The Institute of Banking and Personnel Selection (IBPS) is an exam conducting authority. The IBPS will recruit the candidates for the public sector banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRB) of our country. In this page complete details of IBPS exams are provided.
The IBPS history is around 45 years old. It was started in the year 1975. Initially it was known as PSS (Personnel Selection Services). The PSS was designed by the National Institute of Bank Management (NIBM). It was started as a recruitment body to encourage the selection of youngsters to the public sector banks. In 1984, the PSS had been converted into IBPS. There after the IBPS became an independent body. Earlier each bank conducted separate exams to fill their vacancies. From 2011, the recruitment process had been changed. The Head office of the IBPS is located in Mumbai (Maharashtra).
From 2011, the IBPS started to conduct common written exams to recruit the candidates. This recruitment is to fill the vacancies of various public sector banks (except SBI) and Regional Rural Banks in India.
The vision of IBPS is just simple. They are,
IBPS is the finest recruitment body of our country. Every year the candidates are applying in huge numbers for the IBPS recruitment exams. Such is the hope level developed on us. From 2011, the IBPS recruitment has been conducted in a successful manner.
The following are the services offered by the IBPS,
From 2011, the common written exams have been introduced by the IBPS. The IBPS bank recruitment will cover all the public sector banks (except SBI) and Regional Rural Banks of our country. The following are the list of Public sector banks that included in the recent IBPS bank recruitment process.
The IBPS exam process is given here in simple steps.
The IBPS recruitments are made for the following posts.
Normally the IBPS exam structure will have two important rounds. They are as follows,
For some recruitment, there will be a third round. This third round will contain interview.
There are several sections in the online exams of the IBPS recruitment. The following are the IBPS subjects covered in the exams of various stages.
The syllabus is very important for the exam preparation. The syllabus contains the individual topics included in each subject of prelims and mains exams of IBPS recruitment. Here we have added the general IBPS syllabus topics for all the subjects.
Normally a prelims level exam in IBPS recruitment will have 2 or 3 sections. For all the 3 sections, the updated syllabus is provided here. They three sections are,
All the topics are provided in the table given below. Cover every topic in this IBPS syllabus to make your preparation more effective.
| Reasoning Ability | Quantitative Aptitude | English language |
| Syllogism | Sequence & Series | Reading comprehension |
| Inequality | Simplification | Para jumbles |
| Direction sense | Ratio and proportion | Cloze test |
| Blood relation | Percentage | Fillers |
| Alpha-numeric series | Average | Error spotting |
| Order and ranking | Partnership | Paragraph completion |
| Puzzle | Quadratic equation | Sentence connectors |
| Seating arrangement | Profit and Loss | Miscellaneous |
| Input Output | Time and work | |
| Coding decoding | Pipes and cisterns | |
| Data sufficiency | Boats and stream | |
| Tabulation | Problems on age | |
| Logical reasoning | Problems on train | |
| Mixture of allegation | ||
| Time, speed & distance | ||
| Mensuration | ||
| Data interpretation | ||
| Simple and Compound interest | ||
| Permutation, combination & probability |
The mains level syllabus of the IBPS exams will have 4 to 5 sections. For all the subjects, the IBPS syllabus topics for mains level are added in the table. The mains syllabus will have slight changes compared to that of the prelims syllabus. So refer the syllabus and prepare for the mains exams with extra hard work.
