SBI PO: Best books for SBI PO Exam Preparation by Toppers
SBI PO examination is the most coveted banking exam in India and all of you must be busy preparing for the same with all the vigour and enthusiasm. The most important aspect of the preparation phase is that you should lay your hands off the best books available in the market.
With a plethora of books and study materials available in the market, it becomes very difficult to choose from. That is why, in this article, we shall present to you a book list with the list of time-tested books which will be helpful for your preparation for SBI PO Exam.
What will all be there in SBI PO Exam?
SBI PO examination will be divided in three phases – Prelims, Mains followed by the Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). The prelims examination will be 100 marks affairs whereas the mains examination will have 200 marks devoted to the objective section and 50 marks to the descriptive English section.
It will be followed by the group discussion and personal interview of 50 marks. You have to score minimum marks in all the three phases to be eligible for the next round of selection. Your marks in the mains and GD-PI will be counted for your final selection in the examination.
The prelims examination will be based on English Language, Reasoning ability and quantitative aptitude whereas the mains examination will be based on English, data interpretation and analysis, reasoning ability and computer knowledge and General awareness with special focus on banking and economy. The descriptive test will consist of questions from reading comprehension, précis, letter, essay etc. in English language.
SBI PO: Section Wise Strategy (Quantitative Aptitude, Data Analysis and Data Interpretation)
What books should be followed to prepare for SBI PO?
Having gone through the syllabus of SBI PO, it is very clear that you need to prepare the following subjects for your success in this examination:
- Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation and Analysis
- Reasoning ability
- English Language (Objective and Descriptive)
- Banking Awareness
- General Knowledge
- Computer awareness
- Current affairs
Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation and Analysis
This section will be there for both the prelims examination and the mains examination. In case of the prelims, 35 marks will be allotted to this section whereas the mains examination will have 60 marks allotted to it. The number of questions for prelims will be 35 and for mains also it will be 35. This is going to play critical role in your success since you will have a shot at the final selection if you score well in this section in the mains examination. The syllabus of this section includes:
- Data interpretation (Pie charts, Table chart, Bar Graphs, Line charts, Mixed graphs, Histograms)
- Probability
- Number system
- Simplification/Approximation
- Time and distance
- HCF and LCM of Numbers
- Problems based on age
- Number series
- Quadratic Equations
- Percentages
- Ratio and proportion
- Average
- Mixture and Allegations
- Time and work
- Pipe and Cistern
- Speed, Distance and time
- Partnership
- Simple and compound interest
- Permutation and Combination
- Profit, Loss and Discount
- Mensuration
- Data Sufficiency
- Data Interpretation
- Trigonometry etc.
The following books can be followed to prepare for this section:
- Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Kumar Verma
- How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT by Arun Sharma
- Magical book on Quicker Maths by M Tyra
- Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Exams by RS Aggarwal
SBI PO: Section Wise Strategy (General Awareness)
Reasoning Ability
This section will also be there in both prelims and the mains examination. In the prelims examination, there will be 35 questions of 35 marks whereas in case of mains examination, there will be 45 questions with 60 marks allotted to this section. The reasoning ability syllabus includes the following:
- Syllogism
- Inequality
- Statement and arguments
- Statement and conclusions
- Analytical reasoning
- Ranking and order
- Coding and decoding
- Seating arrangement
- Puzzles
- Blood relations
- Direction sense
- Data sufficiency
- Input-output etc.
The following books can be followed to prepare for reasoning section:
- A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal and Non-Verbal by B.S. Sijwali and Indu Sijwali
- Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey (For the chapters required for analytical reasoning)
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal
English Language
This section is the most important one in your quest for a job with the largest public sector bank of the country. You name any round and English is there till the end. So, you better prepare yourself properly to score well in this section with the best of books available in the market. This section will carry 30 marks in the prelims examination with 30 questions whereas there will be 35 questions in the mains examination with 40 marks allotted to it. There will be 50 marks allotted to the descriptive test as well in the mains. The syllabus will contain the following:
- Reading comprehension
- Error correction
- Cloze Test
- Para jumbles
- Fill in the blanks
- Idioms and phrases
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Vocabulary
- Essay, Letter and Precis writing
The following materials are must for a good score in English:
- Objective General English by SP Bakshi
- Descriptive General English by SP Bakshi and Richa Sharma
- High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin
- Word Power Made Easy by Normal Lewis
- The Hindu or The Economic Times
General Awareness with Special Awareness on Banking / Economy
This section will only be there in the Mains examination but you will be befitted from this in the personal interview and group discussion round as well. The section can be divided into general knowledge, current affairs and banking awareness. The marks allotted to this section will be 40 in the mains examination with 40 questions asked from this section. The syllabus for this section will include:
- Current affairs related to national and international issues of last 6 months.
- Banking terms
- Countries and capitals
- Honors and awards
- Sports
- International economy
- Indian economy
- International organizations
- Banking history in India
- Main functions of RBI
- Work and responsibilities of National financial institutions like RBI, SEBI, IRDA, FSDC (Financial Stability and Development Council )etc and of International organizations like IMF, World Bank, ADB, UNO, SWIFT(The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), IBA, United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), Bank Board Bureau(BBB) Bank for International Settlements (BIS)etc.
- International organizations like IMF, World Bank, ADB, UN, WTO, etc.
- Important Government Schemes
- Important National and International days
- Currency of countries etc
The books that can be followed for this section are:
- Banking Awareness by Arihant Publications
- Static General Knowledge by Arihant Publications
- Current Affairs can be prepared from the monthly magazines such as Banking Services Chronicle (BSC Publications), Newspapers etc.
Computer Awareness
This will be there only in the mains examination along with the reasoning ability section. However, you should not neglect this section. The syllabus will include:
History of computers, internet, DBMS, input and output devices, computer terms, MS Office, computer aptitude etc.
The books that can be followed for this section:
- Objective Computer Awareness for General Competitive Exams by Arihant Publications
SBI PO Descriptive English
- Descriptive General English (Old Edition) by S.P. Bakshi and Richa Shrma
- Descriptive English (For All Competitive Examinations) by S.J. Thakur and S.K. Rout
The SBI PO is round the corner and it is a time that you choose the required books and start your preparation with them with a concrete strategy in place. In case you have the right books with the right execution of the right strategy, success cannot elude you in this examination.
All the best!!
SBI PO Syllabus: Detailed Syllabus for Prelims & Mains Exam
Best newspapers for SBI PO Exam Preparation