IBPS PO

📌 Overview

IBPS PO is the common recruitment examination for Probationary Officer / Management Trainee posts in participating public sector banks (other than SBI, which conducts its own exam). The process is called CRP PO/MT and is numbered each year (for example CRP PO/MT-XVI).

Participating banks typically include Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, Bank of India, Indian Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, UCO Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and Central Bank of India (list is notified every year).

For the 2026 cycle, Prelims was scheduled on 22–23 August 2026 and Mains on 4 October 2026. Vacancies in that cycle were reported in the thousands (one widely cited figure was 7565 – use only the official notification PDF).

📋 Eligibility

• Nationality: Indian citizen, or subjects of Nepal / Bhutan, or specified Tibetan / PIO categories as per the notification.
• Age: 20 to 30 years as on the date mentioned in the advertisement. Relaxation: OBC 3 years, SC/ST 5 years, PwBD 10 years, plus ESM / widows etc. as notified.
• Education: Degree (graduation) in any discipline from a recognised university, or equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government. Final-year students may apply if they can produce proof of passing by the date specified.
• Computer literacy: Working knowledge of computer systems is required (certificate / degree / marksheet mentioning computer as a subject, or specified alternatives).
• Language: Proficiency in the official language of the State/UT of the bank posting may be tested later.

📝 Exam Pattern

Prelims (qualifying)

• English Language – 30 Q / 30 marks / 20 minutes
• Numerical Ability – 35 Q / 35 marks / 20 minutes
• Reasoning Ability – 35 Q / 35 marks / 20 minutes
• Total: 100 Q, 100 marks, 60 minutes with sectional timing

Negative marking: 0.25 mark per wrong answer. Candidates must clear sectional and overall cut-offs to reach Mains. Prelims marks are not added to the final merit.

Mains (scores counted)

Pattern is revised from time to time. A recent structure used in the 2026 discussion cycle:

• Reasoning – 40 Q / 60 marks / 50 minutes
• English Language – 40 Q / 40 or 20 marks as notified / ~40 minutes
• Data Analysis & Interpretation – 40 Q / marks as notified / ~45 minutes
• General / Economy / Banking / Digital / Financial Awareness (including RBI circulars) – 50 Q / marks as notified / ~25 minutes
• Descriptive English (Essay + Letter) – 2 questions / 25 marks / 30 minutes

Objective tests have 0.25 negative marking. Confirm exact marks per section from the live notification, because IBPS has adjusted question counts and weightage.

Some cycles have added a Personality Test / psychometric assessment after Mains that is mandatory but not always scoring. Read the current CRP advertisement.

Interview

Shortlisted Mains candidates face an interview (typically 100 marks). Final merit is prepared with a notified weightage of Mains and Interview (commonly 80:20). Provisional allotment to banks follows, based on rank and preference.

📚 Syllabus Snapshot

Quantitative Aptitude / Data Analysis

• Simplification & approximation, number series, quadratic equations
• Percentage, ratio, average, profit-loss, SI-CI, mixture
• Time & work, pipes, time-speed-distance, boats
• Mensuration, probability, permutation-combination
• Data interpretation: tables, bar, line, pie, caselet, radar, missing DI
• Data sufficiency

Reasoning

• Puzzles and seating (linear, circular, floor, box, schedule)
• Syllogism, inequality, blood relation, direction, coding
• Input-output, machine input, data sufficiency
• Logical reasoning: statement-assumption, course of action, cause-effect
• Computer aptitude mixed with reasoning in some Mains papers

English

• Reading comprehension (economy / banking / social themes)
• Cloze, para jumbles, connectors, error detection, word swap
• Descriptive: formal letter, email, essay on economy / current / abstract topics

General / Banking Awareness

• RBI functions, monetary policy, rates, banking terms, NPA, Basel norms
• Financial institutions, payment systems, digital banking, UPI, CBDC
• Union Budget & Economic Survey highlights, government schemes
• Current affairs of last 5–6 months, especially banking and economy
• Static GK relevant to banking (headquarters, taglines – selectively)

📅 Important Dates (2026 cycle)

• Notification: around July 2026 in that cycle
• Prelims: 22 & 23 August 2026
• Mains: 4 October 2026
• Interview and provisional allotment: subsequent months

IBPS also publishes an annual calendar PDF on ibps.in covering PO, Clerk, SO and RRB exams.

💼 Salary & Career

PO starting in-hand pay in metro cities is typically in the mid ₹70,000 range after allowances (varies by bank, place of posting and current DA). Career path: PO → Manager → Senior Manager → Chief Manager → Assistant General Manager and above. Public sector banks offer job security, housing loans at concessional rates and nationwide transferability.

🔗 Official Resources

• IBPS Official Website
• CRP advertisement PDF, information handout (exam pattern), call letters and scorecards are issued only on ibps.in

💡 Preparation Tips

• Prelims is a speed test. Target 70+ accurate attempts with sectional comfort.
• Mains DI and puzzle sets are lengthy. Practise full sets with a timer, not isolated questions.
• Read banking current affairs daily. Maintain a notebook of RBI circulars and scheme names.
• Write at least two descriptive answers every week and get them evaluated for structure and word limit.
• Interview: know your profile, banking basics, recent RBI policy and your home-state economy.

