Dear readers,
IBPS has declared the final result of IBPS CWE PO/MT V on 1st of April, 2016. A large number of candidates competed to gain the Probationary Officer posts in various banks.
In this article, we will look at the cutoffs for IBPS PO 2015 exam and analyse it thoroughly. This will benefit you in your preparation. It will also help you set your targets for next year’s exam.
For banking aspirants across the country, the IBPS PO exam offers some of the most attractive Banking sector jobs. In 2015, the exam has around 15 lakh aspirants vying to fill over 15000 vacancies. IBPS has recently released the final result for IBPS PO 2015 Exam. In all, 12,615 vacancies for the position of Probationary officers were filled through this exam.
In this article we will discuss all three phases of this exam and their cutoffs. But, before analysing the scorecard, let us take a quick glance at the new pattern of the exam.
Pattern of exam: This year’s IBPS PO exam was held in three different stages as follows:
Exam Marks allotted
Phase I – Preliminary 100
Phase II – Mains 200
Phase III – Personality Assessment ( Interview) 100
Cutoffs at various stages of the exam:
Phase I – Preliminary Exam :
This year’s’ preliminary exam overall cutoffs & sectional cutoffs are as follows:
Overall cutoffs:
Category Total marks
(out of 100)
General 37.25
OBC 37.25
SC 30.75
ST 17.75
Sectional Cutoff:
Subject Total marks General OBC/SC/ST
cutoff cutoff
English Language 30 7.5 4.75
Quantitative Aptitude 35 7.75 5.0
Reasoning Ability 35 11.25 7.75
Note: The marks obtained by candidates in the preliminary exam are for the purpose of eligibility for Mains exam only. These marks are not included in the final score.
The exam was of moderate difficulty. The English section was of moderate level. Reasoning section was the easiest among all , which eventually led a higher cutoff for reasoning. Quantitative aptitude section was moderate but was calculative and most time consuming section.
2) Phase II – Mains
Let us take the general idea of this year’s cutoffs in Phase II exam overall and sectional cutoffs for different categories,
Overall Cutoffs:
Category Overall Cutoff
(Out of 200 marks)
General 76.00
OBC 76.00
SC 50.00
ST 47.75
Sectional Cutoff :
Section Maximum marks General OBC/SC ST/PWD
Reasoning 50 10.00 07.25 03.00
English Language 40 12.50 09.50 05.25
Computer Awareness 20 12.25 11.00 08.75
General Awareness 40 13.75 10.25 05.00
Quantitative Aptitude 50 11.00 08.75 05.25
The difficulty level of English section was moderate. The difficulty level of Reasoning section was moderate to tough. Many students have indicated that this section was the toughest one in this test. The difficulty level of Quantitative aptitude section was moderate to tough. The difficulty level of General awareness section was moderate whereas the computer awareness section was quite easy.
Phase III (Personal Interview) :
The PI is worth 100 marks and is conducted by the participating organisations and coordinated by the nodal bank in each state/ UT with the help of IBPS.
For General category candidates, the minimum qualifying marks for the interview is not less than 40% and for OBC/SC/ST/PWD candidates it is not less than 35%.
Final Cutoffs :
IBPS released the final cutoffs on 1st April, 2016. The final score based on marks obtained in the Mains exam as well as the interview in the ratio 80:20 respectively. Here are the final cutoffs:
Category Overall Cutoff
(Out of 100 marks)
General 49.90
OBC 46.70
SC 41.40
ST 36.30
A) Cutoff analysis for General Category :
The number of marks secured by candidate in Phase I (prelims) exam are of qualifying nature only. Candidates become eligible to appear for the Phase II of this exam, if they cross the minimum cutoff in Phase I. The marks secured by a candidate in Phase I are not included in the final scorecard.
Before analysing the cutoff, let’s sum up the actual pattern and structure of exam. The maximum marks allotted for all two phases are as follows :
Mains : 200 marks
Interview : 100 marks
Claring the mains cutoffs is not enough. You need to have obtained sufficient marks which will keep your chances intact of clearing the final cutoffs. Let us do a brief analysis and derive a secure score for IBPS PO Mains 2015.
Total marks (out of 100) : 49.90 (For General category)
Here, final marks are counted by counting Phase II (Mains) + Phase III ( Interview)
The breakup for the final 100 marks goes as this :
Mains + Interview = 80 + 20 = 100
Let’s assume that the average marks secured by the selected candidates in Interview (out of 100) : 60 marks
After normalising, this would mean that a typical selected candidate should score around 12 marks out of 20.
Marks secured in the Mains (out of 80) : 49.90 – 12 = 37.90
Thus, the typical selected candidate would have secured around 37.90 x 200/80 = 94.75 marks out of 200 marks.
B) Cutoff analysis for OBC Category :
Total marks (out of 100) : 46.70
Ideal marks to be secured in Interview (out of 100) : 55 marks
After Normalising : 11 marks (out of 20)
In Mains (46.70 – 11) = 35.70 (Out of 80)
Now, 35.70 x 200/80 = 89.25 marks
So, candidates must secure around 89.25 marks out of 200 marks.
C) Cutoff analysis for SC Category :
Total marks (out of 100) : 41.40
Ideal marks to be secured in Interview (out of 100) : 50 marks
After Normalising : 10 marks (out of 20)
In Mains (41.40 – 10) = 31.40 (Out of 80)
Now, 31.40 x 200/80 = 78.5 marks
So, candidates must secure around 78.5 marks out of 200 marks.
D) Cutoff analysis for ST Category :
Total marks (out of 100) : 36.30
Ideal marks to be secured in Interview (out of 100) : 45 marks
After Normalising : 9 marks (out of 20)
In Mains (36.30 – 9) = 28.30 (Out of 80)
Now, 27.30 x 200/80 = 68.25 marks
So, candidates must secure around 68.25 marks out of 200 marks.
You should carefully consider the target score as you prepare for next year’s IBPS PO examination. This will help you make a proper plan and prepare an appropriate test taking strategy to take care of your exam.
Congratulations!!!