IBPS PO & Clerk 2026 — Cutoff, Syllabus & Dates

Exam Pattern

Prelims & Mains — Section-Wise.

Select an exam below to see its full paper structure. All three follow a two-phase model: Prelims (qualifying) → Mains (merit-based), with an Interview stage for PO and SO.

IBPS PO Prelims — 1 hour · 100 questions · 100 marks. Qualifying only; marks don't count for merit.

Section	Questions	Marks	Time
English Language	30	30	20 min
Quantitative Aptitude	35	30	20 min
Reasoning Ability	35	40	20 min
Total (Prelims)	100	100	60 min

IBPS PO Mains — 3 hrs 10 min · 172 questions (170 objective + 2 descriptive) · 225 marks total. Revised pattern (current cycle).

Section	Questions	Marks	Time
Reasoning	40	60	45 min
General/Economy/Banking/Digital/Financial Awareness (incl. RBI Circulars)	50	60	35 min
English Language	40	20	35 min
Data Analysis & Interpretation	40	60	45 min
Descriptive (Essay + Comprehension)	2	25	30 min
Total (Mains)	172	225	3h 10m

Interview Round
Candidates who qualify both sectional and overall Mains cut-offs are shortlisted for a face-to-face interview. The interview carries 100 marks, with a minimum qualifying mark of 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWBD candidates).

Final Selection
The final merit list is prepared strictly based on the performance in the Mains examination and Interview. The weightage ratio for Mains and Interview is 80:20, respectively.

IBPS Clerk Prelims — 1 hour · 100 questions · 100 marks. Qualifying only.

Section	Questions	Marks	Time
English Language	30	30	20 min
Numerical Ability	35	35	20 min
Reasoning Ability	35	35	20 min
Total (Prelims)	100	100	60 min

IBPS Clerk Mains — 2 hours · 155 questions · 200 marks. Negative marking: 0.25 per wrong answer. Bilingual (English + Hindi) except the English Language section. No interview for Clerk.

Section	Questions	Marks	Time
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude	40	60	35 min
English Language	40	40	35 min
Quantitative Aptitude	35	50	30 min
General / Financial Awareness	40	50	20 min
Total (Mains)	155	200	120 min

IBPS SO Phase I (Prelims) — online MCQ test with separate 20-minute sectional time limits; pattern differs by post.

Prelims Pattern — Law Officer & Rajbhasha Adhikari

Section	Questions	Marks	Duration
Reasoning	25	25	20 min
English Language	25	25	20 min
General Awareness (Special Reference to Banking Industry)	25	25	20 min
Professional Knowledge	25	50	20 min
Total	100	125	80 min

* Prelims pattern for IT Officer, AFO, Marketing Officer & HR/Personnel Officer to be updated once confirmed.

IBPS SO Phase II (Mains) — pattern differs by post, with a dedicated Professional Knowledge paper for each.

Mains Pattern — IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR Officer & Marketing Officer

Subject	Questions	Marks	Duration
English Language	30	30	25 min
Reasoning	40	40	35 min
Quantitative Aptitude	30	30	25 min
Professional Knowledge	50	100	40 min
Total	150	200	125 min

Mains Pattern — Law Officer

Subject	Questions	Marks	Duration
English Language	30	30	25 min
Reasoning	40	40	35 min
General Awareness (Banking)	30	30	20 min
Professional Knowledge (Objective)	50	100	45 min
Descriptive Paper (English)	2	25	30 min
Grand Total	152	225	155 min

Mains Pattern — Rajbhasha Adhikari

Subject	Questions	Marks	Duration
English Language	30	30	25 min
Reasoning	40	40	35 min
General Awareness (Banking)	30	30	20 min
Professional Knowledge (Objective)	50	100	45 min
Professional Knowledge (Descriptive)	2	25	30 min
Grand Total	152	225	155 min

Interview Round
Like PO, IBPS SO selection includes an Interview after Mains for all posts. Final merit is Mains (80%) + Interview (20%), same weighting as PO — there is no interview-free SO track.

