Descriptive Test in Bank PO Exams - Pattern & Questions

How do I prepare for the english descriptive test, is one query commonly asked by aspirants appearing for bank exams.The concern showcases vital importance this section has created among entrants since it decides their qualification.Candidates especially from rural areas & towns find this part to be difficult than objective test as it involves writing detailed answers in english.

By knowing the exact pattern along with the kind of questions to expect, it is possible to clear descriptive paper.

To help those getting ready for IBPS common written exam for bank PO jobs - BankExamsIndia.com has compiled a comprehensive guide to explain about the descriptive english test question paper

This article deals about 1) What is descriptive test 2) Pattern 3) Books 4) Sections

What is it? 

An officer in a bank will have to write letters, prepare reports or send views & opinions to higher officials as & when required.

So descriptive paper as part of banking exams aims to check the english language proficiency of applicants.

Last year, many candidates failed to secure pass marks in descriptive paper making them ineligible to apply for bank jobs. How?

If you do not clear or score qualifying marks in any objective section – your descriptive test paper will not be taken up for evaluation. Apart from securing minimum marks in each objective test, its also necessary to pass in descriptive test to receive scorecard from IBPS.

Pattern:

As you can see from the image,

1. The time allotted for descriptive section is 60 minutes (1 hour)
2. It carries a maximum weightage of 25 marks

The formula to calculate total weighted score (TWS) is:
Standard scores in (Reasoning + Quantitative aptitude + General awareness + Computer knowledge + ½ English language + ½ Descriptive paper)

You can expect the english descriptive paper to contain questions mostly from these 3  categories

• Letter Writing
• Precis writing /Summary writing
• Essay Writing

Previous year questions:
In the previously conducted common written examination for PO/MT posts, descriptive test paper consisted of the below questions (based on memory)

Write a letter to your brother/sister in 150 words explaining the importance of Lokpal bill OR a letter to the concerned authority informing about the shortage of water supply in your area OR a letter to the editor of a leading newspaper for starting cultural heritage programmes in your state Write an essay in 250 words on any of the given topics a) E-banking b) Emerging trends of aviation industry in India c) Global world converting into global village Make a precis of the following article in 125 words & provide a title to it (a long passage would be printed)

The word count specified in the question is important as you will have to write the answers on the question paper itself, within the space provided.

Books:

Whatever be the exam, preparatory books act as source of reference.Here is a good book from Kiran prakashan with model practice sets, that can be bought online or from your local bookstore.

In detail:

A general rule that must be followed while answering is not to make spelling mistakes. Now let us see what type of questions could be asked in each category. 

Letter writing: There shall be internal choices for this part.You will be asked to write a letter to someone you know (parents, friend, relation etc) or to an authority informing about certain issues.

Prepare for atleast two formats, so you can answer one based on the question.

Essay writing: A topic/title is given based on which you need to write an essay in about 250 words.This is also an internal choice question wherein three topics shall be provided for you to choose any one.

It is not possible to memorize articles beforehand.So pick up a random topic related to banking, finance, current affairs etc.,& practice writing.Here is our list, which you can try:

• Economic slowdown in India
• FDI in retail
• Rise of the American dollar
• Pollution in developed countries
• Rural banking

Precis Writing: Read the given article of atleast 500 words, understand its meaning, summarize & make a precis (shorter version).The only requirement is – do not change the meaning of the original passage.

For practicing - take a long newspaper report, leave unnecessary details, pick points that are important & write a summary.Compare both to make sure you have not deviated from the original article.


We hope this post could infuse the required confidence in your minds.