Banking and Finance

What you need to know

1. 1
   Public sector banks, RBI, NABARD and LIC hire thousands of graduates every year through open exams. Any degree, any stream can apply.
2. 2
   The main exams: IBPS PO, Clerk, RRB and SO (for 11 public sector banks and rural banks), and SBI PO and Clerk.
3. 3
   Pay is good and steady: a bank PO starts at ₹48,480 basic plus allowances (current scale).
4. 4
   Private finance (CA, CFA, mutual funds, insurance, actuarial) pays well too, but needs professional exams.

Official sources

• ibps.inIBPS official website↗
• sbi.bank.inSBI careers↗

Inside this branch

• Every year: the calendar
• Bank PO: officer2 more
• Bank Clerk and rural banks2 more
• RBI, NABARD, SEBI1 more
• Insurance jobs1 more
• Private finance careers2 more
• Prepare for free2 more
• For girls1 more
• The honest picture1 more
• Avoid bank job scams1 more

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   IBPS puts out a tentative yearly calendar around January.
2. 2
   SBI PO: apply around June–July, Prelims in August. IBPS PO and SO: apply in July, Prelims in August, Mains in October, interviews around November–December.
3. 3
   IBPS Clerk and SBI Clerk: apply around August, Prelims usually by October. IBPS RRB: apply around September, Prelims November–December.
4. 4
   RBI, NABARD, SEBI and LIC exams don't follow a fixed month: watch their official career pages.
5. 5
   Exact dates change every year: always check the official website before you apply.

Official sources

• ibps.inIBPS official website↗
• sbi.bank.inSBI careers↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 6

• Official
  IBPSThe only official site for PO, Clerk, RRB and SO exams.
  Free
• Official
  IBPS: PO / Management TraineeEvery PO round; newest notice at the top.
  Free
• Official
  IBPS: Clerk (CSA)The bank clerk exam.
  Free
• Official
  IBPS: Regional Rural BanksGramin bank jobs with a local-language requirement.
  Free
• Official
  IBPS: Specialist OfficersIT, agriculture, law, HR and marketing officers.
  Free
• Official
  SBI careersSBI PO, Clerk and SO exams; old sbi.co.in links redirect here.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Who can apply
• The exam

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Any graduate. Age 20–30 for IBPS PO, 21–30 for SBI PO. Extra years: OBC +3, SC/ST +5, PwBD +10.
2. 2
   Fee about ₹750–850; SC, ST and PwBD pay much less or nothing. IBPS PO has no attempt limit; SBI PO allows 6 (general), 9 (OBC/PwBD), unlimited (SC/ST), counting only Mains.

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Prelims (English, reasoning, maths) → Mains (adds general awareness, banking and a written test) → interview. Wrong answers cost marks.
2. 2
   Final selection is mostly Mains plus interview. Competition is fierce: hundreds of applicants for each seat.
3. 3
   Pay: ₹48,480 basic (12th bipartite settlement), SBI puts the total cost-to-company at about ₹22 lakh a year in Mumbai. SBI PO has a ₹2 lakh, 3-year service bond.

Official sources

• ibps.inIBPS: PO / Management Trainee page↗
• sbi.bank.inSBI careers↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Inside this branch

• Clerk (Customer Service)
• Regional Rural Banks (IBPS RRB)

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Any graduate, age 20–28. Prelims and Mains only, no interview. You apply for one state and must know its local language (studied in Class 10 or 12 is enough).
2. 2
   Pay: scale starting ₹24,050 basic (SBI starts graduates at ₹26,730); about ₹46,000 a month in hand in a metro (reported).

Official sources

• ibps.inIBPS: Clerk (CSA) page↗
• sbi.bank.inSBI careers↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Office Assistant (age 18–28) and Officer Scale I (age 18–30), any graduate; agriculture, IT, law and management degrees get preference for officers.
2. 2
   Postings are in villages and small towns of your state, often close to home.

Official sources

• ibps.inIBPS: Regional Rural Banks page↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 5

• Official
  RBI OpportunitiesRBI Assistant and Grade B; RBI recruits only through this site.
  Free
• Official
  NABARDSee 'Career Notices' for Grade A and Development Assistant.
  Free
• Official
  SEBI careersSEBI Grade A recruitment.
  Free
• Official
  SIDBI careersOfficer jobs at the small-industries bank.
  Free
• Official
  IRDAIInsurance regulator; jobs under 'Careers'.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Top regulator jobs

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   RBI Grade B: graduate with 60% (50% SC/ST/PwBD), age 21–30, two exam phases and interview. RBI Assistant: graduate, age 20–28.
2. 2
   NABARD Grade A (rural development bank): graduate with 60%, age 21–30. SEBI Grade A needs a postgraduate or professional degree (CA, CS, law, engineering).
3. 3
   Only a few hundred posts a year, so these are very competitive.