Marking Scheme (all three exams): Each correct answer carries the marks assigned to that question. A penalty of 0.25 marks is deducted for every wrong answer. Unattempted questions carry no penalty. There is no sectional time limit in Clerk Prelims — the 60 minutes is shared across all three sections. PO Prelims and Mains have per-section time limits.

Syllabus

What To Actually Study.

Common across PO and Clerk, with an additional Professional Knowledge paper for SO. Master these five areas and you're covered for all three exams. Thinkoraa's IBPS coaching covers every section with dedicated faculty, live classes, and weekly mock tests.

Reasoning Ability

High-weightage in both Prelims & Mains

Puzzles & Seating Arrangement

● Floor-based & box-based puzzles

● Circular & linear seating arrangement

● Day/month scheduling puzzles

Core Logical Reasoning

● Syllogism (traditional & coded)

● Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations

● Inequality (direct & coded)

Input-Output & Miscellaneous

● Machine Input-Output

● Direction Sense, Order & Ranking

● Verbal Reasoning (statements, assumptions & conclusions)

Quantitative Aptitude

Numerical Ability in Clerk; DI-heavy in PO Mains

Arithmetic

● Percentage, Profit & Loss, SI/CI, Time-Work

● Time-Speed-Distance, Averages, Ratio & Proportion

● Mixtures & Alligations, Partnership

Algebra & Number Series

● Quadratic Equations, Linear Equations

● Number Series (missing/wrong number)

● Simplification & Approximation

Data Interpretation & Sufficiency

● Tabular, bar, pie, line & caselet DI sets

● Data Sufficiency (PO/SO Mains)

● Mensuration (2D/3D)

English Language

Grammar, RC, and cloze tests

Reading & Vocabulary

● Reading Comprehension — 1-2 passages in Prelims, 2-3 in Mains

● Cloze Test, Fill in the Blanks

Grammar & Error Detection

● Error Spotting, Sentence Improvement

● Sentence Correction

Sentence & Passage Structure

● Para Jumbles, Sentence Rearrangement

● Descriptive: Essay + Comprehension (PO Mains only)

General & Banking Awareness

Only in Mains; most students underestimate it

Banking Fundamentals

● Banking terms & abbreviations (NPA, CRR, SLR, KYC)

● Types of accounts, negotiable instruments, banking ombudsman

RBI & Monetary Policy

● RBI functions & organizational structure

● Monetary policy tools: repo, reverse repo, CRR, SLR

● Basel norms, SARFAESI, NPA classification, NBFC basics

Current Affairs & Static GK

● Current Affairs — last 4-6 months before the exam

● Government schemes, budget highlights, economic surveys

● Static GK: Countries, capitals, headquarters, awards

Computer Aptitude

Clubbed with Reasoning in PO & Clerk Mains

Hardware & Software

● Fundamentals: Hardware, software, input/output devices

● Operating systems, memory types, storage

Internet & Networking

● Internet concepts, networking basics

● Cybersecurity terms, email etiquette

MS Office & Shortcuts

● MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

● Keyboard shortcuts and abbreviations (RAM, ROM, CPU, etc.)

For IBPS SO candidates: the Professional Knowledge paper carries the highest weightage in Phase II (100 out of 200/225 marks). The other objective sections (Reasoning, English, Quant/GA) are qualifying in nature — final merit listing is based on the Professional Knowledge score once candidates clear the qualifying cutoffs. IT Officers should cover DBMS, OS, networks, and programming fundamentals. Law Officers need Indian Contract Act, CPC, Banking Laws (RBI Act, SARFAESI, PMLA). HR Officers focus on Labour Laws, HR concepts, and industrial relations. Marketing Officers cover marketing management, consumer behaviour, and advertising theory.

Expected Timeline

IBPS 2026-27 Calendar.

Based on the official IBPS Calendar 2026-27 and released CRP PO, Clerk, and SPL notifications. Verify final shift/city details at ibps.in.

June – August 2026

IBPS CRP Notifications Released POClerkSO

IBPS released official CRP notifications for PO/MT-XVI (30 June), SPL-XVI (SO), and CSA-XVI (Clerk, 1 Aug). Registration windows for PO and SO have closed; Clerk applications close 21 August.

