CAIIB ABM MCQ practice series: daily practice quiz with instant answers

CAIIB ABM MCQ Practice Day 2: 10 Questions with Answers

This CAIIB ABM MCQ set is for bankers preparing for the IIBF CAIIB Advanced Bank Management paper. Attempt all 10 questions below—tap an option to see whether you are right, then read the short explanation. These are SimplifyingFin practice questions, not official IIBF questions.

Part of the CAIIB ABM MCQ practice series. Previous: Day 1

CAIIB ABM MCQ Day 2 quiz: 10 questions

Score: 0 / 10 answered 0
1
A branch compiled staff appraisal scores with arithmetic mean 72, median 68 and standard deviation 6. Using Karl Pearson’s coefficient of skewness, Sk = 3(Mean − Median) ÷ SD, what is the skewness?
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Answer: A — 2.00.

The idea: You are measuring how lopsided the appraisal-score distribution is. Karl Pearson’s coefficient uses the gap between mean and median, scaled by the standard deviation.

  1. Formula: Sk = 3(Mean − Median) ÷ SD.
  2. Plug in: Mean = 72, Median = 68, SD = 6.
  3. Mean − Median = 72 − 68 = 4.
  4. Multiply by 3: 3 × 4 = 12.
  5. Divide by SD: 12 ÷ 6 = 2.00. The distribution is positively skewed.

Why the others are wrong:

  • B (0.67): 0.67 is (Mean − Median) ÷ SD without the factor of 3.
  • C (12.00): 12.00 stops after 3(Mean − Median) and forgets to divide by SD.
  • D (4.00): 4.00 is only the raw Mean − Median gap, not the coefficient.
  • E (0.50): 0.50 does not follow from these inputs under Pearson’s formula.

Check:

Input Value
Mean 72
Median 68
SD 6
3(Mean − Median) 12
Sk 2.00

Mean > Median → positive (right) skew.

Memory tip: Pearson skew = 3(mean − median) / SD — do not drop the 3 or the ÷ SD.

2
In a simple linear regression of recovery rate Y (%) on collateral coverage X (%), the slope b_yx equals Cov(X, Y) ÷ Var(X). If Cov(X, Y) = 180 and Var(X) = 240, what is b_yx?
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Answer: B — 0.75.

The idea: The regression slope of Y on X is how much Y is expected to change when X rises by one unit. With covariance and variance given, you only need one division.

  1. Formula: b_yx = Cov(X, Y) ÷ Var(X).
  2. Plug in: Cov(X, Y) = 180, Var(X) = 240.
  3. Compute: 180 ÷ 240 = 0.75.
  4. Interpretation: a one-percentage-point rise in collateral coverage is associated with a 0.75 percentage-point rise in expected recovery rate (within this linear model).

Why the others are wrong:

  • A (1.33): 1.33 is Var(X) ÷ Cov(X, Y) — the fraction is inverted.
  • C (0.42): 0.42 does not equal 180 ÷ 240.
  • D (180): 180 is the covariance itself, not the slope.
  • E (240): 240 is the variance of X, not the slope.

Check: Slope must be Cov/Var. 180/240 = 18/24 = 3/4 = 0.75. Inverting gives ≈1.33 — a common trap.

Memory tip: b_yx = Cov(X,Y)/Var(X); never flip numerator and denominator.

3
A bank wants a customer-satisfaction sample that fairly represents metro, urban and rural branches. Which sampling design best matches stratified random sampling?
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Answer: C — Split the customer base into metro, urban and rural strata, then draw a random sample from each stratum.

The idea: Stratified random sampling first divides the population into meaningful, relatively homogeneous groups (strata), then takes a random sample inside each group so every stratum is represented.

  1. Identify natural strata that matter for the study: here metro, urban and rural customers.
  2. Draw a random sample from within each stratum (equal or proportional allocation).
  3. Combine the stratum samples for overall estimates — this is stratified random sampling.

Why the others are wrong:

  • A (Pick every 20th customer from a single long queue at head office): Systematic sampling from one queue, not stratification by branch type.
  • B (Interview only walk-in customers who volunteer at the biggest metro branch): Convenience / self-selected sample from one metro branch — biased and not stratified.
  • D (Choose the first 200 customers who reply to an SMS blast): Voluntary response sampling; non-respondents are ignored.
  • E (Sample only accounts opened in the last 30 days): A truncated recent-account frame, not a stratified design across geographies.

Check: Keyword check: strata first, random draw inside each stratum second. Only option C does both.

Memory tip: Stratified = split into groups, then random-sample each group.

4
Under Herzberg’s two-factor theory, which statement is most accurate for a bank HR policy review?
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Answer: D — Pay, working conditions and supervision are hygiene factors; achievement and recognition are motivators.

The idea: Herzberg splits workplace factors into hygiene (context) and motivators (content). Hygiene stops dissatisfaction; motivators build genuine satisfaction and drive.

  1. Hygiene factors (extrinsic / job context): pay, working conditions, supervision, company policy, job security.
  2. Motivators (intrinsic / job content): achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, the work itself.
  3. Policy takeaway: fix hygiene to remove dissatisfaction, then use motivators to raise engagement — pay alone is not a lasting motivator in this model.

