What IBPS PO is
IBPS PO is the Common Written Examination that recruits Probationary Officers and Management Trainees into the pool of public sector banks that participate in IBPS recruitment, which is most public sector banks other than the State Bank of India. Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducts the exam once a year and produces a common merit list that participating banks draw from.
A Probationary Officer joins on a management track: a fixed probation period of branch level work in customer service, loan processing and cash handling, followed by officer level responsibilities as the probation ends.
Who can apply
A bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university is the only academic requirement. The general age band is 20 to 30 years as on the 1st of August of the examination year, with the standard relaxations for reserved categories and persons with disability. Confirm the exact cutoff date and any post specific requirement against the current notification.
How the exam runs
The exam runs in three stages. The Preliminary Examination is a one hour screening round of one hundred questions across English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability, with a quarter mark penalty for each wrong answer. Only candidates who clear a sectional and overall cutoff advance.
The Main Examination is a three hour test covering Reasoning and Computer Aptitude, General, Economy and Banking Awareness, English Language, Data Analysis and Interpretation, plus a descriptive section of letter writing and essay. This is where the substantive ranking happens.
Candidates who clear the Main Examination are called for an Interview, conducted by the participating banks. The final selection combines Main Examination marks and interview marks in a ratio set out in the notification.
Preparing the application
The photograph and signature specifications are standard for banking exams: a JPEG photograph between 20 and 50 kilobytes and a JPEG signature between 10 and 20 kilobytes, both recent and clear. The resizers on this site handle both in your browser if your file is outside that range.
The application fee is typically 850 rupees for general and OBC candidates, and 175 rupees for SC, ST and PwD candidates, confirmed against the current notification since fee structures are revised periodically.
On exam day
Arrive at least an hour before the reporting time on your admit card, with the printed e-admit card, a government photo identification, one recent passport size photograph and a black or blue ballpoint pen. Mobile phones, smartwatches, calculators and any other electronic device are not permitted inside the hall.
For anything this page does not cover, the official IBPS notification and website, linked above, take priority.