For many banking aspirants, the biggest challenge is not clearing prelims but building enough confidence for mains. Subash Behera faced exactly that struggle.
There was a time when he could not even sit through half an hour of a full-length mains mock. Months later, he clearedIBPS Clerk and IBPS RRB PO in his first attempt, scoring around 25–26 marks above the mains cutoff before securing his final selection at Bihar Gramin Bank.
His journey shows how a mains-first approach, consistent mock analysis, and strong fundamentals can completely change preparation.
Why he chose the banking path
While pursuing graduation, Subash had already been preparing for CAT, which gave him a strong foundation in aptitude and reasoning.
But he eventually chose banking for its structured recruitment process and job security. Once he made that decision, he treated IBPS RRB PO as his primary target rather than preparing casually while waiting for notifications.
Instead of rushing into mock tests, he spent nearly a month strengthening fundamentals like tables, squares, cubes, and calculation speed before gradually moving to sectional tests and full-length prelims mocks.
“The first month was only about building the basics. I didn’t even start mocks immediately.”
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The turning point came during mains preparation
The biggest breakthrough happened when he shifted his attention to mains.
Initially, even sitting through a two-to-three-hour mains mock felt impossible. Instead of worrying about completing every paper perfectly, he first submitted mocks, solved questions comfortably without pressure, and gradually adapted to timed practice.
That process helped him build both stamina and confidence.
Rather than postponing mains preparation until after prelims, he continued preparing for mains throughout his journey and shifted back to prelims only around 20–25 days before the exam.
That strategy eventually paid off.
In IBPS RRB PO Mains, he scored about 25–26 marks above the cutoff, giving him confidence before the interview stage.
How Oliveboard mock analysis changed his preparation
For Subash, taking mock tests was only half the process. The real improvement happened during analysis.
He found Oliveboard’s mock dashboard especially useful because it clearly showed section-wise accuracy, percentile, rankings, and performance trends after every attempt.
Instead of simply checking scores, he identified exactly where he was losing marks and worked on those concepts before attempting the next mock.
“Every next day I wanted my rank and percentile to improve.”
He also felt that many Oliveboard mocks were slightly tougher than the actual exam, which helped him stay calm when unfamiliar questions appeared in the real paper.
A daily routine built around weaknesses
Subash never followed a fixed “study for eight hours” schedule.
Instead, his routine depended on what his previous mock revealed.
His day usually included:
- Reading editorials to strengthen English.
- Daily speed maths practice.
- Working on reasoning puzzles.
- Improving difficult Data Interpretation patterns.
- Revisiting concepts where accuracy had dropped.
Instead of counting hours, he focused on fixing weaknesses one mock at a time.
Preparing for the interview in just six days
After clearing mains, Subash had only six days before his RRB PO interview.
He watched mock interviews, revised basic banking terms, prepared questions about his home district and agriculture, and entered the interview with a simple mindset.
He treated it like a conversation rather than an interrogation.
That calm approach helped him score 78 marks in the interview, much higher than he had expected.
Subash’s advice for future RRB PO aspirants
His biggest advice is to start preparing before the pressure begins.
Don’t wait for notifications to become serious. Build your basics early, prioritize mains preparation from the beginning, and use every mock as a learning tool instead of just a scorecard.
His journey proves that clearing IBPS RRB PO in the first attempt is not about studying for impossible hours. It is about strengthening fundamentals, trusting the process, and improving after every mock.
I started my journey with storytelling and journalism, and somewhere along the way, I discovered how much I truly love writing. Words have always been my way of connecting with people.
With 4+ years of experience in content creation, social media, and video storytelling, I focus on building meaningful conversations, not just posts. I enjoy understanding audiences, planning engaging content, and turning followers into active, connected communities.
At Oliveboard, I work on creating value-driven content that informs, engages, and brings people together.
