can’t resist the urge to check notifications or reply to messages, search for an app that will block all sources of distractions for a certain period.

Divide studying into sessions

Contrary to popular belief, cramming doesn’t work.

In fact, it can cause more harm than help. It’s good to plan everything ahead of time and spread out your study periods for at least one week before the exam. In this way, you will be having enough time to develop a deeper understanding of the subject.

For better long-term retention of knowledge, be sure to take regular breaks. Take time to go outside and enjoy nature or to do something that you enjoy.

Divide your studying into brief sessions of around 20 to 30 minutes, and focus on a single topic only during each session. Always try to think of multiple ways to use the same information—that’s one of the most effective study skills.  Go ahead and devote all your attention to the test!

 For further details aspiring candidates are suggested to visit SBI official Site www.sbi.co.in and Click on careers. Wish you all the best !!!