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SBI PO 2014 – Interview Schedule announced

By CL -
0
 

Dear Future Bankers,

State Bank of India has released the Interview Schedule for the post of Probationary Officer. The Interviews will begin from 8th October 2014. SBI is sending e-mail to all the selected candidates.

You may also

A. download the call letter from SBI website.

B. Candidates Bio-Data cum Attestation form can be downloaded from SBI site

All those who have been shortlisted, kindly attend the training for the interview sessions at your nearest CL Centres. Kindly get in touch with the centre to figure out the schedule.

All the very best guys!!

Quiz – Verbal Ability

By CL -
9
 

In the question given below there is a sentence with a pair of blank spaces, followed by five pairs of words. Choose the pair that can fill in the blanks in the same order. The number of that pair is your answer.

 

The quality of ____ between individuals and the organisation for which they work can be ____ to the benefit of both the parties.

(1) services – evaluated

(2) interaction – improved

(3) sophistication – developed

(4) work – appreciated

(5) life – conceptualized

Will be keen to know the reasoning behind your choice too..

SBI Associated Banks PO recruitment notification 2014 – 2986 Vacancies – Apply now

By CL -
1
 

State Bank Of India SBI’s Central Recruitment and Promotion Group has officially announced its recruitment of Probationary Officers PO for its SBI Associate Banks across India for the year 2014-2015. The examination will be held in large number of centers in India. So candidates can select their nearest centers provided during the process of online application.

Total Number of vacancies For SBI Associates Bank PO Recruitment 2014-2015:  2986.

Important Dates For SBI Associates Bank PO Recruitment 2014-2015:

 

Online process

Online application start date – 01-09-2014
Online Application End date – 18-09-2014
Online Fees submission start date – 01-09-2014
Online Fees submission end date – 18-09-2014

Offline process

Offline fees payment start date – 03-09-2014
Offline fees payment end date – 20-09-2014

Examination date expected

Online Common Examination – To be held in November 2014

SBI Associate Banks Participating in Recruitment 2014-2015:

1. State Bank of Hyderabad,
2. State Bank of Patiala,
3. State Bank of Mysore,
4. State Bank of Travancore,
5. State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur.


Eligibility Criteria For SBI Associates Bank PO Recruitment 2014-2015:

Educational Qualification Required:

The candidate must have graduation from any of the recognized university.

Age criteria:

Lower age limit – must not be less than 21 years of age.
Upper age limit – must not be greater than 30 years of age.

Age Relaxation Permitted:

1. For SC/ST – 5 years,
2. For OBC – 3 years,
3. For PWD (SC/ST) – 15 years,
4. For PWD (OBC) – 13 years,
5. For PWD (GEN) – 10 years,
6. For Ex-Service Man – 5 years,
7. Persons domicile of Jammu and Kashmir – 5 years.

Total No of Chances For Each Category Candidates:

1. For General – 4 attempts,
2. For General PWD – 7 attempts,
3. For OBC – 7 attempts,
4. For OBC PWD – 7 years,
5. For SC/ST – No limits.

Examination Phases:

1. Phase I – Online CWE and Written Descriptive Test,
2. Phase II – Group Discussion and Personal Interview ( For those who clear Phase I).

Examination Fees:

1. For SC/ST/PWD – RS 100,
2. For OBC/General – RS 500.

Kindly download the detailed Notification by clicking here

SBI declares the PO written test (June/July 2014) results

By CL -
0
 

Many of you have been eagerly waiting for this day. It gives immense pleasure to see the Results of written test (Phase I) held in June-July 2014 of State Bank of India (SBI) PO being declared. All those who took the exam check your results by downloading the pdf at the following link –

Continue

Selection Process – Introduction to GD and Interviews!

By CL -
0
 

Once IBPS, SBI or RBI announce the results of the Common Written Examination (CWE), the entire spotlight automatically shifts to the second stage of selection process, which in most of the places constitute – group discussion (GD) and interview.

In all likelihood, you will start getting your calls the Probationary officers phase 2 round any day. You may even be asked to report for selection process within the next few weeks. With hardly any time at your disposal, it is imperative that you start preparing for the second round right away.

There are many who keep on waiting in anticipation till the last minute and when they get the calls they are not able to make out head or tail out of it. Therefore, the best thing, therefore, could be to start preparing for the GDs and interviews as a stitch in time saves nine. It always pays to be both proactive and pre-emptive which you  can safely do with  your preparation in advance.

