Negative marking is one of the biggest obstacles in any type of competitive exams. Candidates hesitate to appear for such exams due to the fear of negative marks. 
 
Since the competition for bank exams is increasing year on year due to the perks offered in bank jobs, candidates should overcome the fear of negative marks and find suitable ways to tackle this fear. 
 
There are primarily two posts on which bank exams are carried out: Bank PO and Bank Clerk. 
 
A survey was conducted based on the candidates’ opinion to answer a question carrying negative marking in bank exams. 
 

1. 62% of the candidates said – “I will not attend if I do not know the answer”
2. 7% of them said – “I will attend all the questions, irrespective of whether the answer is known or not”
3. 31% of them said – “I may or may not attend such a question. Depends on my performance”

 
The candidates who fixed their minds by not answering the unknown questions wind up being the biggest losers. This is because there are very fewer chances of improving the score. 
 
Read on to know the steps to minimise negative marks in bank exams. 
 

Ways to Minimize Negative Marking in Bank Exams

Here are the three important ways based on a person’s capability to minimise negative marks:
 

• No risks
• High risks
• Calculative risks

 
Let’s discuss each approach thoroughly. 
 

No risks

Under this approach, the candidates are not interested in attempting the questions for which the answer is not known. The fear of negative marking discourages the candidates. 
 
It won’t matter much to leave 3 to 4 questions, but not attending 20 to 25 questions affect the overall score.
 
Since the candidate is unwilling to take a risk, the likelihood of higher scores tends to decrease. This approach is not, therefore, the best approach to be followed.
 

High risks

Candidates are least bothered by the fear of losing marks in this approach and attempts all the questions. The likelihood of failure of this approach is high.
 
If the candidate attempts 50 questions and they all turn out to be wrong, the candidate will lose a total of 12 marks.
 
The chances of scoring well with this strategy are very low, so this approach is not recommended.
 

Calculative risks

This is the most recommended approach that is followed in bank exams to resolve negative marking issues. In this approach, the candidate selects the answer based on certain calculations. The candidate is prepared to take a certain risk. This approach goes as follows:
 

• Candidates can choose the option they assume is closest to the correct answer.
• Candidates should eliminate options that they certainly believe are wrong.

Important points to remember 

• Do not randomly make guesses,
• Do not waste any time
• For a long time, do not get wedded to a particular question
• While attempting the bank exam question paper, maintain speed and accuracy

 
So, which of the risks mentioned above is your approach? Always concentrate on reducing the impact of negative marks while appearing for the bank exams. You might score well if you know how to minimise the risk of wrong answers while writing the exams. 
 
Therefore, effective preparation for bank exams plays a vital role in handling bank exams with ease.