IBPS PO Exam Pattern 2026: Check Latest Prelims & Mains Pattern & Exam Duration

IBPS PO Mocks are similar to the actual exam. Solving mocks will give candidates an idea of the kind of questions that can be expected on exam day IBPS PO mock tests familiarise candidates with the kind of syllabus, pattern, and difficulty level of the actual exam IBPS PO mock tests help candidates to keep a check on their preparation. Mock tests help candidates in effective time management. The importance of solving IBPS PO mock tests are given below:

• IBPS PO mock tests help candidates to ascertain the difficulty level of the actual exam
• Section-wise IBPS PO online mock tests are formulated in line with the latest syllabus and helps in revision and practice
• Candidates gain clarity of IBPS PO exam pattern and scope of questions by regularly solving IBPS PO mock tests
• Solving IBPS PO mock tests help candidates to identify the weak areas and work upon improving those areas
• Solving mock tests help candidates to improve speed and accuracy

IBPS PO scores are calculated based on the marking scheme given by the exam authority. For correct answers, candidates score one mark and for incorrect  0.25 marks are deducted. The Mains exam was conducted on October 12. 

IBPS calculates the IBPS PO marks of the candidates through a method called normalisation that help candidates to get a rounded-up figure. Since the exam is conducted in multiple shifts and days the difficulty level of the question paper varies from one shift to another. Normalisation of score is done to balance and assist in fair evaluation. This method is followed both for prelims and Mains exams. Some of the benefits of normalisation are given below: The first assumption made for normalisation of marks is that the candidates across all the shifts of the exam have similar abilities The number of candidates appearing in the exam conducted by IBPS in large shifts is randomly done.

The selection process of IBPS PO 2026 has three stages.

• Preliminary Exam.
• Mains Exam.
• Interview.

The final selection is based on the combined marks of Mains and interview. The prelim exam is qualifying in nature and based on its performance, candidate give the mains exam.

IBPS PO Mains syllabus is given below:

Quantitative Aptitude: Simplification, Average, Percentage, Permutation and Combination Age Problems, Interest, Profit and Loss, Time and Work, Probability Mixture and Alligations Speed, Time and Distance, etc. English Cloze test, para jumbles, fill in the blanks, sentence improvement, reading comprehensions, detecting the errors etc.

Reasoning Ability: Syllogism, coding-decoding, miscellaneous questions, input-output, seating arrangement, data sufficiency, logical reasoning, computer aptitude etc.

General Awareness: Banking, Financial Awareness, Current Affairs Static General Awareness

Descriptive Test: The syllabus comprises essay writing and letter writing.

Candidates qualifying the mains exam of IBPS PO are called for the interview. The marks obtained in the mains exam are counted for the final merit list.

The English section appears in both prelims and mains exams. Questions in the English section are asked from Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Para jumbles, Miscellaneous, Fill in the blanks, Multiple Meaning/Error Spotting and Paragraph Completion. The tips and tricks to crack the English section of IBPS PO exam are given below:

• Make a separate notebook for this section and jot down all the topics
• In the first half of the notebook write down the rules of grammar and in the second half of the notebook write down all the new words from newspaper editorials on regular basis
• For Reading Comprehension, read books, novels, magazines, etc.
• For Vocabulary part, write down the new words Attempt mock tests and analyse the mocks

IBPS PO scores are calculated based on the marking scheme given by the exam authority. For correct answers, candidates score one mark and for incorrect  0.25 marks are deducted. The Mains exam was conducted on October 12. 

Questions in the English section are asked from Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Para jumbles, Miscellaneous, Fill in the blanks, Multiple Meaning/Error Spotting and Paragraph Completion. The books to refer to for English section of IBPS PO exam are given below:

Word Power Made Easy by Normal Lewis

English Grammar & Composition by Wren and Martin

Descriptive General English by S P Bakshi and Rich Sharma

Objective English for Competitive Examinations by Hari Mohan Prasad, Uma Rani Sinha, Mcgraw Hill Education Publication

Candidates can prepare the English Language section by practicing previous years’ question papers. They should also read books and newspapers to improve vocabularly.

A reserve list to the extent of approximately 10 percent of the vacancies under each category may be kept, subject to the availability of candidates. This does not guarantee provisional allotment to/recruitment by the participating banks. In the event of Participating Banks providing further vacancies, provisional allotment may be carried out three to four times for the candidates in the reserve list.  

The selection process of IBPS PO 2026 has three stages.

• Preliminary Exam.
• Mains Exam.
• Interview.

The final selection is based on the combined marks of Mains and interview. The prelim exam is qualifying in nature and based on its performance, candidate give the mains exam.

IBPS PO educational qualification is a Degree/Graduation in any discipline from a university recognised by the government. Of India or any equivalent qualification recognised as such by the Central Government. Candidates must possess valid marksheet/degree Certificate that they are graduate on the day they register and indicates the percentage of marks obtained in graduation while registration online. All educational mentioned by the examination authority should be from a university/institution/board recognised by government. Of India/approved by government/approved by government on or before July 21, 2026.  Proper document from Board / University for having declared the result on or before
July 21, 2026 has to be submitted at the time of interview. Candidates who are in the final year of graduation are not eligible to apply for the exam. At the time of interview, candidates are required to submit the educational qualification certificates.

Yes, candidates selected for the post of IBPS PO will be on probation for two years. During probation, the performance of candidates is assessed. They need to undergo training in the various branches. On successful completion of training, candidates are confirmed to the position of Probationary Officers. During the probation period, candidates are trained on various banking services. They are also required to undergo certain banking courses. The basic salary of IBPS PO is INR 48,480. Besides the salary, candidates are also entitled to various perks and benefits.

The IBPS PO exam syllabus for preliminary and mains exam is different. The prelim exam tests a candidate's knowledge in English Language, Maths and Reasoning Ability. The main exam tests aspirants' knowledge in GK, English, Maths, Reasoning and Computer Aptitude, and Financial Awareness. The level of difficulty of both the exams is also not same. 

Yes. The authority revised the IBPS PO exam pattern in 2025 for Prelims and Mains. The official notification was released on June 30, 2025 on the official website at ibps.in. The IBPS PO prelims exam carries 100 marks, whereas the Mains exam was conducted for 200 marks (objective)+ 25 marks (Descriptive).

The revision of IBPS PO salary for bank employees was approved to be effective from November 2017 under the 11th bipartite settlement. The revised salary is valid for a span of five years till 2023 or until revised by the government. Nearly 8.8 Lakhs employees are benefiting from the approval of the 11th bipartite settlement. 

IBPS PO Dearness Allowance (DA) is given to the employees is based on the percentage of the basic salary . Currently, it is 19,83 %.  In January 2016, it was around 39.8 per cent of the basic salary, which was reduced to 23.87 per cent as on November 2017. The DA is revised  This every three months based on the All India Consumer Price Index Data published by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, Government of India. 

The IBPS PO notification is expected to be issued in June-July 2026 at ibps.in. It will consists of all the infomation related to the exam like application process, pattern, syllabus, dates, vacancies, selection process, etc. 

 

 

IBPS PO interview is conducted for candidates who qualify the Mains exam. The interview is of 100 marks. The level of difficulty may be easy or difficult.It can be cleared with the right approach. For this, candidates need to answer the interview questions with creativity.