Is MBA necessary to apply for jobs in govt banks?

One of the key confusions that a banking job aspirant faces is to understand the exact eligibility criteria and academic qualifications required for banking jobs. A recurring question in this domain has been regarding the requirement of a MBA degree as a compulsory educational qualification for govt bank jobs. The short and simple answer to this question is ‘NO’, MBA degree is not a mandatory requirement for govt jobs in banking sector.

Generally, recruitment for a public sector banks is done through an exam conducted through IBPS, where candidates are selected for the entry level positions of Bank clerk jobs and Bank PO jobs (probationary officers). These are entry level positions and therefore MBA degree is not a necessary educational qualification for that. Candidates having MBA degrees can still apply for PSU bank jobs and might even be preferred due to their academic qualifications, but it is not part of recruitment policy. For further clarification, we have mentioned the age and educational requirement needed to qualify for clerical and PO positions in public sector banks below.

Qualifications for Bank Clerk Jobs

Candidates applying for Bank Clerk Jobs through IBPS exams are generally appointed on positions like clerk, clerk-cum-cashier, typist, stenographer, agricultural clerks, data entry operators and telephone operators. The eligibility criteria required to participate in Bank Clerk exam are:

Citizenship: The candidate must be a citizen of India

Age: The candidate must be in the age group of 18 to 28 years

Academic qualification:

• Candidate should have passed Class 12/Intermediate/10+2 exam with minimum aggregate of 60% marks (55% marks for reserved categories)

OR

• Candidate should have a graduation degree with minimum 40% marks from a recognized university (35% marks for reserved categories)

OR

• Candidates should have completed the full time diploma course from a state govt approved institute and fall within prescribed marks eligibility criteria

OR

• Ex-servicemen with Indian Army Special Certificate of Education, with not less than 15 years of service in armed forces are also eligible

Qualification for Bank PO Jobs

Candidates applying for Bank PO jobs in public sector banks are appointed at the position of probationary officers. The probation continues for two years, during which the recruits undergoes extensive training following which they are posted on a particular designation. The eligibility criteria required to apply for Bank Clerk exam are:

Citizenship: The candidate must be a citizen of India

Age: The candidate must be in the age group of 21 to 30 years

Academic qualification:

• Candidate should have a graduation degree with minimum 55 to 60% marks from a recognized university. The minimum percentage marks varies from bank to bank, as per their respective norms.
• Candidates should have good working knowledge of computers and MS Office.

If you meet the aforementioned eligibility criteria for respective position, then you are eligible to apply for Govt bank job exams. You will have to clear the bank recruitment exam in order to be finally selected for a job in public sector bank.