What Do You Need for IBPS PO?
IBPS PO 2026 at a Glance
The Probationary Officer / Management Trainee exam (CRP PO/MT-XVI) recruits graduates as officers in public sector banks.
Fee: ₹850 for General, OBC and EWS; ₹175 for SC, ST and PwBD. Always confirm details on ibps.in.
Participating Banks
Selected candidates are allotted to these banks based on merit and preference.
SBI holds its own PO exam and is not part of IBPS PO. Bank-wise vacancies are on ibps.in.
Who Is Eligible for IBPS PO 2026?
1. Age
20–30 years on the date in the notification (reported as 1 July 2026).
2. Qualification
A graduation degree in any subject, with the result declared by the date in the notification.
3. Age relaxation
5 years SC/ST, 3 years OBC (non-creamy layer), 10 years PwBD, and others as per rules.
4. Attempts
No limit on attempts within the age limit.
Selection Process
Three stages, then provisional allotment to a bank.
Prelims
Qualifying — 100 questions in 60 minutes with sectional cut-offs.
Mains
Objective papers (200 marks) and a descriptive test (25 marks).
Interview
100 marks. Final merit: mains 80%, interview 20%.
Provisional allotment
Banks are allotted by merit and preference, usually early the next year.
Prelims Pattern Qualifying
Each section has its own 20-minute timer. 0.25 of a question’s marks is deducted for each wrong answer.
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 20 min |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 20 min |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 20 min |
| Total (100 marks) | 100 | 60 min |
Candidates must clear sectional and overall cut-offs to reach mains.
Mains Pattern
Objective test and a descriptive test, taken on the same day. Mains marks decide the interview shortlist.
| Section | Qs | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 50 min |
| General / Economy / Banking Awareness | 35 | 50 | 25 min |
| English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 min |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 50 | 45 min |
| Objective total | 145 | 200 | 160 min |
Descriptive Test
| Paper | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English — Letter and Essay | 2 | 25 | 30 min |
Latest pattern as reported; IBPS can change section-wise numbers each year. Check the current notification.
Interview and Final Merit
Conducted by the participating banks, coordinated by IBPS.
Interview marks
100. Minimum to qualify: 40% (35% for SC, ST, OBC and PwBD).
Final merit
Mains 80% + interview 20%, both scaled to 100.
What is asked
Banking basics, current affairs, your graduation subject, hometown and why banking.
Documents
Call letter, photo ID, certificates and category documents — originals and copies.
IBPS PO Syllabus
Prelims and mains share most topics; mains is harder and adds banking awareness. Tap a subject to see its topics.
Reasoning & Computer AptitudePrelims · Mains
- Puzzles and seating arrangement — linear, circular, floor, box
- Syllogism and inequalities
- Blood relations, directions, order and ranking
- Coding-decoding and input-output
- Data sufficiency and logical reasoning
- Computer basics, networking, MS Office, cyber security (mains)
Quantitative Aptitude / Data AnalysisPrelims · Mains
- Simplification and approximation
- Number series and quadratic equations
- Data interpretation — tables, bar, line, pie, caselets
- Arithmetic — percentage, ratio, profit and loss, SI/CI
- Time and work, speed and distance, mixtures
- Probability, permutation and combination
- Data sufficiency
English LanguagePrelims · Mains
- Reading comprehension
- Cloze test and fillers
- Error detection and sentence improvement
- Para jumbles and sentence connectors
- Vocabulary and word usage
- Letter and essay writing (descriptive test)
General / Economy / Banking AwarenessMains
- Current affairs — last six months
- Banking terms, history and reforms
- RBI — monetary policy, circulars, regulations
- Indian economy and the Union Budget
- Government schemes and financial inclusion
- Static GK — organisations, headquarters, currencies
Free IBPS PO Study Material
Notes, practice questions and monthly banking awareness.
These resources are being added subject by subject. Pages marked “Coming soon” are not published yet.
Puzzles & Seating
Every puzzle type with step-by-step methods.
Coming soon →Data Interpretation
Tables, charts, caselets and DS.
Coming soon →English Language
RC, cloze and error detection.
Coming soon →Letter & Essay Writing
Formats, topics and model answers.
Coming soon →Banking Awareness
Monthly banking and economy notes.
Coming soon →IBPS PO Mock Tests
Full-length tests with sectional timers and negative marking.
Under development. The mock tests below are planned and will open here when ready.
Prelims Full Mock
Mains Full Mock
Descriptive Practice
Interview Questions
IBPS PO Previous-Year Papers
Memory-based prelims and mains papers with solutions.
Coming soon.
How to Prepare for IBPS PO
Speed for prelims, depth for mains, confidence for the interview.
Clear every section
Sectional cut-offs apply — don’t neglect your weakest section.
Master puzzles and DI
They decide most of reasoning and quant marks in both stages.
Read banking news daily
RBI updates, schemes and the economy for the awareness paper.
Write weekly
Practise one letter and one essay each week for the descriptive test.
Take full mocks
Attempt timed mocks and analyse accuracy section by section.
Prepare for the interview early
Know banking basics and be ready to talk about yourself.
IBPS PO 2026 Dates
Prelims was held on 22–23 August 2026 and mains on 4 October 2026. The mains result and interviews are expected in November–December 2026, with provisional allotment around January 2027. Always check the official website.
IBPS PO FAQs
What is IBPS PO?
IBPS PO (Probationary Officer / Management Trainee) is a common recruitment exam held by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection for officer posts in public sector banks. Official information is on ibps.in.
What is the age limit?
20–30 years for IBPS PO 2026, counted on the date in the notification (reported as 1 July 2026). Relaxation: 5 years SC/ST, 3 years OBC (non-creamy layer), 10 years PwBD, and others as per rules.
Do prelims marks count in the final merit?
No. Prelims is qualifying. Shortlisting for the interview is based on mains, and final merit combines mains (80%) and interview (20%).
Is there sectional cut-off?
Yes. Candidates must clear each section’s cut-off as well as the overall cut-off, decided by IBPS each year.
What is the salary of an IBPS PO?
The starting basic pay is ₹48,480 in the Junior Management Grade Scale I, plus DA, HRA and other allowances set by the allotted bank.
How many attempts are allowed?
There is no limit on attempts for any category, as long as you are within the age limit.