IBPS PO Mains Study Plan 2025, Get Smart Strategy Tips

IBPS PO Prelims has just got over! It is high time that candidates who have attempted the prelims exam should start preparing for the IBPS PO Mains exam. Do not wait for the prelims result; just start your mains preparation. This year, IBPS has introduced some changes in the exam pattern for the prelims as well as the mains exam. As far as the marks distribution is concerned, we have observed that an equal marking scheme is followed in prelims, and the same we can expect for the mains exam as well. In this blog, we are going to discuss in detail the study plan for IBPS PO Mains exam. What steps should an aspirant follow in the last 45 days? What topics to be given more preference over others, and many more such aspects are discussed further in the blog. But before that, let’s get a brief overview of IBPS PO Mains exam pattern.

IBPS PO Mains Exam Pattern 2025 (Objective + Descriptive)

The IBPS PO Mains is the second stage of the selection process. It consists of objective and descriptive tests, conducted online. After the analysis of previous years, we can say that the paper is of moderate to difficult level , with a total duration of 190 minutes.

Objective Test Pattern (160 minutes):

Section	No. of Qs	Marks	Medium	Time
Reasoning	40	60	English & Hindi	50 minutes
General/Banking/Economy/Digital Awareness	35	50	English & Hindi	25 minutes
English Language	35	40	English	40 minutes
Data Analysis & Interpretation	35	50	English & Hindi	45 minutes
Total	145	200		160 mins

Descriptive Paper (30 minutes):

• 2 Questions (Essay & Letter Writing)
• 25 Marks
• Conducted online immediately after the objective test.

Total Duration: 190 minutes (including both tests)

Note: Each section in the objective test is separately timed.

IBPS PO Mains Important topics

The list of main exam important topics is prepared after the analysis of previous exam papers. In the table below, we have given a list of topics from all four sections. 

Reasoning	General/ Banking/ Economy/ Digital Awareness	English Language	Data Analysis & Interpretation
Coded Syllogism	Current Affairs (National and International)	Reading Comprehension	Data Interpretation (Tables, Bar Graphs, Line Graphs, Pie Charts, etc.)
Coding-Decoding	Static GK (Books and Authors, Awards, Important Days, etc.)	Cloze Test	Data Sufficiency
Blood Relations	Government Schemes and Policies	Error Spotting	Caselet DI
Alphanumeric Series	Banking Terminology	Sentence Improvement/ Correction	Data Comparison
Seating Arrangements (Circular, Linear, Square)	Monetary Policy/ Fiscal Policy	Fill in the Blanks
Puzzle (Floor, Box, Day/Month-Based, etc.)	Banking Regulations and Acts	Vocabulary (Synonyms, Antonyms, Homonyms, One-word Substitution)
Direction Sense	Types of Banks and Financial Institutions	Inequality (Coded and Direct)
Inequality (Coded and Direct)	Indian Financial System	Active and Passive Voice
Machine Input-Output	Banking Abbreviations	Para Jumbles
Logical Reasoning	International Financial Institutions	Phrases and Idioms
Miscellanous	RBI and its Function
	Indian Economy (GDP, Inflation, Economic Reforms)
	Poverty and Unemployment
	Social Development Schemes
	Globalization and Its Effects
	Social Justice and Social Harmony
	Basic Financial Terms/ Banking and Investment Instruments/ Insurance and Mutual Funds

IBPS PO Mains Study Plan 2025

Regarding the IBPS PO Mains Study Plan, make sure to divide your day into 5 slots of approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. This way, you have to devote 8-10 hours per day until the mains exam, if you want to make up to the final list. In the table below, we have given a sample of how you should divide your day. Start with the topics listed above. You can adjust it according to your convenience. 

Time Slot	Activity
7:00 – 9:00 AM	Quantitative Aptitude Practice
10:00 – 11:30 PM	English + Editorial Reading
3:00 – 5:00 PM	Reasoning Ability + Puzzles
5:30 – 6:30 PM	Current Affairs + GA Notes
9:00 – 10:00 PM	Review + Mock Test Analysis

IBPS PO Mains Smart Strategy Tips

Here are a few IBPS PO Mains Smart strategy tips to follow while preparing for the mains exam. 

Prepare according to the new exam pattern

After the changes in the exam pattern, we have observed that reasoning requires the most attention as compared to the other sections. So give at least 2 to 2.5 hours daily to the preparation of mains. Also, the number of questions and the time allotted for the examination have been reduced. So, one can expect Puzzles to be of a tougher level. So practice at least 3 puzzles of different types every day. 

Prepare Current Affairs along with general awareness

We know general awareness and current affairs go hand in hand. But what we suggest here is to focus on the news which are related to the above-mentioned topics of GA, as chances are questions will be coming from those areas. For better retention, revise on alternate days and make charts of static GA topics and paste them near your study area. So that you will be able to revise and recall the information frequently. 

Focus on DI and Caselets

In the mains exam, DI occupies 50 marks. So focus on practicing advanced DI sets and caselets. You‘ve already prepared moderate-level DIs for prelims, just follow the same approach to solve questions. The only difference that you will be facing here is that the DI comes with a variable and a lot of calculations. To overcome this, you need to practice a lot. So start practicing at least 3 advanced-level DIs every day. 

Practice for the Descriptive test twice a week

Practice twice a week for the descriptive test. Focus on topics related to banking and insurance the most, as the majority of the time you’ve to write letters and essays on these topics only. The descriptive test is of 25 marks, and you’ll have 25 minutes. So practice writing using a timer. It will help you in maintaining pace under the given time limit. 

Practice as many mocks as you can

Practice as many mocks as you can, but make sure you analyse the mocks properly. See which questions you have left and why you skipped them. Mock tests are the best tools to analyse the level of your preparation. Is the preparation going in the right direction or not? If you are not able to recall any formula, trick, or current affairs fact, you can get a fair idea of your mental capacity as well. 

Conclusion

In this article, we have given a detailed study plan regarding IBPS PO Mains exam and also discussed the list of important topics along with strategy tips to follow during the preparation phase. To practice mains questions, you can take our IBPS PO Mock test series. For better and systematic preparation, you can subscribe to our banking courses. The link is given below. 

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