IBPS RRB 2020 Officer Scale 1 Exam Analysis

June 10, 2021

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is an agency that works with the Central
government to recruit candidates for various public sector bank jobs. The exam in discussion in this
article is for personnel to be recruited to work in Regional Rural Banks (RRB). The IBPS RRB
2021 exam official notification released on June 7, 2021, has announced a total of 10,676
vacancies for Officer Scales 1, 2, 3 and Office Assistant posts.

Contents [hide]

1 IBPS RRB Officer Scale 1 Notification 2021

2 IBPS RRB PO Prelims 2020 Exam Analysis
3 IBPS RRB Bank PO Prelims 2020
3.1 Reasoning
3.2 Quantitative Aptitude
4 IBPS RRB PO Mains 2020 Exam Analysis
4.1 English Language
4.2 Reasoning Aptitude
4.3 Quantitative Aptitude
4.4  General Awareness
5 IBPS RRB Officer Scale 1 Cut-Off 2020
5.1 IBPS RRB PO Prelims Cut Offs 2020
5.2 IBPS RRB PO Mains Cut Offs
5.3 Subject-wise Maximum Scores & Cut Off
5.4 IBPS RRB PO MAINS Final Cut Off 2020-21

IBPS RRB Officer Scale 1 Notification 2021

The IBPS conducts national-level exams for various banking posts every year. Through these exams,
the IBPS recruits both Grade A and B post banking personnel. The Officer Scale 1 is a Probationary
Officer post that works with Regional Rural Banks. This year, IBPS has announced 4658 openings for
the post of IBPS RRB Scale 1 Officer.

In this article, we will make a detailed analysis of the IBPS RRB Officer Scale 1 Exam held in 2020.
The objective behind this exercise is to study and analyze the exam pattern while preparing our own
strategy for the upcoming exam. In order to avoid missing any deadlines, take a look at the table of
important dates for this exam given below. 

Event Date
Online Application start date June 8, 2021
Payment of Application Fees/Intimation Charges (Online) 08th to 28th June 2021
IBPS RRB Preliminary Examination

August 1, 7, 8, 14 and 21, 2021

(Officer Scale-1 & Office Assistant)
Result of Online exam- Prelims September 2021
Officer Scale 1 Mains Exam September 25, 2021
Interview October/November, 2021
Provisional Allotment (Final Result) January 2022
IBPS RRB PO Prelims 2020 Exam Analysis
Reviewing and analyzing the previous year’s question paper is an important part of preparing for any
exam. By studying the previous year’s exam, aspirants can perceive the sectional and overall
assessment standard of the exam. We will look at the thematic distribution of questions, important
topics from every section, last year’s cut-off marks and the standard of assessment of each section in
this article. The IBPS RRB Officer Scale 1 exam is conducted over 3 phases- Prelims, Mains and
Interview. In this article, we will analyze the Prelims and Mains paper in detail so that we can prepare
ourselves for this year’s exam. 

IBPS RRB Bank PO Prelims 2020

Let us begin with the Prelims paper. This paper consists of 2 sections, namely Reasoning and
Quantitative Aptitude. Each section is assessed for 40 marks each for which a composite time of 45
minutes is allotted.

Reasoning
Topics No. of Questions Level
Seating Arrangement 10 Easy-Moderate
Puzzles 10 Easy-Moderate
Coding Decoding 5 Easy
Inequality 5 Easy
Syllogism 5 Easy
Direction 2 Easy
Blood Relation 1 Easy
Misc. 2 Easy
Total 40 Easy

The highest number of questions were asked from Seating Arrangement and Puzzles. Also, since
there is a penalty of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer, candidates should not make any blind
guesses. In order to ensure that candidates do not leave any questions unanswered, candidates must
not spend more than half a minute on any question on average.

