IBPS PO Notification 2026 Out: Exam Date, Vacancy, Eligibility and Syllabus

The IBPS PO Notification 2026 has officially been released on 30th June for the recruitment of Probationary Officers and Management Trainees under CRP PO/MT-XVI for vacancies of 2027–28. The online application process will remain open from 1 July to 21 July 2026, including payment of the application fee. According to the detailed notification, the IBPS PO Preliminary Examination is scheduled for August 2026, while the Main Examination will be conducted in October 2026.

The detailed notification includes important information regarding participating banks, eligibility criteria, application fees, category-wise vacancies, exam pattern, document-upload specifications and the complete selection process. Candidates will be selected through the Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, Personality Test and Common Interview. Aspirants should carefully check the official eligibility conditions before applying and begin their preparation with an IBPS PO mock test based on the latest exam pattern.

Key Takeaways from IBPS PO Notification 2026

• The recruitment cycle is officially named CRP PO/MT-XVI and covers Probationary Officer/Management Trainee vacancies for 2027–28.
• The detailed IBPS PO Notification 2026 was released on 30 June 2026.
• Online registration, application correction and fee payment are available from 1 July to 21 July 2026.
• The official notification currently states that the IBPS PO Prelims will be conducted in August 2026 and the Mains examination in October 2026. Candidates should wait for IBPS to confirm the exact exam dates.
• Candidates must possess a graduation degree in any discipline from a recognised university or an equivalent qualification. The final result must have been declared on or before 21 July 2026.
• The prescribed age limit is 20 to 30 years as on 1 July 2026. Candidates must have been born between 2 July 1996 and 1 July 2006, subject to category-wise age relaxation.
• The selection process includes the Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, mandatory Personality Test and Common Interview.
• The Personality Test is non-qualifying, but appearing in it is mandatory for candidates shortlisted for the Interview.
• Prelims marks are used only to shortlist candidates for the Mains examination and are not included in the final merit list. Final merit is prepared using the Mains and Interview scores.
• The Mains examination and Interview carry a relative weightage of 80:20 in the final selection.
• The notification contains indicative bank-wise and category-wise vacancies. Final allotment will depend on the actual vacancies reported by participating banks.

IBPS PO Notification 2026 Overview

The IBPS PO exam is a national-level banking recruitment examination conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection. It recruits Probationary Officers and Management Trainees for participating public sector banks.

The 2026 recruitment is the 16th edition of the Common Recruitment Process for Probationary Officers and Management Trainees.

IBPS PO 2026 Notification OUT

According to the detailed IBPS PO Notification 2026, the Preliminary Examination will be conducted in August 2026, while the Main Examination is scheduled for October 2026. The notification does not mention the exact dates of 22 and 23 August for Prelims or 4 October for Mains. Candidates should therefore follow the official IBPS website for the final date-wise examination schedule and call-letter updates.

Note: The exact IBPS PO Prelims and Mains exam dates will be announced separately by IBPS. Candidates should regularly check the official website for the latest updates.

What Is the IBPS PO Exam Date 2026?

The detailed IBPS PO Notification 2026 schedules the Preliminary Examination for 22 and 23 August 2026 and the Main Examination for 4 October 2026. The exact date-wise schedule will be communicated separately through the official IBPS website and the respective call letters.

Important: Candidates should regularly check the official IBPS website for the exact Prelims and Mains exam dates, admit-card updates, corrigenda, or any changes made during the CRP PO/MT-XVI recruitment process.

How Many IBPS PO Vacancies Are Announced in 2026?

The detailed IBPS PO Notification 2026 has announced 6,715 indicative vacancies for Probationary Officer and Management Trainee posts under CRP PO/MT-XVI. These vacancies are for the 2027–28 recruitment cycle and may include backlog vacancies reported by some participating banks.

The category-wise IBPS PO vacancy distribution is:

Bank of Baroda has reported the highest number of vacancies at 1,900, followed by Canara Bank with 1,500 and Bank of Maharashtra with 1,100 vacancies. Indian Bank, UCO Bank and Union Bank of India have not reported their vacancies in the notification.

