What exists for IBPS SO past papers
IBPS’s notification, vacancy updates and notices for IBPS SO 2026 include no past question papers, answer keys or sample questions. The closest official material is section D of the notification. It sets out every test for each post, with questions, marks, timing and medium. IBPS adds that further exam details come in an Information Handout, issued with the call letters.
Why the official pattern is worth your time
With no past papers, and a pattern that changed this year, the structure in section D is your most reliable guide. Here’s what it tells you:
Older papers follow an old format
In the 2025 cycle, prelims had 150 questions in 2 hours and no Professional Knowledge. The 2026 prelims has 100 questions in 80 minutes, across four tests.
Professional Knowledge comes early
It’s now a prelims test worth 50 of the 125 marks, at 2 marks a question — and a wrong answer costs 0.5.
Every test has to be cleared
There’s a cut-off in each of the four prelims tests, and a minimum score in each mains test. A weak section can end your run.
Plan for 20-minute timers
Each prelims test is timed separately at 20 minutes for 25 questions, so you can’t borrow time from one test for another.
Official IBPS SO paper preview
Each card is one version of the 2026 paper as IBPS lays it out in section D of the notification, plus two other official documents worth keeping. All links go straight to ibps.in.
How to use the official pattern
Without past papers, build your practice around the structure itself.
- Find your versionCheck which prelims and mains tables apply to your post. Quant and General Awareness – Banking appear in different versions, and the Rajbhasha descriptive paper differs from the rest.
- Practise at the real paceTime each general test at 20 minutes for 25 questions, the way prelims runs it, and keep the tests separate.
- Map Professional Knowledge to your degreeIBPS gives no topic list, so use your own degree syllabus as the checklist for your post’s subject.
- Practise the descriptive paperTwo questions in 30 minutes for 25 marks. That’s English for most posts, and English or Hindi for the Rajbhasha Professional Knowledge paper.
- Practise accuracyWith ¼ of a question’s marks lost per wrong answer (0.5 in Professional Knowledge), track how many of your guesses actually pay off.
Key areas for each test
IBPS names only the tests, so these are commonly studied topics for each one, not an official list.
Reasoning (all posts)
English (all posts)
Quant or GA – Banking
Professional Knowledge
Prep for IBPS SO with your own daily plan
Daily targets for Reasoning, English, Quant & banking awareness — the general tests in the IBPS SO exam.
Build the general-test side with JobSafal
JobSafal doesn’t have IBPS SO mock tests or PYQ sets yet, and it doesn’t cover post-specific Professional Knowledge. What your IBPS SO plan does cover are the general tests you must clear at both stages: Reasoning, English, Quant and banking awareness, broken into daily targets.
Daily targets
General-test topics sequenced into short sessions, so you always know what to study next.
Reasoning
Puzzles, arrangements, syllogism and the other common question types.
English
Grammar, vocabulary and comprehension for the English-only language test.
English & Hindi
Study in the language you’re most comfortable with.