August 2026

IBPS PO Prelims & SO Prelims POSO

PO and SO Prelims held across multiple shifts in August. Admit card released 10–15 days before exam date.

August – September 2026

PO/SO Prelims Results & Clerk Applications Close POSOClerk

PO and SO Prelims results declared with qualifying scores and Mains shortlists. Clerk (CSA-XVI) application window (1–21 Aug) closes.

4 October 2026

IBPS PO Mains PO

PO Mains (Objective + Descriptive) conducted.

10–11 October 2026

IBPS Clerk (CSA-XVI) Prelims Clerk

Clerk Prelims conducted across multiple shifts.

1 November 2026

IBPS SO Mains (Phase II) SO

Specialist Officer Phase II (Professional Knowledge Mains) conducted. Phase II results define the interview shortlist.

27 December 2026

IBPS Clerk (CSA-XVI) Mains Clerk

Clerk Mains conducted. Final merit for Clerk is based on this Mains score — no interview.

December 2026 – January 2027

PO Interview & SO Interview POSO

PO and SO Mains shortlisted candidates appear for a 100-mark interview conducted by participating banks.

February – March 2027

Final Results & Provisional Allotment POClerkSO

Final merit list and provisional allotment to banks released for all three exams. PO and SO merit = 80% Mains + 20% Interview. Clerk merit = 100% Mains score.

Eligibility

Can You Apply?

Educational qualification, age, and nationality decide eligibility. The criteria are broadly similar across PO, Clerk, and SO — with key differences in age limits and domain qualifications for SO. Our coaching team in Surat and Vadodara helps aspirants verify eligibility and plan their exam calendar before enrollment.

Educational Qualification

A Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognized university. For SO roles, a degree in the relevant discipline (e.g., B.E./B.Tech for IT Officer, LLB for Law Officer) is required. No minimum percentage specified for PO/Clerk.

Age Limits

PO: 20–30 years. Clerk: 20–28 years. SO: 20–30 years (varies by post). Upper age relaxation: +5 yrs (SC/ST), +3 yrs (OBC), +10 yrs (PwD), and additional relaxation for Ex-Servicemen and widows.

Nationality

Citizen of India, or subjects of Nepal or Bhutan, or Tibetan refugees who came before January 1962, or persons of Indian origin from specified countries who've migrated for permanent settlement — are eligible.

Computer Literacy

Proficiency in Computer operations is mandatory for both IBPS Clerk and IBPS PO. For SO, it is desirable. Certificate in computer operation or computer science as a subject in degree is typically sufficient.

Local Language Proficiency

For Clerk positions, proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking the official language of the state of the vacancy is typically required. PO and SO candidates may also be asked to demonstrate this at interview.

Final-Year Students

Students appearing in their final semester/year of degree can apply provisionally — they must produce their degree certificate before the cutoff date specified by IBPS at the time of document verification/joining.

Important: Age is calculated as on a reference date mentioned in each official notification (typically June 1 of the notification year). Candidates must verify the specific cutoff date in the official advertisement. IBPS does not accept applications from candidates with a history of misconduct or conviction in a court of law.

Selection Process

Prelims. Mains. Then What?

The stage flow differs for Clerk versus PO/SO — Clerk has no interview at all, while PO and SO both include a Mains + Interview combination for final merit.

IBPS PO — Prelims → Mains → Interview

Prelims is qualifying only. Mains marks (out of 225) plus a 100-mark Interview decide the final merit list, weighted 80:20 (Mains:Interview). Candidates must clear sectional and overall cutoffs at every stage, then a minimum 40% in the interview (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWBD) to stay in contention.

IBPS Clerk — Prelims → Mains → Final Merit

Clerk has no Interview or GD stage. Prelims qualifies candidates for Mains, and the Mains score alone (out of 200) determines the final merit list and provisional allotment to a participating bank.