Official sources

• opportunities.rbi.org.inRBI: recruitment (only official site)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 4

• Official
  LIC careersAAO, ADO and Assistant recruitment.
  Free
• Official
  New India Assurance: recruitmentAO and Assistant exams, apprentices.
  Free
• Official
  GIC Re: careersAssistant Manager exams and past papers.
  Free
• Official
  Oriental Insurance: careersPublic-sector insurer's officer and assistant notices.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Insurance officers

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   LIC AAO: graduate, age 21–30; Prelims, Mains, interview. Basic pay about ₹88,635 (current), mostly in small-town branches; ₹5 lakh, 4-year bond.
2. 2
   LIC ADO, New India Assurance officer and assistant posts follow similar exams. Public insurers advertise on their own sites.

Official sources

• licindia.inLIC careers↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 6

• Official
  ICAI: studentsCA can start after Class 12; free study material.
  Free
• Course
  SWAYAMFree government courses; search 'banking' or 'finance'.
  Free
• Course
  NISM certification examsSeries V-A for mutual funds; small fee, free workbooks.
  Paid
• Course
  IIBF exams and coursesBanking certificates, including for Business Correspondents.
  Paid
• Course
  Actuarial entrance (ACET)Entrance to become an actuary; paid.
  Paid
• Course
  CFA scholarshipsThe Access Scholarship cuts the fee for those who can't afford it.
  Paid

Inside this branch

• Professional routes
• Quick certifications

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   CA, CMA, CS: after Class 12 or graduation, with low fees and free ICAI classes. CFA (global investment exam) has test centres in many Indian cities.
2. 2
   Actuarial science (insurance maths): the ACET entrance is open after any Class 12.

Official sources

• Vaidaani roadmapCommerce and CA→
• actuariesindia.orgInstitute of Actuaries of India: ACET↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Selling mutual funds legally needs NISM Series V-A; research analysts and investment advisers need other NISM exams. Cheap, short and recognised.
2. 2
   JAIIB and CAIIB (IIBF) are for people already working in banks, and help promotions.
3. 3
   Watch out: paid "PO programmes" run by private banks with colleges cost ₹2–3 lakh (reported). They are courses, not government recruitment.

Official sources

• nism.ac.inNISM certifications↗
• iibf.org.inIIBF (bankers' institute)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 6

• Book
  NCERT textbooks (economics)Class 12 macroeconomics has 'Money and Banking'; Hindi too.
  Free
• Official
  RBI: financial educationBanking basics in Hindi and 12 other languages.
  Free
• Official
  SEBI investor websiteFree videos on markets and investing, Hindi and English.
  Free
• Video
  Reserve Bank of India (YouTube)RBI's official channel.
  Free
• Video
  NCFE: financial education (YouTube)Official channel of the National Centre for Financial Education.
  Free
• App
  ePathshala (NCERT)NCERT books offline in Hindi and English.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Free help from the banks
• Study on your own

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Free pre-exam training: IBPS and SBI run it for SC, ST, OBC, minority (IBPS), PwBD (SBI) and some ex-servicemen candidates. Tick the box in the application form.
2. 2
   IBPS and SBI publish free "information handouts" in Hindi and English explaining each exam.

Official sources

• ibps.inIBPS official website↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Maths and reasoning need daily practice; English needs daily reading. For general awareness, read one newspaper and RBI's own public awareness material.
2. 2
   Class 9–12 NCERT maths and economics books cover most of the basics.

Official sources

• rbi.org.inRBI: financial education↗
• Vaidaani roadmapStudy on your own, for free→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Inside this branch

• What to know

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   About 1 in 4 bank employees is a woman, and some public sector banks have over 30% (reported).
2. 2
   Widows and divorced or judicially separated women get extra age for clerk and RRB assistant posts: up to 35 (general), 38 (OBC), 40 (SC/ST).
3. 3
   Clerk and RRB jobs keep you in your home state, which many families prefer.

Official sources

• Vaidaani roadmapFor girls: every scheme→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Inside this branch

• What to know

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Competition is huge: lakhs apply for a few thousand posts. Many people need several tries, so keep a backup.
2. 2
   Officers can be posted anywhere in India and are expected to sell loans, insurance and accounts too; clerks' official title includes "Sales".
3. 3
   Bank Mitra / Business Correspondent work is not a bank job: it is paid by commission and earnings can be low.

Official sources

• rbi.org.inRBI: rules for Business Correspondents↗
• Vaidaani roadmapGovernment Jobs→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 5

• Official
  SBI careers (see the fake-letter caution)SBI never publishes selected names; fake letters exist.
  Free
• Official
  RBI SachetCheck if a company may take deposits; report illegal schemes.
  Free
• Official
  PIB Fact CheckCheck fake job notices and letters.
  Free
• Official
  Cyber crime portal (helpline 1930)Report job and payment fraud.
  Free
• Video
  CyberDost (Ministry of Home Affairs)Short cyber-safety videos.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Red flags

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Fake websites post fake vacancies, selection lists and appointment letters. SBI informs selected candidates individually, and RBI hires only through opportunities.rbi.org.in.
2. 2
   Anyone asking for money to "fix" a bank job is a fraud. RBI never calls about lottery wins, refunds or "security deposits".
3. 3
   Check notices only on ibps.in, sbi.bank.in and rbi.org.in. Lost money? Call 1930.

Official sources

• news.careers360.comCareers360: SBI warns about fake selection lists↗
• website.rbi.org.inRBI: beware of fake emails and offers↗
• pib.gov.inPIB Fact Check↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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