Introduction
Understanding the exam pattern and syllabus will help the candidates in devising effective preparation strategies. Speed/Time management is vital in obtaining a good score in any competitive exam and hence, analysis of IBPS SO exam pattern and syllabus is very crucial to be able to complete the exams in the stipulated time.
The IBPS SO selection process has three phases. The first phase (Preliminary exam) is an objective exam and the second phase (Main exam) has Objective test for the posts of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer; both Objective & Descriptive test for the post of Rajbhasha Adhikari. The third phase is a Personal Interview conducted by a selection panel.
Imp Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| IBPS SO Notification 2019 Announcement | 05-11-2019 |
| IBPS SO Online Registration Starts From | 06-11-2019 |
| Last Date to Apply Online for IBPS SO | 26-11-2019 |
| Download of call letters for Online examination – Preliminary | 12 - 12 - 2019 |
| Closure of Call letter Download | 29-11-2019 |
| IBPS SO Preliminary Exam | [latex]{28}^{th}[/latex] and [latex]{29}^{th}[/latex] December 2019 |
| Result of IBPS SO Preliminary Exam | January 2020 |
| Download of call letters for Online examination – Mains | January 2020 |
| IBPS SO Mains Exam Date | [latex]{25}^{th}[/latex] January 2020 |
| Conduct of Interview | February 2020 |
| IBPS SO 2019-20 Final Result | April 2020 |
Pattern
For the Post of Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari
IBPS SO Prelim Exam is an online Objective Type exam.
The test consist of 3 Sections with a duration of 40 minutes for each section and Maximum Marks: 125.
IBPS SO Prelim Exam - For each wrong answer, there is a Negative Marking of 0.25 marks.
IBPS SO Prelim Exam is a qualifying exam for IBPS SO Main Exam.
A candidate should clear the cut-off for each section and total cut-off score of IBPS SO Prelim Exam to appear for IBPS SO Main Exam.
For the Post of IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer
IBPS SO Prelim Exam is an online Objective Type exam.
The test consist of 3 Sections with a duration of 40 minutes for each section and Maximum Marks: 125.
IBPS SO Prelim Exam - For each wrong answer, there is a Negative Marking of 0.25 marks.
IBPS SO Prelim Exam is a qualifying exam for IBPS SO Main Exam.
A candidate should clear the cut-off for each section and total cut-off score of IBPS SO Prelim Exam to appear for IBPS SO Main Exam.
| SL | Name of Test | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English language | 50 | 25 | English | 40 minutes |
| 2 | Reasoning ability | 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 |
| SL | Name of Test | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English language | 50 | 25 | English | 40 minutes |
| 2 | Reasoning ability | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | 40 minutes |
| 3 | Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | English and Hindi | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 |
Penalty for Wrong Answers (Applicable to both – Preliminary and Main examination)
There will be penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests. For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate one fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at corrected score. If a question is left blank, i.e. no answer is marked by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.
For the Post of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer
IBPS SO Main Exam is an online Objective Type exam.
IBPS SO Main Exam has a duration of 45 minutes and Maximum Marks: 60.
IBPS SO Main Exam has one section as shown in table below.
IBPS SO Main Exam - For each wrong answer, there is a Negative Marking of 0.25 marks.
IBPS SO Main Exam is a qualifying exam for further process of Interview.
For the Post of Rajbhasha Adhikari
IBPS SO Main Exam has both Objective Type and Descriptive Type exam.
IBPS SO Main Exam has a duration of 60 minutes and Maximum Marks: 60.
IBPS SO Main Exam has two sections as shown in table below.
IBPS SO Main Exam - For each wrong answer, there is a Negative Marking of 0.25 marks.
There is separate timing for each section i.e. 30 minutes.
IBPS SO Main Exam is a qualifying exam for further process of Interview.
| Name of Test | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Knowledge | 60 | 60 | English & Hindi | 45 minutes |
| Name of Test | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Knowledge (Objective) | 45 | 60 | English & Hindi | 30 minutes |
| Professional Knowledge (Descriptive) | 2 | English & Hindi | 30 minutes |
Penalty for Wrong Answers (Applicable to both – Preliminary and Main examination)
There will be penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests. For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate one fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at corrected score. If a question is left blank, i.e. no answer is marked by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.
The aggregate marks of candidates qualifying in the Tests will be arranged in descending order in each category. The adequate number of candidates in each category, as decided by the Bank will be called for an Interview.
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✶ The total marks allotted for Interview are 100. The minimum qualifying marks in interview will not be less than 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWD candidates). The weightage (ratio) of CWE (Main exam) and interview will be 80:20 respectively.
✶ The combined final score of candidates shall be arrived at on the basis of scores obtained by the candidates in the Main Examination of IBPS CWE- SPL-VIII and Interview.
✶ Interview score of the candidates failing to secure minimum qualifying marks or otherwise barred from the interview or further process shall not be disclosed.
✶ A candidate should qualify both in the CWE (Main) and interview and be sufficiently high in the merit to be shortlisted for subsequent provisional allotment process, details of which will be made available subsequently on IBPS website.