IBPS SO — Prelims → Mains → Interview

Same three-stage structure as PO for every SO post (IT Officer, Law Officer, HR Officer, Marketing Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Agriculture Field Officer). Mains is dominated by the Professional Knowledge paper, and the interview is again weighted 80:20 with Mains for final merit — there is no interview-free SO post.

Note: The current IBPS pattern does not include a separate Group Discussion (GD) round for PO or SO — selection after Mains is a direct Personal Interview. Always cross-check the stage flow against the year's official notification, since IBPS can revise the process cycle to cycle.

Pay & Perks

Salary Structure & Benefits.

IBPS salaries include basic pay, Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA), City Compensatory Allowance (CCA), and other perquisites. The gross CTC varies by city classification.

Probationary Officer

IBPS PO

₹90,000+

Approx. gross salary / month (metro, before deductions)

Basic Pay: ₹48,480/month (Scale I)

Scale: ₹48480-2000/7-62480-2340/2-67160-2680/7-85920

CTC approx. ₹11–12 LPA at joining

Eligible for promotion to Scale II (Manager) in 3–4 years

DA, HRA, CCA, Medical & Travel Allowances

Pension, PF, Gratuity, and LFC benefits

Clerical Cadre

IBPS Clerk

₹40,000+

Approx. gross take-home / month (metro)

Basic Pay: ₹24,050/month (Clerk Scale)

Scale: ₹24050-1340/3-28070-1650/3-33020-2000/4-41020-2340/7-57400-4400/1-61800-2680/1-64480 (20 years)

CTC approx. ₹4.5–6.0 LPA at joining

Promotion possible to Officer cadre via internal tests (JAIIB/CAIIB)

DA, HRA, CCA, Medical & other allowances

Pension, PF, and Gratuity benefits

Specialist Officer

IBPS SO

₹90,000+

Approx. gross salary / month (metro, before deductions)

Basic Pay: ₹48,480/month (Scale I)

Scale: ₹48480-2000/7-62480-2340/2-67160-2680/7-85920

CTC approx. ₹11–12 LPA (Scale I)

Domain expertise may accelerate growth to senior roles

DA, HRA, CCA, Professional Allowance

Pension, PF, Gratuity, and LFC benefits

Additional benefits across all posts: Free or subsidized health insurance (self and family), subsidized home loan interest rates from the employing bank, Leave Travel Concession (LTC/LFC), earned leave encashment, and a defined-benefit pension under the National Pension System (NPS). Gross pay also includes Special Allowance and quarterly DA revision. Take-home varies by city classification (Metro, Urban, Semi-Urban, Rural) and by specific bank.

Previous Year Data

IBPS Cutoff Marks
2023–2025 — Subject Wise

Sectional + overall cutoffs across PO, Clerk, and SO — last 3 years, all categories. Use this to set your target score per section.

Note: PO Prelims has sectional cutoffs (Reasoning, Quant, English) + overall. Mains has sectional cutoffs + overall for merit list. Interview + Mains weighted 80:20 for final merit.

General/UR

OBC

EWS

Prelims — Category-Wise Cutoff (out of 100)

Section	Max Marks	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS	HI	OC	VI	ID
Overall Prelims	100	49.21	49.21	45.96	40.96	49.21	20.61	33.57	21.65	21.83

Mains — Category-Wise Cutoff on Total (out of 225)

Section	Max Marks	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS	HI	OC	VI	ID
Overall Mains	225	75.75	75.75	59.00	51.75	72.50	38.75	50.75	45.00	35.75

General/UR

OBC

EWS

Prelims — Sectional Cutoff (out of respective max)

Section	Max Marks	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Prelims	100	52.50	47.25	38.00	29.50	50.50

Mains — Category-Wise Cutoff on Total (out of 225)

Section	Max Marks	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS	HI	OC	VI	ID
Overall Mains	225	66.50	66.00	54.25	47.50	64.75	23.50	46.00	37.75	35.25

Prelims — Category-Wise Cutoff (out of 100)

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS	HI	OC	VI	ID
Overall Prelims	100	54.25	54.25	49.50	43.00	54.25	21.75	42.50	39.00	20.25

Mains — Category-Wise Cutoff on Total (out of 225)

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS	HI	OC	VI	ID
Overall Mains	225	63.00	62.25	50.25	41.00	61.00	28.75	45.75	47.50	37.00

Note: Clerk Prelims has sectional + overall cutoffs. Mains cutoff is used directly for final merit — no interview for Clerk. State-wise cutoffs vary; figures below are national averages.

