IBPS SO Recruitment 2026 Notification • Vacancy • Eligibility • Exam Pattern • Syllabus
IBPS SO Recruitment 2026: As per the IBPS Calendar 2026-27, the IBPS SO Prelims Exam will be conducted on 29th August 2026, and the Mains Exam will be held on 1st November 2026. The official IBPS SO Notification 2026 PDF is expected to be released in June or July 2026 on the official website, along with the exact number of vacancies for this cycle, which will be officially confirmed in the detailed advertisement.
The selection process for IBPS SO 2026 will follow the usual three-stage pattern — Preliminary Exam (qualifying in nature) → Main Exam (Professional Knowledge) → Interview — with the final merit list prepared on the basis of Mains marks (80% weightage) and Interview marks (20% weightage).
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam Name | IBPS SO 2026 (CRP SPL-XVI) |
| Conducting Body | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) |
| Posts Offered | IT Officer, AFO, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari |
| Mode of Exam | Online |
| Selection Stages | Prelims → Mains → Interview |
| Prelims Exam Date | 29th August 2026 |
| Mains Exam Date | 1st November 2026 |
| Job Location | Across India (Pan India postings) |
| Starting Basic Pay | ₹48,480 per month + allowances |
IBPS SO, short for Specialist Officer, is a centralized recruitment exam conducted by IBPS to hire domain-specific Scale I officers for India’s leading Public Sector Banks. Unlike the IBPS PO or Clerk exams, which look for generalist banking talent, the SO exam is built around technical and professional expertise. A few things that set it apart:
Take a Free Mock Test & Know the Difficulty Level of the Questions Asked
Also Check: IBPS SO EXAM DATE
The following Specialist Officer posts are expected to be a part of the IBPS SO 2026 recruitment cycle:
Candidates selected through IBPS SO 2026 will be posted in one of the following Public Sector Banks:
| Event | Expected/Confirmed Schedule |
| Notification Release | June – July 2026 |
| Online Registration Begins | July 2026 |
| Last Date to Apply Online | July 2026 |
| Preliminary Exam | 29th August 2026 |
| Prelims Result | September 2026 |
| Main Exam | 1st November 2026 |
| Interview | December 2026 – January 2027 |
| Provisional Allotment | January – February 2027 |
Note: The exact registration and application closing dates will be confirmed only once IBPS releases the detailed notification.
The IBPS SO Notification 2026 for the number of vacancies for Specialist Officer posts in various public sector banks will soon be announced. The vacancies are expected to be distributed across posts like Agriculture Field Officer, IT Officer, HR, Law, Marketing, and Rajbhasha Adhikari. Based on the previous cycle’s allotment, here is the expected post-wise and category-wise vacancy breakdown for IBPS SO 2026:
| Posts | SC | ST | OBC | EWS | UR | Total |
| Agriculture Field Officer | 46 | 23 | 82 | 13 | 128 | 310 |
| HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I) | 01 | 00 | 02 | 01 | 06 | 10 |
| IT Officer (Scale I) | 30 | 14 | 53 | 20 | 86 | 203 |
| Law Officer (Scale I) | 07 | 03 | 14 | 05 | 27 | 56 |
| Marketing Officer (Scale I) | 52 | 26 | 94 | 35 | 143 | 350 |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I) | 10 | 03 | 19 | 07 | 39 | 78 |
| Total | 146 | 69 | 264 | 81 | 429 | 1007 |
📌 Note: These figures are based on the previous recruitment cycle and are only indicative. The actual, confirmed vacancy count for IBPS SO 2026 will be released by IBPS along with the detailed notification PDF. We will update this table immediately once the official numbers are out.
The IBPS SO selection process is conducted in three stages:
Stage 1 — Preliminary Examination: Qualifying in nature; marks are not added to the final merit list. Stage 2 — Main Examination: Based on Professional Knowledge relevant to the post applied for. Stage 3 — Interview: Conducted by the participating bank/IBPS to assess overall suitability.