Quantitative Aptitude
Topics No. of Questions Level
Quadratic Equation 5 Easy
Data Interpretation- Pie-Chart, Tabular DI 12 Easy- Moderate
Quantity I & Quantity II 5 Easy
Series (Missing) 6 Easy
Arithmetic Word Problem 12 Easy-Moderate
Total 40 Easy-Moderate

From Quant, the highest number of questions were asked from Data Interpretation and Arithmetic
Word Problems. The question volume for the remaining topics was more or less evenly distributed. As
you can see, no questions were asked from Simplification and Approximation, Percentage, Profit &
Loss and Time & Work. However, this does not mean that any topic should be left out of the
preparation altogether. This topic-wise break-up has been provided so candidates can gauge which
topics carry more weightage in the exam. The overall level of assessment was moderate to easy. 
Candidates must note that while the syllabus and exam pattern for the Office Assistant exam and
Officer Scale 1 exam is the same, the question papers were not common. 

IBPS RRB PO Mains 2020 Exam Analysis

English Language
Topics No. of Questions Level
Reading Comprehension 10 Easy to Moderate
Error Detection 4 Easy
Rearrangement 6 Easy
Sentence Correction 3 Easy to Moderate
Para Jumble 5 Easy to Moderate
Word Replacement 4 Easy to Moderate
Fill in the blanks 4 Easy
Match the column 4 Easy
Total 40 Easy

The English language paper assessment level was moderate to easy. As is always the case, the
maximum number of questions were based on Reading Comprehension wherein candidates were
given a passage that they had to read. This was followed by candidates answering a number of
questions asked based on the passage. 3-6 questions were asked on various other topics such as
Error Detection, Sentence Correction and Word Replacement. If candidates have a strong language
front, this section should be easy for them to obtain a good score on. 

Reasoning Aptitude
The Reasoning section of the IBPS RRB Officer Scale 1 exam was moderate. Let us analyse each topic
to understand the weightage given to each in the exam. 

No. of
Topics
Questions
Seating Arrangement  10
Puzzles (8 Person likes different food), Box Based Puzzle (8 Box with variable
10
countries)
Coding Decoding (Chinese Coding) 1
Inequality 4
Order Ranking (Height arrangement) 3
Data Sufficiency 3
Blood Relation 3
Direction 1
Alphabet (Meaningful word) 1
Misc. 1
Logical Reasoning 3
Total 40

As you may have noticed, Puzzles and Seating Arrangement topics were given similar weightage in
the Prelims paper as well. This is clearly indicative of the importance of the 2 topics for this exam.
While candidates should not ignore any other topic, they must give due importance to Puzzles and
Seating Arrangement Puzzles so that they can solve them quickly and correctly in the examination. 
Quantitative Aptitude
The Quantitative Aptitude section of the IBPS RRB PO exam 2020 was moderate to difficult.  

Topics No. of Questions

Data Interpretation 15
Caselets 10
Series (Missing) 5
Arithmetic Word Problem 10
Total 40

From the Quantitative Aptitude section, the major focus of the paper was on Data Interpretation.
Questions based on Bar Graphs and Pie Charts were assessed. As you can see, the same weightage
was given to DI and Arithmetic Word Problems in the Mains exam as it was in the Prelims paper.
Needless to say, for this exam, DI and Arithmetic Word Problems were the most important topics
from Quant. 

 General Awareness
Topic No. of Questions Level
Banking Awareness 8 Moderate
Current banking Affairs 10 Moderate
Current Affairs 15-17 Easy
Static Affairs 6-7 Moderate
Total 40 Moderate

As you can derive from the table above, of the 40 questions from this section, a striking majority was
dedicated to Current Affairs. Candidates must be up to date with the Current Affairs, particularly,
news from the last 6 months before the exam. Since, this is a Banking exam, it is a given that a good
number of questions would be dedicated to Banking Awareness and Current Banking Affairs as was
the very case. Last but not the least, Static GK is a very scoring topic. Although comparatively fewer
questions were asked from this topic, Static GK is easier to prepare. In a highly competitive exam,
such as this, every mark matters. 

Candidates should be up-to-date with their Current Affairs to ensure they score well in this section. To
stay on top of your General Awareness preparation you can find weekly updates on all aspects of
general awareness on our BeePedia page. Moreover, these BeePedia updates are comprehensive
and free and you can download them from the ixamBee website. BeePedia is also available in Hindi. 