Group discussion is the first round  which  precedes  the interview and  therefore one has to be well prepared for  both  the rounds. Many students keep on asking whether the group discussion is one of the eliminating rounds or not? As a matter of fact, it is, as the same is given an appropriate weightage by the institutes and therefore one should never ever try to look at the duo in isolation. The GDs are the eliminating rounds in so far as it measures candidate’s cognitive, behavioral, communication skills and personality in relation to the group. Another fundamental factor is the interpersonal skills of the candidates and their ability to carry the peer pressure. Of course, their knowledge about the given topics in particular and general awareness in general is also tested to a very great extent.

I have found that many candidates are in  habit  of making the GDs messy either by coughing facts that are not factually true, indulging in humor or by keeping mum. And, this is precisely the point where the GD is looked upon as an eliminating round as the panel keeps on noting the observations against each to pass the same on to the interview panel. Mind you, you will get out of the race the moment you are found to be repeating the same there, too. Therefore, the advisable is to avoid any such act that lands you in trouble. The same would be too caustic in the sense that you earn a call after months of hard work and perseverance.

After the GD is over, the candidates are called for the interview with the panel. The philosophy behind the interviews is simple, as the panel is out to assess your personality, career objective clarity, communication, subject knowledge and general awareness. It is true that the candidates are tested on the above parameters in a GD but the fact remains that they have to be tested individually on those parameters once again to assess the consistency factor.

It would therefore be worth noting that the GD is as important as the interview and vice versa and therefore you should never ever think that your good performance in any one area would automatically ensure your success. It will also be important to see what parameters are generally employed to assess the candidates overall suitability for the management institutes. Though there are differing views about the parameters employed among many but there are some, which are generally agreed to, by all.

I would now talk about them  one by one, highlighting their importance in the over all scheme of the things:

  1. PERSONAL DISPOSITION
  2. CAREER OBJECTIVE
  3. KNOWLEDGE IN SUBJECTS
  4. GENERAL AWARENESS
  5. COMMUNICATION SKILLS

PERSONAL DISPOSITION: It is one of the parameters that the interview panel is to test a candidate on. Personal disposition, per say, is the candidate’s over all personality which includes the finer points like the way a candidate presents himself, the impact the candidate makes on the panel by demonstrating his temperament, attitude and propensity to break when he gets stuck at times. In other words, the personal disposition is the first obvious parameter that the panel is interested in. Therefore, the candidates going for the interview must ensure that they should present them in a manner that ensures their effectiveness leaving a lasting impact on the panel.

CAREER OBJECTIVE: Another important parameter that a panel is out to test a candidate on is his clarity on the career objective. The panel tries to test / evaluate the candidates’ current occupation, stated objectives, consistency, and reasons for any change or switch over etc. The panel may also try to check the clarity of objectives of the candidates by suggesting them variety of options for their career. This is very important, as the panel is out to gauge the candidates’ over-all clarity about what the candidate wants to pursue in his life. The panel may also go on record asking the candidate where he wants to see himself after 10 years. This is where a candidate has to evolve a fairly reasonable understanding about his priorities in life and linking it with  his background and aptitude.

KNOWLEDGE IN SUBJECTS: The panel is also interested in assessing the candidate’s knowledge in his own subjects, which he has pursued in the past or is currently pursuing. The panel may even go deeper in probing the candidates’ strength in the relevant subjects. Therefore, the candidates must brush their fundamentals of the subject (s) or any specialization, they have either pursued or pursuing. The panel may infact be too specific with the candidate’s present job profile and the organizational structure while interviewing a candidate with work-experience. Therefore, the candidates with work-experience or working with a company must be prepared to face such questions. The panel may also ask for the reasons of shift in terms of area or subject if one has such a background. There could be some cumbersome moments for the candidates too as they may be asked by the panel to give reasons for scoring lower percentage of marks in their exams. The candidates have to be very honest while giving reasons for such queries. They should never feel offensive as the panel may be out testing their disposition and ability to manage the stress. The panel is ultimately interested in assessing the quality of the reasoning than the statement it self.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: This parameter is very important as it tests the candidates’ awareness or exposure to the important happenings around them. The panel could ask the candidates any thing ranging from a murky question of history to the name of the president of India to the number of seats won by the Congress in the recently concluded assembly elections to the recent Euro launch. The candidates, if found to be good, could be explored deeper and therefore the candidates must follow the latest in news. It is also wise to build up one’s own opinion about the events as the interview panel is more interested in assessing one’s point of view rather than a mere statement of the event itself.