Prelims — Sectional Cutoff

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Prelims	100	62.75	56.50	45.25	35.00	60.25

Mains — Sectional + Overall (Final Merit)

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Mains	190	89.50	78.25	58.00	44.75	86.75

Prelims — Sectional Cutoff

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Prelims	100	62.75	56.50	45.25	35.00	60.25

Mains — Sectional + Overall (Final Merit)

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Mains	190	89.50	78.25	58.00	44.75	86.75

Prelims

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Prelims	100	65.00	58.25	47.50	37.25	62.75

Mains

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Mains	190	92.75	81.50	61.00	47.25	90.00

Note: SO (Specialist Officer) has Prelims + Mains + Interview, same structure as PO. Cutoffs vary by post — IT Officer, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari. Figures below are for IT Officer Scale I (most applied post). Final merit = Mains (80%) + Interview (20%).

Prelims — IT Officer Scale I

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Prelims	150	56.25	49.50	37.75	29.25	54.00

Mains — Professional Knowledge (IT Officer)

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Mains	60	22.50	19.75	15.25	12.00	21.75

Prelims — IT Officer Scale I

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Prelims	150	56.25	49.50	37.75	29.25	54.00

Mains — Professional Knowledge (IT Officer)

Section	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Mains	60	22.50	19.75	15.25	12.00	21.75

Section / Stage	Max	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
Overall Prelims	150	58.50	51.75	39.25	30.50	56.00

Previous Year Analysis

What Recent Papers Are Actually Rewarding.

Qualitative patterns observed across recent IBPS PO, Clerk, and SO cycles — useful for deciding where to invest practice time.

Reasoning Puzzles

● Puzzle & seating-arrangement sets in recent Mains papers have leaned toward multi-variable, condition-heavy formats rather than single-parameter puzzles

● Candidates who practise only Prelims-level puzzles are consistently caught off guard by the jump in complexity at Mains

● Time management within Reasoning now matters as much as accuracy, since 2-3 tough sets can eat a disproportionate share of the section time

Banking & General Awareness

● This section keeps rewarding a daily current-affairs habit far more than last-minute revision — questions frequently reference events from the preceding 4-6 months

● RBI circulars, monetary policy announcements, and government scheme updates show up repeatedly across cycles

● Static GK questions have not disappeared — they remain a smaller but steady share alongside current affairs

Data Interpretation (Mains)

● DI sets in PO and Clerk Mains have stayed calculation-heavy — the difficulty comes from the arithmetic involved, not just interpreting the data

● Caselet and mixed-chart DI (combining two chart types in one set) appear regularly and take longer to parse than pure numeric tables

● Strong calculation speed (approximation, tables) pays off disproportionately here compared to other Quant topics

English Language

● Reading Comprehension passages in Mains increasingly test inference and vocabulary-in-context rather than direct fact retrieval

● New-pattern question types (sentence-based error detection, phrase replacement) recur alongside the traditional formats

● Consistent daily reading habits matter more here than last-minute grammar rule memorization

Takeaway: These are qualitative trends, not guarantees for the next cycle — IBPS varies emphasis year to year. See the Cutoffs section above for the actual year-by-year sectional and overall marks.

Preparation Strategy

A Plan For Where You're Starting From.

PO, Clerk, and SO share a large overlapping syllabus across the Prelims-Mains structure — how you prepare should depend on your starting point, not just your target post.

Beginner (First Attempt)

Build Quant and Reasoning fundamentals topic by topic before attempting full mocks. Start a daily current-affairs and RC-reading habit early — Banking Awareness and English reward consistency far more than cramming. Since PO, Clerk, and SO Prelims share the same core syllabus, prep for one strengthens the others.

