IBPS SO
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection — Specialist Officer
IBPS SO – Common Recruitment Process (CRP) for Specialist Officers
The IBPS SO exam, officially the Common Recruitment Process for Specialist Officers (CRP SPL), is conducted every year by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) to recruit Specialist Officers in Officer Scale-I for participating public sector banks. It covers six posts: IT Officer (Scale-I), Agriculture Field Officer (AFO), HR/Personnel, Marketing, Law and Rajbhasha Adhikari.
Selection is through an online Preliminary Examination, a Main (Professional Knowledge) Examination and an Interview. The current cycle is CRP SPL-XVI, notified on 1 July 2026, with updated vacancies on 20 July 2026. Figures from earlier cycles are marked tentative – verify against the latest official notification.
Overview / Key Highlights
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Name | IBPS SO – Common Recruitment Process for Specialist Officers (CRP SPL-XVI) |
| Conducting Body | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), Mumbai |
| Posts Covered | IT Officer (Scale-I), AFO, HR/Personnel, Marketing, Law, Rajbhasha Adhikari |
| Exam Level | National level, conducted annually |
| Mode of Exam | Online CBT for Prelims and Mains |
| Medium of Exam | English and Hindi (English Language paper in English only) |
| Selection Stages | Prelims (qualifying) → Mains → Interview → Provisional Allotment |
| Number of Papers | 2 online papers (Prelims + Mains) + Interview |
| Negative Marking | 0.25 mark for every wrong answer in objective papers |
| Frequency | Once a year (CRP SPL) |
| Official Website | https://www.ibps.in/ |
Selection Process
- Preliminary Examination (Online CBT): Qualifying in nature; candidates must secure category- and state-wise cut-offs to reach the Mains. Prelims marks are not counted in the final merit list.
- Main Examination – Professional Knowledge (Online CBT): Stream-specific questions, counted for merit.
- Interview: Shortlisted candidates are called for a personal interview (100 marks).
- Final Selection & Provisional Allotment: Merit from Mains + Interview scores; allotment of banks/posts per merit, preference and vacancies, followed by document verification.
There is no skill test for IBPS SO in the regular CRP SPL process.
Exam Pattern
Preliminary Examination
The Prelims is an objective CBT of about 2 hours with 0.25 negative marking; the section-wise break-up differs by post (per the previous-cycle pattern and the CRP SPL-XVI notification):
| Section | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| For IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, Marketing Officer | |||
| English Language | 50 | 25 | 25 minutes |
| Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 2 hours |
| For HR / Personnel Officer | |||
| English Language | 50 | 25 | 25 minutes |
| Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| General Awareness | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 2 hours |
| For Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari | |||
| English Language | 50 | 25 | 25 minutes |
| Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| General Awareness with special reference to Banking | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 2 hours |
Main Examination (Professional Knowledge)
The Mains is a single objective paper on Professional Knowledge specific to the applied stream, with 0.25 negative marking:
| Paper | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Knowledge (stream-specific) | 60 | 60 | 45 minutes |
Only Mains and Interview scores count for final merit; Prelims is qualifying only. (Pattern per CRP SPL-XV/XVI – confirm from the current notification.)
Detailed Syllabus
The syllabus below follows the official IBPS SO notification pattern and recent cycle question papers; Professional Knowledge topics are stream-specific.
English Language (Prelims – all posts)
- Reading Comprehension (banking/economy passages)
- Cloze Test (with and without options)
- Para Jumbles / Sentence Rearrangement
- Sentence Improvement and Error Spotting
- Fill in the Blanks
- Word Usage, Synonyms, Antonyms
- Idioms and Phrases
- Grammar – tenses, prepositions, subject–verb agreement
- Connectors and Phrase Replacement
Reasoning (Prelims – all posts)
- Seating Arrangements (linear, circular, parallel row)
- Puzzles (floor, scheduling, comparison, box-based)
- Syllogism and Coded Inequalities
- Coding–Decoding
- Blood Relations and Coded Blood Relations
- Direction Sense and Distance
- Order and Ranking
- Alphanumeric, Letter and Number Series
- Data Sufficiency
- Input–Output, Logical/Analytical Reasoning
Quantitative Aptitude (Prelims – IT Officer, AFO, Marketing)
- Number Series (missing and wrong number)
- Simplification and Approximation
- Data Interpretation – tables, bar, line, pie, caselet
- Quadratic Equations
- Profit and Loss, Discounts
- Simple and Compound Interest
- Ratio and Proportion, Partnership, Percentage, Averages
- Time and Work, Pipes
- Time, Speed and Distance, Boats and Streams, Trains
- Mixture and Alligation, Permutation and Combination, Probability
- Mensuration, geometry, number system basics
General Awareness (Prelims – HR/Personnel Officer)
