As a banker, you must have heard or read about these two important examinations, JAIIB exam and CAIIB exam conducted by the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance (IIBF), and how important they are for your career advancement. For those of you, who have recently joined the banking sector and are not familiar with these bank exams and those of you who plan to enter the banking sector in the near future, here is everything you must know about JAIIB and CAIIB and how they can help enhance your career.

For a Banker

The importance of both these exams cannot be overlooked. While JAIIB is equivalent to Matriculation in Banking and Finance, CAIIB is like Graduation in Banking and Finance. Passing both these exams will not only help you grow professionally in your understanding of the banking processes, or in remuneration and career advancement, but also help you grow as an individual bursting with confidence, maturity and a lot of experience. If you have recently joined the banking sector, this will definitely help you understand what JAIIB exams and CAIIB exams are all about.

JAIIB i.e. Junior Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers or DBF i.e. Diploma in Banking and Finance is the first step towards getting an understanding of the banking sector at large and how it works, along with basic knowledge of banking and financial services, banking technology, customer relations, basic accountancy and legal aspects necessary for carrying out day to day banking operations. Apart from gaining banking knowledge and growing as a professional, one also enjoys the benefit of salary raise in the form of advance increment as soon as one clears JAIIB exam. JAIIB Exam is open to the members of the institute and those working in the banking and financial sector.

CAIIB i.e., Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers is the next step in the growth ladder for a banker after joining the bank. It offers advanced knowledge necessary for better decision-making covering Treasury Management, Risk Management, Balance Sheet Management, Credit Management, International Banking, Economic Analysis etc. Preparation for CAIIB gives you in depth knowledge and understanding of banking policies and practices making you a better professional well equipped to take on bigger challenges and responsibilities. Clearing CAIIB exam has an added incentive offering two advance increments to clerical staff and one increment to officer staff.

For a Non-Banker

A non-banker cannot apply for JAIIB examination, however, what he/she can do is apply for Diploma in Banking and Finance (DBF), a certified course offered by IIBF. It is equivalent to JAIIB, has the same syllabus but can be pursued by a non-banker and a non-member of IIBF unlike JAIIB.

Read: How do I apply for the CAIIB and JAIIB courses, and who are eligible for this?

Indian Banks Association (IBA) has recognized DBF exam as a desirable qualification along with other prescribed entry level qualifications for recruitment in banks. By holding this diploma, you will get an advantage over other applicants in the recruitment process conducted by IBPS. And once appointed in Bank, you can get DBF converted to JAIIB. This can be done by sending your bank appointment letter along with your DBF certificate to the IIBF head office. They will check your credentials and if the verification is successful, they will issue a JAIIB certificate. There is a clear advantage in completing DBF before joining the bank- it allows you one year additional service and one advance increment which will be granted at the entry level itself when you join the bank, along with eligibility to appear for CAIIB exam, while your colleagues would be preparing for JAIIB.
CAIIB can be taken only after passing JAIIB Exam (or after converting DBF to JAIIB). So, clearing DBF puts you one step ahead as you join the banking sector, both in knowledge and career advancement.

How can JAIIB and CAIIB boost your career as a banker?

Once you get through these exams, it will open the door to excellent opportunities and further boost your career progression. JAIIB and CAIIB are two flagship learning programs from IIBF widely recognized in banking industry and more so in public sector banks. All the public sector banks encourage these professional certifications and offer reimbursement of fee besides granting advance increments in salary. These courses help bankers to hone their knowledge and skills and improve future prospects including promotions. Below are the benefits of clearing JAIIB and CAIIB for bankers.

• Increments
  After clearing these exams, you are entitled to advance increments. (after clearing JAIIB examination and CAIIB examination)
  • As a clerk in a bank you are entitled to receive one advance increment if you qualify in the JAIIB Examination and after clearing the CAIIB Examination, you are entitled to receive two advance increments in the running pay scale.
  • As an officer working with a nationalized bank you are entitled to one increment each on passing the JAIIB and the CAIIB examination, respectively.
• Plum postings
  Besides advance increments it will help in getting you department allocation such as Forex, Treasury, Corporate loans etc.
• Promotions
  These exams assist in gaining promotions and carry good weightage in the promotional interviews as you get an edge over other candidates.
• Increased knowledge
  You will gain in-depth knowledge about banking activities in India along with other technical aspects of banking, which will help you progress in your career.

There are no cons of answering these exams as you only grow and gain in knowledge. Understanding the importance of these two exams, we at Narang’s Bankers Training Institute (NBTI) have simplified the process to help you clear both JAIIB and CAIIB in the very first attempt as have most of our participants. Unlike other online banking courses, we have designed our JAIIB and CAIIB Distance Learning Kits to provide ease and convenience to each banker/non-banker preparing for these exams with guaranteed success. So, you can begin by ordering our JAIIB books online or CAIIB material online depending on which of these exams you are appearing for. You can then read the material a few times to familiarize yourself with the basic concepts before approaching JAIIB mock tests or CAIIB mock tests based on recalled questions of previous examinations, and you will be able to answer the questions correctly. It is essential that you first read the material thoroughly before attempting any questions on the topics. Conceptual understanding is very crucial, without that you will feel lost trying to attempt JAIIB or CAIIB mock tests, and you will do more harm than good as your confidence can get a severe beating.

Last but not the least we plan to provide online coaching on important topics of all three papers of JAIIB and two compulsory subjects of CAIIB. For JAIIB enrolment for online coaching will start in the third week of September and for CAIIB sometime in the third week of October 2020.

You can write to us at info@nbti.in for information on these exams.