IBPS SO Selection Process 2025: The Institute of Banking Personnel (IBPS) conducts an examination for the post of specialist officer across various categories to be posted in public sector banks. The online application for the exam has already started, and the date of the prelims exam is 30th August, and the mains will be held on 09 November 2025. The detailed selection process has been discussed further in the blog.
IBPS SO Selection Process 2025
The IBPS SO selection process includes various stages. The exam is conducted in three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. A candidate has to clear the prelims stage to go to the further stages. The total time that the selection process takes is approximately 6-7 months. Below is the table for a better understanding of the process.
| Stage | Purpose | Key Points |
| Preliminary Examination | Screening test to shortlist candidates for the Main exam | – Qualifying in nature- Marks not counted in final merit |
| Main Examination | Tests professional/domain-specific knowledge | – Marks considered for final selection (objective and descriptive questions for rajbhasha adhikari) |
| Interview | Personality and domain-based assessment by participating banks | – Conducted for candidates who clear Mains- Combined with Mains for final merit |
Note: The exam pattern for Prelims and Mains differs for various specializations.
IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2025
The exam pattern for IBPS SO Exam 2025 for various posts differs. The exam is conducted in online mode, and it is an objective test with a sectional time limit. The important specialist categories are IT officer, Agricultural Field officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer. The Prelims exam is qualifying in nature, but the candidate has to clear the cutoff to be eligible for the mains examination.
IBPS SO Prelims Exam Pattern 2025
The preliminary exam is conducted in a different pattern for different posts. Below, we have mentioned the exam pattern for various posts.
For the posts of Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari:
| S No. | Name of Tests | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
| 1 | English Language | 50 | 25 | English | 40 minutes |
| 2 | Reasoning | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | 40 minutes |
| 3 | General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 120 minutes | ||
For the posts of IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer:
| S No. | Name of Tests | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
| 1 | English Language | 50 | 25 | English | 40 minutes |
| 2 | Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | 40 minutes |
| 3 | Reasoning | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 120 minutes | ||
IBPS SO Mains Exam Pattern 2025
The Mains exam is fully focused on testing the professional knowledge or technical skills of the candidate for the specified posts. It has only one section that is based on professional knowledge, and it is not qualifying in nature. Here, the candidate must possess a higher score to be eligible for the interview round and overall selection. For the post of Rajbhasha Adhikari, there are two sections- one is objective and the other is descriptive.
For the posts of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer
The exam is conducted in bilingual languages.
| Section | Number of Questions | Marks | Duration |
| Professional Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 minutes |
For the Post of Rajbhasha Adhikari
| Section | Number of Questions | Marks | Duration | Medium of Language |
| Professional Knowledge (Objective) | 45 | 60 marks | 30 marks | English/Hindi |
| Professional Knowledge (Descriptive) | 02 | 30 marks | English/Hindi |
The type of questions that can be asked, suppose for example
- IT professional, topics like networking, DBMS, security, programming, and operating systems.
- A Marketing Officer will face questions on branding, product management, marketing strategies, etc.
- Law Officer will be evaluated on banking laws, contracts, and regulations.
IBPS SO Selection Process: Interview
After successfully clearing Prelims and Mains, candidates will appear for the interview round.
- The interview round is 100 marks.
- The candidate has to score at least 40% marks to get selected, whereas this score is 35% for ST/SC/OBC/PWD candidates.
- The candidates are tested on various parameters such as Technical/domain knowledge, Understanding of the banking sector, Communication skills, Confidence and clarity of thought, Problem-solving approach.
Final Selection
The final merit list is based on the marks obtained in the Mains and Interview rounds. which mains contains 80% of the weightage, and 20% is for the interview round.
IBPS SO Selection Process: Provisional Allotment
After successful selection, candidates will be provisionally allotted to the banks that come under IBPS.
- Allotment is based on merit basis
- In case two candidates procure the same marks then provisional allotment is decided based on date of birth.
Conclusion
In this blog, we have discussed the selection process of the IBPS SO Exam 2025. The exam is conducted in three stages- Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Prelims are qualifying in nature, but the candidates need to clear a set cutoff to move on to further stages. To prepare yourself and get an idea regarding the questions asked and the level of the exam, you can give a free mock test; the link is given below.
FAQs
Yes, IBPS conducts the interview stage after the Mains exam. It contributes to 20% weightage to the overall selection process.
Candidates must be between 21 years to 30 years of age and hold a graduate degree in the applied specialization from a recognized university.
The selection process for IBPS specialist officer includes prelims, mains, and an interview stage. The detailed selection procedure is discussed in the blog above.
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