Abhinav Sharma Selected as IBPS PO: A Story of Consistency

Starting From Zero: A Complete Beginner’s Reality

Abhinav Sharma began his banking exam journey as a complete beginner. In the early days, even a single Clerk-level reasoning puzzle took him nearly 20 minutes to solve. At that stage, speed, accuracy, and clarity were all missing. Like many aspirants, he struggled with procrastination—often postponing studies with thoughts like “I’ll do it tomorrow.” This habit cost him early attempts, including RRB PO and RRB Clerk, which he could not clear.

That phase became a turning point. Abhinav realized that procrastination was his biggest enemy, not the syllabus.

Educational Background and Career Clarity

Abhinav completed his graduation from Jammu and pursued a Master’s degree in Mathematics from Katra. Alongside his academics, he even explored data science to gain additional skills. However, clarity soon followed—he did not see himself in the private sector. From the very beginning, his goal was clear: a career in the banking sector.

In February 2024, he started his banking preparation seriously, despite having no guidance at home. Whatever mistakes he made, he treated them as lessons and moved forward.

Turning Reasoning Into His Strongest Weapon

Reasoning was not always his strength. Initially, prelims-level puzzles consumed a lot of time. But consistent practice changed everything. Abhinav started setting timers—10 to 15 minutes—and focused on solving as many puzzles as possible within that window.

With daily practice, his speed improved drastically. Today, he can solve most prelims-level puzzles within 2 minutes, and even tough ones rarely take more than 3 minutes. Practice truly transformed his weakest area into his strongest one.

Smart Practice and Speed Building With SmartKeeda

Once his concepts were clear, Abhinav focused heavily on speed improvement. He used speed drills and topic-wise practice to simulate exam pressure. Having everything available at one place saved him time and effort that otherwise went into searching for material.

SmartKeeda played a crucial role here. Speed drills, topic tests, and structured practice helped him steadily increase accuracy and speed. Instead of random preparation, his practice became focused and measurable.

English Preparation: Reading With Purpose

For English, Abhinav believed that strong reading habits could solve half the problem. He focused on grammar basics through online classes and then moved to editorial reading from newspapers like The Hindu and The Indian Express.

To deepen understanding, he used smart techniques—breaking editorials into key points, practicing RC-based questions, working on inference-based understanding, and doing daily error detection. This approach improved not just his English scores but also his confidence.

Overcoming the Fear of Quants

Quantitative Aptitude was one of his weakest areas. Abhinav started with one-liners and focused on learning shortcuts, percentages, squares, cubes, and number properties. Writing them down and revising daily helped build number sense.

Once basics were clear, he moved to arithmetic. The rule was simple: clear concepts first, then practice regularly. Gradually, simplification, number series, quadratic equations, and DI became manageable. For speed, he practiced level-wise—starting with Clerk level before moving to PO level.

Preparing for Mains Alongside Prelims

One major lesson Abhinav learned was not to wait for prelims results before starting mains preparation. He prepared for both simultaneously, which reduced pressure later. This strategy helped him handle mains-level questions confidently, especially in reasoning and quants.

Current Affairs: The Game Changer

Current Affairs turned out to be a decisive factor. Abhinav realized that exams like RRB PO and Clerk often include a full year of current affairs. Initially, managing classes, notes, and revision was exhausting. But in the last few months before the exam, he pushed hard and completed proper revision.

Daily current affairs, consistent notes, and multiple revisions made a visible difference in his final performance.

Habits That Made the Difference

Two habits changed everything for Abhinav:

• Maintaining a To-Do Notebook: He wrote down what he studied each day, which mock he gave, and what needed to be done next. This removed confusion and kept him accountable.
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• Balanced Routine: He avoided burnout by taking breaks, going to the gym, stepping outside, and maintaining a healthy routine. Studying nonstop in a closed room was never his approach.
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Mock Tests: Practice With Analysis

Abhinav did not believe in blindly giving mock tests. If scores were stuck, he paused, analyzed mistakes, worked on weak areas, and then returned to mocks. This cycle helped him gradually push his scores higher instead of remaining stagnant.

Final Selection and Key Takeaway

With consistent effort, smart strategy, and disciplined practice, Abhinav finally cleared the IBPS PO exam and got allotted to Indian Bank. His journey proves that success doesn’t require perfection—it requires persistence, clarity, and the courage to fix what’s not working.

Final Words

Failure, success, pressure—none of these should control your mind. Stay consistent, plan smartly, revise properly, and take care of your health. With the right approach and tools, selection is achievable.

Read how Abhinav Sharma went from a complete beginner to an IBPS PO at Indian Bank by fixing mistakes, improving speed, mastering mocks, and staying consistent throughout his preparation.