IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) Free Mock Test
IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) (IBPS Specialist Officer) is part of India's Government Exams category, covering 5 topics. Kamiyab provides a free IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) Full Mock test — questions matched to the official exam pattern with real timing, instant scoring, and per-question explanations. Eligibility: Graduate · specialist. Aligned to the current 2026 official syllabus.
IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) mock is being built
We're working through the IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) previous-year papers to build a PYQ-grounded, expert-audited question bank. The syllabus, eligibility and exam pattern below stay accurate — the mock launches as soon as the bank clears audit. Live exams today: SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, and SSC MTS.
Topics covered
Topics are listed for reference. The mock launch unlocks once each topic's PYQ-grounded question bank is audited.
About IBPS SO (Specialist Officer — Scale I)
The IBPS Specialist Officer examination is the principal recruitment route for filling domain-specific Scale I officer positions across India's public sector banking system. IBPS conducts the Common Recruitment Process for Specialist Officers — CRP-SPL — once every year on behalf of 11 participating public sector banks (Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Punjab National Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, UCO Bank, Union Bank of India). Unlike IBPS PO which recruits generalist officers, IBPS SO recruits across six specialist streams: IT Officer (Scale I), Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I), Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I), Law Officer (Scale I), HR / Personnel Officer (Scale I) and Marketing Officer (Scale I). Recent CRP-SPL cycles have advertised 800-1,200 vacancies in total across all six streams pooled.
Selection happens in three sequential stages: a Preliminary Examination (objective, screening only — does NOT count towards final merit, now four sections including a stream-specific Professional Knowledge section), a Main Examination (a four-section objective paper PLUS a descriptive paper) and a personal Interview. Mains and Interview together drive the final merit list on an 80:20 weightage. Across all streams the Mains Professional Knowledge section (50 Q / 100 marks) is the only scoring objective section — English, Reasoning and Quant/Banking-Awareness are qualifying only. Always cross-check the section weightages against the current cycle's notification.
A Specialist Officer joins at Junior Management Grade Scale I (JMGS-I) — same pay scale as IBPS PO — with a basic pay starting at Rs 48,480 (12th Bipartite Settlement, effective 1 November 2022) and a CTC of approximately Rs 8.5-12 lakh per annum depending on city of posting. The career progression mirrors PO with two important nuances: Specialist Officers typically remain within their functional domain (IT officers stay in technology, Agri officers stay in rural/PSL agriculture lending, Law officers stay in legal/recovery functions, Rajbhasha Adhikaris stay in implementation of Hindi/regional language policy), and many PSBs have begun offering lateral movement to general management cadres after 3-5 years of domain service for high-performing Scale I SOs.
Conducted by: Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), Mumbai; IBPS conducts the Common Recruitment Process for Specialist Officers (CRP-SPL) on behalf of participating public sector banks
Eligibility
- Stream-specific eligibility (IBPS SO)Age: 20 to 30 years as on the cut-off date specified in the notification (typically 1st November of the recruitment year). Age relaxation: SC/ST +5 years (up to 35), OBC +3 years (up to 33), PwBD +10 years over and above category relaxation, Ex-servicemen relaxation as per Government rules.
Exam Pattern
Stage-by-stage breakdown of the recruitment process.
Preliminary Examination (screening only; not applicable for Law/Rajbhasha)
- Questions
- 100 multiple-choice questions (English 25 · Reasoning 25 · Quant or GA 25 · Professional Knowledge 25)
- Marks
- 125 marks (English 25 · Reasoning 25 · Quant or GA 25 · Professional Knowledge 50)
- Duration
- 80 minutes total with SECTIONAL TIMING of 20 minutes per section
Main Examination
- Questions
- Objective: 150 multiple-choice questions (English 30 · Reasoning 40 · Quant or Banking Awareness 30 · Professional Knowledge 50). Descriptive: 2 questions.
- Marks
- 225 marks total — Objective 200 marks (English, Reasoning and Quant/Banking-Awareness sections are qualifying only; Professional Knowledge 50 Q / 100 marks drives Mains merit) + Descriptive paper 25 marks.
- Duration
- 155 minutes total — Objective 125 minutes + Descriptive 30 minutes
Personal Interview
- 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
Syllabus
10 sections, 93 topics in total.
