How IBPS PO selection works
IBPS PO is a common recruitment process for 11 public sector banks. You qualify the prelims to reach the Main exam; Mains scores shortlist you for a personality test and an interview; Mains and interview scores are combined 80:20 for the merit list; and shortlisted candidates are provisionally allotted to one bank on merit-cum-preference.
Stage-by-stage flow
- Prelims — qualifying online testClear the cut-off in each of the three sections, set by IBPS, to be shortlisted for Mains. Prelims marks don’t carry forward.
- Mains — objective + descriptiveFour objective tests and a descriptive paper; you need a minimum score in each test and a minimum total.
- Personality testA self-report test whose profile goes to the interview panel. No pass mark, but you must take it to be eligible for the interview.
- InterviewHeld by the participating banks and coordinated by a nodal bank in each State/UT/Region; 100 marks.
- Final merit & provisional allotmentMains and interview scores combined 80:20; banks allotted on merit-cum-preference against the vacancies banks actually report.
Prelims — the gateway
A 60-minute online objective test: English Language (30 questions, 30 marks), Quantitative Aptitude (35 questions, 30 marks) and Reasoning Ability (35 questions, 40 marks), each separately timed at 20 minutes. You must clear each section’s cut-off; the marks are used only to shortlist candidates for Mains. The 2026 prelims were held on 22–23 August.
Mains — the decider
Four separately timed objective tests — Reasoning (40 questions, 60 marks, 45 min), General/Economy/Banking/Digital/Financial Awareness including RBI circulars (50 questions, 60 marks, 35 min), English Language (40 questions, 20 marks, 35 min) and Data Analysis & Interpretation (40 questions, 60 marks, 45 min): 170 questions and 200 marks in 160 minutes. A 30-minute descriptive paper in English (essay and comprehension, 2 questions, 25 marks) follows. You need a minimum score in each test and in total, and only Mains marks count for shortlisting and final merit. The 2026 Mains was scheduled for 4 October.
Personality test
Candidates who qualify in the Mains take a self-report personality test. It has no pass mark, but skipping it makes you ineligible for the interview. It is tentatively scheduled for November 2026.
Interview & documents
Interviews are held by the participating banks and coordinated by a nodal bank in each State/UT/Region, at centres named in your interview call letter. The interview carries 100 marks, with a minimum of 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD). You upload your documents online through a link on the IBPS website and bring originals with self-attested photocopies — call letter, application printout, date-of-birth proof, photo ID, graduation mark-sheets, and category, EWS or disability certificates as applicable. Missing documents cancel your candidature.
Interviews are tentatively in November–December 2026. Candidates working in government offices, PSUs or nationalised banks must bring an unconditional No Objection Certificate from their employer.
Final merit & bank allotment
IBPS combines your Mains and interview scores in an 80:20 ratio. You must qualify in both and rank high enough to be shortlisted. Shortlisted candidates are provisionally allotted to one bank on merit-cum-preference against the vacancies banks actually report (tentatively January 2027); on equal scores, the older candidate ranks higher. A reserve list of about 20% of the vacancies in each category may be kept, valid for up to one year.
Crack IBPS PO with your own daily plan
Daily targets, PYQ practice sets & timed mocks — to the latest pattern.
Peak for Mains, the stage that counts
Since only the Main exam and the interview build your rank, JobSafal weights your plan toward Mains — while still getting you safely past every prelims section.
Mains-weighted plan
Clear the prelims, then peak for the Mains tests that decide merit.
Full CBT mocks
Real-interface mocks with rank comparison.
Date alerts
Mains result, interview and allotment reminders.
PYQ practice sets
Previous-year questions, solved and tagged for prelims and Mains.
