IBPS SO: syllabus, exam pattern & eligibility

IBPS Common Recruitment Process for Specialist Officers (CRP SPL), Scale I, in participating public sector banks. Recruitment of Specialist Officers (Scale I) in participating public sector banks through a common online Preliminary and Main examination, interview and provisional allotment. Six posts in CRP SPL-XVI (vacancies of 2027-28): IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer.

Category
Banking
Conducted by
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS); interviews are conducted by the participating banks and coordinated by the Nodal Bank
Level
Recruitment
Frequency
Once a year
Mode
CBT
Languages
English, Hindi
Application fee
Rs 850 (inclusive of GST) for all other candidates; Rs 175 (inclusive of GST) for SC/ST/PwBD candidates; bank transaction charges are borne by the candidate. Edit-window correction fee Rs 200 for all (CRP SPL-XVI notification of 01-07-2026).

Eligibility

Exam pattern

Preliminary - IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer (Scale I)

80 min · 100 questions · 125 marks

Preliminary - Law Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)

80 min · 100 questions · 125 marks

Main (objective) - IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer

125 min · 150 questions · 200 marks

Main (objective) - Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari

125 min · 150 questions · 200 marks

Main (descriptive)

30 min · 2 questions · 25 marks

Syllabus

English Language (all posts; Prelims 25 questions, Main 30)

English Language

Reasoning (all posts; Prelims 25 questions, Main 40)

Reasoning

Quantitative Aptitude (IT / Agricultural Field / HR / Marketing Officer)

Quantitative Aptitude

General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry (Law Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari)

General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry

Professional Knowledge, by post

IT Officer (Scale I): subject knowledge of the post, Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I): subject knowledge of the post, HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I): subject knowledge of the post, Marketing Officer (Scale I): subject knowledge of the post, Law Officer (Scale I): subject knowledge of the post, Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I): subject knowledge of the post (objective and descriptive)

Descriptive Paper (Main)

English descriptive paper, two questions (Rajbhasha Adhikari: Professional Knowledge descriptive in English and Hindi)

Important dates (CRP SPL-XVI (vacancies of 2027-28))

Selection process

Online Preliminary (qualify in each test, shortlisting only) -> Online Main (objective tests plus descriptive paper; all tests except Professional Knowledge qualifying; shortlisting on Main marks) -> Interview of 100 marks by the participating banks (min 40%, 35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD) -> final merit = Main : Interview in the ratio 80:20 -> provisional allotment to a participating bank on merit-cum-preference. A reserve list of about 20% of vacancies per category per post may be kept; the allotment is valid until one year after the allotment date or a fresh allotment. Ties are broken by date of birth (older candidate first).

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Frequently asked questions

What is IBPS SO?

IBPS SO stands for IBPS Common Recruitment Process for Specialist Officers (CRP SPL), Scale I, in participating public sector banks. Recruitment of Specialist Officers (Scale I) in participating public sector banks through a common online Preliminary and Main examination, interview and provisional allotment. Six posts in CRP SPL-XVI (vacancies of 2027-28): IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer. It is conducted by Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS); interviews are conducted by the participating banks and coordinated by the Nodal Bank. Level: Recruitment.

Who is eligible for IBPS SO?

Education: Post-wise, result declared on or before 21-07-2026 (CRP SPL-XVI). IT Officer: 4-year Engineering/Technology degree in Computer Science/Computer Applications/IT/Electronics/Electronics & Telecommunications/Electronics & Communication/Electronics & Instrumentation, OR post-graduate degree in Electronics/E&TC/E&C/E&I/Computer Science/IT/Computer Applications, OR graduate with DOEACC 'B' level. Agricultural Field Officer: 4-year degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Science, Dairy Science, Fishery Science, Pisciculture, Agri. Marketing & Cooperation, Co-operation & Banking, Agro-Forestry, Forestry, Agricultural Biotechnology, B.Tech Biotechnology, Food Science, Agriculture Business Management, Food Technology, Dairy Technology, Agricultural Engineering, Sericulture or Fisheries Engineering. Rajbhasha Adhikari: post-graduate degree in Hindi with English at graduation level, OR post-graduate degree in Sanskrit with English and Hindi at graduation level. Law Officer: LL.B. and enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council. HR/Personnel Officer: graduate plus 2-year full-time post-graduate degree/diploma in Personnel Management/Industrial Relations/HR/HRD/Social Work/Labour Law. Marketing Officer: graduate plus 2-year full-time MMS (Marketing)/MBA (Marketing)/PGDBA/PGDBM/PGPM/PGDM with specialisation in Marketing. For posts other than IT Officer: certificate/diploma/degree in computer operations or language, or Computer/IT studied as a subject at school/college. No equivalent qualification is accepted. Age limit: 20 to 30 years as on 01-07-2026 (born between 02-07-1996 and 01-07-2006, both inclusive). Upper-age relaxation: SC/ST 5 years, OBC (non-creamy layer) 3 years, persons with benchmark disability 10 years, ex-servicemen/ECOs/SSCOs with at least 5 years' service 5 years (subject to Government ceiling). SC/ST/OBC relaxation is cumulative with only one of the other categories. Attempts: The notification states no limit on attempts. A candidate may apply for only one post; multiple applications are rejected and only the latest valid one is kept. Nationality: Citizen of India, subject of Nepal or Bhutan, Tibetan refugee who came to India before 01-01-1962 to settle permanently, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam to settle in India (all except Indian citizens need a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India).

What is the exam pattern of IBPS SO?

Preliminary - IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer (Scale I): 80 minutes, 100 questions, 125 marks. Preliminary - Law Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I): 80 minutes, 100 questions, 125 marks. Main (objective) - IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer: 125 minutes, 150 questions, 200 marks. Main (objective) - Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari: 125 minutes, 150 questions, 200 marks. Main (descriptive): 30 minutes, 2 questions, 25 marks. Mode: CBT.

How often is IBPS SO held?

Once a year.

When is IBPS SO held?

CRP SPL-XVI (vacancies of 2027-28) cycle: Notification and online registration opens 2026-07-01; Registration and fee payment close 2026-07-21; Online Preliminary (tentative month per notification) 2026-08; Candidate question-report window for the Preliminary opens (IBPS registration site) 2026-08-31; Candidate question-report window for the Preliminary closes 2026-09-02; Preliminary result (tentative: September/October) 2026-10.

How are candidates selected through IBPS SO?

Online Preliminary (qualify in each test, shortlisting only) -> Online Main (objective tests plus descriptive paper; all tests except Professional Knowledge qualifying; shortlisting on Main marks) -> Interview of 100 marks by the participating banks (min 40%, 35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD) -> final merit = Main : Interview in the ratio 80:20 -> provisional allotment to a participating bank on merit-cum-preference. A reserve list of about 20% of vacancies per category per post may be kept; the allotment is valid until one year after the allotment date or a fresh allotment. Ties are broken by date of birth (older candidate first).

What is the application fee for IBPS SO?

Rs 850 (inclusive of GST) for all other candidates; Rs 175 (inclusive of GST) for SC/ST/PwBD candidates; bank transaction charges are borne by the candidate. Edit-window correction fee Rs 200 for all (CRP SPL-XVI notification of 01-07-2026).

Compiled from public sources, last checked 2026-10-04. Dates, fees and rules change, so confirm with the official website before you apply.