IBPS RRB Officer Scale 1 Cut-Off 2020

Let us now look at the Cut-offs for the IBPS RRB Officer Scale 1 exam. Studying the previous year’s
cut-offs gives us an idea as to approximately what score needs to be targeted by the candidates.
While cut-offs obviously differ from year to year depending on the level of assessment, a rough idea
can be devised for the upcoming exam. In this section, we will discuss the cut-offs for the Prelims
paper, Mains paper, and a subject-wise cut-off for the Mains paper. Lastly, we will look at the Final
Cut-off as announced in accordance with which provisional allotments are made. 

IBPS RRB PO Prelims Cut Offs 2020

State Name Cut-off Gen Cut-off OBC
 UP 47 46.75
J& K 52 —
Rajasthan 66 66
Gujarat 59.75 59.77
Andhra Pradesh 52.75 —
Odisha 62.75 —
Jharkhand — 54 .25
Haryana 60.50 —
Bihar 48 —
Maharashtra — 47.25
Tamil Nadu — 54
Chhattisgarh 43.25 —
West Bengal 52 —

The Cut-off marks for the Prelims exam range from the 40s to the early 60s. This indicates that the
overall level of assessment was moderate to easy. The lowest mark scored by a qualifying candidate
from the General category was 43.25 from Chhattisgarh. The highest cut-off mark for the General
category was 62.75 in Odisha. The lowest mark scored by a qualifying candidate from the OBC group
was 46.75 from Uttar Pradesh. 

IBPS RRB PO Mains Cut Offs

State/UT SC ST OBC EWS General
Andhra Pradesh 61.94 52 76.38 76.38 76.38
Arunachal Pradesh NA 43.44 43.44 NA NA
Assam 56.06 51.56 66.88 70.31 72.44
Bihar 52.25 46.25 77.31 77.31 77.31
Chhattisgarh 56.56 45.69 75.50 71 75.50
Gujarat 41.94 50.94 50.94 52.19 56.75
Haryana 67.38 40.31 79.88 90.50 91.81
Himachal Pradesh 65.63 68.56 69.31 83.25 88.38
Jammu & Kashmir 70.50 51.25 65.06 80.81 89.88
Jharkhand 53.13 53.75 74.88 80.25 82.25
Karnataka NA NA NA NA NA
Kerala NA NA NA NA NA
Madhya Pradesh 58 44.31 74.44 77.13 77.13
Maharashtra 71 48.94 73.56 73.56 73.56
Manipur 65.06 63.31 65.06 65.06 65.06
Meghalaya 46.19 58.50 58.50 58.50 58.50
Mizoram 54.44 64.06 40.63 NA 64.06
Nagaland NA 44.75 NA NA NA
Odisha 63.25 57.94 85.63 85.63 85.63
Puducherry 67.69 NA 63.56 NA NA
Punjab 66.88 34 73 81.81 92.38
Rajasthan 39.13 47.63 36.75 47.63 47.63
Tamil Nadu 72.88 33.44 81.06 57.56 81.06
Telangana 64.31 60.88 70.81 70.81 70.81
Tripura 65.50 59.69 72.19 65 80.44
 Uttar Pradesh 52.56 29.50 64.19 70.56 70.56
Uttarakhand 100.38 59.63 82.75 100.38 100.38
West Bengal 62.75 47.56 63.56 69 80.94

In general, the cut-offs ranged between the 60s and 90s. The high cut-off marks reflect the relatively
easy nature of assessment of the Mains paper. The highest cut-off mark was 100.38 for Uttarakhand.
It is interesting to note that 100.38 was the cut-off for the General, Scheduled Caste and EWS
categories in Uttarakhand.  The lowest cut-off mark was 33.44 for candidates hailing from Scheduled
Tribes of/in Tamil Nadu.