While mock interviewing the candidates, I have seen for myself that many candidates with good educational backgrounds and high percentage of marks turned out to be too poor, in some cases, even pathetic. For example, a candidate (with good educational background) did not even know what an Euro was or more glaringly when asked about the name of the president of India, he was found misnaming the president. Can you think what great service the same information would do to you?

COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Communication is an art and another important testing parameter. The panel tries to test the effectiveness of the ideas conveyed through one’s communication. Often, the candidates ask the questions what communication skills are all about or what all are they inclusive of? Is it merely an articulation or any thing beyond that?

It is important to note that communication is more than just articulation as it includes listening attributes of the candidates as well. Any communication is not deemed to be functional unless it encompasses listening, comprehension and logical sequencing of the statements. As the experts suggest, there is even a second side to the communication process and that is the non-verbal communication. The non-verbal side of  the communication often takes precedence when put in a structured manner  as it encompasses sitting posture, eye contact and body movements. In other words, the non-verbal communication is also referred to as body language and assumes a greater significance in interviews.

It is advisable for  the candidates to be aware of the parameters and practice them on a regular basis to ensure an effective performance with the panel. Its high time that they start concentrating on their subject knowledge and the general awareness as the two  put together play a very critical role in one’s getting selected or getting eliminated.

After all, it’s the end result that matters.

CL TEAM

Source: published in THE HINDUSTAN TIMES (Enhance)

Interviews – Talking Substance

By CL -
2
 

In the last article, I talked about some important parameters like personal disposition, career objective clarity, communication skills, knowledge in own’s own subject and general knowledge that may come to be tested by the SBI, RBI or the respective bank interview panel as the final step in your selections to the banks. I also touched upon some of the finer points and also suggested possible alternatives to enable you to fare well in the interviews.

In this article, I would talk about the interview concepts and explain them in a manner that facilities your preparation and give you tips to effectively handle them. However, the word of caution at this moment is : knowledge of concepts is important but do not make them the part of your psyche,  as you would only stand to loose out. I have seen, while mock-interviewing the candidates, that many of them have malnourished concepts and apply them blindly.  Many  of such candidates, inspite of being good, missed out on the finals as they got stuck with  the process ultimately compromising on the content part.

Let’s see what is what is what?

WHAT IS AN INTERVIEW ?

Interview, in the layman’s language, is a physical interface between the interviewer and the interviewee with the objective of assessing interviewee’s potential by the interviewer for some specific purpose. It could conveniently be deviled to two parts:

NORMAL 

This type is the usual one where one interviews the other with the objective of extracting some information on some issue. For example, journalists interviewed the prime minister the other day to know as to what the government was doing to safeguard the minority Christians following attacks on them in the sate of Gujarat.

SPECIFIC

This segment differs from the first one in terms of the objective (s) it undertakes to fulfill. For example, you shall soon be interviewed at IIMs by a panel to assess your attitude, aptitude and personality as criterion to select you for the institute.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR INTERVIEW?

People may have different notions about how to prepare for the interview but I would talk about the points that assume greater importance in view of fact that your good performance in the interview will definitely be a plus in the overall rating of yours. You may take care of the following critical points that may be helpful to you while preparing for the interviews for the B-schools.

 TIME

Time could be a critical factor. You have to remember that a stitch in time saves you nine. In other words, you have start preparing for your interviews well in time so that you have adequately sufficient period at your disposal to come up well both in terms of your subject knowledge and general awareness.

QUALITY          

Besides time, quality of preparation is another important factor. You must not only prepare but also prepare with a mission to achieve your ultimate goal of being selected by the panel.

DEGREE

Degree or the level to which you are prepared is another important factor and the suggestion here is that you must be fully prepared for the interviews and therefore never compromise on this front as any laxity could be a life time compromise on your career.

EFFORTS

You must put up a good effort in achieving your goal. In this case, your goal would be to get selected by a good business school. You will always do your level best to achieve what you have set before yourself if you can visualize squandering an opportunity so comfortably that you have earned after months of hard work and tremendous effort.

WHAT MUST YOU KNOW?

There are certain points that you must be clear about before you step into the panel’s room as the panel expect you to know about the following reasonably well. The following is the checklist that might help you in your preparation for the interviews.

YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT

  • The bank you have applied to
  • It’s past / history
  • It’s location
  • Any issue that the bank is known for or is in news
  • The job you applied for
  • Your main subject (s)
  • General awareness
  • Past data about self

It is advisable to have a reasonable knowledge about the above stated factors as they give panel a feel that you are not only a book worm but are also keen to learn from your immediate contexts. Your knowledge about the above may flag you off to a successful end result.

INTERVIEW TIPS

There are no “SHOULDS” or ” SHOULD NOTS” when it comes to performing in a panel and therefore no fixed prescriptions could be handed out to the candidates. It is also important to remember that you should never ever be in search of any ready made or standard formulae, as the same will amount to groping in the dark. Interviews are known for sending tremors even to the best prepared. But there are some tips that may conveniently be undertaken by the candidates to come out as effective. Enclosed are some tips that may come handy to you while appearing for an interview.

  • Settle yourself and feel relaxed before entering the panel room.
  • Pull off your cigarette (if you are a smoker) and use mouth-freshener to avoid a foul mouth-smell and enter the room by saying, ” May I come in Sir/ Madam”.
  • Once they allow you,  shut the door gently
  • Say ” Good morning / Good day  (depending upon the time) with visible confidence to the panel.
  • Shake your hands with the panel (only if they offer you to do so) with a firm grip and natural smile. Do not try to wear a plastic smile.
  • Wait for a while and sit down once the panel settle down.
  • Try to build up rapport with the panel by  a  gentle eye contact
  • Maintain your cheerfulness and enthusiasm throughout the period of your interview.
  • Be brief and precise while answering the questions.
  • Do not lie. If you are not sure of an answer, there is no harm in accepting the same, as honest people are always liked.
  • Be humorous. It helps only till the extent it has an element of grace and dignity attached to it. Never stretch humour to an extent where it looses out its sheen and boarders on being frivolous.
  • Be polite while answering the questions asked to you by the panel.
  • Must always avoid slangs. You must avoid slangs while answering the questions.
  • Asking panels the questions. There are many misconceptions about this as some feel it is quite in place to ask panel the questions but it would be better if you clarify your concepts with the panel rather than asking them questions.
  • Be your natural self. Your self is an asset and therefore you must always try to live it. There are many who try to put a self-imposed shadow upon themselves and loose out their originality in the process.
  • Be an active listener. Listening is a virtue as it is the second half of the communication skills. It has been seen and also proved through researches that an effective communicator combines both the virtues of  articulation and listening. Good listening always helps one to better assimilate and put forth ones ideas more assertively and effectively.

 

WHAT TO GUARD AGAINST?

It is often asked by the students what should they guard against like what they should follow while facing interview. Here also the logistics remain the same, in other words, there are no prescribed rules in this case as well, yet there are a few areas where you need to adopt a ” touch-not-approach” in order to fine tune your performance at the interview. Those areas could broadly be summarized as following:

  • Poor physical projection
  • Lifelessness
  • Being late
  • Casualness
  • Bad mannerism
  • Lies
  • Dishonesty
  • Lack of eye contact
  • Arrogance
  • Aggression
  • Impatience
  • Anxiety
  • Poor body language
  • Extreme opinions
  • Superficial Knowledge

The interviews are more important than the written exam itself as they have the last laugh in candidates’ rejection or selection. It is therefore important to remember that the interviews are very critical to the entire selection process as the panel is out to assess the candidates’ overall attitude, aptitude and personality notwithstanding that other factors are equally as important

Have You Figured It Out? understanding graphs and relationships

By CL -
2
 

by R. Sreenivasan (Co-founder CL); Article appeared in The Hindustan Times   www.sreeni.org

In the last edition you had a look at certain methods and techniques to be efficient in Data Interpretation (DI).  In this edition you will discover some more tools and techniques which if made part of your armory could make all the difference to cracking the banking exams conducted by IBPS, SBI or RBI.

The two principles which you came across were –

Principle No. 1.   Understand the graph thoroughly

You should understand the relationships between various entities in the given pictorial representation. Unless you are sure of the representation, you should not proceed to answer the questions.

Principle No. 2.   Build your speed

Data interpretation is nothing but reciprocals, multiplications and computation of percentages; inculcate the habit of calculating mentally; hence master tables upto 30 X 30, reciprocals upto 30; use approximations;

Let us now discuss some of the questions on typical graphical representations that we had raised in the last edition.