| Reasoning Ability | Data analysis and interpretation | Computer Knowledge | General awareness | English language |
| Syllogism | Sequence & Series | Internet | Current affairs | Reading comprehension |
| Coded Inequality | Tabular graph | MS Office | Financial awareness | Para jumbles |
| Coded Direction sense | Line graph | Memory | Static GK | Cloze test |
| Coded Blood relation | Pie chart | Computer hardware | Banking awareness | Fillers |
| Alpha-numeric series | Bar graph | Keyboard shortcuts | Error spotting | |
| Order and ranking | Radar graph | Computer fundamentals | Paragraph completion | |
| Scheduling | Missing DI | Computer abbreviations | Sentence connectors | |
| Tabulation | Caselet DI | Computer terminologies | Word association | |
| Input Output | Data sufficiency | Operating system | Vocabulary | |
| Coding decoding | Permutation, combination & probability | Number system | Verbal ability | |
| Data sufficiency | Miscellaneous | Networking | Sentence improvement | |
| Critical reasoning | Basic of logic gates | Miscellaneous | ||
| Verbal reasoning | ||||
| Circle Seating arrangement | ||||
| Square seating arrangement | ||||
| Puzzle | ||||
| Analytical and decision making | ||||
| Course of action |
The IBPS conducts exams for the recruitment of various posts in public sector banks, except SBI. For SBI recruitment separate exams are conducted. The IBPS exam pattern will differ for various recruitments. For all these recruitments, the updated IBPS exam patterns are given here.
The IBPS clerk prelims exam pattern consists of 3 sections. They are English language, reasoning ability, and quantitative aptitude. The marking schemes are updated in the table.
| IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam Pattern | ||||
| S No. | Section | No. Of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1. | Reasoning ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| 2. | Quantitative aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| 3. | English language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 1 hour | |
The mains exam of IBPS clerk recruitment consists of 4 sections as mentioned in the table.
| IBPS Clerk Mains Exam Pattern | ||||
| S No. | Section | No. Of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1. | Reasoning ability & computer aptitude | 50 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| 2. | Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 45 minutes |
| 3. | General / Financial awareness | 50 | 50 | 35 minutes |
| 4. | General English | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| Total | 190 | 200 | 160 minutes | |
The IBPS PO prelims exam pattern is similar to that of the clerk prelims exam pattern. The marking schemes, penalty marks and sectional timings are same as that of the clerk prelims exam. The candidates clearing this stage will be selected for the IBPS PO mains stage.
| IBPS PO Prelims Exam Pattern | ||||
| S No. | Section | No. Of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1. | Reasoning ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| 2. | Quantitative aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| 3. | English language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 1 hour | |
The IBPS PO mains exam will have 4 sections and a descriptive test. The candidates clearing this stage will qualify for the final interview stage.
| IBPS PO Mains Exam Pattern | ||||
| S No. | Section | No. Of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1. | Reasoning ability & computer aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 minutes |
| 2. | Data interpretation and analysis | 35 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| 3. | General/ Economy/ Banking awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| 4. | English language | 35 | 40 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 3 hours | |
| Descriptive test: Letter and essay writing | 2 | 25 | 30 minutes | |
There are two types of prelims pattern for IBPS SO exam. For law officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari, a separate prelims pattern is there. For the posts other than these two, another separate prelims pattern is available. The candidates should clear the overall cut off and sectional cut off to move on to the next phase of selection. For each wrong answer, 1/4th of the marks are deducted as the penalty. The various posts in IBPS SO selection are,
| IBPS SO Prelims pattern for Law Officer & Rajbhasha Adhikari | ||||
| S No. | Section | No. Of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1. | Reasoning ability | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| 2. | General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| 3. | English language | 50 | 25 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 2 hours | |
| IBPS SO Prelims pattern for IT Officer, Marketing Officer, Agriculture Field Officer and HR / Personnel Officer | ||||
| S No. | Section | No. Of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1. | Reasoning ability | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| 2. | Quantitative aptitude | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| 3. | English language | 50 | 25 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 2 hours | |
Like prelims exam, the IBPS SO mains exam pattern is also available in 2 types, depending on the post. The penalty marks for each wrong answer is 1/4th of the marks assigned to that question.
| IBPS SO Mains pattern for IT Officer, Marketing Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR / Personnel Officer and Law Officer | |||
| Section | No. Of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| Professional Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| IBPS SO Mains pattern for Rajbhasha Adhikari | |||
| Section | No. Of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| Professional Knowledge (objective) | 45 | 60 | 30 minutes |
| Professional Knowledge (descriptive) | 2 | 30 minutes | |
For these prelims exams, sectional timing is not applicable. Candidates can swap through the sections as per their wish. Both sectional and overall cut offs are applicable. The wrong answer will cost you 1/4th of the marks as penalty.
