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Is there negative marking in IBPS PO?
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Yes. In IBPS PO, every wrong answer in the online Prelims and the online Mains costs one-fourth (0.25) of the marks assigned to that question. A question you leave blank carries no penalty.
What the penalty means in each section
The penalty is a quarter of the marks for that question, not a flat 0.25. IBPS PO sections carry unequal marks, so the cost of a wrong answer differs by section. The table assumes marks are spread evenly across a section's questions, so treat the last column as an average, not an exact figure.
| Paper | Section | Questions | Marks | Average marks per question | Average penalty per wrong answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims | English Language | 30 | 30 | 1.00 | 0.25 |
| Prelims | Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 30 | 0.86 | 0.21 |
| Prelims | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 40 | 1.14 | 0.29 |
| Mains | Reasoning | 40 | 60 | 1.50 | 0.38 |
| Mains | General/Economy/Banking Awareness | 50 | 60 | 1.20 | 0.30 |
| Mains | English Language | 40 | 20 | 0.50 | 0.13 |
| Mains | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 40 | 60 | 1.50 | 0.38 |
The Mains descriptive paper (Essay and Comprehension, 25 marks) is not an objective test, so the wrong-answer rule does not apply to it.
When a guess is worth it
With a one-fourth penalty, a guess has a positive expected value only when your chance of being right is better than 1 in 5. Blind guessing on a question you never understood loses marks over a paper. Guessing after you have eliminated two options is a reasonable bet.
The Mains English section is the cheapest place to take a risk, because each question is worth about half a mark. Reasoning and Data Analysis & Interpretation are the costliest places to be wrong.
Why the penalty matters more in Prelims
Prelims is qualifying only, and IBPS applies a sectional cut-off in each of its three tests. A careless run of wrong answers in one section can sink the whole attempt even when your total looks fine. Read the full structure in the IBPS PO syllabus and exam pattern and plan your attempt strategy using the IBPS PO preparation strategy.
The same rule exists in other bank exams, with different marks per question; see negative marking in SBI PO. PrepMatic scores bank-exam mocks with the negative marking of the exam you pick, so you can see what your guesses cost before the real paper. The bank exam mock test strategy explains how to use that.
Source
- IBPS CRP PO/MT-XVI detailed notification (30 June 2026): marks and penalty rule for Prelims and Mains.
Marks per section can change between cycles, so confirm them in the latest notification. For the exam family, see the bank exam hub.
Know which section is costing you the cut-off
Take a free bank-exam assessment on PrepMatic. It shows where you stand in Quant, Reasoning and English, then builds a daily study plan and mock tests focused on your weak subjects.
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- IBPS PO syllabusIBPS PO syllabus and pattern for the 2026 cycle: prelims and mains tables, descriptive test, Personality Test, interview weightage and commonly tested topics.
- IBPS PO strategyA section-wise IBPS PO strategy built on the 2026 marks: where the marks sit, how to split sectional time, the prelims-to-mains switch and mock cadence.
- Bank exam mock testsBank exam mock test strategy for IBPS and SBI: how many mocks to take, when to start, prelims vs mains mocks, sectional timing and a mock analysis method.
- Negative marking in SBI POSBI PO deducts one-fourth of the marks assigned to a question for each wrong answer in Prelims and Mains. See the penalty by section for 2026.
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