- Current Affairs of the last 6 months (national and international)
- Indian Economy – GDP, inflation, budget and economic surveys
- RBI – functions, policy rates, monetary policy
- Banking sector – scheduled banks, payment systems, financial inclusion
- Important government schemes and flagship programmes
- Static GK – capitals, currencies, sports, awards, books
- International organisations – IMF, World Bank, UN agencies
General Awareness with special reference to Banking (Prelims – Law Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari)
- Banking awareness – structure, functions and types of banks
- RBI, monetary policy and banking regulation framework
- Financial markets – money market, capital market, NBFCs
- Payment systems – UPI, RTGS, NEFT, digital banking
- Recent banking reforms, mergers and initiatives
- Current affairs related to the financial sector
- Financial inclusion schemes (PMJDY, DBT, insurance schemes)
Professional Knowledge – IT Officer (Scale-I)
- Database Management Systems – relational model, SQL, normalisation, transactions
- Data Structures – arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, trees, sorting and searching
- Operating Systems – processes, memory management, file systems, scheduling
- Computer Networks – OSI/TCP-IP models, protocols, IP addressing, firewalls
- Object-Oriented Programming – C++, Java, OOPs concepts
- Software Engineering – SDLC, agile, testing, QA
- Web Technologies – HTML, XML, JavaScript, HTTP
- Computer Organisation and Architecture
- Cyber Security – cryptography, network security, cyber laws
- Cloud computing, virtualisation, emerging tech
- Data Communication, MS Office, banking software
Professional Knowledge – Agriculture Field Officer (AFO)
- Agronomy – crop production, cropping systems, crop rotation
- Soil Science – soil classification, fertility, manures and fertilisers
- Horticulture – fruit, vegetable and floriculture production
- Plant Pathology – plant diseases, symptoms and management
- Entomology – crop pests, beneficial insects, integrated pest management
- Seed Science – seed production, certification, storage
- Agricultural economics, farm management, marketing
- Agricultural Extension and rural development programmes
- Agro-meteorology – weather, climate and crop-climate relationship
- Irrigation and water management, farm machinery
- Animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, agro-forestry
- Agricultural credit, Kisan Credit Card and crop insurance schemes
Professional Knowledge – HR / Personnel Officer
- Human Resource Management – concepts, functions and policies
- Organisational Behaviour – motivation, leadership, group dynamics
- Personnel Administration and Manpower Planning
- Recruitment, Selection, Placement and Induction
- Training and Development, career and succession planning
- Performance Appraisal and Performance Management
- Compensation Management – wages, salaries, incentives
- Industrial Relations – trade unions, bargaining, disputes
- Labour Laws – Factories, Minimum Wages, Industrial Disputes, ESI, PF, Gratuity and Bonus Acts
- Employee Welfare, health, safety, social security
- HR Information Systems, e-HRM and Strategic HRM
Professional Knowledge – Marketing Officer
- Marketing Management – concepts, environment, marketing mix
- Market Research, segmentation, targeting and positioning
- Product Management – life cycle, new product development
- Pricing strategies and pricing decisions
- Distribution, supply chain and logistics
- Advertising, sales promotion, PR and sales management
- Consumer Behaviour – buying process and decision-making
- Brand Management and brand equity
- Retailing – formats and strategy
- Digital Marketing – SEO, social media, e-commerce, online banking products
- Services Marketing, CRM, rural and financial inclusion marketing
Professional Knowledge – Law Officer
- Constitution of India – fundamental rights, directive principles, judiciary
- Banking Laws – Banking Regulation Act 1949, RBI Act 1934
- Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 – cheques, bills of exchange, promissory notes
- Indian Contract Act 1872 – formation, performance, breach and remedies
- Company Law – Companies Act 2013, corporate governance
- SARFAESI Act 2002, Recovery of Debts and Bankruptcy laws
- Transfer of Property Act 1882 and Law of Mortgage
- Consumer Protection Act 2019 and Banking Ombudsman Scheme
- Civil and Criminal Procedure basics (CPC, CrPC)
- PMLA and banking fraud laws
- IT Act 2000, data protection and cyber law
- Important Supreme Court judgments on banking
Professional Knowledge – Rajbhasha Adhikari
- Hindi Grammar (Vyakaran) – sandhi, samas, tatsam, idioms
- Translation – Hindi to English and English to Hindi
- Essay writing, precis writing and comprehension in Hindi
- Official Language Policy – Official Languages Act 1963 and Rules 1976
- Implementation of Rajbhasha in banks – committees, forms and formats
- Hindi terminology for banking, finance and administration
- Hindi literature – history, prose, poetry
- Hindi correspondence, noting and drafting
- Computer applications for Hindi – fonts, Unicode
Marking Scheme
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Marks per question (Prelims) | English: 0.5; Reasoning: 1; Quant/GA: 1 |