Intermediate (Cleared a Prelims Before)

Shift focus to Mains-level difficulty — tougher puzzles, calculation-heavy DI, and the Banking/General Awareness paper. Start sectional practice to find weak topics, and begin tracking an error log after every mock rather than just taking more tests.

Advanced (Targeting PO/SO Interview Stage)

Push Mains speed and accuracy together — sectional cutoffs at Mains matter as much as the overall score. Once Mains is done, shift preparation toward the Interview: current affairs, your academic/professional background, and (for SO) Professional Knowledge fundamentals for the interview panel.

Working Professional (Limited Daily Hours)

Time-box study — an hour or two on weekdays, longer sessions on weekends. Prioritize the shared high-weightage topics (Puzzles, Arithmetic, Current Affairs) that carry across PO, Clerk, and SO Prelims first, and use commute time for current-affairs reading rather than new topic learning.

FAQ

Common Questions.

What is the IBPS PO 2026 exam date?+

IBPS PO Prelims 2026 is scheduled for 22–23 August 2026, followed by Mains on 4 October 2026, and the interview/provisional allotment around December 2026 – January 2027. Confirm your shift and city at ibps.in.

What is the difference between IBPS PO, Clerk, and SO?+

IBPS PO (Probationary Officer) is an officer-level role (Scale I) with a starting basic pay of ₹48,480/month and a management track. IBPS Clerk is a clerical cadre role with a starting basic of ₹24,050/month — but can be promoted to officer cadre via internal exams. IBPS SO is for domain-specific roles (IT, Law, HR, Marketing, Agriculture, Rajbhasha) and also starts at Scale I (₹48,480/month) with direct domain responsibility. PO and SO have interview stages; Clerk does not.

What is the IBPS negative marking scheme?+

All three exams carry a penalty of 0.25 marks (one-fourth of the marks assigned to that question) for every wrong answer in objective sections. There is no negative marking for unattempted questions. The descriptive section of PO mains [ESSAY + RC] is of qualifying nature only. You must clear a certain score to qualify for the interview.

Who is eligible for IBPS PO 2026?+

Candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognized university. Age must be between 20–30 years as of the reference date in the notification (relaxation: +5 years for SC/ST, +3 years for OBC). Final-year students can apply provisionally. There is no minimum percentage requirement for PO.

What is the salary of an IBPS PO?+

An IBPS PO starts with a basic pay of ₹48,480/month. Including DA, HRA, CCA, and other allowances, the gross salary in a metro city is approximately ₹90,000+ per month before deductions (in-hand after deductions is typically ₹74,000–76,000) — roughly ₹11–12 LPA CTC at joining. The pay scale allows progression from ₹48,480 to ₹85,920 over the years, and promotion to Scale II (Manager) is possible in 3–4 years with good performance.

Can I apply for both IBPS PO and Clerk simultaneously?+

Yes, you can apply for and appear in both IBPS PO and IBPS Clerk in the same cycle — provided you meet the eligibility criteria for each. Since the Prelims for both are held on different dates, there is no scheduling conflict in most cycles. Many students prepare for both simultaneously as the syllabi largely overlap.

Which banks participate in IBPS recruitment?+

IBPS currently recruits for 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 & Sind Bank, Punjab National Bank, UCO Bank, and Union Bank of India. Note: SBI, RBI, and NABARD conduct their own separate recruitment exams and are not part of IBPS CRP.

Is there a limit on the number of attempts for IBPS PO, Clerk, or SO?+

IBPS does not fix a lifetime attempt limit — you can apply in every recruitment cycle as long as you meet that year's age and qualification criteria. The real constraint is the upper age limit (PO: 30 years, Clerk: 28 years, SO: typically up to 30 depending on post, plus applicable category relaxations), which effectively caps how many cycles you can attempt.

Are calculators allowed in the IBPS exam?+

No. Physical calculators, log tables, and mobile phones are not permitted inside the exam hall for IBPS PO, Clerk, or SO. Quantitative Aptitude/Numerical Ability and Data Interpretation questions must be solved manually. Rough sheets are provided at the centre and must be returned before leaving.

