IBPS PO (Probationary Officer) Exam Pattern 2026

The full IBPS PO (Probationary Officer) exam pattern for 2026 — 4 stages, with the sections, question count, marks, duration and negative marking for each, as set by Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). Then take a free IBPS PO (Probationary Officer) mock in the real pattern below.

Preliminary Examination (screening only)

Mode: Online (Computer Based Test), conducted at IBPS-designated centres
Sections: English Language · Quantitative Aptitude · Reasoning Ability
Questions: 100 multiple-choice questions (30 English + 35 Quant + 35 Reasoning)
Marks: 100 marks (1 mark per question)
Duration: 60 minutes total with SECTIONAL TIMING of 20 minutes per section (English / Quant / Reasoning). Candidates cannot switch back to a completed section.
Negative marking: 0.25 mark deducted per wrong answer; no penalty for unattempted questions

Prelims is a screening test ONLY — marks do NOT carry forward to the Mains merit. Candidates must clear both an overall cutoff and a sectional cutoff for each of the three sections. Recent General-category sectional cutoffs have hovered in the 8-12 range per section. Roughly 10 times the vacancies are shortlisted from Prelims for Mains across each category.

Main Examination — Objective

Mode: Online (Computer Based Test)
Sections: Reasoning & Computer Aptitude · General / Economy / Banking Awareness · English Language · Data Analysis & Interpretation
Questions: 155 multiple-choice questions (Reasoning & Computer Aptitude 45 · GA 40 · English 35 · Data Analysis 35)
Marks: 200 marks (Reasoning & Computer Aptitude 60 · GA 40 · English 40 · Data Analysis 60), each section individually timed
Duration: 3 hours total with SECTIONAL TIMING (60 + 35 + 40 + 45 minutes respectively for the four sections)
Negative marking: 0.25 mark deducted per wrong answer; no penalty for unattempted questions

Mains is the MERIT-DECIDING paper (subject to interview). Candidates must clear sectional cutoffs as well as overall. General Awareness is heavy on banking-current-affairs of the last 6-9 months: monetary policy decisions, RBI master circulars, government schemes, mergers, NPAs, regulatory updates. Computer Aptitude appears as a sub-section within the Reasoning paper and tests fundamentals (hardware, software, OS, networking, MS Office, internet, security).

Main Examination — Descriptive English (Letter & Essay)

Mode: Online — typed on the computer interface immediately after the objective paper
Sections: One Letter Writing task (formal/informal, business or complaint, ~150 words) and one Essay task (~300 words, current affairs or banking topic)
Questions: 2 descriptive items (1 letter + 1 essay)
Marks: 25 marks (added to the Mains 200 to give a 225-mark Mains total)
Duration: 30 minutes
Negative marking: Not applicable (descriptive)

The descriptive paper is evaluated by trained examiners. A minimum qualifying score (per the notification, typically around 40% for General / 35% for reserved categories) must be achieved; failing the descriptive disqualifies the candidate even if the objective Mains score is strong. Typing is on a plain text editor — copy/paste and spell-check are disabled.

Personal Interview

Mode: Offline, in-person at the participating bank's regional centre
Sections: Banking knowledge · Current affairs · Personal background and biodata · Educational qualifications · Why banking / why this bank · Situational/HR questions
Questions: Open-ended panel interview by a board of 4-5 members
Marks: 100 marks (qualifying minimum: 40% General / 35% reserved)
Duration: Typically 15-25 minutes per candidate
Negative marking: Not applicable

Final merit list is computed on an 80:20 weightage — Mains 80% + Interview 20%. Interview is conducted by the participating banks themselves, coordinated by the Nodal Bank for that cycle. Provisional allotment to a specific PSB is based on rank, candidate preference order and category-wise vacancy.

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