Final Merit Formula
Interview Qualifying Marks
| Category | Minimum Qualifying Percentage |
| General | 40% |
| Reserved Categories | 35% |
Total Interview Marks: 100
Nationality
A candidate must be either:
Age Limit
Age Relaxation
| Category | Relaxation |
| SC/ST | 5 years |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | 3 years |
| Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) | 10 years |
| Ex-Servicemen/Commissioned Officers | 5 years |
| Persons affected by 1984 riots | 5 years |
Educational Qualification (Post-wise)
| Post | Educational Qualification |
| IT Officer (Scale I) | 4-year Engineering/Technology degree in Computer Science, IT, Electronics, or Electronics & Communication; OR a postgraduate degree in the same fields; OR a pass in DOEACC ‘B’ level |
| Agricultural Field Officer | 4-year degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Science, Dairy Science, Fishery Science, Agri-Marketing, Agro-Forestry, Food Science/Technology, or related fields |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari | Postgraduate degree in Hindi with English as a subject at graduation level; OR postgraduate degree in Sanskrit with English and Hindi as subjects at graduation level |
| Law Officer | Bachelor’s degree in Law (LL.B) with enrollment as an advocate with the Bar Council |
| HR/Personnel Officer | Graduation + 2-year full-time postgraduate degree/diploma in Personnel Management, Industrial Relations, HR, HRD, Social Work, or Labour Law |
| Marketing Officer | Graduation + 2-year full-time MBA/MMS/PGDBA/PGDBM/PGPM/PGDM with specialization in Marketing |
For posts other than IT Officer, candidates are additionally expected to have studied Computer/Information Technology as a subject, or hold a relevant certificate/diploma in computer operations, at the school or college level.
Based on the fee structure followed in previous IBPS SO cycles, candidates can expect the following fee for the 2026 notification:
| Category | Application Fee |
| SC/ST/PwBD | ₹175 |
| General/OBC/EWS | ₹850 |
The final fee structure will be confirmed in the official IBPS SO 2026 notification.
Preliminary Exam — For Law Officer & Rajbhasha Adhikari
| Test | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium | Duration |
| English Language | 50 | 25 | English | 40 minutes |
| Reasoning | 50 | 50 | English & Hindi | 40 minutes |
| General Awareness (Banking) | 50 | 50 | English & Hindi | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | — | 2 hours |
Preliminary Exam — For IT Officer, AFO, HR/Personnel Officer & Marketing Officer
| Test | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium | Duration |
| English Language | 50 | 25 | English | 40 minutes |
| Reasoning | 50 | 50 | English & Hindi | 40 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | English & Hindi | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | — | 2 hours |
Negative marking of 0.25 marks applies for every wrong answer in the objective papers. There is no penalty for unattempted questions. A sectional cut-off, decided by IBPS, applies to each test.
Main Exam — IT Officer, AFO, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer, Law Officer
| Test | No. of Questions | Marks | Medium | Duration |
| Professional Knowledge (Objective) | 60 | 60 | English & Hindi | 45 minutes |
Main Exam — Rajbhasha Adhikari
| Test | No. of Questions | Marks | Medium | Duration |
| Professional Knowledge (Objective) | 45 | — | English & Hindi | 30 minutes |
| Professional Knowledge (Descriptive) | 2 | 60 | English & Hindi | 30 minutes |
Prelims Syllabus (Common Sections)
| Reasoning Ability | English Language | Quantitative Aptitude | General Awareness |
| Puzzles & Seating Arrangement | Reading Comprehension | Simplification/Approximation | Banking & Financial Awareness |
| Syllogism | Cloze Test | Quadratic Equations | Current Affairs |
| Inequalities | Para Jumbles | Data Interpretation | Static GK |
| Blood Relations | Sentence Correction/Improvement | Number Series | Government Schemes |
| Direction & Distance | Fill in the Blanks | Ratio, Average, Profit & Loss | Important Days |
| Coding-Decoding | Error Spotting | Simple & Compound Interest | Awards & Honours |
Main Exam Syllabus (Professional Knowledge, Post-wise)
IT Officer: Database Management Systems (Normalization, SQL queries), Computer Networks (OSI Model, TCP/IP), Operating Systems, Object-Oriented Programming Concepts, Data Structures, Software Engineering, and Cyber Security fundamentals.
