Banking is one of the most lucrative professions in the country. In our developing economy, banks occupy an undisputed position of importance. Earlier in the year 1978, Banking Services Recruitment Boards (BSRBs) were established to have a uniform standard & eligibility criteria for recruitment of personnel to Nationalized Banks. However, the Central Recruitment Board of the State Bank of India undertook recruitment of officers for the State Bank group on the all India level separately. After dissolution of BSRB`s, banks now advertise about their vacancies through classified ads.

Eligibility for Banking Board Exams:
For seeking entry into banking services a candidate must at least be a graduate with fairly high marks. A candidate who has completed a course in Actuarial Science, Accountancy and so on are preferred.

About the Banking Board test:
The ads for the bank jobs often feature in the daily newspapers. The recruitment in the banks are done on the basis of a written test, which includes the following sections:

•Test of Reasoning

•Quantitative Aptitude

•General Awareness

•English Language

•Descriptive Test

Except for the descriptive portion, all other sections contain objective-type questions. In Reasoning, there are verbal and non-verbal sections, which aims at testing the ability of the candidate to apply their brain. In English, the test is aimed at judging the overall comprehension and understanding of the language.

The descriptive paper can be answered in English or Hindi. It is meant to judge the written expression of the candidates.

There are other competitive tests too, which would enable the candidate to get recruited in nationalized banks, they are as follows:

•State Bank Probationary Officer`s Examination

•Clerical Grade Examination

•Reserve Bank Grade `A`/`B` Officers` Exam

Some institutes that offer courses in banking:

• Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology, IDRBT, Castle Hills, Road #1, Masab Tank,Hydrebad- 500 057.

•National Institute of Bank Management (NIBM), NIBM post office, Kondhwe Khurd, Pune- 411048

•The Indian Institute of Banking & Finance, The Arcade, World Trade Centre, 2nd Floor, Tower 4, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai-400 005.