| IBPS RRB Office Assistant (multipurpose) Prelims Exam Pattern | ||||
| S No. | Section | No. Of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1. | Reasoning | 40 | 40 | Composite Time Duration of 45 minutes |
| 2. | Numerical Ability | 40 | 40 | |
| Total | 80 | 80 | ||
| IBPS RRB Officer Scale I Prelims Exam Pattern | ||||
| S No. | Section | No. Of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1. | Reasoning | 40 | 40 | Composite Time Duration of 45 minutes |
| 2. | Quantitative Aptitude | 40 | 40 | |
| Total | 80 | 80 | ||
For this exam also, the candidates have to clear both overall and sectional cut offs to get qualified. The minus marks for wrong answer is 1/4th of marks allotted to the question.
| IBPS RRB Office Assistant (Multipurpose) Mains Exam Pattern | |||||
| S.No. | Section | Medium of Exam | Number of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1 | Reasoning | Hindi / English | 40 | 50 | Composite time of 2 hours |
| 2 | Computer Knowledge | Hindi / English | 40 | 20 | |
| 3 | General awareness | Hindi / English | 40 | 40 | |
| 4a* | English Language | English | 40 | 40 | |
| 4b* | Hindi Language | Hindi | 40 | 40 | |
| 5 | Numerical ability | Hindi / English | 40 | 50 | |
| Total | 200 | 200 | |||
| IBPS RRB Office Officer Scale I Mains Exam Pattern | |||||
| S.No. | Section | Medium of Exam | Number of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1 | Reasoning | Hindi / English | 40 | 50 | Composite time of 2 hours |
| 2 | Computer Knowledge | Hindi / English | 40 | 20 | |
| 3 | General awareness | Hindi / English | 40 | 40 | |
| 4a* | English Language | English | 40 | 40 | |
| 4b* | Hindi Language | Hindi | 40 | 40 | |
| 5 | Quantitative Aptitude | Hindi / English | 40 | 50 | |
| Total | 200 | 200 | |||
*Candidates can opt for either 4a or 4b section as per their choice.
For IBPS RRB officer scale II & III posts, only single exam is there. In this exam candidates have to clear both overall and sectional cut offs. The negative mark for wrong answers is 1/4th of the marks allotted to that question.
| IBPS RRB Officer Scale II (General banking Officer) Single level Exam Pattern | |||||
| S.No. | Section | Medium of Exam | Number of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1 | Reasoning | Hindi / English | 40 | 50 | Composite time of 2 hours |
| 2 | Computer Knowledge | Hindi / English | 40 | 20 | |
| 3 | Financial awareness | Hindi / English | 40 | 40 | |
| 4a* | English Language | English | 40 | 40 | |
| 4b* | Hindi Language | Hindi | 40 | 40 | |
| 5 | Quantitative aptitude & Data interpretation | Hindi / English | 40 | 50 | |
| Total | 200 | 200 | |||
| IBPS RRB Officer Scale II (Specialist Cadre) Single level Exam Pattern | |||||
| S.No. | Section | Medium of Exam | Number of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1 | Professional Knowledge | Hindi / English | 40 | 40 | Composite time of 2 hours and 30 minutes |
| 2 | Reasoning | Hindi / English | 40 | 40 | |
| 3 | Computer Knowledge | Hindi / English | 40 | 20 | |
| 4a* | English Language | English | 40 | 20 | |
| 4b* | Hindi Language | Hindi | 40 | 20 | |
| 5 | Financial awareness | Hindi / English | 40 | 40 | |
| 6 | Quantitative aptitude & Data interpretation | Hindi / English | 40 | 40 | |
| Total | 240 | 200 | |||
| IBPS RRB Officer Scale III Single level Exam Pattern | |||||
| S.No. | Section | Medium of Exam | Number of questions | Maximum marks | Duration |
| 1 | Reasoning | Hindi / English | 40 | 50 | Composite time of 2 hours |
| 2 | Computer Knowledge | Hindi / English | 40 | 20 | |
| 3 | Financial awareness | Hindi / English | 40 | 40 | |
| 4a* | English Language | English | 40 | 40 | |
| 4b* | Hindi Language | Hindi | 40 | 40 | |
| 5 | Quantitative aptitude & Data interpretation | Hindi / English | 40 | 50 | |
| Total | 200 | 200 | |||
*Candidates can opt for either 4a or 4b section as per their choice.