| Negative marking | 0.25 per incorrect answer in Prelims and Mains |
| Unattempted questions | No marks deducted |
| Prelims cut-off | Category/state-wise qualifying cut-offs; not counted in final merit |
| Mains | 60 questions, 60 marks, counted for final merit |
| Interview | 100 marks, counted for final merit |
| Final selection basis | Combined Mains + Interview score (exact weightage per notification) |
Eligibility Criteria
Educational Qualification (as per previous cycles / CRP SPL-XVI)
| Post | Required Qualification |
|---|---|
| IT Officer (Scale-I) | B.E./B.Tech in CS/IT/Computer Applications/Electronics & Communication, or M.Sc. in Electronics/CS, or DOEACC 'B' level, or PG degree in IT |
| Agriculture Field Officer (AFO) | 4-year degree in Agriculture / Agriculture Engineering or related agriculture discipline |
| HR / Personnel Officer | Graduate in any discipline with full-time MBA/PGDBM or 2-year PG diploma/degree in Personnel Mgmt, IR, HR, Social Work or Labour Welfare |
| Marketing Officer | Graduate in any discipline with full-time MBA/PGDBM or 2-year PG diploma/degree specialising in Marketing |
| Law Officer | Bachelor's degree in Law (LLB) from a recognised university |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari | Post-graduate degree in Hindi with English as a subject at graduation level |
Age Limit
| Category | Age Relaxation |
|---|---|
| General / EWS | 20–30 years (no relaxation) |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | Up to 33 years (relaxation of 3 years) |
| SC/ST | Up to 35 years (relaxation of 5 years) |
| PwBD (General) | Up to 40 years (relaxation of 10 years) |
| PwBD (OBC/SC/ST) | Extra 3/5 years over the PwBD relaxation, as applicable |
| Ex-Servicemen / J&K domicile | Relaxation as per government norms |
Number of attempts: unlimited, subject to age and eligibility.
Application Process & Fees
Applications are submitted online only via the registration portal linked on the official IBPS website – register with a personal e-mail and mobile number, fill the form, upload photo, signature and documents, pay the fee and submit.
| Category | Application Fee (tentative) |
|---|---|
| General / OBC / EWS | Rs. 850 (+ taxes) |
| SC / ST / PwBD | Rs. 175 (+ taxes) |
Important dates (CRP SPL-XVI, per the official website): Notification and online application from 1 July 2026; updated vacancies on 20 July 2026. Verify the closing date and exam schedule from the CRP SPL-XVI page on ibps.in.
Salary / Pay Scale
Selected candidates are appointed as Specialist Officers in Officer Scale-I (JMGS-I). Indicative compensation (based on previous cycles):
| Particular | Details (tentative, based on previous cycle) |
|---|---|
| Pay Scale | Rs. 36,000 – 1,490/7 – 46,430 – 1,740/4 – 53,390 – 2,000/1 – 55,390 – 2,170/1 – 57,560 – 1,750/10 – 75,060 (approx.) |
| Initial Basic Pay | Approx. Rs. 36,000 per month |
| Gross Emoluments | Approx. Rs. 48,000 – 58,000/month incl. DA, HRA, special and other allowances |
Exact salary and allowances are set as per the rules of the allotted bank and are specified in the official notification; the figures above are indicative.
Official Links & PDFs
- Official IBPS Website – ibps.in
- CRP Specialist Officers – official page
- CRP Specialist Officers XVI – official cycle page
- CRP SPL-XVI Detailed Notification (PDF, 1 July 2026)
- CRP SPL-XVI Window Notification (PDF)
- CRP SPL-XVI Updated Vacancies as on 20 July 2026 (PDF)
Preparation Tips & Strategy
- Nail the Prelims first: Aim well above the previous year's category/state-wise cut-offs, since Prelims is a qualifying filter.
- Speed with accuracy: With 0.25 negative marking, avoid blind guessing, especially in Reasoning and Quant (1 mark per question).
- Practise sectional timing: Mock tests in 25/40/40-minute slots for Prelims and 45 minutes for Mains.
- Make Professional Knowledge your rank-maker: The Mains (60 marks) is decisive – cover the topic list above and practise previous-year papers.
- Daily current affairs: For HR (GA) and Law/Rajbhasha (GA with banking reference), follow the last 6 months of banking, economy and RBI news.
- Analyse mock tests: Review error patterns, re-solve weak areas, and try the official mock test released by IBPS.
FAQ
Q: What is the full form of IBPS SO?
It is the Specialist Officer recruitment conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection under CRP SPL.
Q: Is there negative marking in IBPS SO?
Yes – 0.25 mark per incorrect answer in both Prelims and Mains; no penalty for unanswered questions.
Q: Are Prelims marks counted in the final result?
No. The Prelims is qualifying only; the final merit list is prepared from Mains and Interview marks.
Q: Is there a skill test for IBPS SO?
In the regular CRP SPL process, no. Selection proceeds through Prelims, Mains, Interview and provisional allotment.
Q: Can I apply for more than one specialist post?
Yes, candidates can opt for multiple posts in one application subject to meeting each post's qualification. The fee is paid once.
Q: Is there any limit on the number of attempts?
No – apply every year as long as you meet the age and eligibility criteria.
Keep following the official IBPS website (ibps.in) – specifically the CRP Specialist Officers page – for application dates, admit cards, results and corrigenda to the notification.