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Which post is better to choose between IBPS PO or IBPS Clerk?



In Government sector, IBPS banking exam is regarded as one of the challenging exam. While discussing, which is the best post (IBPS PO or IBPS Clerk) for any aspirant, it is important to know about their job profiles, salary structure, responsibilities and duties and competitive exams related to them. Every year, millions of aspirants compete for these exams but only handfuls of them are able to crack it. As far as exam pattern is concerned, both IBPS Clerk and IBPS PO have a range of parameter to judge the difficulties.

As per past experiences, IBPS Clerk exam is a lot easier exam than IBPS PO exam. In IBPS PO exam, the competition level as well as cut-offs are much higher than the IBPS Clerk exam. This is because of the number of vacancies. In IBPS PO exam, the vacancies are relatively low and so the competition is tougher than the IBPS Clerk exam. Generally speaking, every graduate wants to be a part of Indian banking sector as it is the one of the most flourishing sector. So, both these exams are of great significance to them. As far as these exams are concerned, the syllabus is almost the same but the difficulty level of questions is different. In IBPS Clerk exam, the level of questions is easier and simpler.

In clerical post, the vacancy of clerical post are cadre wise (state wise), be it SBI or IBPS, the candidate can apply from one state only. In addition to this, the candidate should be proficient and fluent in local language (both orally and in written) of that particular state. It implies that if there are thousands of vacancies for a clerical post, the candidate is eligible for only one in hundred posts. So, it is clear that the level of competition for clerical post is higher, in terms of posts.

Therefore, if the clerical exam is easier to crack but the cut-offs are still on a higher side. In IBPS PO exam, the vacancies are at all India level, which means a student is eligible for a vacancy from a different state than from where he belongs. It means a candidate can appear in examination from any state, irrespective of his native state. So, if IBPS PO exam is difficult to crack even then the cut-offs are on a lower side. In IBPS PO exam, the interview round plays a crucial role while there are no interviews in IBPS Clerk exam.

Technically speaking, the word PO stands for “Probationary Officer” in the banks and is higher grade than that of a Clerk. He starts off his career as a trainee officer in the Junior Management Grade Service (JMGS) of the bank. On the other hand, a Bank Clerk is an employee who conducts general office tasks. He has to be present in all the departments and his responsibilities are to maintain the records filing, staffing service counters etc. In Banks, there is a proper test of vacancies of clerk which is better known as clerical cadre exams. The least required age to apply for Bank Clerk exam is 20 years and the maximum age is 28 years.

The candidates who have cleared Xth Class can also apply for the administrative level through Bank Coaching Bhubaneswar. Now, from the salary point of view, a Bank PO salary ranges from Rs 35000/- to Rs 40000/- whereas a Bank Clerk salary ranges from Rs 20000/ to Rs 25000/- . As far as job profiles are concerned, a Bank PO is an assistant manager and has to work 10 to 12 hours daily. He has to follow direct orders from the manager of the bank. They have reasonably handsome salary so they can be considered to be well settled person. The bank clerks have to work less than Bank PO. They have fixed time of working but have to devote extra time in emergencies like demonetization or closing of year etc. The future of Bank PO is brighter than Bank clerk as he can become manager in 3 years (as per his performance), and so his salary slab will also increase.

His job is transferable to all over India and can occupy top posts like GM, ED and CMD. On the other hand, a Bank clerk can become Bank PO by giving departmental exams. If a Bank clerk does not opt for promotion than at maximum he can become Head Clerk. The salary of Head Clerk is equivalent to that of Scale-I officer, which is the first designation of Bank PO. The main advantage of a Bank Clerk is his local posting and his job is not transferable to any part of India unless he request for it. He can live and take care of his house property in the native place. On contrary, a Bank PO may not enjoy this facility as he is liable to frequent transfers to any state in India. For girls, the job of a Bank Clerk is the easiest job, as it provides job security to them in their native place and get best book for Bank Exams. In addition to job security, a Bank Clerk enjoys Government Pensions after the retirement, allowances, low loan-interest and has great opportunities to learn from the experiences of his seniors. After discussing these significant points, we hope that it will give you a clear idea to judge which exam is easier to crack.

It is important that you start your preparation as early as possible, as both these exams have similar syllabus. You should not bother about the difficulty level of the exam but should be concerned about your level of preparations. Now, it is all up to your passion, determination, sense of responsibility and hard work, which can work wonders for you. We hope you have understood every important detail about each of the posts and the competitive exams related to them.

All the Best!!!

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