IBPS PO Cut Off 2026: Expected Prelims & Mains Marks, Last 5 Years Trend

With 6,715 vacancies on offer this year, the IBPS PO Cut Off 2026 is the number every banking aspirant is quietly obsessing over. It’s the line between an admit card for the next round and a long wait for the following cycle, and this year, the maths behind that line has genuinely shifted. 

IBPS has revised the Mains pattern, bumped up vacancies by nearly 29% over last year, and pushed exam dates to August and October. So does a bigger vacancy pool mean an easier cutoff, or does the tougher Mains paper cancel that advantage out? This guide breaks down the expected IBPS PO 2026 Cut Off, category-wise, backed by five years of verified past-year data so you know exactly what score keeps you safely inside the merit list.

Key Highlights of IBPS PO Cut Off 2026

• IBPS PO Notification 2026 (CRP PO/MT-XVI) released on 30 June 2026; detailed notification on 1 July 2026.
• Total vacancies: 6,715, up by 1,507 posts from the previous cycle, across 11 participating banks.
• IBPS PO Prelims Exam: 22 & 23 August 2026; IBPS PO Mains Exam: 4 October 2026.
• Mains pattern revised: 170 objective questions (up from 145), with higher weightage to General/Economy/Banking Awareness and Data Analysis.
• Official IBPS PO Cut Off 2026 will be released only after each exam stage; expected cutoff is based on the last 5 years’ trend and vacancy analysis.
• General category Prelims cutoff is expected between 48–56 marks (out of 100); Mains between 60–72 marks (out of 225).

IBPS PO Cut Off 2026: Overview

The IBPS PO Cut Off 2026 is the minimum normalized score a candidate must secure at each stage Prelims, Mains, and Final Selection to move ahead in the recruitment process. IBPS calculates it separately for every category after adjusting scores across different exam shifts, so no two years look identical.

Three factors move this number every year:

• The number of vacancies,
• how tough the paper was, and
• how the overall candidate pool performed.

With vacancies up sharply this year, the expected IBPS PO Cut Off 2026 for Prelims may stay close to previous years, even though a revised, section-heavier Mains paper could keep that stage’s cutoff from dropping too far.

IBPS PO Cut Off Prelims 2026: Expected Marks Category-Wise

The IBPS PO Prelims Cut Off is only qualifying in nature, meaning your Prelims score doesn’t count toward the final merit, but you still need to clear it to sit for Mains. Based on last year’s 49.21 mark for General and the sharp rise in vacancies, experts project a similar or slightly wider band this year.

Category	Expected IBPS PO Prelims Cut Off 2026 (out of 100)
General/UR	48 – 56
OBC	48 – 55
EWS	48 – 55
SC	44 – 50
ST	40 – 46

Note: Since sectional cutoffs also apply in English, Quant, and Reasoning, don’t just chase the overall number; clear every section comfortably to avoid disqualification even with a high total score.

IBPS PO Prelims Cut Off Last 5 Years

Looking at the IBPS PO prelims cut off previous year data helps you set a realistic mock test target instead of guessing blind. Here’s the General category trend for the last five recruitment cycles.

Year	IBPS PO Prelims Cut Off (General, out of 100)
2025	49.21
2024	48.50
2023	54.25
2022	49.75
2021	50.50

The IBPS PO prelims cut off last 5 years shows a range of roughly 48 to 54 marks for General candidates, with 2023 being the toughest year on record due to a relatively difficult paper and fewer vacancies that cycle.

IBPS PO Mains Cut Off 2026: Expected Marks Category-Wise

The Mains exam actually decides your rank, since it carries 80% weightage in the final merit list alongside the interview’s 20%. This year’s revised pattern 170 objective questions instead of 145, with heavier General Awareness and Data Analysis sections could shift where the mains cutoff lands.

Category	Expected IBPS PO Mains Cut Off 2026 (out of 225)
General/UR	63 – 72
OBC	60 – 70
EWS	61 – 70
SC	50 – 60
ST	45 – 55

Aim for a score at least 10–15 marks above the expected cutoff in your mock Mains attempts. The Descriptive Paper (Essay and Comprehension) still needs a separate qualifying score, so don’t neglect it while chasing objective marks.

IBPS PO Mains Cut Off Last 5 Years

The IBPS PO Mains cut off last 5 years reflects both paper difficulty and vacancy swings more sharply than Prelims does, since it’s the stage that actually shapes your rank.