🗂️ IBPS PO topic drill list

• Puzzles: floor, box, schedule, blood-relation puzzle, designation, uncertain linear/circular
• Arithmetic: ratio, %, average, profit, SI-CI, mixture, time-work, pipes, TSD, boats, mensuration, probability, permutation
• DI: table, bar, line, pie, caselet, missing, radar, arithmetic-DI
• English: RC (economy/social), error, cloze, para jumble, word swap, connectors
• GA: RBI policy repo/SLR/CRR, UPI/CBDC, Basel, NPA, budget, schemes, appointments, reports, headquarters
• Descriptive: formal letter to bank/editor; essay on economy, digital banking, financial inclusion, climate-finance

🗂️ How to build your personal syllabus sheet

1. Download the official syllabus / information handout PDF tonight.
2. Copy every heading into a notebook page or spreadsheet.
3. Against each heading write: Book chapter / NCERT unit / YouTube playlist name / last PYQ year you solved.
4. Mark High / Medium / Low after you solve 3 years of PYQs — not before.
5. Revise High topics four times, Medium twice, Low once, all with PYQs.

Current affairs — one method for every exam on this site

• Read (do not only watch): one newspaper or PIB daily digest.
• Make 5–10 lines per important scheme, report, judgment, RBI decision or science mission.
• Revise a 30-day file every Sunday and a 6-month file before Prelims / Mains.
• Link every CA note to a static syllabus heading (polity, economy, environment, banking, defence).

PYQ rule

• If a topic has not appeared in 8–10 years and is tiny in the official syllabus, keep it low priority.
• If a topic appears every year (polity articles, percentage, RC, banking rates, NCERT biology lines), it is High regardless of coaching “new pattern” videos.

📊 Exam Trend & Highest-Weightage Areas

Commissions do not publish an official chapter-wise weightage table. The points below come from public previous-year papers and widely used coaching analyses. Use them to decide revision order, not to skip a listed syllabus topic.

IBPS PO trends

• Prelims: puzzles + arithmetic + RC. Speed exam. Sectional cut-off + overall cut-off.
• Mains: high-weight puzzles, DI caselets, banking/financial awareness including RBI circulars, plus descriptive letter/essay.
• GA in Mains can swing 20+ marks if you have last 5–6 months of banking CA.

📚 What Content You Should Actually Follow

1. Official syllabus PDF of the current year — print it and tick topics.
2. Official previous year papers (last 8–10 years) from the commission / NTA / IBPS / SSC website.
3. One primary book per subject (listed below). Do not collect 10 PDFs of the same chapter.
4. NCERT Class 6–12 where the exam is GS / science / maths based — free on ncert.nic.in.
5. Current affairs only from a newspaper + one monthly compilation + the official PIB / ministry sites.
6. Mocks that copy the live interface (sectional timer, NAT, descriptive box).

📖 Standard Books (widely used by serious aspirants)

• Polity: Indian Polity — M. Laxmikanth; NCERT Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work
• Modern History: Spectrum (Rajiv Ahir); NCERT Themes in Indian History Part III
• Geography: NCERT Class 11–12; Certificate Physical and Human Geography — G.C. Leong (selective)
• Economy: NCERT Class 11–12; Indian Economy — Ramesh Singh or Sanjiv Verma (selective); Economic Survey highlights; Union Budget summary
• Environment: NCERT biology ecology units; Shankar IAS Environment (selective)
• Science (SSC / RRB / GD): Lucent GK science + NCERT 6–10
• Quant / Maths (SSC): SSC previous papers + Rakesh Yadav / Kiran PYQ or equivalent type-wise book; NCERT 8–10 for basics
• Quant (Bank / CAT): Arun Sharma or Sarvesh Verma selectively; daily DI sets
• English grammar: Wren & Martin (selective) + Neetu Singh (KD Campus) Plinth to Paramount / SP Bakshi Objective General English
• Reasoning: R.S. Aggarwal (foundation) + exam-specific PYQ book (Kiran / Adda / Oliveboard)
• Static GK: Lucent General Knowledge; one atlas (Oxford / Orient Blackswan)
• JEE / NEET Physics: H.C. Verma; D.C. Pandey or Physics Galaxy; NCERT exemplar
• JEE / NEET Chemistry: NCERT first; N. Awasthi / M.S. Chauhan / V.K. Jaiswal as level demands
• JEE Maths: Cengage or Arihant series + previous JEE Main / Advanced papers
• NEET Biology: NCERT Class 11–12 line by line; MTG / All-in-one only after NCERT
• CAT VARC: past CAT RCs; a good newspaper editorial habit
• GATE: standard UG textbooks of the branch + made-easy / ACE previous paper books + official GATE papers on the organising IIT site

Buy the latest edition. Second-hand previous-year paper books are enough for practice. Coaching photocopies are optional.

