IBPS SO Exam Pattern & Syllabus 2025 Overview
The IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) exam is conducted annually by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection to recruit candidates for various specialized roles in public sector banks. Posts include IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Law Officer, Marketing Officer, and Rajbhasha Adhikari. The selection involves Prelims, Mains, and Interview rounds, with different patterns for technical and non-technical positions.
📘 IBPS SO Selection Process
The selection process for IBPS SO involves three stages:
Stages of Selection
| Stage |
Description |
| Prelims |
Screening test (only qualifying in nature) |
| Mains |
Subject-specific assessment |
| Interview |
Final round to assess personality & domain |
🎯 IBPS SO Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility Conditions
| Criteria |
Details |
| Nationality |
Indian citizen or as per official notification |
| Age Limit |
20 – 30 years (age relaxation for SC/ST/OBC/Ex-Servicemen/PwBD) |
| Education |
Varies by post (see below) |
Post-wise Educational Qualification
| Post |
Educational Qualification |
| IT Officer (Scale-I) |
4-year Engineering/Tech in CS/IT/ECE/EEE OR PG in CS/IT |
| Agricultural Field Officer |
4-year Degree in Agriculture/Horticulture/Animal Husbandry etc. |
| HR/Personnel Officer |
Graduate + Full-time PG in HR/IR/Personnel Management |
| Law Officer |
Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LLB) and enrolled as Advocate |
| Marketing Officer |
Graduate + Full-time PG in Marketing/MBA |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari |
PG in Hindi with English or vice-versa as a subject at graduation |
📊 IBPS SO Exam Pattern
Preliminary Exam Pattern (Except Rajbhasha)
| Subject |
No. of Questions |
Marks |
Duration |
| English Language |
50 |
25 |
40 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability |
50 |
50 |
40 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude |
50 |
50 |
40 minutes |
| Total |
150 |
125 |
120 minutes |
Preliminary Exam Pattern (Rajbhasha Adhikari)
| Subject |
No. of Questions |
Marks |
Duration |
| English Language |
50 |
25 |
40 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability |
50 |
50 |
40 minutes |
| General Awareness |
50 |
50 |
40 minutes |
| Total |
150 |
125 |
120 minutes |
Main Exam Pattern (Professional Knowledge)
| Post |
Sections |
Questions |
Marks |
Duration |
| IT, HR, Marketing etc. |
Professional Knowledge (Objective) |
60 |
60 |
45 mins |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari |
Professional Knowledge (Obj + Descriptive) |
45 (Obj) + 2 (Desc) |
60 |
60 mins |
📚 IBPS SO Detailed Syllabus
Prelims Syllabus (Common for Most Posts)
English Language
- Reading Comprehension
- Cloze Test
- Error Spotting
- Sentence Improvement
- Para Jumbles
- Fill in the Blanks
- Synonyms & Antonyms
Reasoning Ability
- Puzzles & Seating Arrangement
- Syllogism
- Coding-Decoding
- Inequality
- Blood Relations
- Input-Output
- Data Sufficiency
Quantitative Aptitude
- Number Series
- Simplification/Approximation
- Data Interpretation
- Quadratic Equations
- Arithmetic (Profit & Loss, Time & Work, SI & CI, etc.)
General Awareness (Rajbhasha only)
- Banking Awareness
- Current Affairs
- Financial Terms
- Government Schemes
Main Exam: Post-wise Syllabus (Professional Knowledge)
IT Officer
- Data Structures
- Operating Systems
- Networking
- DBMS
- Software Engineering
- Cyber Security
- Web Technologies
- Programming Languages (Java, C++, etc.)
Agricultural Field Officer
- Agronomy
- Seed Science
- Soil Science
- Horticulture
- Animal Husbandry
- Fisheries
- Agricultural Economics
- Agro-Forestry
HR/Personnel Officer
- Human Resource Development
- Industrial Relations
- Training & Development
- Performance Appraisal
- Motivation & Leadership
- Labour Laws
Law Officer
- Constitutional Law
- Banking & Financial Laws
- Contract Acts
- Civil & Criminal Laws
- Legal Drafting
- Laws Related to Banking Sector
Marketing Officer
- Marketing Management
- Product Life Cycle
- Market Segmentation
- Advertising
- Brand Management
- Digital Marketing
- Consumer Behaviour
Rajbhasha Adhikari
- Translation (English ↔ Hindi)
- Hindi Grammar & Vocabulary
- Official Language Act
- Administrative Terminology
- Essay Writing in Hindi
- Precis Writing in Hindi
Important Links
The IBPS SO exam opens doors for specialized roles in public sector banks. With a structured selection process involving Prelims, Mains, and Interview, the exam assesses both general and professional skills. Aspirants must thoroughly prepare based on post-specific syllabi and stay updated through official notifications and trusted platforms. Download the My Coaching app and join our channels for expert updates and free study material.
