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The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is expected to release the IBPS SO Notification 2026 in June 2026. Candidates aspiring for Specialist Officer posts such as IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer, and Rajbhasha Adhikari must thoroughly understand the IBPS SO Syllabus 2026 to prepare effectively.
In this article, we provide complete details on the IBPS SO Syllabus, including the post-wise important topics, exam pattern details, preparation tips, and much more.
IBPS SO Syllabus 2026
The IBPS SO 2026 Preliminary Examination syllabus differs slightly depending on the post applied for. English Language and Reasoning Ability remain common across all posts. Candidates applying for IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, Marketing Officer, and HR Officer have Quantitative Aptitude, while Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari candidates face General Awareness with special reference to the Banking Industry.
IBPS SO Syllabus – Highlights
| IBPS SO Syllabus | |
| Organization Name | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) |
| Post | Specialist Officer (SO) |
| Category | Syllabus |
| Examination Mode | Online |
| Selection Process | Prelims- Mains- Interview |
| Duration | Prelims- 120 minutes
Mains- 45 minutes/60 minutes |
| Negative Marking | ¼th marks |
| Question type | Prelims: Objective
Mains: Objective + Descriptive |
| Exam type | National level |
| Official website | @ibps.in |
IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2026
Candidates can check the important points of the IBPS SO Exam Pattern of Prelims & Mains for IBPS SO.
- The exam pattern for Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I) and Law Officer is the same. Whereas for all other posts is different from these two posts.
- Final selection is based on Mains + Interview in an 80:20 ratio.
Prelims Exam Pattern
The preliminary examination includes three subjects: Reasoning, English Language, and General Awareness and the total number of questions asked is 150. The examination is conducted online for 125 marks.
| Section | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Duration |
| Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 40 Minutes |
| English Language | 50 | 25 | 40 Minutes |
| General | 50 | 50 | 40 Minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 120 Minutes |
Mains Exam Pattern
The main exam pattern is divided into the posts of Law, IT, Agriculture Field, HR/Personnel, and Marketing Officer and the Post of Rajbhasha Adhikari. The details of the examination have been mentioned below for the candidates.
| IBPS SO Exam Pattern for Law, IT, Agriculture Field, and HR/Personnel, and Marketing Officer | ||||
| Section | No. of Questions | Marks | Medium | Duration |
| Professional Knowledge | 60 | 60 | English and Hindi | 45 Minutes |
| For Post of Rajbhasha Adhikari | ||||
| Section | No. of Questions | Marks | Medium | Duration |
| Professional Knowledge (Objective) | 45 | 60 | English and Hindi | 30 Minutes |
| Professional Knowledge (Descriptive) | 2 | 30 Minutes | ||
IBPS SO Prelims Syllabus
The post-wise IBPS SO Prelims Syllabus 2024 has been discussed here for the candidates.
- Rajbhasha Adhikari Scale I officer will have to appear for the given subjects: Reasoning Ability, English Language, and General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry.
- The Specialist Officers (Agriculture Field Officer, Marketing Officer (Scale I), HR/Personnel Officer, IT Officer Scale I will appear for the given subjects: Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Language.
Reasoning Syllabus
- Seating Arrangements
- Puzzles
- Inequalities
- Syllogism
- Input-Output
- Data Sufficiency
- Blood Relations
- Order and Ranking
- Alphanumeric Series
- Distance and Direction
- Verbal Reasoning
English Syllabus
- Cloze Test
- Reading Comprehension
- Spotting Errors
- Sentence Improvement
- Sentence Correction
- Para Jumbles
- Fill in the Blanks
- Para/Sentence Completion
Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus
- Number Series
- Data Interpretation
- Simplification/ Approximation
- Quadratic Equation
- Data Sufficiency
- Mensuration
- Average
- Profit and Loss
- Ratio and Proportion
- Work, Time, and Energy
- Time and Distance
- Probability
- Relations
- Simple and Compound Interest
- Permutation and Combination
General Awareness Syllabus
- Current Affairs
- Banking Awareness
- GK Updates
- Currencies
- Important Places
- Books and Authors
- Awards
- Headquarters
- Prime Minister Schemes
- Important Days
IBPS SO Mains Syllabus 2026
The candidates who clear the prelims stage will be able to appear in the mains section. The IBPS SO Post Wise Syllabus for Rajbhasha Adhikari, HR/Personnel Officer, Law Officer, Marketing Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, and IT Officer has been discussed here.