The IBPS exam time duration details are given here.
The IBPS time table will consist the schedule of examinations held in the year. The dates of prelims and mains exams of all the recruitments are clearly available in it. The IBPS time table will normally release every year in the mid of January.
The IBPS selection process will differ for the recruitment of each post. Normally, the recruitments will have 2 or 3 rounds. Some may have just single level of examination. The candidates have to clear all the available stages to get the provisional allotment order. Here we have added the table in which the IBPS selection processes for all the exams are available.
| IBPS Recruitment | Selection Process |
| Clerk | Stage 1 – PrelimsStage 2 – Mains |
| PO | Stage 1 – prelimsStage 2 – MainsStage 3 – Interview |
| SO | Stage 1 – prelimsStage 2 – MainsStage 3 – Interview |
| RRB Office Assistant | Stage 1 – PrelimsStage 2 – Mains |
| RRB Officer Scale I | Stage 1 – prelimsStage 2 – MainsStage 3 – Interview |
| RRB Officer Scale II & III | Stage 1 – Single level examStage 2 – Interview |
The IBPS exam frequency is once in a year. That is, in a year, the recruitments for all the post will happen only one time. There will be a specific gap between the notification release for all the recruitments. You can check the exam dates for all the recruitments from the IBPS tentative calendar.
There are several IBPS eligibility criteria that are mandatory to apply for these exams. We have listed all the norms that are necessary to apply for the IBPS exams.
The nationality or citizenship is an important criterion to apply for these exams. In this case the citizen must be either of the following options given below.
The candidates belonging to the case 2, 3, 4, and 5 should produce an eligibility certificate issued by the Indian government.
According to the IBPS age eligibility norms, the minimum and maximum age limits are mentioned in the table. The minimum and maximum age limit will differ for each post.
| IBPS Recruitment | Age Limit |
| Clerk | 20 to 28 years |
| Probationary Officer (PO) | 20 to 30 years |
| Specialist Officer (SO) | 20 to 30 years |
| RRB Office Assistant (multipurpose) | 18 to 28 years |
| RRB Officer Scale I | 18 to 30 years |
| RRB Officer Scale II | 21 to 32 years |
| RRB Officer Scale III | 21 to 40 years |
The basic criteria for this educational qualification part is a degree. Only the candidates with a degree in any stream from a government recognized University can apply. For specialist officers, the degree related to the stream of posting is required.
There is no restriction in the number of IBPS attempts for the candidates. Only the SBI exams will have the maximum permissible attempts, based on the category of the candidates. Until you fulfil the age & other criteria, there is no restriction for the maximum number of attempts in IBPS exams.
Here we have updated the steps for the IBPS apply online process.
The scanned documents that are needed at the time of online form filling are,
Follow all the guidelines for uploading documents in your IBPS online application form.
The signature, handwritten declaration, and left thumb impression should be done by the candidate themselves only. Also don’t use capital letters for the hand written declaration and signature.
There are many ways for the IBPS exam preparation. First know the complete details about the selection process, exam pattern and syllabus. Then prepare a study plan to cover the entire syllabus. For preparation, you can follow the methods given below.
Follow all your convenient preparation methods in a dedicated manner. Surely you can succeed in the IBPS exams.
In the exam hall, there are set of instructions to follow. You can see such instructions in your IBPS exam call letter. Some of the important IBPS exam instructions are given below.
