As of late, I’ve been receiving a lot of enquires regarding probationary period for officers in various banks in India. I think all of you know that after the probationary period ends, a confirmation test will be held and the probationary officers will be handed a permanent posting on clearing the confirmation exam.Most people think that the confirmation exams are a mere eye-wash, but many don’t realize the fact that there are officers who’ve been expelled from the bank’s services on failure to clear these confirmation exams. Most banks extend the probationary period and let the officers give another shot at these confirmation exams on failure to clear it the first time round.

As mentioned earlier, the probationary period varies from one bank to another. In State Bank of India {and also it’s associate banks} the probationary period is 18 months [It was 24 months and was recently changed]. The probationary period in Indian Overseas bank is 6 months. Similarly the probationary period varies between six and twenty four months in all the public sector banks in the country. And as for the confirmation exams, 99% of the candidates clear it with ease. During the probationary period the officers need to undergo on-the-branch training and also training in specialized bank training centers.