The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts the IBPS SO recruitment exam for selection of candidates for the different posts such as I.T. Officer (Scale-I), Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I), Rajyabhasha Adhikari (Scale I), Law Officer (Scale I), HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I), Marketing Officer (Scale I). IBPS conducts the examination in two-tier i.e. Preliminary and Main. Candidates who will qualify in Online Preliminary Examination and shortlisted will have to appear for Online Main Examination and shortlisted candidates of the Main examination will subsequently be called for a Common Interview. The candidates who clears all the stages of the recruitment will get provisional allotment as the same designation in which he/she has applied. In this article you will get complete information about IBPS SO Exam.
IBPS SO 2018
Last year, the exam was conducted for approximately 1,315 Specialist Officers (SO)in various public sector banks and other participating organizations. The vacancies for IBPS SO Recruitment only confirms once the official notification releases, Candidates can check the exam date and the schedule for IBPS SO 2018 & 2019 in the table below.
| Events | Date |
| IBPS SO 2018 Examination | |
| IBPS SO 2018 Prelims exam date | 29 and 30 Dec 2018 |
| IBPS SO 2018 Main exam date | 27 Jan 2019 |
| IBPS SO 2018 Interview | Feb 2019 |
| IBPS SO 2019 Examination | |
| IBPS SO 2019 Prelims exam date | 28, 29 Dec 2019 |
| IBPS SO 2019 Main exam date | 25 Jan 2020 |
| IBPS SO 2019 Interview | Feb 2020 |
Quick Links
Participating Organizations
The list of participating organizations for IBPS SO Recruitment shall be as follows:
| Allahabad Bank | Canara Bank | Indian Bank | Syndicate Bank |
| Andhra Bank | Central Bank of India | Indian Overseas Bank | UCO Bank |
| Bank Of Baroda | Corporation Bank | Oriental Bank of Commerce | Union Bank of India |
| Bank of India | Dena Bank | Punjab National Bank | United Bank of India |
| Bank of Maharashtra | IDBI Bank | Punjab & Sind Bank | Vijaya Bank |
Eligibility Criteria
Interested aspirants who wish to apply for IBPS SO Exam, must ensure that they fulfill the eligibility conditions as laid down by IBPS. The eligibility criteria to apply for IBPS SO is given below:
Age Limit
- Minimum: 20 years
- Maximum: 30 years
What is the minimum Age Relaxation for Reserved Categories?
Yes, there is age relaxation policy for the candidates belonging to unreserved categories.
Educational Qualification
The minimum educational qualification required for applying for the desired post is as follows:
| Name of the Post | Educational Qualifications |
| I.T. Officer (Scale-I) |
|
| Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I) | Should possess a Graduation in the related field. |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I) |
|
| Law Officer (Scale I) | Should have a graduation degree in the related field and should be enrolled as an advocate with Bar Council |
| HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I) | Should be a Graduate and possess a Two Years Full-time Postgraduate degree or Two Years Full-time Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management / Industrial Relations/ HR / HRD/ Social Work / Labour Law. |
| Marketing Officer (Scale I) | Should be a Graduate and possess a Two Years Full-time MMS (Marketing)/ Two Years Full-time MBA (Marketing)/ Two Years Full-time PGDBA / PGDBM/ PGPM/ PGDM with specialization in Marketing |
Exam Pattern for IBPS SO Exam
The exam pattern for IBPS SO for Prelims and Main shall be as follows:
Preliminary Exam
- For the post of Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari
| Name of Tests | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration of the exam |
| English Language | 50 | 25 | English | 02 hours |
| Reasoning | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | |
| General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry |
50 | 50 | English and Hindi | |
| Total | 150 | 125 |
- For the Post of IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer
| Name of Tests | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration of the exam |
| English Language | 50 | 25 | English | 02 hours |
| Reasoning | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | |
| Total | 150 | 125 |
Main Examination
- For the Post of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer
| Name of Tests | No. of Questions | Maximum marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