🌐 Official & Open / Free Content (use these first)

• NCERT textbooks (free PDF)
• ePathshala
• NPTEL — free engineering / science lectures by IIT faculty
• DIKSHA
• Press Information Bureau — authentic government news
• Union Budget & Economic Survey
• RBI — monetary policy, bulletin (banking / RBI / NABARD / SEBI)
• UPSC previous papers and cut-offs
• SSC notices and some paper archives
• IBPS information handouts
• NTA — JEE, NEET, CUET, UGC NET, CSIR NET mocks and keys
• SWAYAM — free university courses
• Khan Academy (free world-class maths / science videos mapped to school level)
• Official mock / practice portals of NTA, IBPS (when opened) and JoSAA / MCC counselling brochures

Prefer a government PDF over a random Telegram file. Fake “memory-based papers” with wrong keys waste months.

▶️ YouTube Channels & Teachers (free classes — pick ONE per subject)

These are well-known public education channels. They are not official partners of this website. Watch playlists, not 10 live classes a day. Pause and solve; do not only listen.

School / JEE / NEET foundation

• Physics Wallah (Alakh Pandey) — Physics and complete JEE / NEET boards-to-entrance path; also Defence / SSC verticals under PW
• Khan Academy India — calm concept videos for Maths and Science
• ExamFear / LearnoHub — chapter-wise school Science and Maths
• Physics Galaxy (Ashish Arora) — JEE Physics depth
• Mohit Tyagi — JEE Mathematics (long but thorough playlists)
• Unacademy JEE / NEET and Vedantu JEE — free live plus recorded batches

UPSC / State PSC

• Mrunal Patel — Economy, Budget, Economic Survey (also useful for RBI / NABARD)
• Drishti IAS — Hindi + English current affairs and GS
• StudyIQ IAS — daily CA and subject crash courses
• Vision IAS — current affairs and strategy videos
• ForumIAS / OnlyIAS / Sleepy Classes — optional and GS answer writing samples
• Unacademy UPSC — free editorial and GS sessions

SSC / Railway

• Gagan Pratap Maths — type-wise SSC Maths
• Rankers Gurukul (Aditya Ranjan) — arithmetic for beginners
• English with Rani Ma’am and KD Live (Neetu Singh Ma’am) — SSC English
• Parmar SSC — exam-oriented GA / GS
• Adda247 SSC, Wifistudy, Testbook SSC — live practice

Banking / Insurance / RBI / SEBI / NABARD

• Adda247 Bankers — full IBPS / SBI path, daily CA
• Banking Wallah (Physics Wallah) — puzzles and bank syllabus classes
• Oliveboard and Guidely — mock discussion and mains DI / puzzles
• AffairsCloud / BankersAdda written CA — monthly PDFs (website + YT recap)
• Mrunal again for RBI Grade B ESI / economy

CAT / Management

• Rodha — CAT Quant
• 2IIM CAT — VARC and strategy
• Anastasis Academy / Elites Grid — DILR sets (use free videos + official CAT papers)

GATE / ESE / CSIR

• NPTEL — first choice (IIT faculty, free)
• GATE Academy / Made Easy / ACE YouTube — previous paper discussions
• Unacademy GATE — free plus structured batches

Law / CUET / NET

• LegalEdge / LawSikho free CLAT sets and consortium sample papers
• CUET Adda / PW CUET — domain NCERT walk-throughs
• Let’s Crack UGC NET / Unacademy NTA-UGC — Paper 1 playlists

How to watch: one teacher per subject, 1.25× speed, notebook open, 30-minute video + 30-minute self-practice. Unfollow extra channels.

🗓️ A Simple Content Routine (works for almost every exam on this site)

• Morning (60–90 min): newspaper or PIB + 10 MCQs of yesterday’s CA
• Mid-day (2–3 hrs): one static / core subject from the official syllabus with a standard book
• Evening (90 min): PYQs of that chapter + error log
• Night (45 min): weak-area drill (CSAT / English / formulae)
• Weekly: one full mock in exam conditions + 2-hour analysis
• Monthly: revise the error log, not the whole bookshelf

✅ Open-source & low-cost practice platforms

• Official PYQ PDFs (UPSC, NTA keys, IBPS memory-based after official handout)
• NTA Abhyas / practice tests when the exam window opens
• Free weekly mocks: Oliveboard, Testbook, Adda247, Gradeup/BYJU’S Exam Prep (limited free tier)
• Anki / any free flashcard app for formulae and polity articles
• Google Arts & Culture / Survey of India maps for geography outline practice

⚠️ How to treat coaching names on this page

Book names and YouTube teachers are listed because lakhs of students already use them in public. This site does not sell their courses and does not guarantee a rank if you watch them. Always cross-check facts with the official syllabus and previous papers. If a video contradicts the official notification, trust the notification.

⚠️ Disclaimer

Question counts, descriptive marks and extra stages (personality test) can change. Use only the CRP PO/MT notification and Information Handout on ibps.in.