IBPS SO 2026: Notification, Vacancy, Syllabus, Cut Off, Result

IBPS SO — the Common Recruitment Process for Specialist Officers — is conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) to recruit for IT Officer (Scale I), Agriculture Field Officer (Scale I), Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I), Law Officer (Scale I), HR / Personnel Officer (Scale I) and Marketing Officer (Scale I) in the participating Public Sector Banks. The CRP SPL-XVI (2026-27) cycle declares 1,043 as on 27 August 2026, across the six specialist posts.

IBPS SO selection process

1. Preliminary Examination (qualifying only)
2. Main Examination
3. Interview

IBPS SO selection runs through the stages below.

1. Preliminary Examination (qualifying only)
2. Main Examination
3. Interview

Exam pattern by stage

What counts towards the final merit

Only the Main Examination and the Interview count towards the final merit list.

Document verification

Originals are checked against everything declared in the application — qualification, category, age and any relaxation claimed. Certificates must be in the prescribed formats and dated on or before the closing date of the application. A candidate found ineligible at this point loses the candidature regardless of score.

Professional Knowledge is now tested in the Preliminary Examination

CRP SPL-XVI moved Professional Knowledge into the Preliminary Examination, worth 50 of the 125 marks — twice the weight of any other section. Previous cycles kept the Preliminary Examination to three general sections and tested subject knowledge only in the Main. A candidate preparing from an older syllabus plan will walk into the wrong exam.

IBPS SO exam pattern

What counts towards the final merit

Only the Main Examination and the Interview count towards the final merit list.

Negative marking

Yes — one fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer.

Professional Knowledge is now tested in the Preliminary Examination

CRP SPL-XVI moved Professional Knowledge into the Preliminary Examination, worth 50 of the 125 marks — twice the weight of any other section. Previous cycles kept the Preliminary Examination to three general sections and tested subject knowledge only in the Main. A candidate preparing from an older syllabus plan will walk into the wrong exam.

What is next for IBPS SO

The CRP SPL-XVI Preliminary Examination was held on 29 August 2026 and the Main Examination is scheduled for 1 November 2026. These vacancies are for the financial year 2027-28.

IBPS SO Eligibility

IBPS SO eligibility. Post-specific. IT Officer requires an Engineering degree in Computer Science, IT or Electronics and Communication, or a post-graduate degree in the same fields. Agriculture Field Officer requires a degree in Agriculture or an allied discipline. Law Officer requires an LLB with Bar Council enrolment. Rajbhasha Adhikari requires a post-graduate degree in Hindi with English as a subject at degree level. HR and Marketing Officers require a post-graduate degree or diploma in the relevant field. The age limit is 20 to 30 years as on 1 July 2026.

Educational qualification

Post-specific. IT Officer requires an Engineering degree in Computer Science, IT or Electronics and Communication, or a post-graduate degree in the same fields. Agriculture Field Officer requires a degree in Agriculture or an allied discipline. Law Officer requires an LLB with Bar Council enrolment. Rajbhasha Adhikari requires a post-graduate degree in Hindi with English as a subject at degree level. HR and Marketing Officers require a post-graduate degree or diploma in the relevant field.

Age limit

20 to 30 years as on 1 July 2026.

Age relaxation

Nationality

A candidate must be a citizen of India, or a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or a Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962, or a person of Indian origin who has migrated from certain specified countries with the intention of permanently settling in India.

IBPS SO Application Form

IBPS SO applications are submitted online only. No other mode of application is accepted, and hard copies are not to be sent.

Important dates — CRP SPL-XVI (2026-27)

Application fee

₹850 for all candidates, ₹175 for SC, ST and PwBD candidates, both inclusive of GST

What to prepare before you start

• Photograph, 20 kb to 50 kb, JPEG
• Signature, 10 kb to 20 kb, JPEG — and not in capital letters
• Left thumb impression, 20 kb to 50 kb, JPEG
• Handwritten declaration in the prescribed format, 50 kb to 100 kb, JPEG

You will also be asked to capture a live photograph during the application, using a webcam or phone camera, in addition to the uploaded photo.

How to apply

1. Register with a working email address and mobile number — both are used for every subsequent communication.
2. Fill the application, choosing your post, state and examination centre carefully.
3. Upload the documents to the exact specifications above.
4. Pay the fee online and print the system-generated application for your records.

IBPS SO Vacancy

IBPS SO vacancies for CRP SPL-XVI (2026-27): 1,043 as on 27 August 2026, across the six specialist posts.

Posts covered

IT Officer (Scale I), Agriculture Field Officer (Scale I), Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I), Law Officer (Scale I), HR / Personnel Officer (Scale I) and Marketing Officer (Scale I) in the participating Public Sector Banks.

Pay

Junior Management Grade Scale I, scale of pay ₹48,480–85,920 as printed in the notification, plus DA, HRA and city compensatory allowance.

Vacancy figures move after the notification

Bank vacancy counts are provisional and are revised by corrigendum as participating banks confirm their requirements. Always read the latest annexure rather than the figure printed in the original notification.

Reservation

Vacancies are reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, the Economically Weaker Sections and Persons with Benchmark Disability as per Government rules, and the break-up is published state-wise and bank-wise with the notification.

IBPS SO Salary & Job Profile

IBPS SO carries Junior Management Grade Scale I, scale of pay ₹48,480–85,920 as printed in the notification, plus DA, HRA and city compensatory allowance.

Post and profile

IT Officer (Scale I), Agriculture Field Officer (Scale I), Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I), Law Officer (Scale I), HR / Personnel Officer (Scale I) and Marketing Officer (Scale I) in the participating Public Sector Banks.

Allowances

Staff loans at concessional rates are the most undervalued part of a bank package — a housing loan several percentage points below the market rate is worth more over a career than the difference in basic pay between two banks.

Career progression

Promotion runs through the officer grades — Junior Management Scale I, Middle Management Scales II and III, and Senior Management above — by a mix of seniority, internal written tests and interviews. Clerical staff can move into the officer cadre through internal promotion.