Cut Off is the minimum required score to pass in the exam. In IBPS exams there are various types of cut offs.
The IBPS final score calculation will vary for each recruitments. In all the final score calculation, the prelims marks are not taken into account. Only the mains marks are considered. They are given below in detail for you to understand in a clear manner.
IBPS Clerk Final Score = (marks scored in quantitative aptitude) + (marks scored in general English) + (marks scored in general / financial awareness) + (marks scored in reasoning ability & computer aptitude).
In IBPS PO final score calculation, the marks obtained in the mains and interview stages are considered. The total marks of the mains exam and the interview are 225 and 100 respectively. The minimum qualifying marks for interview is not less than 40 % (35% for SC / ST / OBC / PWBD candidates).
Now for the final score calculation, the aggregate marks of mains and interview phases are taken in the 80:20 ratio respectively.
For IBPS SO final score calculation and IBPS RRB officer scale I, II, & III final score calculation also same procedure is followed.
For the IBPS RRB office assistant final score calculation, only mains mark is considered.
For the candidates of limited number, pre-exam training is available. These candidates include SC, ST PWD categories. They should mention the same in the online application form that they are willing to attend pre-exam training. The training is free of cost. But the candidates should bone other expenses such as food, travel, etc. In pre-exam training some exam preparation methods and short cuts will be taught to those students.
To stabilize the marks of all the candidates, IBPS follows a method called normalization. As large number of candidates applied for the recruitment, exam will take place in various shifts. In each shift, the candidates will get different question papers. In some shifts, the questions are easy to moderate. Whereas in other shifts, the questions may be moderate to difficult. So there is an imbalance in the score calculation of the candidates. To equalize this difficulty level in all the shifts, IBPS will do the normalization process to obtain the corrected score. This corrected score is the final score of the candidates. Based on this corrected score, a cut off is fixed to shortlist the candidates. For the normalization process, a formula is used as given below.
Candidate’s percentile rank = {(Total number of students in a slot) – (Rank of the candidate in that slot) / (Total number of students in a slot – 1)} * 100
Using the above formula, the percentile rank of each candidate is obtained. This equi-percentile method is used to do the normalization process. Based on this candidates are selected by fixing a cut off, as per available vacancy.
The IBPS reserve list is released to occupy the unfilled vacancies. During the release of the final result for any recruitment, some candidates will be held in the wait list. That is, the candidates very near to the final cut off are kept in the wait list. The IBPS scorecard is normally valid for one year. Some selected candidates may not join the bank due to various reasons. Those unfilled vacancies are then filled with the wait-listed candidates, based on their marks. The IBPS will release the reserve list after one year.
In SBI recruitments, the candidates are recruited to the SBI branches across the country. In IBPS recruitments, the candidates are recruited to fill the vacancies in all the other Public Sector Banks and Regional Rural Banks across the country.
The most expected detail among the aspirants in the notification is a vacancy. The vacancy is an attractive factor for any recruitment notification. Every year the IBPS job vacancies have been announced in huge numbers. Through the recruitment of Clerk, PO, SO, RRB office assistant, RRB Officer Scale I, II, & III, a lot of job opportunities are created. Eligible and interested candidates can apply for the examination online, after the notification release.
The IBPS application form is to be filled in the online mode only. Before filling your application form check your eligibility completely. Don’t give fake details to make you eligible for the recruitment. Then while filling in your basic information such as name, father’s name, etc, fill it in carefully. Don’t make any spelling mistakes. Before giving the final submit, check the preview of your application form. If you find any mistakes, correct them and give them the final submit. This IBPS application form should be submitted within the last date mentioned in the official recruitment notification.
