IBPS PO 2026 Notification, Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Salary and Free Mock Tests

What the three stages actually test

• Preliminary examination — speed and accuracy across English, quantitative aptitude and reasoning, under twenty-minute sectional limits. Qualifying only.
• Main examination — depth rather than speed — data analysis and interpretation, reasoning with computer aptitude, English, and general, economy and banking awareness. These marks count.
• Descriptive paper — a letter and an essay, written in the same sitting as the main examination. Small in marks and decisive at the margin.
• Interview — conducted by participating banks, with the final merit weighted between the main examination and the interview.

Qualification as on 21 July 2026

• Degree — A graduation in any discipline from a university recognised by the Government of India, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government. The mark sheet or degree certificate must be in hand on the day of registration and the percentage entered in the form; the result must have been declared on or before 21 July 2026.
• Computer literacy — Working knowledge of computer systems is expected, and several banks ask for it at the interview.

Other conditions

• Nationality — Indian citizens, and subjects of Nepal and Bhutan, Tibetan refugees who came before 1 January 1962 and persons of Indian origin migrated from the listed countries, with a certificate of eligibility where required.
• Fee — ₹850 including GST for all candidates except SC, ST and PwBD, who pay ₹175; online only, non-refundable, with bank charges borne by the candidate.
• One application — Multiple registrations are rejected; the last complete one counts only if the fee was paid on it.
• Pre-examination training — SC, ST, OBC and minority candidates may opt for free online training in the form.

The IBPS PO process, from registration to allotment

1. Register once on ibps.in during the window Registration is a single online form for both the preliminary and main examinations, on the link that goes live on ibps.in on the opening day. You need a working e-mail address and mobile number that stay with you until provisional allotment, and scans made to the notification’s specification: a photograph (20–50 KB), signature (10–20 KB, not in capitals), left-thumb impression (20–50 KB) and a handwritten declaration (50–100 KB), all .jpeg. A live photograph is also captured through the webcam or phone camera at the time of application.
2. Choose the state, centre and — where it applies — the medium For the state-wise processes you apply against the vacancies of one state or union territory only and sit the examination there; for the PO process you choose preliminary and main examination centres. The medium of the objective tests, other than English, is English or Hindi and, for the state-wise processes, the regional languages listed for that state. Preferences for banks are collected later, before allotment.
3. Pay the fee ₹850 including GST, or ₹175 for SC, ST and PwBD candidates, paid online between 1 and 21 July 2026 by debit or credit card, net banking, UPI or wallets. The fee is not refunded or held over.
4. Edit window A two-day window opens after registration closes, notified on ibps.in, in which the form can be modified on payment of the edit charge. Nothing can be changed after it.
5. Pre-examination training, then the call letter Candidates from the SC, ST, OBC and minority communities (and, for some processes, ex-servicemen) who opt for it in the form may be offered online pre-examination training in the month before the preliminary examination. Call letters are released on ibps.in about a week to ten days before each examination; the preliminary call letter is stamped at the venue and must be kept for the main examination.
6. Preliminary examination A one-hour online paper with a separate timer on each section. You must clear the cut-off in each section as well as overall; the number shortlisted for the main examination is fixed by IBPS by category, and preliminary marks are then discarded.
7. Main examination A longer online paper, again with a separate timer per section, that the merit list is built from. Sectional cut-offs apply. Scores are normalised across sessions and released after the process is complete.
8. Results, scores and the next step Results appear as a login on ibps.in; scorecards follow. Where the process has an interview, the shortlist and interview call letters are issued through the same login and the interview is conducted by the participating banks under a nodal bank.
9. Personality test and interview Candidates above the sectional and total cut-offs of the main examination are shortlisted by category for a personality test arranged by IBPS and then for an interview of 100 marks conducted by the participating banks under a nodal bank in each state, with the call letter through the login. The minimum in the interview is 40 per cent (35 for SC, ST, OBC and PwBD).
10. Final merit, preferences and provisional allotment The final score is main examination 80 and interview 20. Candidates give an order of preference for the participating banks, and IBPS makes a provisional allotment by merit, preference and the reported vacancies; the allotment is valid for one year and the bank completes document verification, a medical examination and joining formalities.

A six-month plan for a first attempt

1. Months 1–2: foundations Arithmetic and simplification to speed, the reasoning families that recur (seating and floor puzzles, syllogism, inequality, coding, blood relations, input–output), and English grammar and reading. Start a daily banking and economy awareness routine — RBI circulars, monetary policy, government schemes, financial terms — because that section alone is 60 mains marks.
2. Months 3–4: mains depth and DI Data interpretation in every format (tables, bar, line, pie, caselet, radar and mixed), quadratic comparisons, number series and data sufficiency; high-level puzzles; cloze, error and para-jumble practice; computer aptitude basics. Sectional tests daily on the mains timers.
3. Month 5: full mocks on the sectional timers A prelims mock every second day as three timed sections, a mains mock every week with the descriptive paper typed in 30 minutes, and an error log by topic. Practise choosing which 20 of 35 questions to attempt in each prelims section.
4. Month 6: revision and the examination window Revise from your own notes and the error log, keep current banking awareness going to the mains date, and prepare the interview file — graduation subject, banking basics, current economic events, and why banking — while the mains result is awaited.

Section-by-section priorities in the 2026 scheme

• Reasoning and Data Analysis: 120 of 200 mains marks — The two 45-minute sections decide the merit list. Accuracy on puzzles and DI sets is worth more than attempting everything.
• General, Economy and Banking Awareness: 60 marks in 35 minutes — Recall, so the fastest marks in the paper for a candidate who has read daily for six months, and the section where a wrong guess is cheapest to avoid.
• English: 20 mains marks but a prelims gate — Thirty prelims questions in 20 minutes with a sectional cut-off; do not neglect it because its mains weight is low.
• Descriptive: 25 marks — A structured essay and a comprehension answer in 30 minutes, typed. Practise ten essays on banking, economy, technology and ethics themes before the mains.

Official documents

Notification for CRP PO/MT-XVI (1 July 2026) Window notification for CRP PO/MT-XVI and SPL-XVI (30 June 2026) Tentative calendar of CRP online examinations 2026-27 (16 January 2026) IBPS CRP PO/MTs page — results, call letters and notices IBPS CRP updates