How IBPS SO selection works
IBPS SO is a common recruitment process for specialist officers in 11 public sector banks. You apply for one of six posts and sit that post’s papers. You qualify the prelims to reach the Main exam; Mains scores shortlist you for 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, set by IBPS, in each of the four tests to be shortlisted for Mains. Prelims marks don’t carry forward.
- Mains — objective + written paperFour objective tests and a 30-minute paper. You need a minimum score in each test and a sufficiently high Professional Knowledge score.
- Document uploadShortlisted candidates upload their eligibility documents as PDFs through a link on the IBPS website; this is mandatory.
- InterviewHeld by the participating banks and coordinated by nodal banks in each State/UT/Region with IBPS; 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
An 80-minute online objective test of four separately timed tests, 20 minutes each: 100 questions for 125 marks. Every post takes English Language (25 questions, 25 marks), Reasoning (25, 25) and Professional Knowledge in its own field (25 questions, 50 marks). The fourth test is Quantitative Aptitude (25, 25) for IT, Agricultural Field, HR/Personnel and Marketing Officers, and General Awareness with special reference to the banking industry (25, 25) for Law Officers and Rajbhasha Adhikaris. You must qualify in each of the four tests; IBPS then shortlists candidates category-wise for Mains. The 2026 prelims were on 29 August as per the IBPS tentative calendar.
Mains — the decider
A 155-minute online exam worth 225 marks. The objective part has 150 questions for 200 marks in 125 minutes: English Language (30 questions, 30 marks, 25 min), Reasoning (40, 40, 35 min), then Quantitative Aptitude (30, 30, 25 min) or — for Law and Rajbhasha — General Awareness with special reference to the banking industry (30, 30, 20 min), and Professional Knowledge (50 questions, 100 marks; 40 min, or 45 min for Law and Rajbhasha). A 30-minute paper of 2 questions and 25 marks follows. Every test except Professional Knowledge is qualifying, and the merit list is drawn up on Professional Knowledge scores. Only Mains marks count for interview shortlisting and final merit. The 2026 Mains is on 1 November as per the IBPS tentative calendar.
Post-wise papers
Every post takes English, Reasoning and a Professional Knowledge test in its own field. What changes is the fourth test and the closing 30-minute paper:
| Post | Fourth test (prelims & Mains) | Mains 30-minute paper |
|---|---|---|
| IT Officer | Quantitative Aptitude | Descriptive Paper (English) |
| Agricultural Field Officer | Quantitative Aptitude | Descriptive Paper (English) |
| HR/Personnel Officer | Quantitative Aptitude | Descriptive Paper (English) |
| Marketing Officer | Quantitative Aptitude | Descriptive Paper (English) |
| Law Officer | General Awareness (banking industry) | Descriptive Paper (English) |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari | General Awareness (banking industry) | Professional Knowledge (Descriptive), in English and Hindi |
Since you can apply for only one post, you sit only that post’s version. The notification doesn’t say whether the English descriptive paper counts towards merit, so we don’t say either way.
Interview & documents
Interviews are held by the participating banks and coordinated by the nodal banks in each State/UT/Region with IBPS, at select centres named in your interview call letter, which you download from ibps.in. 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 — interview call letter, application printout, date-of-birth proof, photo ID, mark sheets showing your result was declared on or before 21 July 2026, experience certificates if any, 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 in the merit to be shortlisted. Shortlisted candidates are provisionally allotted to one bank on merit-cum-preference against the vacancies banks actually report for 2027-28 (tentatively January 2027); on equal scores, the older candidate ranks higher. A reserve list of about 20% of the vacancies in each category for each post may be kept; it lapses one year after provisional allotment or when a fresh allotment is made, whichever is earlier. It is an all-India cadre, so you may be posted anywhere in India or abroad.
Crack IBPS SO with your own daily plan
Daily targets for Reasoning, English, Quant & banking awareness — plus date alerts.
Get safely past the general tests
English, Reasoning and Quant or banking awareness are qualifying in the Mains, while Professional Knowledge decides merit. JobSafal doesn’t have IBPS SO mock tests or PYQ sets yet, and it doesn’t cover the post-specific Professional Knowledge test. What your IBPS SO plan does cover are the general sections — Reasoning, English, Quant and banking awareness — broken into daily targets.
General-section plan
Daily targets for Reasoning, English, Quant and banking awareness.
Small daily goals
Short, steady targets that leave room for your Professional Knowledge study.
Date alerts
Prelims result, Mains call letter and interview reminders.
Professional Knowledge
Not covered by JobSafal — study it from your own degree subjects.