The number of IBPS PO vacancies depends on:

• Manpower requirements submitted by participating banks
• Category-wise reservation rules
• Business growth and branch expansion
• Backlog vacancies from earlier recruitment cycles
• Administrative and organisational requirements
• Actual vacancies reported by participating banks

Candidates should note that the announced vacancies are indicative. The final number of posts and provisional allotment may change depending on the actual vacancies reported by participating banks during the recruitment process.

IBPS PO Previous-Year Vacancy Trend

Download IBPS PO Previous Year Question Papers

Which Banks Participate in IBPS PO Recruitment?

The IBPS PO 2026 recruitment process under CRP PO/MT-XVI is being conducted for the following 11 participating public sector banks:

• Bank of Baroda
• Bank of India
• Bank of Maharashtra
• Canara Bank
• Central Bank of India
• Indian Bank
• Indian Overseas Bank
• Punjab National Bank
• Punjab & Sind Bank
• UCO Bank
• Union Bank of India

Candidates will be provisionally allotted to a participating bank based on their final merit, category, preferences submitted during the recruitment process, administrative requirements and the actual vacancies reported by the banks. The vacancies mentioned in the notification are indicative and may change depending on the requirements of the participating organisations.

What Is the IBPS PO Eligibility Criteria 2026?

The IBPS PO eligibility criteria 2026 include nationality, age, educational qualification and category-related conditions. Candidates must satisfy the prescribed eligibility requirements by the cut-off dates mentioned in the detailed CRP PO/MT-XVI notification.

Merely submitting the application or qualifying in the examination does not guarantee appointment. IBPS and the participating bank can verify the candidate’s eligibility, category and supporting documents at different stages of the recruitment process. A candidature may be cancelled if the applicant fails to fulfil the prescribed conditions.

IBPS PO Educational Qualification 2026

A candidate must possess a graduation degree in any discipline from a university recognised by the Government of India or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government. The educational qualification is considered as on 21 July 2026.

Candidates must:

• Possess a valid graduation mark sheet or degree certificate.
• Have their final graduation result declared on or before 21 July 2026.
• Enter the percentage of marks obtained in graduation while completing the online application.
• Produce the required educational documents during the Interview or document-verification stage.
• Provide the prescribed CGPA-to-percentage conversion proof where applicable.

Final-year students can apply only when their graduation result has been officially declared on or before 21 July 2026.

Is There a Minimum Graduation Percentage for IBPS PO?

No minimum graduation percentage has been prescribed in the IBPS PO Notification 2026. Candidates only need to have passed graduation from a recognised university or possess an equivalent qualification.

However, applicants must correctly calculate and enter their graduation percentage in the application form. Where CGPA or OGPA is awarded, it must be converted into percentage according to the rules followed by the university or institution.

IBPS PO Age Limit 2026

The IBPS PO age limit is 20 to 30 years as on 1 July 2026.

Candidates must have been born:

• Not earlier than 2 July 1996
• Not later than 1 July 2006

Both dates are inclusive. Reserved-category candidates can claim relaxation in the upper age limit according to the conditions specified in the notification.

IBPS PO Age Relaxation

Candidates claiming age relaxation must produce valid category or eligibility certificates in the prescribed format during the Interview or any subsequent stage of the recruitment process. The official CRP PO/MT-XVI notification does not list a separate five-year relaxation for persons affected by the 1984 riots.

How to Apply for IBPS PO 2026

Candidates can submit the IBPS PO 2026 application form online through the official IBPS recruitment portal.

Follow these steps:

1. Visit the official IBPS website.
2. Open the section for CRP PO/MT.
3. Select the CRP PO/MT-XVI online application link.
4. Click on the option for new registration.
5. Enter your name, mobile number and email address.
6. Save the provisional registration number and password.
7. Complete the personal, educational and category details.
8. Select the participating-bank preferences, when required.
9. Upload the photograph, signature and other prescribed documents.
10. Preview the application form carefully.
11. Pay the application fee through an available online payment method.
12. Submit the form and save the final application copy and fee receipt.

