IBPS PO
Recruits Probationary Officers (entry-level Scale I officers) for the participating public sector banks such as Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank and Union Bank of India.
Eligibility
A graduate degree in any discipline from a recognised university; final-year students are generally not eligible, as the degree must be held by the registration closing date. Age 20–30 years, with upper-age relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC (non-creamy layer) and 10 years for PwBD. There is no cap on the number of attempts.
Age limit: 20–30 years (relaxation as per Government of India norms)
Exam pattern
Three stages: online prelims, online mains and interview. Prelims is 100 objective questions in 60 minutes across English, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning, each with a separate 20-minute timer; it is qualifying only. Mains has an objective paper of around 145–170 questions for 200 marks (Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, Data Analysis & Interpretation, General/Economy/Banking Awareness, English) plus a 25-mark typed descriptive test (essay and letter/comprehension). Negative marking is 0.25 of the marks for each wrong answer. Final merit uses mains and interview scores in an 80:20 ratio; the interview carries 100 marks.
Syllabus at a glance
Reasoning (puzzles, seating arrangement, syllogism, inequality, coding-decoding, blood relations, input-output, data sufficiency), Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation (simplification, number series, arithmetic, caselet and tabular/graph data), and English (reading comprehension, cloze test, error spotting, para-jumbles). Mains adds Computer Aptitude, banking and economy awareness, current affairs of the last 4–6 months, and descriptive writing.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CRP PO/MT-XVI Mains result (2026 cycle) | Late Oct–Nov 2026 (expected) | expected |
| CRP PO/MT-XVI Interviews | Nov 2026–Jan 2027 (expected) | expected |
| CRP PO/MT-XVI Provisional allotment | Apr 2027 (expected) | expected |
| CRP PO/MT-XVII notification and registration (2027 cycle) | Jul 2027 (expected) | expected |
| CRP PO/MT-XVII Prelims | Aug 2027 (expected, per usual IBPS calendar) | expected |
| CRP PO/MT-XVII Mains | Oct 2027 (expected) | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations – R.S. Aggarwal
- Fast Track Objective Arithmetic – Rajesh Verma (Arihant)
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning – R.S. Aggarwal
- Analytical Reasoning – M.K. Pandey
- Objective General English – S.P. Bakshi (Arihant)
- Banking Awareness – Arihant Experts
How toppers play it
- Prelims has 20-minute sectional timers and sectional cut-offs, so practise each section as a separate 20-minute sprint; aim for roughly 20–22 accurate English, 22–25 Quant and 25+ Reasoning attempts.
- In Reasoning, attempt the single-line questions (inequality, syllogism, coding) first, then the 2–3 most approachable puzzles; skip any puzzle not cracked in 4 minutes.
- Mains rewards accuracy over attempts under 0.25 negative marking; in Data Analysis & Interpretation, choose the 3–4 easiest caselets/sets rather than starting every set.
- Prepare banking awareness (RBI policy rates, regulators, schemes) and 4–6 months of current affairs as one-liners; this section is the quickest scoring area in mains.
- Practise typing essays and letters within the time limit; the descriptive test has its own qualifying cut-off.