 Graph 1 – Pie Charts

 

Two wheeler industry prices and costs
Two wheeler industry prices and costs

 

Fig. 1

 

The price of a two-wheeler is Rs. 20,000.

 

 

Before we proceed we should understand the relationship between these two pi-charts. The second pi-chart explodes the sector ‘transmission’ of the first pi-chart. If you haven’t figured that out, you would not have been able solve any of the questions.

 

  1. What is the profit % ?

Looking at the first pi-chart, we can say that the profit is 10% of the selling price and cost price is 90% of the selling price. Hence profit % will be percentage equivalent of 10/90 or 1/9; which is 11.11.

  1. If the price of the tyres goes up by 25%, by what amount should be the sale price be increased to maintain the amount of profit margin ?

Tyres constitute 15% of transmission and transmission constitutes 20% of the selling price. Hence transmission is .15 X .20 or .03% of  selling price, 20,000. Hence Rs 600. If the price of the tyre goes up by 25% on Rs 600, it would amount to Rs. 150. Hence the seller should increase the price of the two-wheeler by 150 so as to retain the same margin of 2000.

  1. If the price of the tyres goes up to 25% of transmission cost, by what amount should be the sale price be increased to maintain the amount of margin ?

Here we have to pay attention to the phrase ‘up to 25% of transmission cost’. To start with the cost of the tyre is 15% of the transmission cost and therefore the rest of the transmission components constitute 85% of the cost. In value terms tyres cost Rs 600 and the rest of the components together cost Rs 3400, since total transmission is 20% of the price of the two-wheeler, Rs 20000. As the price of the tyre increases naturally the transmission cost increases. The price increase will be such that at some point of time, the cost of the tyre will reach 25% of the total transmission cost.  It means the other components which constituted 85% earlier will now constitute 75% of the transmission cost. Therefore Rs 3400 is 75% of transmission cost and total transmission cost will be one-third more or 4/3 * 3400 or Rs 4533. Hence the increase of Rs 533 should be the amount by which the price of the two-wheeler should go up by so as to retain the same margin of Rs. 2000.

 

Indexing

Indexing - understanding the basics
Indexing – understanding the basics

 

 

Fig. 2.

 

Selling price and Cost price of a product have been indexed at 100 for 1990.

 

Before answering questions let us understand indexing. If you have been reading newspapers regularly you will know what is ‘wholesale price index’. Its base year is 1980-81, indexed at 100. Whatever be the value of the commodities, the value is depicted as 100. In 1998, it is hovering at 352. What does this mean ? In these seventeen years, the prices have gone up by 252%.

 

Let us consider another example. Mitu Berry is a designer. One of her creations is priced at 40,000 while it would have costed her only 1000. I can index these two to 100 each in 1990. Look at the graph now. Selling price in ’91 is 130. It means the price has gone up by 30% over ’90. Similarly in 1995, 55%.  Cost price in ’93 is 50% more over that of ’90. By now you should realise that the line graphs here are not absolute values but relative to whatever value existed in ’90. Therefore you can comment on the profits in terms of exact numbers only when you know how far apart are these two figures – selling price and cost price to begin with in 1990. For instance in ’93, the graph is showing cost price more than the selling price. You cannot say that loss has been incurred, because these figures are indexed on ’90. In this example on hand, selling price 40000 and cost price 1000, you can clearly see that the cost price even if goes up by 2000% it will reach only 21000 and in order to incur loss the selling price has to fall by 50% and reach 20000.

 

Now let us go and answer the questions on the given graph –

 

Questions

 

  1. If % profit in 1990 was 20%, what was the % profit in 1995 ?
  2. Which year had the maximum change in the profit ?
  3. In which year did the company make a loss ?
  4. Which year had the maximum change in cost price ?

 

Answers

 

  1. If CP in ’90 is 100, SP is 120. In ’95 CP is 140, a growth of 40% over ’90 and SP is 120 * 1.55 = 1.86 a growth of 55% over ’90. Profit is 46 over 140 or 46/140 * 100 = 32.14%.

( calculate 120 * 1.55 mentally – 120 * 1 + 120 * .5 + 120 * .05 = 120 + 60 + 6 = 186 )

  1. By observation you can see that in ‘93-’94, the cost price is decreasing and selling price is increasing, hence the profit would have changed the maximum between these two years, irrespective of the values in the base year ’90.
  2. Can you answer this question ? No, You cannot answer this question until you know the values in the base year ’90.
  3. Obviously ‘90-91,  20%.

