IBPS PO 2026: Exam Date, Syllabus, Eligibility & Free Mocks

IBPS PO is the Common Recruitment Process conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection to recruit Probationary Officers and Management Trainees for participating public sector banks across India. It is the principal entry route into officer cadre banking, placing successful candidates directly in Junior Management Grade Scale I.

The selection runs through three stages — a preliminary objective test, a main examination combining objective sections with a descriptive English paper, and a personal interview conducted by the participating banks. The final merit weights the Mains at 80% and the interview at 20%, with the Prelims score not carrying forward at all.

IBPS PO is popular because it places a graduate directly into banking officer cadre with a basic pay of ₹48,480 and a clear promotion path to branch management and senior executive grades within a single career.

A Probationary Officer joins in Junior Management Grade Scale I and can rise through Scale II to Scale VII, with branch head responsibility often reached within a decade. Few graduate-entry government examinations offer comparable early responsibility or a comparable ceiling.

Beyond pay, the post carries dearness allowance, city compensatory allowance, lease accommodation or house rent allowance, medical insurance for the family, and concessional staff loans for housing and vehicles that are worth a substantial amount over a career.

• Direct entry into officer cadre — Junior Management Grade Scale I
• Basic pay of ₹48,480 after the 12th Bipartite Settlement
• Promotion path from Scale I through to Scale VII
• Lease accommodation, family medical cover and concessional staff loans

Expected schedule for the 2026 cycle, based on IBPS’s usual annual calendar.ibps.in — Official Calendar

The most recent IBPS PO cycle carried approximately Notified per cycle vacancies.

IBPS PO vacancy counts vary considerably between cycles because they aggregate the requirements reported by each participating public sector bank, and some banks report vacancies only after the notification is published. Confirm the current figure and the participating bank list in the official notification on ibps.in.

Vacancies announced in the most recent IBPS PO notification.ibps.in — Official Notification

To apply for IBPS PO 2026 a candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university and be between 20 and 30 years of age as on the cut-off date specified in the notification.

Educational Qualification

A degree in any discipline from a University recognised by the Government of India, or an equivalent qualification recognised as such by the Central Government.

• Candidates must possess a valid mark sheet or degree certificate showing the date of passing on or before the cut-off date in the notification.
• Computer literacy — operating and working knowledge of computer systems — is a mandatory requirement.
• Proficiency in the official language of the state or union territory applied for is desirable and is assessed at the interview stage.

Age Limit

The age limit for IBPS PO is 20 to 30 years. Age is reckoned as on the cut-off date specified in the official notification. Verify the exact date each cycle.

Nationality

• A citizen of India, or
• A subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or
• A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or
• A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries, Vietnam or Ethiopia with the intention of permanently settling in India.

IBPS PO runs in three stages — a 100-mark Prelims with 20-minute sectional timing, a 200-mark objective Mains plus a 25-mark descriptive paper, and a 100-mark interview. The final merit is built from the Mains at 80% and the interview at 20%; the Prelims score is not carried forward.

1. 1Online registration on the IBPS portal with bank and state preferences.
2. 2Preliminary Examination — qualifying only, used to shortlist for the Mains.
3. 3Main Examination — objective sections plus a descriptive English paper.
4. 4Interview conducted by the participating banks, carrying 100 marks.
5. 5Final merit prepared from Mains at 80% and Interview at 20%.
6. 6Provisional allotment to a participating bank based on merit and preferences.

The IBPS PO syllabus covers Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation, Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude, English Language including a descriptive paper, and General, Banking and Economy Awareness with a strong current-affairs component.

An IBPS Probationary Officer joins in Junior Management Grade Scale I with a basic pay of ₹48,480 following the 12th Bipartite Settlement, giving an approximate gross salary of ₹75,000 to ₹85,000 per month depending on city classification and allowances.

Allowances and Benefits

• Dearness Allowance (DA) — revised quarterly
• City Compensatory Allowance (CCA) by city classification
• Lease accommodation or House Rent Allowance (HRA)
• Special Allowance and Learning Allowance
• Medical insurance covering the officer and family
• Concessional staff loans for housing, vehicle and education
• Leave Fare Concession (LFC) and pension under NPS

The decisive IBPS PO strategy is to prepare for sectional timing rather than overall time management, because both Prelims and Mains lock each section separately — strength in one section cannot compensate for slowness in another.