What is IBPS SO Exam?

IBPS SO is a recruitment exam conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection to hire Specialist Officers in public sector banks. It is conducted for posts like IT Officer, Law Officer, HR Officer, Marketing Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, and Rajbhasha Adhikari.

What is the IBPS SO Exam Date 2026?

As per the IBPS Calendar 2026-27, the IBPS SO Prelims exam will be held on 29th August 2026 and the Mains exam is scheduled for 1st November 2026.

What is the IBPS SO 2026 selection process?

The IBPS SO selection process consists of three stages: Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam, and Interview. The prelims exam is qualifying in nature, while the final selection is based on Mains and Interview marks.

What is the educational qualification required for IBPS SO?

Candidates must possess a graduation or post-graduation degree in the relevant discipline according to the post applied for. Different posts have different qualification requirements.

Is there negative marking in IBPS SO Exam?

Yes, there is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer in both Prelims and Mains objective tests.

What is the salary of an IBPS SO in 2026?

The starting basic pay for IBPS SO is around Rs. 48,480. Along with the basic salary, officers also receive allowances like DA, HRA, Special Allowance, and other benefits.

Can final year students apply for IBPS SO?

Only those candidates who possess the required educational qualification by the date mentioned in the official notification will be eligible to apply.

Is the IBPS SO Prelims exam qualifying in nature?

Yes, the Preliminary exam is only qualifying in nature. The marks obtained in Prelims are not considered for the final merit list.

IBPS SO 2026 Exam Date Out (1035 Vacancies), Check Prelims and Mains Exam Schedule

Table of Contents

The IBPS SO Notification 2026 has been issued by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) under CRP SPL-XVI for the recruitment of 1,035 (revised) Specialist Officer (Scale I) posts in participating Public Sector Banks.

The application process is now over, and those who applied for Specialist Post are now required to appear for the Prelims exam scheduled for 29th August 2026. Check the complete schedule, revised exam pattern, selection process, and call letter updates here.

The online registration process for IBPS SO 2026 has ended. To help candidates rectify any errors made during registration, IBPS has opened the Application Correction Window from 29 to 30 July 2026. The correction link will be updated here as soon as it is made available.

IBPS SO Exam Date 2026 Out

The exam dates for Prelims and Mains have been announced by the IBPS through its official exam calendar. As per the schedule, the IBPS SO Prelims Exam will be conducted on 29 August 2026, while the Main Exam is scheduled for 1 November 2026. Follow the official website for updates regarding the admit card, exam timings, and other important announcements.

Events	Dates
Notification	30 June 2026
Apply Online Starts	1st July 2026
Last Date to Apply	26th July July 2026
Application Correction Window	29th to 30th July 2026
Pre-Exam Training	–
Prelims Exam Date	29th August 2026
Prelims Result	September-October 2026
Mains Exam Date	1st November 2026
Personality Test and Interview	November/December 2026
Provisional Allotment	January 2027

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IBPS SO Notification 2026

Eligible candidates can apply for posts such as IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer, and Rajbhasha Adhikari. Applicants must possess the required professional qualifications, such as an MBA, Computer Science degree, Agriculture degree, LLB, or a postgraduate degree in Hindi and English, depending on the post.

The selection process includes the Preliminary Exam, Main Exam, and Interview, and the exam pattern for both stages has been revised. The available Specialist Officer posts are listed below.

Information and Technology
Agricultural Field
Law
HR/Personnel
Rajbhasha Adhikari fields.

Download IBPS SO Notification 2026 PDF

IBPS SO 2026 Exam- Highlights

Particulars	Details
Exam Name	IBPS SO 2026 (CRP SPL XVI)
Conducting Body	Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS)
Posts	IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer, Law Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari
Vacancy	1035 (Revised)
Online Registration Dates	1st to 26th July 2026 (Extended)
Qualification	Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (varies by post)
Age Limit	20 to 30 years
Selection Process	Preliminary, Mains, and Interview
Negative Marking	0.25 mark
Pay Scale	Rs. 48,480–2000/7–62,480–2340/2–67,160–2680/7–85,920
Official Website	www.ibps.in

IBPS SO Vacancy 2026 (Revised)

IBPS has increased the Specialist Officer (Scale I) vacancies from 745 to 1,035 for recruitment in participating Public Sector Banks. Candidates can check the updated category-wise vacancy details in the table below.

