Overview
IBPS PO (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Probationary Officer) is a national-level competitive exam conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) to recruit candidates for the post of Probationary Officer/ Management Trainee in various public sector banks in India.
The exam is conducted in three stages: Preliminary exam, Main exam, and Interview. Candidates who qualify in all three stages and fulfill the eligibility criteria are selected for the post of Probationary Officer in the participating banks.
Eligibility Criteria for Bank PO exam
There are certain eligibility criteria which have to be met in order to appear for a Bank PO exam. Although the criteria may vary from bank to bank, listed below are some of the common criteria which have to be met, irrespective of the banks.
| Age of the applicant | 20 years to 30 years* |
| Nationality of the applicant | Indian** |
| Educational qualification of the applicant | Should have a graduation degree from a recognized university |
*The age bracket mentioned above is applicable to applicants belonging to the General category only. An age relaxation of 3 years is applicable for applicants belonging to OBC category. On the other hand, applicants belonging to SC or ST category will get an age relaxation of 5 years.
** The nationality or citizenship of the applicant who appears for the IBPS CWE or Bank PO examination can be one of the following:
- Indian
- A subject of Nepal or Bhutan
- A Tibetan refugee who entered India for permanent settlement before 1 January 1962
- Person of Indian Origin (PIO) who has migrated from Pakistan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, or one of the listed East African countries.
IBPS PO Exam Pattern
IBPS introduced separate sectional timing for each section in the preliminary exam. The IBPS PO exam (CRP XIII) for hiring candidates will be based on an online written exam in two parts: Tier 1 or IBPS Preliminary Exam and Tier 2 or IBPS Mains Exam. This examination is followed by a face-to-face interview process.
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Pattern
The IBPS PO preliminary examination has a total duration of 1 hour and 20 minutes for each section, which will be conducted in online mode. It consists of 3 sections with a total of 100 questions and a maximum score of 100 marks. There is a negative marking in the IBPS PO pre-exam and 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer. Candidates must clear the cut-off in all 3 sections to qualify for the IBPS PO Main exam. The section-wise details are given below:
| IBPS PO Prelims Exam Pattern | ||||
| S.No. | Name of Tests(Objective | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| 3 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes | |
Candidates have to qualify in each of the three tests by securing minimum cut-off marks to be decided by IBPS. The adequate number of candidates in each category as decided by IBPS depending upon requirements will be shortlisted for Online Main Examination.
IBPS PO Mains Exam Pattern
The IBPO PO Main exam is also conducted online, it has 5(4+1) sections with a total score of 200+25 marks and total duration of 180+30 minutes. IBPS will be conducting a descriptive paper in its mains exam for selection of candidates to the post of Probationary Officer. The sections must be attempted in the same order and the allotted time as mandated at the time of the exam. A candidate has to clear both preliminary and mains examinations to be eligible for the interview process.
| IBPS PO Mains Exam Pattern | ||||
| S.No. | Name of Tests(Objective | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1 | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 minutes |
| 2 | English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 minutes |
| 3 | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| 4 | General Economy & Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 3 Hours | |
| 5 | English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) | 2 | 25 | 30 minutes |
Penalty for Wrong Answers: There is a penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests of both Preliminary and Mains exams. A wrong answer to an objective question by the candidate will lead to a penalty of one-fourth of the marks assigned to that question. For example, 0.25 marks will be deducted as a penalty for a wrong answer to a question that carries 1 mark. There will be no penalty for leaving a question blank, i.e. if no answer is marked by the candidate.
IBPS PO Interview
The candidates who have qualified for the mains exam are called for a face to face interview which carries a maximum of 100 marks. The minimum qualifying mark in the interview is 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWD candidates).
The interview round is generally 15-20 minutes long, where a panel of bank officials ask questions to the candidates about themselves, banking sector, current affairs, general awareness, etc. The candidates must be well dressed, confident and carry all required documents to the interview.
The final merit list is prepared on the basis of marks obtained in the main examination and interview. The final score is calculated by IBPS with weightage of marks given to the main examination and interview in the ratio of 80:20 respectively.
Final Score Calculation for IBPS PO Exam
The final score for the IBPS PO exam is calculated keeping the following points in mind:
• Marks obtained in the Preliminary Exam (Tier-1) will not be considered in the final score and are only for qualifying to Mains Exam (Tier-2).
• Candidates must qualify for Phase-2 and Interview separately to be eligible for final merit.
• The weightage (ratio) of IBPS PO Main exam and interview for the final merit list will be 80:20 respectively.
• The aggregate score out of 100 is used for the final merit list for each category. Candidates with top merit rank in each category are finally selected.
IBPS PO Syllabus
IBPS PO syllabus is divided into two parts-prelims and mains. IBPS only notifies the subjects/sections for the prelims and mains exam, the topics or sub-topics in the syllabus are formulated based on the questions that have appeared in the exam over the past few years. Candidates can check below the IBPS PO syllabus for the prelims exam:
Reasoning: Logical Reasoning, Alphanumeric Series, Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test, Data Sufficiency, Coded Inequalities, Seating Arrangement, Puzzle, Syllogism, Input-Output, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relation.
Quantitative Aptitude: Simplification, Profit & Loss, Mixtures & Alligations, Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices, Work & Time, Time & Distance, Mensuration-Cylinder, Cone, Sphere, Data Interpretation, Ratio & Proportion, Percentage, Number Systems, Sequence & Series and Permutation, Combination & Probability.
English Language: Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Para jumbles, Spotting Error, Fill in the blanks, etc.
IBPS PO Application Fee
| Category | Application Fee (In INR) |
| SC/ST/PWD | 175 (Intimation Charges only) |
| General and Others | 850 (Application fee including intimation charges) |
IBPS PO Application Form
How to fill IBPS PO Online Form?
The steps to fill IBPS PO online form are given below:
- Visit the official website of IBPS
- Go to the ‘IBPS PO Advertisement’
- Register for the exam first by clicking ‘New Registration’ tab
- Fill in the required details to register
- Registration ID and password are generated
- Upload scanned photograph and signature
- Fill the basic details, personal details, and educational qualifications, enter details of computer certification courses, select the languages known, enter preferences of banks, etc
- Preview the application form
- Upload left thumb impression and handwritten declaration
- Pay the application fees
- Submit IBPS PO application form