IBPS PO cheat sheet

Syllogism: 'All A are B' + 'All B are C' gives 'All A are C'; 'Some A are B' plus 'All B are C' gives 'Some A are C' - a particular premise always yields a particular conclusion.

Inequalities: chain the symbols directly; A > B ≥ C > D implies A > D. Only reverse the chain when the symbol flips (A < B ≤ C does not fix A vs C).

Blood relations: draw a family tree with gender markers (+ male, − female) and generation rows; never assume gender from a name or role alone.

Direction sense: track net displacement as (x, y) vectors; shortest distance = √(x² + y²), and final facing turns clockwise/anticlockwise from starting heading.

Seating arrangement (linear): fix the person with the most constraints first, then place 'immediate left/right' clauses; in circular arrangements facing centre, left = clockwise, right = anticlockwise.

Coding-decoding: check letter-position shifts (A=1…Z=26) and their reverses (A=26…Z=1) before assuming word-substitution patterns.

Data sufficiency: a statement is sufficient only when it yields exactly one value; two statements that each give one value but disagree mean the data are inconsistent, not sufficient.

Order and ranking: total = (rank from left + rank from right) − 1; for two people, number between them = difference of ranks − 1.

Simple interest SI = PRT/100; compound interest CI = P(1 + R/100)^T − P. For 2 years, CI − SI = P(R/100)².

Profit and loss: SP = CP × (100 + profit%)/100; successive discounts of a% and b% give a single discount of a + b − ab/100 percent.

Time-speed-distance: convert km/h to m/s by multiplying by 5/18; relative speed adds when moving opposite, subtracts when moving the same direction.

Boats: downstream speed = boat + stream, upstream = boat − stream; boat speed = (down + up)/2, stream speed = (down − up)/2.

Mixtures: alligation rule - ratio of quantities = (mean price − cheaper price) : (dearer price − mean price).

Permutation vs combination: arrangements use nPr = n!/(n−r)!, selections use nCr = n!/(r!(n−r)!); 'at least one' = total − none.

Probability = favourable outcomes / total outcomes; for independent events multiply, for mutually exclusive events add.

Average and weighted average: new average after adding a value = (old sum + value)/(n + 1); weighted average = Σ(wᵢxᵢ)/Σwᵢ.

Subject-verb agreement: 'one of the + plural noun' takes a singular verb; 'each, every, either, neither' are singular; 'none' agrees with the noun it refers to.

Articles: 'a' before consonant sounds, 'an' before vowel sounds (an hour, a university); 'the' for unique or previously specified nouns.

Prepositions of time: in (months, years, seasons), on (days, dates), at (clock times, night, noon).

Tenses: 'since/for' with present perfect or present perfect continuous; 'by the time' clauses take past perfect for the earlier action.

Error spotting: check parallelism after correlatives (not only…but also, either…or), and ensure both parts match in grammatical form.

Cloze and fill-in: use the surrounding connectors (although, therefore, moreover) to infer whether the blank needs contrast, cause, or addition.

Reading comprehension: the answer must be supported by the passage; extreme options with 'always', 'never', 'only' are usually wrong unless the text states them.

Para jumbles: find the opening sentence (independent, introduces the topic) and anchor pairs using pronouns and demonstratives that refer back.

RBI was established on 1 April 1935 under the RBI Act, 1934; it was nationalised in 1949 and its headquarters is in Mumbai.

Monetary policy is set by the six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC); the inflation target is 4% CPI with a tolerance band of 2%–6%.

CRR is the share of net demand and time liabilities kept with RBI as cash; SLR is held in approved securities such as government bonds.

Repo rate is the rate at which RBI lends to banks against securities; reverse repo is the rate at which RBI absorbs liquidity from banks.

Bank nationalisation occurred in 1969 (14 banks) and 1980 (6 banks); Regional Rural Banks were created in 1975 on the Narasimham Working Group recommendation.

Deposit insurance is provided by DICGC, covering up to ₹5 lakh per depositor per bank.

Negotiable instruments: cheque, promissory note and bill of exchange are governed by the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.

Priority sector lending target for domestic scheduled commercial banks is 40% of adjusted net bank credit; agriculture sub-target is 18%.

Key regulators: SEBI for securities, IRDAI for insurance, PFRDA for pensions, and RBI for banking and payment systems.