Bank Exams · IBPS exams

IBPS PO syllabus and exam pattern for 2026

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 8 Oct 2026 · 8 min read

The IBPS PO exam has three stages: an online prelims of 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes, an online mains of 170 objective questions for 200 marks in 160 minutes plus a 25-mark descriptive test, and then a Personality Test and interview. Prelims only qualifies you for mains. Final merit is mains and interview in an 80 : 20 ratio. This page follows the 2026 notification for the PO/MT-XVI cycle, in which sections carry unequal marks, so patterns you may have seen in older guides no longer apply.

A word on "syllabus". IBPS names the sections of each test but does not publish a topic list. The topics below are the areas commonly tested in these sections, drawn from IBPS information handouts and standard preparation sources. Use them as a preparation guide, not as an official syllabus.

IBPS PO at a glance

The notification was released on 30 June 2026. IBPS reserves the right to change the dates in its calendar, so treat any date here as tentative and confirm it on ibps.in.

IBPS PO prelims pattern

Each test is timed separately, so you cannot carry unused minutes from one section to the next. IBPS applies a sectional cut-off in each of the three tests, and it decides those cut-offs itself, so a strong Reasoning score cannot rescue a weak English score. Prelims marks are used only to shortlist candidates for mains.

IBPS PO mains pattern

The whole mains sitting runs 3 hours 10 minutes. The notification lists the objective sections "not by sequence", so do not assume the order on exam day matches this table. To be shortlisted you need the sectional minimum scores and a total minimum score. Where the exam runs in several sessions, IBPS normalises scores with the equi-percentile method.

Three points catch out people who prepared from older material:

• English is only 20 marks. It has 40 questions, but it is worth a tenth of the objective paper. You still need to clear its sectional minimum.
• General awareness is now 50 questions for 60 marks and the section name includes Digital/Financial Awareness and RBI circulars.
• The Reasoning section no longer carries "Computer Aptitude" in its title. The 2026 mains has no separately named computer section.

The descriptive test

The descriptive test has two tasks, an essay and a comprehension, for 25 marks in 30 minutes, in English. IBPS says it may be broadly based on economic and social issues, emerging trends in banking and technology, current events and ethics, and that it may be evaluated by an automated scoring mechanism. Older guides describe a letter plus an essay; that format is out of date. Formats, structures and practice topics are on the descriptive writing for bank exams page.

IBPS PO syllabus: commonly tested topics

Reasoning (prelims and mains)

Prelims questions lean on the standard reasoning families: seating arrangement (linear, circular and box-based), puzzles, syllogism, inequalities, blood relations, direction sense, coding-decoding, order and ranking, and alphanumeric series. Mains adds input-output, data sufficiency, and logical or critical reasoning, such as assumptions, arguments, course of action and inference. The reasoning for bank exams guide shows how to approach each type.

Quantitative Aptitude (prelims)

• Simplification and approximation.
• Number series, including missing and wrong terms.
• Quadratic equations.
• Data interpretation: tables, bar, line and pie charts, and caselets.
• Arithmetic: percentage, ratio, average, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time-speed-distance, boats and streams, mixtures, ages, partnership, mensuration, probability, permutation and combination.

See quantitative aptitude for bank exams for the chapter-wise method.

Data Analysis & Interpretation (mains)

The mains has no separate Quantitative Aptitude section; its numerical marks come from Data Analysis & Interpretation. Expect advanced sets such as mixed graphs, caselets, missing-data DI and arithmetic-heavy DI, plus data sufficiency and quantity comparison. Practice material is on the data interpretation for bank exams page.

English Language (prelims and mains)

Reading comprehension, cloze test, error spotting, sentence improvement, para jumbles, fillers and vocabulary or word usage. In mains, the written side of English is tested in the descriptive paper. See English for bank exams.

General, Economy and Banking Awareness (mains)

Current affairs from roughly the last four to six months, banking terms and RBI policy, financial awareness, the Union Budget and Economic Survey, government schemes and static general knowledge. The mains section name officially includes Digital/Financial Awareness and RBI circulars, so follow RBI's policy announcements and circulars on payments and digital banking, not just newspaper headlines. The banking awareness page covers the sources and a revision system.

Personality Test, interview and final merit

After mains, shortlisted candidates face two further steps.

• Personality Test. A self-report test whose profile is placed before the interview panel. It carries no qualifying cut-off, but attending it is mandatory. IBPS says it may be proctored or held at centres.
• Interview. 100 marks. You need at least 40% to qualify (35% for SC, ST, OBC and PwBD candidates).

Final merit is mains and interview in an 80 : 20 ratio. If two candidates tie, the older candidate ranks higher. IBPS also keeps a reserve list of roughly 20% of vacancies, valid for one year from provisional allotment. PO is an all-India cadre, so you may be posted anywhere in India. The interview itself is covered in bank PO interview preparation.

How the 2026 pattern differs from older IBPS PO papers

Many free mocks and solved papers online still follow the earlier format. Check which version you are practising.

Eligibility in brief

For the 2026 cycle the age limit was 20 to 30 years as on 1 July 2026, with relaxations for SC/ST (5 years), OBC non-creamy layer (3 years) and PwBD (10 years). You must be a graduate in any discipline on the day you register, with the result declared by the last registration date (21 July in the 2026 cycle). The notification sets no limit on the number of attempts and has no credit-score clause. The bank exam eligibility page compares the rules across IBPS, SBI and RBI.

Practising for this pattern on PrepMatic

PrepMatic covers the objective stages. The free assessment (about 15 untimed questions) shows which of Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and English is weakest. You can then take full-length mocks or build custom ones, choosing subjects, number of questions, duration and difficulty, for example a 35-question, 20-minute sectional. Mocks can be focused on your weak subjects. PrepMatic does not evaluate descriptive answers or run interview practice.

Frequently asked questions

What is the IBPS PO exam pattern for 2026?

Prelims has 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes, split into English, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning. Mains has 170 objective questions for 200 marks in 160 minutes plus a 25-mark descriptive test. The Personality Test and an interview follow, and final merit is 80% mains and 20% interview.

Do prelims marks count in the final IBPS PO merit?

No. Prelims is qualifying and is used to shortlist candidates for mains. Final merit combines only the mains and interview scores, in an 80 : 20 ratio.

Is there a computer aptitude section in IBPS PO mains?

Not as a named section in the 2026 notification. Mains has Reasoning, General/Economy/Banking Awareness (including Digital/Financial Awareness and RBI circulars), English Language, and Data Analysis & Interpretation. Computer Aptitude appears in the title of some other bank exams, such as SBI's, so do not mix the patterns.

What is the Personality Test in IBPS PO?

It is a self-report test taken after mains. Your profile goes to the interview panel. It has no qualifying cut-off, but attending it is mandatory.

Is there a sectional cut-off in IBPS PO?

Yes. Prelims has a sectional cut-off in each of its three tests, and mains has sectional minimum scores plus a total minimum. IBPS decides the cut-off values.

Is the IBPS PO descriptive test an essay and a letter?

Not any more. The 2026 notification describes an essay and a comprehension, two tasks for 25 marks in 30 minutes, in English.

Official sources

• IBPS CRP PO/MT-XVI detailed notification (30 June 2026): sections, marks, eligibility and selection process.
• IBPS tentative calendar 2026-27: exam dates, which IBPS may change.
• IBPS CRP updates: corrigenda, information handouts and call letters.

IBPS does not publish past question papers. Check the latest notification and information handout before relying on any detail here, and see the bank exams guide for the other exams.

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