Want to work for India's public sector banks?

With almost 25,000 seats up for the taking, the Common Written Exam for Probationary Officers is a golden opportunity for candidates aspiring for jobs in India’s public sector banks.

The online registration for IBPS CWE PO III or the Common Written Exam for the Recruitment of Probationary Officers & Management Trainees in 20 public sector banks has begun today. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), which conducts this exam every year, will finish the allotment process of successful candidates by March 2014.

Anil Nagar, founder, Bank POwer, an IIT-IIM alumni company, on what you must know about IBPS CWE PO III, one of the most sought after competitive exams in India today for getting appointed as probationary officers in India's public sector banks.

Participating banks for IBPS CWE PO III:

Allahabad Bank, Central Bank of India, Indian Bank, Syndicate Bank, Andhra Bank, Corporation Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, UCO Bank, Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Union Bank of India, Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, United Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, IDBI Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Vijaya Bank, Canara Bank and any other financial institution.

Selection Process for IBPS CWE PO III:

Common Written Examination (CWE PO/MT-III) is a pre-requisite for selection of personnel for Probationary Officer/ Management Trainee posts in the participating organisations listed below. This exam is conducted online by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), tentatively in October 2013. The recruitment process has four major stages:

1. Common Written Exam (Online aptitude test consisting of 5 sections -- Quantitative Aptitude, English, Reasoning, General Awareness & Computer Basics)
2. Common Interview (Conducted by IBPS for all the candidates who qualify in the Common Written Exam)
3. Preference Filling Process (All candidates who qualify in the common interview round are asked to fill their preference with respect to banks)
4. Final Allotment (Successful candidates are then allotted a bank based on their preference)

Schedule of events for IBPS CWE PO III

Major changes in the recruitment of Probationary Officers / Management Trainees from this year:

1. Changes in eligibility criteria for IBPS CWE PO III

a. Educational Qualifications: Minimum educational qualification for applying to CWE is graduation with 60% marks (for general category). Till last year, simple graduation degree (without any percentage specification) was required to apply for CWE. Relaxation for reserve categories is applicable.

b. Age Criteria: From this year, maximum age for applying to CWE has been decreased to 28 year (from 30 years last year). Relaxation for reserve categories is applicable.

2. Online Test: From this year, IBPS PO CWE will go online. Last year IBPS PO CWE was conducted on June 17, 2012 and it was in paper pencil format (OMR based). This year it will be conducted on four dates -- 19, 20, 26 & 27 October in online format.

3. Changes in CWE Exam pattern: Till last year, equal weightage was  given to each section of the exam (50 marks each in -- Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, English, General Awareness and Computer Sections). From this year, weightage of English, Reasoning & Computer section has been decreased. The new marking pattern is as shown below:

4. Total Exam Duration: Total Exam duration has been decreased to 2 hrs (from 2:30 hrs last year)

5. Descriptive Paper: This year, there will be no descriptive paper. Till last year, CWE used to consist of a descriptive paper of 1 hr (consisting of English language precis, letter writing etc.).

Last year, there were approximately 22,000 vacancies for Probationary Officer Posts and this year also this number will be in the range 22,000-25,000. So, this is a golden opportunity for candidates aspiring for government jobs.

Bank POwer wishes all the aspirants best of luck. Prepare well and give your best in the exam.