Why the others are wrong:

  • A (Higher basic pay alone is enough to create lasting high motivation for most officers): Overstates pay: in Herzberg’s model, pay is mainly hygiene, not a lasting motivator by itself.
  • B (Achievement and recognition are hygiene factors that only prevent complaints): Reverses the labels — achievement and recognition are motivators, not hygiene.
  • C (Job security and fair company policy are motivators that drive peak performance): Reverses the labels — job security and policy are hygiene factors.
  • E (Hygiene factors and motivators are identical labels for the same set of job features): The whole point of the theory is that the two sets are different.

Check:

Type Examples Effect if improved
Hygiene Pay, conditions, supervision Less dissatisfaction
Motivators Achievement, recognition More satisfaction / drive

Missing hygiene hurts; extra hygiene rarely creates peak motivation.

Memory tip: Herzberg: hygiene = context (pay/conditions); motivators = content (achievement/recognition).

5
In a bank’s performance-management system, what does a well-designed 360-degree feedback exercise typically collect?
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Answer: E — Multi-rater input from superiors, peers, subordinates and, where relevant, customers or other stakeholders.

The idea: “360-degree” means gathering performance and behaviour views from all around the person — not from a single boss alone.

  1. Core idea: multiple rater groups surround the employee.
  2. Typical sources: supervisor(s), peers, subordinates (upward feedback), and sometimes internal/external customers.
  3. Purpose: richer, more balanced development insight than a one-source ACR.

Why the others are wrong:

  • A (Only the appraisee’s self-rating on a forced-distribution curve): Self-rating alone is not 360-degree feedback.
  • B (Only the immediate supervisor’s annual confidential report): Supervisor-only ACR is traditional top-down appraisal, not 360.
  • C (Only peer ratings, excluding any upward feedback from juniors): Peers-only omits superiors and subordinates — incomplete circle.
  • D (Only external consultant scores with no internal raters): External-only scores are not the standard internal multi-rater design.

Check: Memory picture: a full circle of raters around the employee — boss, peers, juniors (± customers).

Memory tip: 360° = multi-source ratings from above, beside and below (and sometimes customers).

6
Under RBI’s SMA (Special Mention Account) framework for a term loan (other than revolving credit facilities), which statement correctly describes SMA-1?
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Answer: A — Principal or interest is overdue for more than 30 days and up to 60 days.

The idea: SMA buckets flag early stress before an account becomes NPA. For term loans, the overdue-day bands map to SMA-0, SMA-1 and SMA-2.

  1. SMA-0: principal or interest overdue for 1–30 days.
  2. SMA-1: overdue for more than 30 days and up to 60 days (31–60).
  3. SMA-2: overdue for more than 60 days and up to 90 days (61–90).
  4. Beyond 90 days overdue (subject to IRAC norms), the account is classified as NPA — that is not an SMA bucket.

Why the others are wrong:

  • B (The account has already been classified as NPA for more than 90 days): NPA (>90 days overdue under standard term-loan IRAC) is past the SMA stage.
  • C (Overdues are between 1 and 30 days only): 1–30 days is SMA-0, not SMA-1.
  • D (Overdues are between 61 and 90 days only): 61–90 days is SMA-2, not SMA-1.
  • E (SMA-1 applies only to credit-card receivables, never to term loans): SMA applies to term loans as well; it is not limited to credit cards.

Check:

Bucket Term-loan overdue (indicative)
SMA-0 1–30 days
SMA-1 31–60 days
SMA-2 61–90 days
NPA > 90 days (IRAC)

Revolving facilities use a different SMA trigger based on overdue; this question is about term loans.

Memory tip: Term-loan SMA ladder: 0 = 1–30, 1 = 31–60, 2 = 61–90, then NPA.

7
What is the primary purpose of TReDS (Trade Receivables Discounting System) in the Indian credit ecosystem?
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Answer: B — To provide an electronic platform where MSME trade receivables can be discounted by competing financiers.

The idea: TReDS is a market mechanism to help MSMEs convert buyers’ invoices into cash faster by letting financiers bid to discount those receivables on an electronic platform.

  1. MSME suppliers upload invoices / receivables owed by large buyers.
  2. Financiers (banks/NBFCs permitted on the platform) bid to discount those receivables.
  3. Successful discounting gives the MSME earlier liquidity without waiting for the buyer’s full credit period.

Why the others are wrong:

  • A (To replace all cash-credit limits of large corporates with unsecured overdrafts): TReDS does not abolish corporate cash credit; it is receivable-discounting infrastructure.
  • C (To settle only government securities trades between scheduled banks): G-sec settlement is a different market infrastructure, not TReDS.
  • D (To act as a deposit insurance scheme for NBFC public deposits): Deposit insurance is DICGC territory, unrelated to TReDS.
  • E (To fix the maximum bank finance for exporters under the packing-credit formula): Packing-credit formulae are export-finance norms, not the TReDS mandate.

Check: Expand the acronym mentally: Trade Receivables Discounting System → electronic discounting of MSME receivables.