Agricultural Field Officer: Agronomy, Soil Science, Animal Husbandry, Dairy & Horticulture practices, and Government Agricultural Schemes.
Law Officer: Banking Laws & Regulations, SARFAESI Act, Negotiable Instruments Act, Consumer Protection Act, and basic Company Law.
HR/Personnel Officer: Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, Labour Laws, Performance Management, and Compensation Management.
Marketing Officer: Marketing Mix, Branding strategies, Sales Strategy, Consumer Behaviour, and Digital Marketing fundamentals.
Rajbhasha Adhikari: Hindi Grammar, Translation (Hindi to English and vice versa), and Essay & Letter Writing.
Also Check: IBPS SO Exam Syllabus
Make sure your educational qualification matches the post you are applying for exactly, as mismatches are a common reason for application rejection.
| Component | Details |
| Starting Basic Pay | ₹48,480 |
| Pay Scale | ₹48,480–2000/7–₹62,480–2340/2–₹67,160–2680/7–₹85,920 |
| Approx. Gross Salary | ₹65,000 – ₹75,000 (varies by location and bank) |
| Key Allowances | DA, HRA, Special Allowance, City Compensatory Allowance, Medical, Provident Fund |
Apart from a strong starting salary, selected Specialist Officers also enjoy structured career progression — moving from Junior Management Scale I through Middle and Senior Management grades, eventually up to Top Executive Grade, based on performance, experience, and internal promotion exams.
| Factor | IBPS SO | IBPS PO |
| Nature of Role | Specialist/Domain-focused | Generalist |
| Competition Level | Comparatively lower | Very high |
| Domain Growth | Strong, role-specific | Broader, branch-banking focused |
| Transfer Frequency | Moderate | Comparatively higher |
| Mains Exam Focus | Professional Knowledge | General Banking + Reasoning/Quant/English |
Best suited for: Engineering graduates, MBAs, Agriculture/Law graduates, and Hindi postgraduates looking for a focused, domain-aligned banking career.
Here we have provided some free preparation resources that will help you in your exam preparation, and below we have provided a direct link to our best courses that will help you in your exam preparation. So, don’t wait, start your exam preparation now, smartly.
| IBPS SO 2025 Prelims Free Mock Test | Sign Up & Attempt |
| IBPS SO 2025 Reasoning Topic Test | Attempt All Topic Test & Boost Your Performance |
| IBPS SO 2025 Quantitative Topic Test | Attempt All Topic Test & Boost Your Performance |
| IBPS SO Previous Year Question Paper | Solve this Paper & know your Preparation Level |
Our Related Articles on IBPS SO
| IBPS SO Salary | IBPS SO Cut Off |
| IBPS SO Syllabus | IBPS SO Previous Year Question Paper |
| IBPS SO notification 2025 | IBPS SO Study Plan |
When will the IBPS SO Notification 2026 be released?
The IBPS SO Notification 2026 is expected to be released in June or July 2026 on the official IBPS website.
Where can I download the IBPS SO Notification 2026 PDF?
Once released, the notification PDF will be available for download on the official IBPS website, ibps.in. We will also share the direct download link here as soon as it goes live.
What is the IBPS SO Prelims exam date for 2026?
The IBPS SO Preliminary Exam 2026 is scheduled for 29th August 2026.
What is the IBPS SO Mains exam date for 2026?
The IBPS SO Main Exam 2026 is scheduled for 1st November 2026.
How many vacancies are expected in IBPS SO 2026?
IBPS has not yet announced vacancies for 2026. Based on previous cycles, total vacancies are generally expected in the range of 800 to 1,200, but the exact number will only be confirmed in the official notification.
What posts are available under IBPS SO 2026?
The posts include IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer, and Rajbhasha Adhikari.
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