Post	Previous Vacancies	Revised Vacancy
IT Officer	301	376
Agriculture Field Officer	190	370
Law Officer	105	125
Rajbhasha Adhikari	89	94
HR/Personnel Officer	60	60
Marketing Officer	0	10
Total	745	1035

IBPS SO Bank-wise Vacancy Details (Latest)

Participating Bank	Agricultural Field Officer	HR/ Personnel Officer	IT Officer	Law Officer	Marketing Officer	Rajbhasha Adhikari	Total
Bank of Baroda	100	50	0	10	0	7	167
Bank of India	0	0	110	0	0	10	120
Bank of Maharashtra	90	10	0	0	0	0	100
Canara Bank	0	0	0	30	0	20	50
Central Bank of India	0	0	50	30	0	31	111
Indian Bank	180	NR	75	20	10	5	285
Indian Overseas Bank	0	0	25	10	0	0	35
Punjab & Sind Bank	0	0	16	0	0	11	27
Punjab National Bank	0	0	100	25	0	10	135
UCO Bank	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Union Bank of India	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Total	370	60	376	105	10	94	1035

Download IBPS SO Vacancy 2026 PDF

IBPS SO 2026 Eligibility Criteria

The candidates can go through the minimum IBPS SO Eligibility Criteria below in terms of Nationality, Educational Qualification, and age limit.

Age Limit (1/7/2026)

The age should be between 20 to 30 years. Age relaxation will be applicable as per category and is given in the table below:

Category	Age Relaxation
SC/ ST	5 years
OBC	3 years
PWD	10 years
Ex-Servicemen	5 years
A person affected by the 1984 riots	5 years

Qualification Requirement

Post Name	Educational Qualification
I.T. Officer (Scale I)	4-year Engineering/Technology Degree in Computer Science/Computer Applications/Information Technology/Electronics/Electronics & Telecommunications/Electronics & Communication/Electronics & Instrumentation OR Post Graduate Degree in Electronics/Electronics & Telecommunication/Electronics & Communication/Electronics & Instrumentation/Computer Science/Information Technology/Computer Applications OR Graduate having passed DOEACC ‘B’ Level.
Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I)	4-year Degree (Graduation) in Agriculture/Horticulture/Animal Husbandry/Veterinary Science/Dairy Science/Fishery Science/Pisciculture/Agricultural Marketing & Cooperation/Co-operation & Banking/Agro-Forestry/Forestry/Agricultural Biotechnology/Food Science/Agriculture Business Management/Food Technology/Dairy Technology/Agricultural Engineering/Sericulture.
Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)	Post Graduate Degree in Hindi with English as a subject at the Graduation level OR Post Graduate Degree in Sanskrit with English and Hindi as subjects at the Graduation level.
Law Officer (Scale I)	Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LLB) and must be enrolled as an Advocate with the Bar Council.
HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I)	Graduate and Two Years Full-time Post Graduate Degree or Diploma in Personnel Management/Industrial Relations/HR/HRD/Social Work/Labour Law.
Marketing Officer (Scale I)	Graduate and Two Years Full-time MMS (Marketing)/MBA (Marketing)/PGDBA/PGDBM/PGPM/PGDM with specialization in Marketing.

Nationality

The candidate should have a citizenship of India issued by the government of India. The following candidates can also apply for the IBPS SO exam:

a subject of Nepal or
a subject of Bhutan or
a Tibetan Refugee, who came to India before 1st January 1962, to permanently settle in India or
Persons migrated from India from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, intending to permanently settle in India, along with the certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India.

IBPS SO 2026 Selection Process

The IBPS SO Selection Process includes the following stages as mentioned in the table here.

Stage	Details
Stage 1: Preliminary Examination	This is only a screening test, and it is conducted in online mode. The exam pattern is slightly different based on the post you apply for.
Stage 2: Main Examination	This is the merit-making stage, and its marks will be counted in the merit list. Only those who qualify Prelims will be called for Mains.
Stage 3: Interview	The interview carries 100 marks and it is conducted by participating banks.
Final Selection	The final merit list is prepared based on the marks obtained in the Main Examination (80%) and Interview (20%), subject to document verification and meeting all eligibility conditions.

IBPS SO 2026 Exam Pattern Revised

The IBPS SO Exam Pattern has been revised for both Prelims and Mains exams. It tests candidates on professional knowledge along with reasoning, English, and quantitative aptitude, depending on the post applied for. Check the stage-wise exam pattern below and start preparing.

Post	Subject	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer (AFO), HR/Personnel Officer & Marketing Officer	English Language	25	25	20 Minutes
	Reasoning	25	25	20 Minutes
	Quantitative Aptitude	25	25	20 Minutes
	Professional Knowledge	25	50	20 Minutes
Total	–	100	125	80 Minutes
Law Officer & Rajbhasha Adhikari	English Language	25	25	20 Minutes
	Reasoning	25	25	20 Minutes
	General Awareness (with Special Reference to Banking Industry)	25	25	20 Minutes
	Professional Knowledge	25	50	20 Minutes
Total	–	100	125	80 Minutes

Mains Exam Pattern

The Mains Exam Pattern has also been revised and varies according to the post applied for. Separate exam structures are prescribed for Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer, and Rajbhasha Adhikari. Candidates can check the detailed post-wise Mains exam pattern below.

