🏦 Introduction

The IBPS PO (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection – Probationary Officer) Exam is conducted annually for recruitment of Probationary Officers in public sector banks across India. The IBPS PO 2026 exam is one of the most competitive banking examinations, offering job positions in major public sector banks such as BoB, UBI, PNB, Canara Bank, and others.
This article explains the IBPS PO 2026 syllabus, latest exam pattern, selection process, preparation strategy, and official resources — essential for every aspirant preparing seriously.

🧭 Selection Process

The IBPS PO 2026 selection process consists of the following phases:

Preliminary Exam (Online)
Main Exam (Online)
Interview (Conducted by Participating Banks)
Document Verification
Provisional Allotment

📘 Exam Pattern — Phase-wise (2026)

🔹 IBPS PO Prelims Exam Pattern

Section	Questions	Marks	Duration
English Language	30	30	20 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	35	35	20 minutes
Reasoning Ability	35	35	20 minutes
Total	100	100	60 minutes

Negative Marking: Yes — –¼ mark for every wrong answer
Qualifying Nature: Scores not added to final merit but required to qualify for Mains.

🔹 IBPS PO Mains Exam Pattern

Section	Questions	Marks	Duration
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude	45	60	60 minutes
Data Analysis & Interpretation	35	60	45 minutes
English Language	35	40	40 minutes
General / Economy / Banking Awareness	40	40	35 minutes
Total (Objective)	155	200	180 minutes
English Language (Descriptive – Essay & Letter)**	2	25	30 minutes

Negative Marking: Yes — –¼ per wrong answer

🔹 IBPS PO Interview

Component	Marks
Interview	100 marks
Minimum Qualifying	40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD)

📝 Detailed Syllabus — Section-wise (2026)

🔹 English Language

Reading comprehension, cloze test, para jumbles
Error spotting, phrase replacement
Sentence improvement, fill in the blanks

🔹 Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude

Puzzles & Seating Arrangements
Coding-Decoding, Syllogism, Inequalities
Blood Relation, Direction, Input-Output
Computer basics, networking, memory & MS Office

🔹 Quantitative Aptitude / Data Analysis & Interpretation

Simplification & Approximation
Number system, ratio & proportion, percentages
Time, work, distance & wages
Profit & loss, SI/CI, mensuration
Bar graph, pie chart, table DI, caselets
Missing DI, quadratic equations, data sufficiency

🔹 General / Economy / Banking Awareness

Banking & financial awareness
RBI policies, monetary policy, NPA, inflation
Budget, Economic survey, committees & schemes
Static GK, current affairs (national & international)

🔹 Descriptive Section (Mains)

Letter writing (formal/informal)
Essay writing on banking/financial/economic & social topics

⚖️ Final Selection & Marks Weightage

Stage	Weightage
IBPS PO Mains	80%
Interview	20%
Prelims	Qualifying only

➡ Final merit list = (Mains Score × 0.80) + (Interview Score × 0.20)
➡ After final merit, candidates undergo Document Verification & Provisional Allotment in participating banks.

✅ Practical Preparation Tips

✔️ Understand syllabus + exam pattern thoroughly before making a study plan
✔️ Practice mock tests & sectional timing for Prelims
✔️ For Mains, focus on DI, puzzles, reasoning-computer hybrid questions
✔️ Improve vocabulary & grammar for English + descriptive
✔️ Read daily banking awareness & current affairs
✔️ Revise static banking concepts (RBI, NPA, budgeting, inflation, repo rate)
✔️ Maintain accuracy — avoid random guessing due to negative marking
✔️ Keep documents & ID proofs ready for later stages

🔗 Useful Official Resource

📌 Official IBPS Website for Notifications, Admit Card, Syllabus PDF & Result:
🔗 https://www.ibps.in/

(Navigate to → CRP PO/MT → Notifications — once IBPS PO 2026 PDF is released it will be available under this tab)

IBPS: IBPS PO Recruitment 2018 ...

IBPS PO Recruitment 2026 – Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Selection Process & Preparation Guide