 

Graph 3 – Percentages

Percentage Change in the bottom-line of  five companies

Company

 1992-93 1993-94
A 10 -10
B -20 9
C 5 12
D -7 -15
E 17 -8

Fig. 3.

Here only percentage changes have been provided, therefore you will not be able to calculate or comment on the actual values until you know the values in ‘91-92.

 

Questions –

 

  1. Which company had the highest sales in 1993 ?
  2. If sales of company A in 1992 is 1,00,000 then what was its sale in 1994 ?
  3. Which company had the maximum decrease in sales from 1992 to 1994 ?
  4. Which company had the maximum % decrease in sales from 1992 to 1994 ?

 

Answers –

 

  1. You cannot answer until you know the value in the base year. Cannot be determined
  2. You can answer, since the base value is given. 99,000.
  3. You can comment on percentage decrease, but not in value terms. Cannot be determined.
  4. Obviously D, since both years negative growth recorded.

 

Tips for faster calculations –
  • Always look at the choices before answering the questions.
  • Try and eliminate at least two choices which is possible, always
  • Wherever possible make approximations. More so when the choices are not close
  • Finally whatever calculations you do, do it fast. Make use of your knowledge of reciprocals, tables, squares, cubes….. etc. which you must have mastered by now.
eg. Find out 64.41% of 12275 ?  How to calculate mentally and faster –
64.41% is close to 66.67% or 2/3rd  of 12275. Therefore calculate 2/3 of  (12000 + 275); which is 8000 + 180. But what we need is 2.2% less than 2/3rd.  1% of 12275 is 123, therefore 2% is 246 and .2% is 25.  Now subtract the sum 246 + 25 = 271 from 8180.        8190 – 300 + 29 = 7909.

If you have observed this calculation carefully, you can do any calculation faster. Any given decimal value could be approximated to the nearest decimal value which can be easily calculated. Say 1.79%, is nothing but 1% + .75% or ¾ + .01% * 4.

 

Unless you consciously keep practising and innovating, finding ways and means to do faster calculations, you will not improve. Many of you must have already been taking tests you have subscribed to from various coaching institutes. You have to analyse each test subjecting each question to close scrutiny in terms of the techniques we have discussed above. Only by doing so you will become faster.

 

Happy figuring. See you next week with some DI and test taking techniques.

 

 

CIRCLE OF REASON

By CL -
0
 

by R. Shiva Kumar, Co-founder, Career Launcher; Published in HINDUSTAN TIMES

Reasoning, as the word itself suggests, is all about rational and logical thinking. Reasoning has become an integral part of most competitive exams. This is a logical corollary to the objective of these exams, which is to cull out the thinking from “muggoos” or, people who memorise for competitive success. There is no one way to check a candidate’s reasoning skills. Most of these institutions / boards which conduct these exams (be it for MBA, MCA, Bank exams..) are in search of students who qualify the threshold level or competence in a wide array of situations.

Reasoning in competitive exams has evolved over a period of time in both its forms and focus in the different competitive exams.

The different sections in which the students are tested are:

  1. Quantitative Reasoning

Mathematical reasoning / Data Sufficiency

  1. Logical Reasoning

Logic / Deductive Reasoning

  1. Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Puzzles / Analogies

  1. Analytical Reasoning

The limitation of knowledge base is no major hurdle in each of these sections (except probably Data Sufficiency). The crux of the matter is: do not assume that mugging alone can take you through the exams.

In this first part of the series, we shall take a glimpse at what constitutes mathematical reasoning and look at some of the situations, which demanded it for you.

1. If AAA+CDC=C0A0 what are the values of A, C, D ? (0=Zero, No two alphabets are equal)

The logic is simple. It is based on the fundamental arithmetic rules of addition. If two 3 digits numbers are added the value of the resultant is greater than 1000 and  less than 2000. Hence the first digit of the sum can only be equal to 1, So C=1, then A must be equal to 9, which means D=0.

 

  1. There is a cubical cake. From this cake a smaller cube is cut out (we do not know the position of this smaller cake with reference to the whole). You now have to cut the remainder into two equal pieces by a single cut of the knife. How would you do it?

The line of the cut could be determined by the fundamental principles in geometry. If a line is drawn passing though the centre of any square (Cross section of the cube being a square) it cuts the square into two equal halves. Extending the logic if the lien of the cut passes through the centres of the surface of the original cube and cut square we get two halves that are equal in terms of the mass (Since the area of the cross section of the two pieces is same and the height of the cake is the same).