Main Exam Pattern 2026 (For IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer & Marketing Officer)
Section	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks
English Language	30	30
Reasoning	40	40
Quantitative Aptitude	30	30
Professional Knowledge (Objective)	50	100
Objective Test Total	150	200
Descriptive Paper (English – 2 Questions)	–	25
Grand Total	150 + Descriptive	225 Marks
Duration	155 Minutes

Main Exam Pattern 2026 (For Law Officer)
Section	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks
English Language	30	30
Reasoning	40	40
General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry	30	30
Professional Knowledge (Objective)	50	100
Objective Test Total	150	200
Descriptive Paper (English – 2 Questions)	–	25
Grand Total	150 + Descriptive	225 Marks
Duration	155 Minutes

Main Exam Pattern 2026 (For Rajbhasha Officer)
Section	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks
English Language	30	30
Reasoning	40	40
General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry	30	30
Professional Knowledge (Objective)	50	100
Objective Test Total	150	200
Descriptive Paper (English – 2 Questions)	–	25
Grand Total	150 + Descriptive	225 Marks
Duration	155 Minutes

Important Note: In the Mains Examination, all sections except Professional Knowledge are qualifying in nature. The final merit list will be prepared solely based on the marks obtained in the Professional Knowledge test.

IBPS SO 2026 Salary Structure

The IBPS SO Salary starts at a basic pay of Rs. 48,480, with the pay scale structured as Rs. 48,480–2000/7–62,480–2340/2–67,160–2680/7–85,920.

Alongside the basic pay, Specialist Officers also receive additional benefits like Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA), Special Allowance, and more.

IBPS SO Job Profile

Some of the roles of a Specialist Officer are to:

Handle specialised banking functions based on the selected post, such as IT, Agriculture, Law, HR, Marketing, or Rajbhasha.
Provide professional support to bank branches and departments.
Prepare reports, analyse data, and assist in decision-making processes.
Resolve customer and operational issues related to their area of expertise.
Support the implementation of new banking products, services, and policies.

Career Growth

Specialist Officer (Scale I)
⇓
Manager (Scale II)
⇓
Senior Manager (Scale III)
⇓
Chief Manager (Scale IV)
⇓
Assistant General Manager (Scale V)
⇓
Deputy General Manager (Scale VI)
⇓
General Manager (Scale VII)

IBPS SO 2026 Participating Banks

Bank of Baroda
Canara Bank
Indian Overseas Bank
UCO Bank
Bank of India
Central Bank of India
Punjab National Bank
Union Bank of India
Bank of Maharashtra
Indian Bank
Punjab & Sind Bank

Application Fee

Category	Application Fee
General & Others	Rs. 850/- (App. Fee including intimation charges)
SC/ST/PWD	Rs 175/- (Intimation Charges only)

How to Apply?

Visit the official IBPS website.
Click on CRP Specialist Officers (CRP-SPL XVI) recruitment link.
Click on “New Registration” and register using your basic details to generate a Registration Number and Password.
Fill in the application form by entering your personal, educational, communication, and work experience details carefully.
Upload the required documents.
Preview the application form and verify all the details before final submission.
Pay the application fee online using a debit card, credit card, UPI, net banking, or other available payment methods.
Submit the application form and download or print the confirmation page and e-receipt for future reference.