| Professional Knowledge | 60 | 60 | English and Hindi | 45 minutes |
- For the post of Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari
| Name of Tests | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
| Professional Knowledge (Objective) | 45 | 60 | English and Hindi | 30 minutes |
| Professional Knowledge (Descriptive) | 02 | English and Hindi | 30 minutes |
IBPS SO Exam Syllabus
The syllabus for IBPS SO for Prelims and Main shall be as follows:
IBPS SO Prelims Syllabus
| Logical Reasoning | English Language | Quantitative Aptitude | General Awareness |
| Seating Arrangements | Cloze Test | Number Series | Current Affairs |
| Puzzles Inequalities | Reading Comprehension | Data Interpretation | Banking Awareness |
| Syllogism | Spotting Errors | Simplification/Approximation | GK Updates |
| Input-Output | Sentence Improvement | Quadratic Equation | Currencies |
| Data Sufficiency | Sentence Correction | Data Sufficiency | Important Places |
| Blood Relations | Para Jumbles | Mensuration | Books and Authors |
| Order and Ranking | Fill in the Blanks | Average | Awards Headquarters |
| Alphanumeric Series | – | Profit and Loss | Prime Minister Schemes |
| Distance and Direction | – | Ratio and Proportion | Important Days |
| Verbal Reasoning | – | Work, Time and Energy | – |
| – | – | Time & Distance | – |
| – | – | Probability Relations | – |
| – | – | Simple and Compound Interest | – |
| – | – | Permutation and Combination | – |
IBPS SO Cut-off
Each candidate will have to obtain a minimum score in the test of Online Main examination and also obtain sufficiently high scores to be shortlisted for interview. Depending on the number of vacancies available, cut-offs will be decided and candidates will be shortlisted for interview.
For 2017
Cut off marks for Interview
As per last year’s information, the candidate shall have to obtain the below mentioned cut off marks in order to qualify the Interview Round:
| Category | Cut off for Interview |
| SC/ST/OBC/PWD | 35% |
| Unreserved | 40% |
How to Prepare for IBPS SO Exam?
The best way to start IBPS SO 2018 preparation is by joining online training classes. IBPS SO exam is conducted in three phases, Prelims, Mains and Interviews. Hence, it is important for you to crack Prelims first. Online coaching classes will help and guide you in your preparation and will make you serious in your preparation. Here are some more pointers given below to help you in your preparation for IBPS SO 2018:
- Plan your schedule: To prepare plan your strategy and your study hour. How much you need to work on which topics. Find your weak topics in which you are lacking and prepare that more. Take a proper sleep so that this will help you to get rid of your laziness and you feel fresh everyday.
- Know the complete Exam: The IBPS IT Officer Exam consists of Objective test which has 200 questions with 75 Questions based on what you have studied in your graduation.
- Reasoning: Most of the questions in the reasoning section focus on choice making based on critical and scientific thinking. It is very important to practice as many questions as you can from reasoning section.
- English Language: You should focus on improving your Vocabulary and English grammar knowledge. must read Newspapers, articles etc and try to find out the meaning of the words which you don’t know.
- Quantitative Aptitude: Try to work on your calculation speed and get good understanding of various concepts which you have studied from class 8th, 9th and 10th. Solve NCERT Books.
Recommended Books for IBPS SO
This is true to crack any exam you need to refer the top-notch study material and reference books. Given below are a list of books which will help in preparing for different sections of the IBPS SO Exam
Books for Reasoning:
- A Modern Approach To Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning Revised Edition By: R. S. Aggarwal
- The Hand on Guide to Analytical Reasoning and Logical Reasoning By: BS Sijwali, Indu Sijwal
- A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal and Non-Verbal 1st Edition By: Peeyush Bhardwaj
Books for Quantitative Aptitude:
- Quantitative Aptitude For Competitive Examinations By R.S.Agarwal
- Magical Book on Quicker Maths By M Tyra
- Quantitative Aptitude Test By N.K.Singh
Books for English:
- Objective English for Competitive Examinations By Hari Mohan Prasad and Uma Rani Sinha
- Objective General English By R.S.Aggarwal and Vikas Aggarwal
- Objective English By Edgar Thorpe