 

  1. Probability, an oft-feared topic, is a veritable treasure house of puzzles. The reasoning for these problems is often based on simple logic.

Try this problem and get back to us with your answer.

There was a guy who had two girl friends, one staying to the east of his residence and the other staying to the west. If he wishes to meet them he has to take a suburban train (running in the same directions). He goes to the station at any random time and always takes the train that comes first. At the end of the year the girl friend staying in the west broke off with him since she had discovered that he had spend 9/10th of his time with the ‘other’. Can you think of a situation when this could happen?

 

  1. I hope probability doesn’t work against you!!! (Assume the frequency of the trains in either direction is the same)

Data sufficiency problems test the candidate’s ability to judge whether the data given is sufficient to conclude an answer or not.

For instance the question could be. What is the length of the second diagonal? The clues are

  1. One of the diagonals is = 9 cm.
  2. The area of the rhombus is a perfect square.

You would be required to determine if you can find the area using only one of the clues or by sing both the clues together or if neither of them is god enough for you to find the answer.

(Ans.)  Neither. The product of the diagonals gives the area of a Rhombus. If one diagonal is 9 and the area is a perfect square there can infinite number of combinations with the second diagonal that gives the area as a perfect square.

In this case you are obviously expected to have prior knowledge on the topic of relevance.

I hope you have enjoyed this edition of the series. Do stay with us. We shall be back next week on the same day.

 

Till then, happy reasoning.

 

Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation (QA-DI)

By CL -
0
 

In the banking tests conducted by IBPS, SBI or RBI, you are tested on your understanding of basic concepts of mathematics that have been touched upon during our school days, and the calculation skills. While each one of us has been exposed to, and taught  the concepts in our school days, you would have retained some and have forgotten the associated formulae, a few of the concepts, properties as we have not had exposure to such questions for many years.

The various question types asked in this section are:

Question Type* Number of Questions Weightage in Section
BODMAS/Calculation Techniques/Approximations 10 to 15 25-30%
Data Interpretation 15 to 20 40-50%
Odd Man Out/Complete the Series 5 10%
Mathematics 5 to 10 20-25%
Data Sufficiency/Quantitative Comparison 5 10%
Total 40 100%

*Broadly every exam covers these topics, but may not have all such question types in a single paper or slot. However, these form a comprehensive list of questions appearing in the QA section.

We will have a look at each question type separately; Before we head there, to excel in this section we must quickly realize that faster computations and reaching to our answers is the key. So, a few MUST KNOW TOOLs for you –

  • Multiplication tables up to 30
  • Squares and Cubes up to 20
  • Reciprocals and percentage equivalents up to 30
  • Factorials up to 10
  • Every problem that you solve should be looked through the application of these. PRACTICE and PRACTICE

Also master the art of approximation –

  • have a look at answer choices to check whether they are close to each other.
  • If they are not, then using the above tools quickly approximate and eliminate the choices
  • Approximation may lead to selecting an incorrect choice if the options given are very close to each other.

NOW closer look at the questions ….

1) BODMAS, Calculations and Approximations

  • The key concepts tested here are:
– BODMAS rules
– Squares, cubes, square roots and cube roots
– Rules of Surds and Indices
– Multiplication and division of large numbers
– Addition and subtraction of fractions
– Approximations
  • Practice as many questions as you can, without using a calculator at any point. The more questions you work on, the better you become. However, only solving a large number of questions may not help. You need to look at the way you have calculated the answer and compare it with the methods given in the solution.

2) Data Interpretation

  • The questions here are mostly grouped in nature, of about 5-6, based on certain data provided. You can get complete marks for a set if you understand the given data. Sets in this section may be based on data depicted in the forms of:

– Tables Single or multiple

– Line Graphs  Standard or cumulative

– Bar Graphs  Standard or cumulative

– Pie Charts “ Based on actual values, percentages or degrees

– Combinations of the data sets given above

  • The calculations for these questions are often very time consuming. The MUST KNOW TOOLs and their application, along with computational techniques like vedic maths are helpful in increasing the speed.
  • Be aware of silly calculation mistakes that most of us are prone to.
  • Practice is important but knowledge of certain basic mathematical concepts is also helpful. These are:

– Conversion between percentages and fractions, and vice versa

– Ratios

– Averages

  • In these sets, focus on understanding how the given data is to be read and what the question demands. This will help identify the required calculations and save vital time.
  • Approximate numbers and eliminate answer options wherever possible (& applicable).