Every year the IBPS recruitment is creating a huge opportunity for the banking aspirants of our country. For the announced vacancy, a lot of candidates will appear for the exam every year. The vacancy is announced to the recruitment at the time of notification release. The vacancy is announced by splitting it into all the categories. The overall IBPS vacancies for all the recruitments in the recent years are given in the table below.
| Year | IBPS Vacancy | ||||||
| Clerk | PO | SO | RRB Office Assistant | RRB Officer Scale I | RRB Officer Scale-II | RRB Officer scale III | |
| 2019 | 12075 | 4336 | 1163 | 3674 | 3352 | 1172 | 156 |
| 2018 | 7275 | 4252 | 1590 | 5249 | 3312 | 1469 | 160 |
| 2017 | 7883 | 3562 | 1315 | 8928 | 5123 | 1747 | 169 |
| 2016 | 19243 | 8822 | 4122 | 8824 | 5539 | 1980 | 119 |
The IBPS exam fees must be paid only through the online mode. For that you can opt for any of the following such as credit card, debit card, net banking, mobile wallets, etc. The IBPS application fee will vary for the candidates based on the category to which they belong. The online exam fees of various IBPS recruitments are given below.
For IBPS PO, SO, RRB officer scale I, II, and III, the following application fee is charged.
For IBPS Clerk and RRB office assistant (multipurpose), the online application fee charged is given below.
The IBPS Calendar for the 2022 recruitment has been released. The dates of the various recruitments are available here.
| IBPS Calendar for Regional Rural Bank Recruitments 2022 | |
| Preliminary Exam | Officer Scale I and Office Assistants: 01.08.2021, 07.08.2021, 08.08.2021, 14.08.2021 |
| Main Exam | Officer Scale I: 25.09.2021 Office Assistants: 17.10.2021 |
| Single Level Exam | Officers Scale II & III: 25.09.2021 |
| IBPS Tentative Calendar for Public Sector Bank Recruitments 2022 | ||
| IBPS Recruitment Post | Preliminary Exam Dates | Main Exam dates |
| Clerk | 12th, 18th & 19th December 2021 | January/February 2022 |
| Probationary Officer | 04th & 11th December 2021 | January 2022 |
| Specialist Officer | 26th December 2021 | 30th January 2022 |
The text for the handwritten declaration for IBPS online application is as follows.
“I, _______ (Name of the candidate), hereby declare that all the information submitted by me in the application form is correct, true, and valid. I will present the supporting documents as and when required.”
The candidates should write this declaration form in English only. This handwritten declaration should be scanned and uploaded in the online application as per the prescribed format. If any others handwriting is used or any other language is used, your application will go invalid.
The IBPS registration is done prior to the application form filling process. The first step for filling application form is the registration process. Only after completing your registration process, you will get your registration number and password. This registration number and password will be sent to your registered mobile number and email Id. So give your permanent mobile number and email Id. Only then you can get timely updates about various stages of recruitment. This registration number and password will act as the login credentials for your online application form. Using these details you can log in and fill your application form. So the candidates while starting to fill the application, finish their IBPS registration process first.
The IBPS scorecard is released after the exam result. In the IBPS exam scorecard, you can find the details of your marks. You can get the details of your marks in each section and your total score. After the release of the scorecard, take a printout of it, for future use.
Here we have added the FAQs related to the IBPS recruitment exams. So refer to it and clear the doubts.
Q: Is the SBI included in the IBPS recruitment exams?
A: No, for SBI separate exams are held. The IBPS recruitment is done for all the other Public Sector Banks.
Q: For widow women candidates, is any age relaxation applicable for the IBPS clerk exam?
A: Yes. For Widows, divorced women and women legally separated from their husbands who have not remarried have an age relaxation of 9 years.
Q: For EWS candidates any age relaxation is there to apply for the IBPS recruitments?
A: No, for EWS candidates age relaxation is not applicable.
Q: For which IBPS RRB officer recruitments, the single-level examination is conducted?
A: In IBPS RRB Officer Scale-II & III recruitments, a single-level exam is conducted. After the single-level exam, the interview is there.
Q: For which IBPS recruitments, there is no interview stage?
A: For IBPS clerk and IBPS RRB office assistant recruitments interview stage is not held. The merit list is prepared completely based on the marks obtained by the candidates in main exam only.