A common myth circulates among government job aspirants: “If you don’t join a big coaching institute in Delhi or Patna, you cannot clear the exam.”

This is completely false.

In fact, some of the top rankers in IBPS PO and SBI PO exams are self-study students who utilized the internet smartly. Coaching centers provide a schedule, but they often move too slowly for a 3-month target.

If you are disciplined, you can crack Bank Exams (IBPS PO, SBI Clerk, RRB) in just 90 days from home. This guide will serve as your personal mentor, providing a month-by-month roadmap and a curated list of Free YouTube Resources that are better than paid courses.

The 3-Month Master Plan

Bank exams are different from SSC or UPSC. They don’t test your knowledge depth; they test your Speed and Accuracy. You don’t need to know everything; you just need to be fast.

Month 1: Concept Building (The Foundation)

Goal: Complete the syllabus once. Do not worry about speed yet.

• Quantitative Aptitude: Focus on “Speed Maths” first (Simplification, Quadratic Equations, Number Series). These topics constitute 30-40% of the prelims score. Then move to Arithmetic (Percentage, Ratio, Average).

• Reasoning: Master Syllogisms, Inequalities, and Coding-Decoding. Start learning the basic rules of Puzzles (Linear/Circular arrangement).

• English: Do not memorize dictionary words. Start reading one Editorial article from The Hindu or The Indian Express daily to build reading speed.

Month 2: Sectional Tests & Accuracy

Goal: Apply concepts and reduce errors.

• The 70/30 Rule: Spend 70% of your time solving questions and 30% revising concepts.

• Sectional Mocks: Instead of full tests, take “20-minute Sectional Tests” for Maths, English, and Reasoning separately.

• Puzzle Mania: Solve 5 Puzzles and 5 Data Interpretation (DI) sets every single day. This is non-negotiable for Bank exams.

Month 3: The Mock Test Marathon

Goal: Speed and Exam Temperament.

• Daily Routine: Take 1 Full Mock Test in the morning and spend 3 hours analyzing it in the evening.

• Skip Strategy: Learn which questions to skip. In Bank exams, getting stuck on one hard puzzle leads to failure. If a puzzle takes >3 minutes, drop it.

The “Free YouTube University” List

You do not need to pay ₹10,000 for a course. The best teachers are teaching for free on YouTube. Here is a curated list of trusted channels for each subject:

1. Quantitative Aptitude (Maths)

• For Concepts: Career Definer (Kaushik Mohanty Sir) or Amar Sir.

• For Calculation Speed: Search “Vedic Maths tricks for Bank Exams” on YouTube.

• Why them? They focus specifically on the “Banking pattern” which is calculation-heavy, unlike the SSC pattern.

2. Reasoning Ability

• The King of Puzzles: Ankush Lamba (Search for his “1000 Puzzle Series”).

• Concept Clearing: Puneet Sir (great for Syllogisms and Inequalities).

• Strategy: Ankush Lamba’s “Thread Method” for seating arrangement is a game-changer for saving time.

3. English Language

• For Grammar & Vocab: Nimisha Bansal (Her “120 Rules of Grammar” video is legendary among aspirants).

• For Editorial Analysis: The Hindu Editorial Analysis by Vishal Parihar.

4. General Awareness (Mains Only)

• Current Affairs: Adda247 (Ashish Gautam Sir) for daily updates or AffairsCloud (PDFs) for monthly revision.

• Note: Do not focus too much on GA in the first 2 months if you are preparing for Prelims. Start GA seriously after Month 1.

3 Fatal Mistakes Self-Study Students Make

1. Lack of Discipline: Without a coaching class to force you, it is easy to skip days. You must treat your study table like an office.

2. Ignoring Mock Analysis: Taking a test is useless if you don’t check why you got an answer wrong. Analysis is where improvement happens.

3. Hoarding PDFs: Don’t download 50GB of study material. Stick to one good Mock Test Series (like PracticeMock or Oliveboard) and the YouTube channels listed above.

Conclusion

Coaching provides a spoon-fed environment, but self-study builds the character required to be an officer.

If you can stick to this 3-month schedule, solve your daily puzzles, and analyze your mistakes honestly, you will not just pass; you will outperform the students sitting in crowded coaching centers.

Still undecided if you should go for Banking or SSC? Read our detailed comparison: Bank PO vs. SSC CGL: Which Job Profile is Better?