Documents Required for IBPS PO Application

Candidates should keep scanned copies of the following documents ready before completing the IBPS PO application form:

• Recent passport-size photograph
• Signature
• Left thumb impression
• Handwritten declaration
• Live photograph captured through a webcam or mobile phone
• Aadhaar details or another accepted identity proof
• Graduation details
• Category certificate, where applicable
• Disability or scribe-related certificate, where applicable

Candidates must upload the photograph, signature, left thumb impression and handwritten declaration according to the dimensions, file format and file-size specifications prescribed in the detailed notification. The signature must not be written in capital letters, and the handwritten declaration must be written by the candidate in English.

A newly introduced requirement is the submission of a live photograph during the application process. Candidates may capture it through a webcam or use the application provided by IBPS. The uploaded photograph and live photograph must match the candidate’s appearance during subsequent recruitment stages.

What Is the IBPS PO Application Fee 2026?

The IBPS PO application fee has now been officially confirmed for the CRP PO/MT-XVI recruitment cycle.

The fee includes GST and must be paid online between 1 July and 21 July 2026. Bank transaction charges, where applicable, must be paid separately by the candidate.

Once submitted, the application fee or intimation charge will not normally be refunded or adjusted against another examination.

What Is the IBPS PO Selection Process 2026?

The IBPS PO selection process under CRP PO/MT-XVI consists of the following stages:

1. Preliminary Examination
2. Main Examination
3. Personality Test
4. Common Interview
5. Provisional Allotment

The Preliminary Examination is qualifying in nature. Marks obtained in Prelims are not included in the final merit list.

Candidates who qualify in the Main Examination will be called for a Personality Test. This test is non-qualifying, but appearing in it is mandatory to become eligible for the Interview. The candidate’s personality profile will be placed before the Interview panel.

Candidates must qualify separately in the Main Examination and Interview. The final combined score is calculated by assigning:

• 80% weightage to the Main Examination
• 20% weightage to the Interview

The Personality Test is a newly specified stage in the 2026 recruitment process, although its marks will not be added directly to the final merit score.

What Is the IBPS PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2026?

The IBPS PO Prelims examination is an online objective test containing 100 questions for 100 marks. Candidates receive 60 minutes, with a separate sectional time limit of 20 minutes for each test.

Key points:

• The examination is conducted online.
• Each section is separately timed.
• Candidates must qualify in each of the three tests by securing the minimum cut-off determined by IBPS.
• One-fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to a question will be deducted for an incorrect answer.
• No penalty applies to an unanswered question.
• Prelims marks are not included in the final merit list.

The official notification confirms that Reasoning Ability carries 40 marks, Quantitative Aptitude carries 30 marks, and English Language carries 30 marks.

What Is the IBPS PO Mains Exam Pattern 2026?

The IBPS PO Mains examination includes an objective test and a descriptive paper. The objective test carries 200 marks, while the descriptive paper carries 25 marks.

A major change in the IBPS PO Mains pattern is that the objective paper now contains 170 questions, compared with the earlier 145-question structure.

The General Awareness section has been expanded to 50 questions for 60 marks, while Reasoning and Data Analysis and Interpretation each carry 60 marks.

The descriptive paper now includes Essay and Comprehension, instead of the previously followed Essay and Letter Writing format. It may broadly cover economic and social issues, emerging trends in banking and technology, current events and ethics.

What Is the IBPS PO Syllabus 2026?

The IBPS PO syllabus covers English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, Data Analysis and Interpretation, Banking and Financial Awareness, Digital Awareness and descriptive writing.