- Reasoning Ability (Prelims — all streams)8 topics
- English Language (Prelims — all streams)6 topics
- Quantitative Aptitude (Prelims — IT / Agri / HR / Marketing streams)9 topics
- General Awareness with Banking reference (Prelims — Law / Rajbhasha streams)9 topics
- Professional Knowledge — IT Officer (Mains)10 topics
- Professional Knowledge — Agricultural Field Officer (Mains)10 topics
- Professional Knowledge — HR / Personnel Officer (Mains)9 topics
- Professional Knowledge — Marketing Officer (Mains)10 topics
- Professional Knowledge — Law Officer (Mains)12 topics
- Professional Knowledge — Rajbhasha Adhikari (Mains)10 topics
Preparation Strategy
Subject-wise strategy, a study plan and the books aspirants rely on for IBPS SO (Specialist Officer — Scale I).
Read the preparation guideRecent Changes to Know
- Prelims now has FOUR sections with 20-minute sectional timing each (100 Qs / 125 marks / 80 minutes total) — a stream-specific Professional Knowledge section (25 Q / 50 marks) has been added alongside English, Reasoning and Quant/GA. This makes balanced preparation essential, and the added PK section means stream-specific domain prep now matters even to clear Prelims — sectional-cutoff failures are the leading reason candidates drop out at Prelims.
- The Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari Prelims structure is distinct — Quant is replaced by a Banking-focused General Awareness section. This change has stabilised across recent cycles and aspirants for these two streams should NOT prepare standard Quant for the Prelims.
- Recent CRP-SPL cycles have seen IT Officer Professional Knowledge papers shift towards networking + cyber security + cloud + emerging tech (AI/ML, blockchain) — pure DBMS/OS questions are reducing in weight. IT stream aspirants should add an emerging-tech revision block in the final 3 weeks.
- Agricultural Field Officer Professional Knowledge has shifted weight towards government schemes, NABARD's rural credit role and Priority Sector Lending (Agriculture) norms — pure agronomy textbook questions have reduced. Recent Union Budget agriculture announcements are high-frequency.
- 12th Bipartite Settlement (effective 1 November 2022) revised Specialist Officer pay scales (same as IBPS PO JMGS-I) with basic pay starting at Rs 48,480 and CTC of Rs 8.5-12 lakh per annum depending on city of posting.
Important Dates
- Notification
- IBPS SO notification is typically released in October-November every year on ibps.in. The online application window is approximately 3 weeks long. The cycle is referred to as CRP-SPL-XIV, XV etc. — incremented each year.
- Exam
- Prelims: typically late December. Mains: typically late January-February of the following calendar year. Personal Interview: April-May. Provisional allotment to a participating PSB: typically May-June.
- Results
- Prelims result: roughly 3-4 weeks after the Prelims exam. Mains result: roughly 4-6 weeks after Mains. Final reserve list and provisional allotment: May-June of the year following the notification. Joining typically happens in June-August at the allotted PSB's regional training centre.
Dates are indicative ranges and have varied by 2-6 weeks across recent cycles. Always confirm against the latest CRP-SPL notification PDF and the IBPS Annual Calendar published every January on ibps.in. Admit cards are released approximately 7-10 days before each exam stage at ibpsonline.ibps.in.
IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) preparation guides
- Master Static GK: Proven Ways to Remember General AwarenessDiscover a step‑by‑step system to lock in static general knowledge for SSC CGL and RRB NTPC exams, using practical tricks, smart organization, and daily habits that turn facts into long‑term memory.
- Master Quantitative Aptitude: Topic‑Wise Priority Blueprint for SSC CGL & IBPS POA step‑by‑step, topic‑wise priority guide that shows you exactly which Quantitative Aptitude concepts to master first, how much time to allocate, and proven tactics to solve each type of problem efficiently.
- Master Exam-Day Calm: Turn Anxiety into Peak PerformanceLearn proven, step‑by‑step techniques to silence exam‑day nerves, boost focus, and unleash your true potential on any competitive test.