What is considered a good score in IBPS Prelims and Mains?+

There's no single fixed "good score" — it depends on that year's difficulty level and the category-wise cutoff (see the Cutoffs section on this page for actual PO, Clerk, and SO figures from 2023-2025). As a general benchmark, aim to score comfortably above the General category cutoff in every individual section, not just the overall total, since IBPS applies both sectional and overall cutoffs at Prelims and Mains.

What is the application fee for IBPS PO, Clerk, and SO?+

IBPS charges a non-refundable online application fee for General/OBC/EWS candidates, and a separate, lower intimation-charges-only fee for SC/ST/PWBD/Ex-Servicemen candidates. The exact amount differs slightly between PO, Clerk, and SO and is specified in each official notification released on ibps.in — always check the current notification before paying, since fees and category-wise concessions can be revised each cycle.

What does the IBPS PO/SO interview involve, and does IBPS Clerk have an interview?+

IBPS Clerk selection ends at Mains — there is no Interview or Group Discussion stage; final merit is based purely on the Mains score. For PO and SO, candidates who clear the sectional and overall Mains cutoffs are called for a 100-mark Personal Interview conducted by the participating banks, covering communication skills, general/current affairs awareness, and (for SO posts) domain knowledge relevant to the role. Qualifying marks are 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWBD). The current IBPS pattern does not include a separate GD round for PO or SO — final merit is Mains (80%) + Interview (20%).

IBPS PO · Clerk · SO.
Everything
In One Place.

Prelims & Mains — Section-Wise.

What To Actually Study.

Reasoning Ability

Quantitative Aptitude

English Language

General & Banking Awareness

Computer Aptitude

IBPS 2026-27 Calendar.

Can You Apply?

Educational Qualification

Age Limits

Nationality

Computer Literacy

Local Language Proficiency

Final-Year Students

Prelims. Mains. Then What?

IBPS PO — Prelims → Mains → Interview

IBPS Clerk — Prelims → Mains → Final Merit

IBPS SO — Prelims → Mains → Interview

Salary Structure & Benefits.

IBPS Cutoff Marks
2023–2025 — Subject Wise

What Recent Papers Are Actually Rewarding.

Reasoning Puzzles

Banking & General Awareness

Data Interpretation (Mains)

English Language

A Plan For Where You're Starting From.

Beginner (First Attempt)

Intermediate (Cleared a Prelims Before)

Advanced (Targeting PO/SO Interview Stage)

Working Professional (Limited Daily Hours)

Start Your
Bank Exam Prep.

Common Questions.

Know The Exam.
Now Build The Plan.

Thinkoraa — Surat & Vadodara Centres

IBPS PO · Clerk · SO.EverythingIn One Place.

Prelims & Mains — Section-Wise.

What To Actually Study.

Reasoning Ability

Quantitative Aptitude

English Language

General & Banking Awareness

Computer Aptitude

IBPS 2026-27 Calendar.

Can You Apply?

Educational Qualification

Age Limits

Nationality

Computer Literacy

Local Language Proficiency

Final-Year Students

Prelims. Mains. Then What?

IBPS PO — Prelims → Mains → Interview

IBPS Clerk — Prelims → Mains → Final Merit

IBPS SO — Prelims → Mains → Interview

Salary Structure & Benefits.

IBPS Cutoff Marks2023–2025 — Subject Wise

What Recent Papers Are Actually Rewarding.

Reasoning Puzzles

Banking & General Awareness

Data Interpretation (Mains)

English Language

A Plan For Where You're Starting From.

Beginner (First Attempt)

Intermediate (Cleared a Prelims Before)

Advanced (Targeting PO/SO Interview Stage)

Working Professional (Limited Daily Hours)

Start YourBank Exam Prep.

Common Questions.

You Might Also Be Preparing For

Know The Exam.Now Build The Plan.

Thinkoraa — Surat & Vadodara Centres

IBPS PO · Clerk · SO.
Everything
In One Place.

IBPS Cutoff Marks
2023–2025 — Subject Wise

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