Syllabus for IBPS SO IT Officer (Scale 1)
- Database Management System
- Data Communication and Networking
- Operating System
- Software Engineering
- Data Structure
- Computer Organisation and Microprocessor
- Object-Oriented Programming
Syllabus for IBPS SO Agriculture Field Officer (Scale 1)
- Basics of Crop Production
- Horticulture
- Seed Science
- Agronomy and Irrigation
- Agricultural Economics
- Agricultural Practices
- Soil resources
- Animal Husbandry
- Agroforestry
- Ecology
- Government Schemes
Syllabus for IBPS SO Marketing Officer (Scale 1)
- Basics of Marketing Management
- Brand Management
- Advertising
- PR
- Sales
- Retail
- Business Ethics
- Market Segmentation
- Market research and forecasting demand
- Product Life Cycle
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Service Marketing
- Marketing Strategies
Syllabus for IBPS SO Law Officer (Scale 1)
- Banking Regulations
- Compliance and Legal Aspects
- Relevant Laws and Orders related to negotiable instruments, securities, foreign exchange
- Prevention of Money-laundering, Limitation Act
- Consumer Protection Act
- SURFACES
- Banking Ombudsman Scheme
- Laws and Actions with a direct link to Banking Sector
- Bankers Book Evidence Act
- DRT Act
Syllabus for IBPS SO HR/Personnel Officer (Scale 1)
- Human Resource Development
- Business policy and strategic analysis
- Transnational Analysis
- Training and Development
- Recruitment and Selection
- Rewards and Recognition
- Industrial Relations
- Business Policy and Strategic Analysis
- Grievance and Conflict Management
- Performance Management and Appraisal
Syllabus for IBPS SO Rajbhasha Adhikari
- Banking Regulations Passages
- Synonyms-Antonyms
- Cloze Test
- Fill in the Blanks
- Practical Translation
- Hindi/English Grammar
It is necessary for all the candidates applying for IBPS SO Exam to once go through the syllabus as mentioned in the IBPS SO notification released by IBPS to prepare judiciously for this exam.
IBPS SO Interview 2026
The candidates who successfully qualify the prelims and mains stage will be called for the IBPS SO Interview process. The candidates must perform well in the examination as it is the final selection stage. In the interview process, the candidates will be screened according to the post they have applied for and will be asked questions related to the roles and horizon.
Best Books for IBPS SO 2026 Preparation
| Subject/Section | Recommended Book |
Author/Publisher
|
| English Language | Objective General English | S.P. Bakshi |
| Reasoning Ability | A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations | R.S. Aggarwal |
| Banking Awareness | Banking Awareness | Arihant Experts |
| Current Affairs & General Awareness | General Knowledge 2026 |
Manohar Pandey
|
| IT Officer Professional Knowledge | Objective Computer Awareness | Arihant Experts |
| Agriculture Field Officer Professional Knowledge | Fundamentals of Agriculture | Arun Katyayan |
| Law Officer Professional Knowledge | Banking and Financial Laws |
IIBF Publications
|
| HR/Personnel Officer Professional Knowledge | Human Resource Management | C.B. Gupta |
| Marketing Officer Professional Knowledge | Marketing Management | Philip Kotler |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari Professional Knowledge | Samanya Hindi | Arihant Experts |
| Important Links: | |
| IBPS SO Salary | IBPS SO Syllabus |
| IBPS SO Previous Year Question Papers | IBPS SO Exam Pattern |
| IBPS SO Eligibility Criteria | IBPS SO Selection Process |
| IBPS SO Cut Off | |










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