- Master Bank PO Exams While Working Full‑Time: A Practical RoadmapLearn how to juggle a day job and Bank PO preparation with realistic scheduling, free resources, and proven study techniques—stay focused, confident, and burnout‑free.
IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) mock test — frequently asked questions
What is the IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) eligibility?
Stream-specific. IT Officer: 4-year B.E./B.Tech in Computer Science / IT / Electronics & Telecom or M.Tech/M.Sc/MCA in CS/IT/Electronics. Agricultural Field Officer: 4-year B.Sc. Agriculture / Horticulture / Animal Husbandry / Veterinary Science / Dairy Science / Agri Engg / Forestry / Fisheries / Pisciculture / Food Science / Agri Marketing & Co-op / Co-operation & Banking / Agri-Business Management. Rajbhasha Adhikari: PG in Hindi with English as a subject at graduation OR PG in Sanskrit with Hindi and English as subjects at graduation OR PG in English/Economics/Commerce with Hindi medium and English as a subject at graduation. Law Officer: Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) with enrolment as an advocate with Bar Council. HR/Personnel Officer: Graduate + 2-year full-time PG Degree or PG Diploma in Personnel Management / Industrial Relations / HR / HRD / Social Work / Labour Law. Marketing Officer: Graduate + 2-year full-time MMS (Marketing) / MBA (Marketing) / PGDBA / PGDBM / PGPM / PGDM with specialisation in Marketing. Age: 20 to 30 years as on the cut-off date specified in the notification (typically 1st November of the recruitment year). Age relaxation: SC/ST +5 years (up to 35), OBC +3 years (up to 33), PwBD +10 years over and above category relaxation, Ex-servicemen relaxation as per Government rules. Nationality: Citizen of India OR subject of Nepal/Bhutan OR Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 OR person of Indian origin migrated from specified countries with intent of permanently settling in India. Categories (b)-(d) require an eligibility certificate from the Government of India..
What is the IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) exam pattern?
Preliminary Examination (screening only; not applicable for Law/Rajbhasha) covers Four sections. For IT/Agri/HR/Marketing streams: English Language · Reasoning · Quantitative Aptitude · Professional Knowledge (stream-specific). For Law/Rajbhasha streams: English Language · Reasoning · General Awareness with special reference to Banking Industry (replaces Quant) · Professional Knowledge. 100 multiple-choice questions (English 25 · Reasoning 25 · Quant or GA 25 · Professional Knowledge 25) questions for 125 marks (English 25 · Reasoning 25 · Quant or GA 25 · Professional Knowledge 50) marks, with negative marking of 0.25 mark deducted per wrong answer; no penalty for unattempted questions.
Is the IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) mock test on Kamiyab really free?
Yes, completely free. No payment and no hidden charges — every IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) full mock on Kamiyab is free to use.
Do I need to create an account to attempt the IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) mock test?
Yes — you sign in (free) with your mobile number or Google before starting a IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) mock. It takes a few seconds and lets us save your scores and weak-topic insights.
How many questions are there in the IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) mock test?
A Full Mock is built to match the real IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) exam pattern and timing — a complete, full-length paper. You can also practise a single topic on its own for a shorter, focused session.
Which subjects and topics are covered for IBPS SO (Specialist Officer)?
5 topics are covered for IBPS SO (Specialist Officer), including Reasoning Ability, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and more. Each topic can be practised on its own or combined into a full-length mock.
Are the IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) questions reliable and up to date with the latest syllabus?
Every question is hand-curated and kept aligned with the current official IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) syllabus, each with a short explanation. When the exam body revises the syllabus, the question bank is updated so you are not practising removed or out-of-syllabus topics.
Do I get the correct answers and explanations for IBPS SO (Specialist Officer)?
Yes. After you submit the test, every question shows the correct option along with a short explanation, so you can review and fix weak areas immediately.
Will the IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) mock test work on a low-end phone or slow connection?
Yes. Kamiyab runs in any modern mobile browser with no app install. The timer, scoring and explanations all work on basic Android phones and on slow networks.
How should I use Kamiyab to prepare for IBPS SO (Specialist Officer)?
Practise a single topic daily for focused revision, then take a full-length mock to simulate the real IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) timer and pressure. Read the explanations after every test and re-practise the topics where you score low.