Year	IBPS PO Mains Cut Off (General, out of 225)
2025	75.75
2024	66.50
2023	63.00
2022	71.25
2021	80.75

With 6,715 vacancies this year, well above the last three cycles, the IBPS PO Mains Cut Off 2026 could ease slightly for General candidates, provided the revised paper doesn’t turn out significantly tougher.

IBPS PO Cut Off State Wise

IBPS PO cut off state-wise data is not published, and this trips up a lot of first-time aspirants who assume regional cutoffs exist like some state-level exams.

• IBPS PO is a national-level, all-India cadre recruitment; candidates compete on one common merit list per category, not state-wise.
• Only category-wise and section-wise cutoffs are released by IBPS.
• Bank-wise allotment happens later, based on your rank, category, and bank preference order, not your state.

Why Is IBPS PO Cut Off Low Some Years?

A common question aspirants ask is why ibps po cut off is low in certain cycles compared to others. It usually comes down to a mix of these factors:

• Higher vacancies: More posts mean IBPS can afford to qualify candidates at a slightly lower score, as seen with this year’s 29% vacancy jump.
• Tougher paper difficulty: A harder Reasoning or Data Analysis section pulls the overall score distribution down, lowering the normalized cutoff.
• Lower candidate turnout or performance: If fewer candidates clear sectional cutoffs, the overall qualifying mark drops to fill available seats.
• Normalization across shifts: Scores are equated across multiple exam shifts, which can shift the final cutoff up or down by a few marks.

IBPS PO Final Cut Off

The IBPS PO Final Cut Off combines your normalized Mains score (weighted 80%) and Interview marks (weighted 20%), scaled out of 100. This is the number that actually gets you a provisional bank allotment.

Category	IBPS PO Final Cut Off 2025 (out of 100)
General	46.11
OBC	44.04
EWS	43.64
SC	38.53
ST	36.73

IBPS PO Cut Off vs SBI PO Cut Off

Aspirants preparing for both exams often compare the SBI PO cut off with IBPS PO, since both test similar skills but differ in difficulty and vacancy scale.

• SBI PO Mains questions tend to be slightly more unpredictable, especially in Reasoning and Banking Awareness, which can keep its cutoff marginally lower relative to difficulty.
• IBPS PO has significantly higher vacancies this year (6,715), which generally works in candidates’ favor for a more accessible cutoff.
• Both exams use category-wise, normalized cutoffs, so a strong Mains and Descriptive score matters equally in either exam.

How to Check Official IBPS PO Cut Off 2026

Follow the easy steps to check the IBPS Cut off 2026 from the official website –

1. Visit the official IBPS website at ibps. in.
2. Click on the CRP PO/MT-XVI notification or results section.
3. Open the category-wise cutoff PDF released after each exam stage.
4. Cross-check your normalized score against the sectional and overall cutoff listed.

Also Read
IBPS PO Exam Pattern	IBPS PO Salary
IBPS PO Previous Year Question Paper	IBPS PO Cut Off
IBPS PO Study Plan	IBPS PO Preparation Strategy
Best Books for IBPS PO 2026 Exam	IBPS PO Syllabus 2026 for All Subjects

FAQs on IBPS PO Cut Off 2026

Q1. When will the official IBPS PO Cut Off 2026 be released? The official IBPS PO Cut Off 2026 will be released only after the Prelims (August 2026) and Mains (October 2026) exams conclude, along with the respective result notifications on ibps.in.

Q2. What is the expected IBPS PO Prelims Cut Off 2026 for General category? The expected IBPS PO Prelims Cut Off 2026 for General/UR candidates is around 48–56 marks out of 100, based on last year’s 49.21 and the higher 2026 vacancy count.

Q3. Is IBPS PO Cut Off state wise available? No, IBPS PO cut off state wise data is not released since it’s a national-level, all-India cadre exam. Only category-wise and section-wise cutoffs are published officially.

Q4. Why is the IBPS PO Cut Off sometimes lower than expected? The cutoff drops when vacancies rise, the paper is tougher, or fewer candidates clear sectional marks. Normalization across shifts can also lower the final qualifying score slightly.

Q5. Are Prelims marks added to the IBPS PO final merit list? No, IBPS PO Prelims is purely qualifying in nature. Only Mains and Interview marks, combined in an 80:20 ratio, decide the final IBPS PO merit list and allotment.