IBPS PO Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus

Important topics include:

• Simplification and approximation
• Number series
• Quadratic equations
• Data interpretation
• Percentage
• Ratio and proportion
• Average
• Profit and loss
• Simple and compound interest
• Time and work
• Pipes and cisterns
• Time, speed and distance
• Boats and streams
• Mixture and alligation
• Probability
• Permutation and combination
• Mensuration
• Data sufficiency

IBPS PO Reasoning Ability Syllabus

Important topics include:

• Seating arrangements
• Floor and box-based puzzles
• Scheduling puzzles
• Syllogism
• Inequality
• Blood relations
• Direction sense
• Coding-decoding
• Order and ranking
• Alphanumeric series
• Input-output
• Data sufficiency
• Logical reasoning
• Statement and assumption
• Statement and conclusion

IBPS PO English Language Syllabus

Important topics include:

• Reading comprehension
• Cloze test
• Error detection
• Sentence correction
• Phrase replacement
• Para jumbles
• Word swap
• Fillers
• Vocabulary
• Match the column
• Sentence completion
• Essay writing
• Comprehension-based descriptive questions

Candidates should note that the official 2026 notification specifies Essay and Comprehension in the descriptive paper. Formal and informal letter writing is no longer listed in the notified Mains pattern.

IBPS PO General and Banking Awareness Syllabus

Candidates should prepare:

• Current affairs
• Banking terminology
• RBI functions and circulars
• Monetary policy
• Digital banking
• Financial awareness
• Economic awareness
• Financial inclusion
• Government schemes
• Union Budget
• Economic Survey
• Reports and indices
• Appointments and resignations
• National and international organisations
• Emerging banking technologies

The notification specifically includes RBI circulars under General, Economy, Banking, Digital and Financial Awareness.

What Is the IBPS PO Salary 2026?

The official starting basic pay for an IBPS Probationary Officer or Management Trainee is ₹48,480.

The notified pay scale is:

₹48,480–2,000/7–62,480–2,340/2–67,160–2,680/7–85,920

In addition to basic pay, selected officers will receive allowances and perquisites according to the rules of the allotted participating bank.

The estimated in-hand salary may range from approximately ₹74,000 to ₹76,000 per month. However, the actual amount depends on the posting location, applicable allowances, deductions and the policies of the allotted bank.

IBPS PO Salary Components

An IBPS PO may receive:

• Basic pay
• Dearness Allowance
• Special Allowance
• House Rent Allowance or leased accommodation
• City Compensatory Allowance
• Learning Allowance
• Travelling Allowance
• Medical benefits
• Newspaper or entertainment reimbursement, depending on the bank
• Retirement benefits under applicable rules

The gross and in-hand salary may change because DA rates, deductions and location-based allowances are revised periodically.

What Is the Career Growth After IBPS PO Selection?

An IBPS PO joins at the Junior Management Grade Scale I level. Promotions depend on work experience, performance, internal examinations, available positions and the promotion policy followed by the allotted bank.

The general career hierarchy is:

Probationary Officer → Manager → Senior Manager → Chief Manager → Assistant General Manager → Deputy General Manager → General Manager → Executive Director → Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer

The time required to reach each level differs across participating banks. Therefore, promotion to senior management within a fixed number of years cannot be guaranteed.

What Was the IBPS PO Prelims Cut Off 2025?

The previous-year cut-off can help candidates set a preparation benchmark, but it does not predict the exact IBPS PO cut-off for 2026.

The reported overall IBPS PO Prelims cut-offs for 2025 included:

The cut-off changes depending on:

• Number of vacancies
• Number of candidates
• Difficulty level
• Normalisation
• Category-wise performance
• Sectional qualifying requirements
• IBPS shortlisting requirements

With 6,715 indicative vacancies announced for CRP PO/MT-XVI, the vacancy count is one factor that may influence the cut-off. However, candidates should aim significantly above the previous-year cut-off rather than treating it as a safe target.

How Should You Prepare After the IBPS PO Notification 2026?

The detailed notification has confirmed substantial changes in the Mains examination, including the number of questions, section-wise marks and descriptive-paper format. Candidates should therefore revise their preparation plan according to the latest notified pattern rather than relying entirely on the previous-year structure.