Memory tip: TReDS = e-platform for discounting MSME trade receivables via financier bids.

8
A project needs an immediate outlay of ₹80 lakh and is expected to return ₹50 lakh at the end of Year 1 and ₹50 lakh at the end of Year 2. At a 10% discount rate, what is the approximate NPV?
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Answer: C — ₹6.78 lakh.

The idea: NPV discounts each future cash inflow to today, adds those present values, then subtracts the initial outlay. A positive NPV means the project clears the 10% hurdle.

  1. PV of Year-1 inflow: 50 ÷ 1.10 = 45.4545… lakh.
  2. PV of Year-2 inflow: 50 ÷ 1.21 = 41.3223… lakh.
  3. Total PV of inflows ≈ 45.4545 + 41.3223 = 86.7769 lakh.
  4. NPV = 86.7769 − 80 ≈ 6.78 lakh.

Why the others are wrong:

  • A (₹20.00 lakh): ₹20.00 lakh is the undiscounted surplus (50+50−80) and ignores time value.
  • B (₹10.00 lakh): ₹10.00 lakh is not the discounted NPV for these cash flows.
  • D (₹86.78 lakh): ₹86.78 lakh is only the PV of inflows — investment is not subtracted.
  • E (₹4.55 lakh): ₹4.55 lakh does not match 50/1.1 + 50/1.21 − 80.

Check:

Item Amount (₹ lakh)
PV Year 1 (50/1.10) 45.45
PV Year 2 (50/1.21) 41.32
Sum of PVs 86.78
Less outlay 80.00
NPV 6.78

Rounded to 2 decimals.

Memory tip: NPV = Σ (CF_t / (1+r)^t) − initial outlay; never skip discounting.

9
In banking compliance discussions, the acronym GRC most accurately stands for:
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Answer: D — Governance, Risk and Compliance.

The idea: GRC is the integrated framework that ties how the bank is directed (governance), how uncertainties are managed (risk), and how rules and conduct obligations are met (compliance).

  1. G = Governance — board/senior-management oversight and accountability.
  2. R = Risk — identification, assessment and control of risks.
  3. C = Compliance — adherence to laws, regulations and internal policies.
  4. Together they form an integrated GRC approach rather than three siloed activities.

Why the others are wrong:

  • A (Guaranteed Return Certificate): Not a standard expansion of GRC in the compliance/governance syllabus.
  • B (General Retail Credit): Retail-credit jargon, unrelated to the GRC framework acronym.
  • C (Group Risk Committee only (no wider meaning)): A risk committee may exist, but GRC as a framework is broader than one committee’s name.
  • E (Gross Recoverable Claims): Not the established meaning of GRC in bank compliance literature.

Check: Plain expansion: Governance + Risk + Compliance = GRC.

Memory tip: GRC = Governance, Risk and Compliance — remember the three words in order.

10
Under RBI’s Scale-Based Regulatory (SBR) framework, NBFCs are classified into which set of layers?
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Answer: E — Base Layer, Middle Layer, Upper Layer and Top Layer.

The idea: SBR calibrates NBFC regulation to size, complexity and risk. RBI places NBFCs into four layers with progressively tighter norms as you move up.

  1. The four SBR layers are: Base Layer (BL), Middle Layer (ML), Upper Layer (UL) and Top Layer (TL).
  2. Higher layers face stronger governance, capital and disclosure expectations.
  3. The Top Layer is populated only if RBI specifically elevates entities from the Upper Layer — it is not a permanent crowded tier.

Why the others are wrong:

  • A (Only Deposit-taking and Non-deposit-taking): Deposit vs non-deposit is an older/simple cut; SBR uses the four-layer scale.
  • B (Priority, Non-priority and Exempt): Priority/non-priority is a lending-classification idea, not SBR layers.
  • C (Micro, Small, Medium and Large only (MSME labels)): MSME size labels are for enterprises, not the NBFC SBR layer names.
  • D (Domestic, Overseas and Hybrid): Domestic/overseas/hybrid is not the SBR four-layer taxonomy.

Check:

Layer Short form
Base Layer BL
Middle Layer ML
Upper Layer UL
Top Layer TL

Remember order: Base → Middle → Upper → Top.

Memory tip: NBFC SBR layers: Base, Middle, Upper, Top (BMUT).

Topics covered today

  • Module A — Statistics: Skewness and Kurtosis; Correlation and Regression; Sampling Methods
  • Module B — Human Resource Management: Motivation Theories; Performance Management and Competency
  • Module C — Credit Management: NPA and Stressed Assets; Working Capital Finance; Term Loans and Project Appraisal
  • Module D — Compliance in Banks & Corporate Governance: Compliance Culture and GRC Framework; NBFC Regulation and Governance

Tomorrow’s post continues the series with another fresh set of 10 CAIIB Advanced Bank Management practice questions. Bookmark SimplifyingFin and revise one set a day.

Disclaimer: This quiz is an independent practice aid for educational purposes. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or published by IIBF. Always cross-check regulations and circulars from official RBI/IIBF sources before relying on any figure in an exam or at work.

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