Subject-wise Maximum Scores & Cut Off

Max. Qualifying Scores Qualifying Scores
S.No. Name of Test
Marks SC/ST/OBC/PWD EWS/General
1 Reasoning 40 08.75 12
Computer
2 40 05.75 08.75
Knowledge
General
3 40 02.25 04.50
Awareness
English
4 (a) 40 03.50 07.25
Language
4 (b) Hindi Language 40 03.50 06.25
Quantitative
5 40 02.25 05.25
Aptitude

With all subjects being assessed on a total of 40 marks, the highest cut-off mark for any subject was
12 for the Reasoning section. Once again, the subject-wise cut-offs are further divided category-wise.
The lowest cut-off mark was 02.25 for General Awareness for candidates belonging to Reserved
categories. 

IBPS RRB PO MAINS Final Cut Off 2020-21

State/UT SC ST OBC EWS General
Andhra Pradesh 50.25 53.55 56 52.20 70.10
Arunachal Pradesh NA NA NA NA 46.65
Assam 46.92 46.32 49.18 47.92 62.25
Bihar 52.45 47.82 62.72 52.75 64.75
Chhattisgarh 48.18 39.65 49.30 49.22 62.85
Gujarat 49.08 44 47.60 42.48 69.50
Haryana 57.48 37.88 58.08 58.10 72.48
Himachal Pradesh 48.72 48.18 57 54.68 62.80
Jammu & Kashmir 61.48 52.05 56.08 59.12 72.82
Jharkhand 55.72 41.12 55.28 52.50 63.25
Karnataka NA NA NA NA NA
Kerala NA NA NA NA NA
Madhya Pradesh 51.88 49.55 54.75 53.55 69.58
Maharashtra 53.42 46.08 59.92 50.42 69.62
Manipur 41.95 40.02 48.95 NA 54.35
Meghalaya 33.02 39.32 43.62 NA 45.60
Mizoram NA 41.58 39.48 NA 40.48
 Nagaland Na 50.30 NA NA NA
Odisha 43.85 54.50 52.10 51.25 71.52
Puducherry 43.42 NA NA NA NA
Punjab 52.40 39.92 61.15 58.60 70.35
Rajasthan 56.95 55.45 53.58 55.75 75.55
Tamil Nadu 51 45.95 66.05 52.18 64.82
Telangana 53.80 49.28 58.22 49.60 64.32
Tripura 47.52 36.62 50.02 35 53.48
Uttar Pradesh 52.15 46.68 52.70 51.02 72.55
Uttarakhand NA 40.12 NA NA 66.12
West Bengal 53.42 56.68 50.38 49.70 64.18

The Final Cut-off is calculated by adding the marks scored in the Mains examination and Interview
round. This score is calculated out of 100. The range of cut-offs was between 40 and 70. The highest
Final Cut-off was 72.82 for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Across all categories, the least cut-off
mark scored by a qualifying candidate hailing from a Scheduled Tribe was 39.32 from Meghalaya. The
lower cut-off marks for the reserved categories is indicative of the accommodation made for them in
the Banking exams. 

A good way to gauge this exam’s pattern is by going through the IBPS RRB Officer Scale 1 previous
year paper. This will allow you to study the exam pattern carefully while also understanding where
you stand in your exam preparation. 

Preparing for IBPS RRB Officer Scale 1 Exam and don’t know where to begin? Don’t worry, we have
got you covered. At ixamBee you can find all the study material coupled with guidance from subject
experts in our online courses. If you are on the edge about whether you should prepare for this exam
or not, take a free mock test to evaluate your standing. 

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Also read:

IBPS RRB 2020 Office Assistant Exam Analysis

IBPS RRB Notification 2021: Check All Details

At ixamBEE you can find free Online Test Series, GK updates in form of Beepedia, as well as latest
updates for Bank PO, Bank Clerk, SSC, RBI, NABARD and Other Government Jobs.

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Naquiya Nadeem
Presently working with ixamBee as a Content Writer, Naquiya has an M.A. in History with a specialization in Medieval
India from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Pretentious highbrow with a passion for the social sciences, Naquiya hopes to
work toward making the study of Humanities fun and enjoyable. She hopes to live to see the day when her friends and
family are no longer confounded when they learn she enjoys reading history.