IBPS PO 2026: Probationary Officer recruitment for 11 public sector banks — one of India's most popular banking exams with excellent salary and career growth.Prelims: Oct 2026. Vacancies: ~4,500. Salary: ₹36–63K/mo. Banks: 11 PSBs.IBPS PO (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection — Probationary Officer) is an annual recruitment exam for the post of Probationary Officer / Management Trainee in 11 participating public sector banks including Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Indian Bank, Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, UCO Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, and Punjab & Sind Bank (SBI conducts its own separate PO exam).
Registration OpenUpdated: March 2026
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IBPS PO 2026
Probationary Officer recruitment for 11 public sector banks — one of India's most popular banking exams with excellent salary and career growth
Prelims
Oct 2026
Vacancies
~4,500
Salary
₹36–63K/mo
Banks
11 PSBs
📋Key Details
Conducting BodyInstitute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS)
EducationBachelor's degree from any recognized university (any stream). Final year students can apply.
Age Limit20–30 years (General). OBC: up to 33, SC/ST: up to 35, PwBD: up to 40.
Application Fee₹850 (General/OBC/EWS), ₹175 (SC/ST/PwBD)
Selection ProcessPrelims → Mains → Interview → Final Merit (80% Mains + 20% Interview)
Participating Banks11 public sector banks (NOT SBI — SBI has separate exam)
PostingInitially at branch level. Can be posted anywhere in India under the allocated bank.
📝Prelims — Screening (1 hour)
Online exam with 100 MCQs in 60 minutes. Three sections with individual sectional cutoff AND overall cutoff. This is purely qualifying — Prelims marks don't count in final merit.
English Language30 Qs · 30 marks
Quantitative Aptitude35 Qs · 35 marks
Reasoning Ability35 Qs · 35 marks
Total100 Qs · 100 marks · 60 minutes (20 min per section)
⚠️ Negative marking: 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer
📝Mains — Merit Exam (3 hours + descriptive)
Online objective exam (200 marks, 3 hours) + Descriptive paper (25 marks, 30 minutes). The objective paper has 4 sections with individual time limits. Descriptive paper tests English essay and letter writing.
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (45 min)45 Qs · 60 marks
Data Analysis & Interpretation (45 min)35 Qs · 60 marks
General/Economy/Banking Awareness (35 min)40 Qs · 40 marks
English Language (40 min)35 Qs · 40 marks
Descriptive: Essay + Letter (30 min, pen-on-paper or typing)2 Qs · 25 marks
Total157 Qs · 225 marks · 3 hours 30 minutes total
⚠️ Negative marking: 0.25 marks per wrong answer (objective). Descriptive is evaluated only if you clear objective cutoff.
💰Posts & Salary
Probationary Officer (JMGS-I)(11 participating public sector banks)
₹42,000–63,000/month (varies by city — metro cities higher)💰Salary Breakdown — What You Actually Get
Basic Pay: ₹36,000/month (starting), increasing to ₹63,840 with annual increments.
Dearness Allowance (DA): ~50% of basic (revised quarterly based on inflation) = ₹18,000+
House Rent Allowance (HRA): Metro: 15% of basic. Other cities: 7.5-10%. If bank accommodation provided, HRA not given.
City Compensatory Allowance (CCA): ₹870-1,460/month depending on city classification.
Other allowances: Special allowance (~16% of basic), transport allowance, telephone reimbursement, newspaper allowance, medical aid.
Total in-hand (approximate): Metro posting (Mumbai/Delhi): ₹55,000-63,000/month. Tier-2 city: ₹45,000-55,000/month. Semi-urban: ₹42,000-48,000/month.
Additional benefits: Subsidized home loan (2% below market rate), vehicle loan at concessional rate, medical insurance for family, pension (NPS), gratuity, leave fare concession, children's education allowance.
📚6-Month Preparation Strategy for IBPS PO
Month 1-2 (Foundation): Build basics in Quantitative Aptitude (percentage, ratio, profit-loss, SI/CI, time-work-distance), Reasoning (puzzles, seating arrangement, blood relations, coding, syllogisms), and English (reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary). Use RS Aggarwal for Quant and Verbal/Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Month 3-4 (Practice + Banking Awareness): Start intensive practice — solve 50+ questions daily across all sections. Begin banking awareness preparation: read 'Banking Awareness' by Arihant, learn about RBI policies, banking terminologies, recent mergers, financial inclusion schemes, digital banking. Read The Hindu Business Line for economy/banking news.
Month 5 (Mocks + Descriptive): Take 3-4 full-length mock tests per week. Focus on time management — you have strict sectional time limits. Practice Descriptive paper: write 1 essay (250 words) and 1 formal letter per day. Topics usually relate to banking, economy, social issues, or government schemes.
Month 6 (Revision + Interview Prep): Revise all formulas, shortcuts, and banking awareness notes. Take 5 mocks per week. For interview preparation: know your bio-data form inside out, prepare for 'Why banking?' question, understand the bank you're allocated to, and practice group discussion (some banks have GD before interview).
📅Important Dates
NotificationAugust 2026 (expected based on previous years)
Online ApplicationAugust–September 2026
PrelimsOctober 2026 (tentative)
MainsNovember–December 2026 (tentative)
InterviewJanuary–February 2027 (tentative)
Final AllotmentMarch–April 2027 (tentative)
📚Preparation Strategy
1.Time management is everything in IBPS PO. Prelims gives you 60 minutes for 100 questions — that's 36 seconds per question. Mains has strict sectional time limits. Practice with a timer from day one.
2.Banking Awareness is the differentiator. Most candidates are strong in Quant and Reasoning (same syllabus as SSC). Banking Awareness is where you gain an edge — learn RBI functions, monetary policy, types of accounts, NPA, Basel norms, RTGS/NEFT/UPI, and recent banking news.
3.Don't ignore the Descriptive paper (25 marks). It's evaluated only if you clear the objective cutoff, but many candidates lose their selection due to poor descriptive scores. Practice writing a 250-word essay in 15 minutes and a formal letter in 10 minutes.
4.Puzzles and Seating Arrangement dominate the Reasoning section (15-20 questions out of 35-45). Master these question types — they're time-consuming but learnable with practice. Practice 5 puzzle sets daily.
5.Apply for IBPS PO even if you're preparing for SBI PO — the syllabus is 90% similar. The experience of one exam helps in the other. Many candidates clear both and then choose based on final offer.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
🔗Related Exams
IBPS Official Website
www.ibps.in