IBPS PO (Probationary Officer) 2026 — Age Limit, Eligibility & Syllabus
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection · Banking
Quick highlights
- Qualification
- Graduate
- Age limit
- 20 – 30 years
- Age as on
- 2026-08-01
- Salary
- ₹48,480 basic; gross ₹63,000 – ₹78,000 per month with allowances
- Typical vacancies
- Roughly 3,000 – 5,500 posts per cycle
- Notification window
- Notification usually releases in July-August with prelims in October.
About this exam
IBPS PO is the main gateway to officer cadre jobs in public sector banks. Selected candidates join as Probationary Officers in Scale 1 and can reach branch manager level within a few years.
Educational qualification: Bachelor's degree in any discipline with basic computer literacy.
Age limit and category relaxation
| Category | Relaxation | Upper age |
|---|---|---|
| General / UR | 0 years | 30 years |
| OBC (NCL) | 3 years | 33 years |
| SC | 5 years | 35 years |
| ST | 5 years | 35 years |
Ex-servicemen get 3 years and PwD candidates up to 10 years additional relaxation as per rules.
Selection process
1. Prelims
English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude — 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes with sectional timing.
2. Mains
Reasoning & Computer, General/Economy/Banking Awareness, English, Data Analysis — 155 questions, 200 marks, plus a 25-mark descriptive letter and essay.
3. Interview
100-mark interview; final merit is 80% mains and 20% interview.
Recommended mock tests & books for IBPS PO
Previous year papers, full-length mock tests and Hindi-medium books from trusted platforms.
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Syllabus
Quantitative Aptitude / Data Analysis
Number series, simplification, quadratic equations, data interpretation (table, pie, caselet), arithmetic word problems, data sufficiency.
Reasoning Ability
Puzzles, seating arrangement, syllogism, inequality, blood relations, direction, order-ranking, input-output, coding-decoding.
English Language
Reading comprehension, cloze test, para jumble, sentence rearrangement, error spotting, fillers, vocabulary.
General & Banking Awareness
RBI functions, monetary policy, banking terms, financial institutions, budget, schemes, last 6 months current affairs.
Computer Aptitude
Hardware, software, MS Office, internet, networking, database basics, security.
Cut-off trend
Prelims cut-offs move between 55-65 out of 100 for General and mains cut-offs between 75-95 out of 225. Sectional cut-offs must also be cleared.
Official links
ibps.inAlways download notifications and apply only through the official website.
Frequently asked questions
What is the age limit for IBPS PO?
20 to 30 years as on the cut-off date. OBC candidates can apply up to 33 and SC/ST candidates up to 35.
How many attempts are allowed in IBPS PO?
There is no attempt limit. You can appear every year until you exceed the upper age limit for your category.
Is IBPS PO harder than SBI PO?
SBI PO generally has a tougher mains paper and a group exercise round, while IBPS PO offers more vacancies across multiple banks. The syllabus overlap is above 90%.
Keep a Plan B ready
Banking aspirants already master financial analysis and customer handling — corporate Credit Analyst, Relationship Manager and Financial Operations roles hire them straight away.