How Important are Current Affairs for Bank Exams? – Hudson

Current affairs are an integral part of most competitive examinations. Current affairs comprise vast information but are very scoring and play an important role in increasing the overall marks of candidates. Aspirants applying for SSC, PSC and bank exams should go through the previous years’ question papers and try to understand the type of current affairs questions asked in the examination.

Most of the bank exams have a section on current affairs and general knowledge. Candidates can refer to the official notification published by banks to know the exam pattern, syllabus etc. For example, the official notification released by SBI for clerk exams contains information on educational qualification, age limit, SBI clerk salary, age relaxation (if applicable), how to apply for the exam, application fee etc. If you are preparing for bank exams, go through the notification carefully and then apply for the exam.

Preparation Strategy and Important Resources for Current Affairs

Current affairs questions in bank exams are mostly factual in nature, unlike UPSC Civil Services Examination. Therefore, candidates have to study important data, especially facts and figures, carefully and revise them multiple times to remember them during the exam. Cramming a lot of information at the last minute is not the right strategy for studying current affairs. Candidates should start early and make short notes of exam relevant information and revise them every week.

Aspirants can use the following resources to prepare for bank exams.

1. Newspapers

Reading a good newspaper every day will not only help candidates in the written examination but also in interviews. Candidates can refer to any one of the newspapers given below.

• The Hindu
• The Indian Express
• The Economic Times
• Business Line

2. Current affairs magazine/compilation

All important facts and figures may not be available in newspapers. Therefore, it is imperative to read current affairs specific magazines or compilations of current affairs available on the websites of institutes that prepare candidates for bank and other competitive exams. Most of the study materials available on these websites are freely accessible.

After preparing for the current affairs section, candidates should join mock tests to assess their performance. After every mock test, candidates should analyse their performance and work on their weaknesses.

Aspirants preparing for various bank exams like the IBPS PO, IBPS clerk, IBPS RRB, SBI PO, SBI clerk, NABARD Grade A and B officer, RBI Grade B officer etc., should study well for the current affairs section. Along with current affairs, candidates should focus on logical reasoning, computer aptitude, data interpretation, quantitative aptitude and English. Most of the bank exams have sectional cut-offs; therefore, it is essential to pass the sectional cut-off marks as well as the overall cut-off.

A bank exam is a test of speed and accuracy. If candidates prepare well, revise multiple…