Follow This IBPS PO Preparation Strategy

• Take one complete Prelims mock test to identify your starting score.
• List weak and strong chapters separately.
• Strengthen high-frequency topics such as puzzles, seating arrangements, simplification, arithmetic and reading comprehension.
• Practise sectional tests before increasing the frequency of full-length mocks.
• Analyse every incorrect, guessed and unattempted question.
• Maintain an error log for calculation, concept and question-selection mistakes.
• Revise tables, squares, cubes and percentage-fraction conversions.
• Read banking, economic, digital and financial current affairs regularly.
• Pay special attention to RBI circulars for the Mains examination.
• Practise essay and comprehension writing instead of following the previous Essay and Letter Writing format.
• Attempt Prelims mocks under a strict 60-minute examination environment.
• Gradually prepare for the expanded 170-question Mains objective paper.

Preparation CTA: Attempt a free IBPS PO Prelims mock test to check your current score, accuracy, sectional speed and question-selection strategy before preparing your daily timetable.

IBPS PO Notification 2026 FAQs

When was the IBPS PO Notification 2026 released?

The detailed IBPS PO Notification 2026 for CRP PO/MT-XVI was released on 30 June 2026. The online application process begins on 1 July 2026.

What are the IBPS PO application dates in 2026?

Candidates can submit the IBPS PO application form and pay the application fee from 1 July to 21 July 2026.

What is the IBPS PO Prelims exam date 2026?

The detailed notification states that the IBPS PO Preliminary Examination will be conducted in 22 and 23 August 2026. The exact date-wise schedule should be checked through the official IBPS website and call letter.

When will the IBPS PO Mains exam be conducted?

The IBPS PO Mains examination is scheduled to be conducted in October 2026. The exact examination date will be communicated separately by IBPS.

How many IBPS PO vacancies are available in 2026?

A total of 6,715 indicative IBPS PO vacancies have been announced under CRP PO/MT-XVI. The total includes 1,009 SC, 502 ST, 1,816 OBC, 669 EWS and 2,719 unreserved vacancies. Some banks have not yet reported their vacancies, and the figures may include backlog posts.

Can final-year students apply for IBPS PO 2026?

Final-year students can apply only when their graduation result has been officially declared on or before 21 July 2026. They must possess valid proof of passing graduation by the eligibility cut-off date.

What is the age limit for IBPS PO 2026?

Candidates must be between 20 and 30 years of age as on 1 July 2026. They should have been born between 2 July 1996 and 1 July 2006, with both dates included. Category-wise upper-age relaxation applies according to the official rules.

Is there negative marking in IBPS PO?

Yes. One-fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to an objective question will be deducted for an incorrect answer. No penalty applies when a question is left unanswered.

Are IBPS PO Prelims marks counted in the final selection?

No. Prelims is a qualifying stage. The final score is calculated using the Main Examination and Interview marks in an 80:20 ratio.

Is the Personality Test compulsory in IBPS PO 2026?

Yes. Candidates shortlisted after Mains must appear for the Personality Test before the Interview. It is non-qualifying, but attendance is mandatory.

What has changed in the IBPS PO Mains exam pattern?

The objective Mains examination now contains 170 questions for 200 marks. The descriptive paper consists of Essay and Comprehension, replacing the earlier Essay and Letter Writing structure. The General Awareness section has also increased to 50 questions for 60 marks.

What is the starting salary of an IBPS PO?

The official starting basic pay is ₹48,480 under the pay scale of ₹48,480–2,000/7–62,480–2,340/2–67,160–2,680/7–85,920.

Where can candidates download the IBPS PO Notification 2026 PDF?

Candidates can download the detailed notification from the CRP PO/MT section of the official IBPS website.

Also Read:

Final Preparation Advice

The IBPS PO Notification 2026 has officially announced 6,715 indicative vacancies under CRP PO/MT-XVI. Online registration will remain open from 1 July to 21 July 2026, while the Preliminary and Main examinations are scheduled for August and October 2026, respectively.

Candidates should prepare according to the newly revised Mains pattern, which includes 170 objective questions and a descriptive paper based on Essay and Comprehension. Start with the latest exam pattern, take a diagnostic mock test, analyse sectional weaknesses and follow a revision-focused schedule.

All eligibility, category, document-upload and application details should be carefully checked against the detailed official notification before submitting the IBPS PO application form.

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