How to Become a PO: Career Guide, Courses, Eligibility, Entrance Exams, Top Colleges, Skills, Benefits, Salary

What does a PO do

There are many responsibilities that a PO has to take care of to ensure the smooth working of the bank. Some of the crucial duties that a PO performs are listed below 

• PO interact with customers and helps them with their banking needs such as query and complaints, information about banking products and opening of accounts.
• A PO handles cash transactions including deposits, withdrawals and cash handling.
• PO assist in the processing of loan applications. They evaluate eligibility, check documents and ensure a smooth loan approval process for customers.
• Potential risks associated with banking operations are also analysed and accessed by PO.

Steps to Become a PO

Becoming a PO in India requires multiple steps, starting from class 12, earning a graduate degree, qualifying exams and starting practice. The steps to becoming a PO in India are explained in the following points.

• Step 1: Clear Class 12: Candidates are required to clear Class 12 with a minimum of 50% marks from a recognised board. Candidates from any stream are eligible for PO roles but a background in commerce is preferred.
• Step 2: Complete Bachelor’s degree: Candidates are required to have a bachelor’s degree in any stream to become eligible for PO exams. BCom, BSc and BA are some of the top degrees that candidates can opt for.
• Step 3: Qualify Entrance Exam: Qualifying for a PO entrance exam is one of the main steps in becoming a PO. Upon successful clearing of the exam, candidates will be sent PO training.
• Step 4: Opt for a Master’s degree: Candidates also have the option of going for a Master’s degree and then clearing the PO exam. A master’s degree will offer candidates with better career opportunities and growth. 
• Step 5: Post-exam process: Candidates will be made to sit for an interview upon successfully qualifying for the PO exam. After training, they will be posted as PO at different bank branches.

Eligibility to Become a PO

There are certain conditions that candidates are required to meet in order to become a PO in Indian banks. The standard eligibility criteria to become a PO are explained in the following points -

• Citizenship: Candidates applying for PO exams must be a citizen of India.
• Age limit: Candidates must be between 20 to 30 years of age while applying for the PO role. There is an age relaxation for reserved category students.
• Education: Candidates should have a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a recognised university to be eligible for PO exams. Candidates in the last semester of their courses awaiting final results can also apply.
• A valid scorecard will be needed in order to be called for the PO selection process after the exam.

Qualifications to Become a PO

The general qualification required to become a PO in India include

• Candidates are needed to have a bachelor’s degree in any stream from a recognised university.
• They must meet the age limit which may vary among different banks and conducting bodies.
• Candidates are required to qualify for entrance exams like IBPS PO, SBI PO, HDFC Bank PO and more to become eligible for the PO selection process.

Courses to Become a PO

There are no specific courses required to become a PO in India. Candidates can earn a graduate degree in any stream to become eligible for different PO entrance exams conducted by various banks. Candidates usually end up taking finance or commerce-related courses which turns out to be helpful for them.

The details for some of the popular courses are mentioned in the following table.

Entrance Exams

There are many exams conducted by different banks for the recruitment of POs in India. SBI PO, IBPS PO and IBPS RRB PO are some of the top PO exams. Private banks like HDFC, ICICI and IDFC also conduct their own exams for PO recruitment. 

Details for some of the top entrance exams are mentioned in the following table.