3) Mathematics

  • Maths involves the maximum amount of preparation in the QA section. Since the number of questions asked from each chapter does not exceed one or two, the amount of time required to prepare for these goes up drastically.
  • However, these math questions cannot be ignored as you can (and should) attempt 70-80% of these based on your comfort level with certain chapters. This is unlike DI sets where you may not be able to attempt a complete set at all if you do not understand the given data/questions.
  • These questions also help build the fundamentals of data interpretation and are required to solve data sufficiency and quantitative comparison questions.
  • Some of these concepts are:

– Averages, Ratio and Proportion, Mixtures and Alligation

– Percentages, Profit and Loss (with discounts)

– Simple and Compound Interest, Growth Rates

– Variation, Time and Work (includes pipes and cisterns)

– Time and Distance (includes trains, boats, races, etc.)

– Number Theory (includes HCF, LCM, divisibility, etc.)

– Linear and Quadratic Equations

– Sequences, Progressions and Series (includes Arithmetic Progression., Geometric Progression, etc.)

– Permutations & Combinations, Probability

  • Do not try to solve all the individual questions. Identify chapters (and concepts) that you are most comfortable with and try to solve those first.
  • Build your basics with school level textbooks as most questions conform to the difficulty level and style given in these textbooks.

4) Data Sufficiency/Quantitative Comparison

  • One of these two question types might appear in some QA sections. While the question structure is unfamiliar, the data within these questions is based on the concepts of calculations and mathematics covered above.
  • The purpose of Data Sufficiency questions is NOT to solve a problem but to identify whether the problem can be solved with the given data or not.
  • Similarly, Quantitative Comparison questions focus on finding out the relationship (>, <, =, ≥, ≤etc) between two variables, after calculating the value of these variables.
  • The key to solve such questions is to read and understand the instructions very carefully, and then follow them to the letter since these instructions may vary from paper to paper.
  • You should start practicing these questions only after you are comfortable with the concepts of the chapters mentioned above.

5) Odd Man Out/Complete the Series

  • You will have a sequence of 5-6 numbers and you need to identify a number that either continues the series or does not fit in.
  • These do not require conceptual knowledge but basic calculation skills (multiplication, squares, factorials, etc.) are very useful.
  • Most series are based either on difference between consecutive terms or some multiplicative pattern between consecutive terms.
  • Practice is essential for these. However, even with practice you may not be able to identify the logic for certain questions of this type in the exam. If you are unable to get the pattern in 2-3 minutes in the exam, it is advisable to leave the question for the time being and come back to it later

Recruitments at SBI

By CL -
0
 
STATE BANK OF INDIA – CENTRAL RECRUITMENT & PROMOTION DEPARTMENT

With a glorious history of more than 200 years blended with futuristic outlook, State Bank of India stands as the proxy for the Indian Economy. The Bank with its customer centric approach values transparency and nurtures knowledge and learning. It believes in the quality of its people and their efforts and therefore takes continuous initiative for hiring the best talent and ensuring their development, motivation and growth.

The Bank offers excellent career opportunities to dynamic individuals. In addition to exposure to a variety of banking segments, the Bank also provides personal growth opportunity to the individuals.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Probationary Officers

This is the Junior Management Level direct entry point for dynamic young graduates. A Probationary officer gets exposed to challenging assignment as also gets the opportunity to involve in nation building developmental activities. The opportunities include working in Personal banking, Rural Banking, Credit, Forex, Treasury etc.

Special Management Executives

The Bank also makes direct recruitment to the Middle Management grades. The post offers faster growth opportunities to the right candidate.

Specialist Cadre Officers

Chartered Accountants, Analysts, Statisticians, Risk Raters, Economists, Lawyers, Engineers, System Engineers, Rajbhasha Officers etc are recruited in various grades by the Bank in Specialist cadre with opportunities for career advancement.

Assistants

Young graduates are recruited as Assistants (clerical cadre). The Bank is offering fast track growth opportunities as the Assistants are eligible for promotion on completion of 3 years’ service.

WINNER OF EXCELLENCE AWARD IN INNOVATIONS IN RECRUITMENT

Contact Details:
Telefax : 022 2282 0427
Fax: 022  2282 0411
E-mail: crpd@sbi.co.in

 

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