IBPS SO Exam Centres List

State Code	State/UT/ NCR	Preliminary Examination Centre	Main Examination Centre
11	Andaman & Nicobar	Port Blair	Port Blair
12	Andhra Pradesh	Ananthapur, Eluru, Guntur/ Vijaywada, Kadapa, Kakinada, Kurnool, Ongole, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, Vishakhapatnam, Vizianagaram	Guntur/ Vijaywada, Kurnool, Vishakhapatnam, Vizianagaram
13	Arunachal Pradesh	Naharlagun	Naharlagun
14	Assam	Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur	Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar
15	Bihar	Arrah, Aurangabad, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Purnea, Samastipur	Arrah, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Purnea, Samastipur
16	Chandigarh	Chandigarh/Mohali	Chandigarh/Mohali
17	Chhattisgarh	Bhilai Nagar, Bilaspur, Durg, Raipur	Bhilai Nagar, Bilaspur, Raipur
18	Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu	Surat, Jamnagar	Surat
19	Delhi	Delhi/New Delhi/Delhi NCR, Faridabad, Ghaziabad	Delhi/New Delhi/Delhi NCR, Faridabad, Ghaziabad
20	Goa	Panaji	Panaji
21	Gujarat	Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, Anand, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Mehsana, Rajkot, Surat/ Bardoli, Vadodara	Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat/ Bardoli
22	Haryana	Ambala, Faridabad, Hisar, Gurugram, Kurukshetra	Ambala, Faridabad, Hisar, Gurugram, Kurukshetra
23	Himachal Pradesh	Baddi, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Mandi, Kangra, Kullu, Shimla, Solan, Una	Baddi, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Mandi, Shimla, Solan, Una
24	Jammu & Kashmir	Jammu, Samba, Srinagar, Baramullah	Jammu, Samba, Srinagar
25	Jharkhand	Bokaro, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur, Ranchi	Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur, Ranchi
26	Karnataka	Bengaluru, Belagavi (Belgaum), Dharwad/Hubballi (Hubli), Kalaburagi, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Udupi	Bengaluru, Belagavi, Dharwad/Hubballi, Kalaburagi, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Udupi
27	Kerala	Alappuzha, Kannur, Ernakulam, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur	Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur
28	Ladakh	Leh, Kargil	Leh, Kargil
29	Lakshadweep	Kavaratti	Kavaratti
30	Madhya Pradesh	Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Sagar, Satna, Ujjain	Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Satna, Ujjain
31	Maharashtra	Amravati, Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar), Bhandara, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad), Chandrapur, Jalgaon, Jalna, Kolhapur, Latur, Mumbai/ Thane/ Navi Mumbai/ MMR, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Pune	Amravati, Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar), Bhandara, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad), Jalgaon, Jalna, Kolhapur, Mumbai/ Thane/ Navi Mumbai/ MMR, Nagpur, Nanded, Pune
32	Manipur	Imphal, Kakching	Imphal, Kakching
33	Meghalaya	Shillong, Tura	Shillong, Tura
34	Mizoram	Aizawl	Aizawl
35	Nagaland	Kohima, Dimapur	Kohima, Dimapur
36	Odisha	Balasore, Berhampur (Ganjam), Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Rourkela, Sambalpur	Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur
37	Puducherry	Puducherry	Puducherry
38	Punjab	Amritsar, Bhatinda, Fatehgarh Sahib, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Moga, Mohali, Pathankot, Patiala, Phagwara	Amritsar, Bhatinda, Fatehgarh Sahib, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali, Patiala, Phagwara
39	Rajasthan	Ajmer, Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Sikar, Udaipur, Sriganganagar	Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Sikar
40	Sikkim	Gangtok	Gangtok
41	Tamil Nadu	Chennai, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Madurai, Nagercoil/ Kanyakumari, Ramanathapuram, Salem, Thanjavur, Thiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli, Vellore, Virudhunagar, Dindigul, Dharampuri, Namakkal, Thoothukudi, Tirupur, Viluppuram	Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Namakkal, Tirunelveli
42	Telangana	Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Warangal, Nizamabad	Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Warangal
43	Tripura	Agartala	Agartala
44	Uttar Pradesh	Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mathura, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Noida / Greater Noida, Prayagraj (Allahabad), Varanasi, Ghazipur	Lucknow, Meerut, Noida / Greater Noida, Prayagraj (Allahabad)
45	Uttarakhand	Dehradun, Haldwani, Roorkee	Dehradun, Haldwani, Roorkee
46	West Bengal	Asansol, Durgapur, Kolkata / Greater Kolkata, Hooghly, Kalyani, Siliguri	Asansol, Durgapur, Kolkata / Greater Kolkata, Kalyani, Siliguri

IBPS SO 2026 Admit Card

The admit card will be released separately for the Preliminary Exam, Main Exam, and Interview on the official IBPS website. Candidates can download it by logging in with their Registration Number or Roll Number and Password or Date of Birth. The admit card will contain important details such as the exam date, reporting time, shift timing, exam centre, and exam-day instructions.

IBPS SO Previous Year Question Paper

Practising IBPS SO Previous Year Papers is one of the best ways to understand the latest exam pattern, question types, and difficulty level. It helps candidates improve speed, accuracy, and time management while identifying important topics for both the Preliminary and Main examinations. Solving previous papers regularly can significantly boost exam preparation.

IBPS SO Preparation Tips

IBPS SO is different from PO or Clerk exams because the Mains exam (Professional Knowledge) carries the real weight in final selection; Prelims is only qualifying, and Mains + Interview decides the merit list in an 80:20 ratio. So follow these tips:

For Preliminary Stage: Work on speed and accuracy because Prelims is only qualifying, and the difficulty level is moderate.

For Mains Exam Stage: Here, your professional knowledge will be tested, so it is important to have in-depth conceptual clarity of your subject. Also, this stage determines your selection for SO post.

For the interview stage: Start working on your communication skills, knowledge, and overall personality from Day 1 of preparation. Prepare a 2-minute “introduce yourself” answer and 25-30 domain questions and current developments in your field.