IBPS PO Syllabus, Exam Pattern — Probationary Officer / Management Trainee (CRP PO/MT)
| Conducting body | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Graduate in any discipline |
| Selection process | Prelims → Mains → Personality Test → Interview |
| Negative marking | 0.25 of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for every wrong answer in the objective tests (Prelims and Mains). |
| Official website | ibps.in |
Exam Pattern
Preliminary Examination (qualifying)
Each section is separately timed — unused time cannot be carried to another section.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 40 | 20 minutes |
Total: 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes
Main Examination — Objective Test
An in-built calculator is permitted for the Data Analysis & Interpretation test.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning | 40 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| General / Economy / Banking / Digital / Financial Awareness (including RBI circulars) | 50 | 60 | 35 minutes |
| English Language | 40 | 20 | 35 minutes |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | 40 | 60 | 45 minutes |
Total: 170 questions, 200 marks, 160 minutes
Main Examination — Descriptive Paper
| Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay and Comprehension | 2 | 25 | 30 minutes |
Attempted in English, immediately after the objective test.
Personality Test & Interview
| Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interview | — | 100 | — |
Final merit is prepared from the Mains and Interview (80 : 20). The Personality Test before the interview is qualifying in nature.
Syllabus — Topics to Prepare
Note: this body does not publish a topic-wise syllabus — the pattern above is official, and these are the standard topics asked under each section. Treat them as an indicative preparation list.
English Language
- Reading Comprehension
- Cloze Test
- Para Jumbles
- Error Spotting / Sentence Correction
- Fill in the Blanks
- Sentence Improvement
- Synonyms & Antonyms
- Idioms & Phrases
- Multiple Meaning Words
- Paragraph Completion
Quantitative Aptitude
- Number Series
- Simplification & Approximation
- Quadratic Equations
- Data Interpretation (tables, bar & line graphs, pie charts, caselets)
- Percentage, Ratio & Proportion, Average
- Profit & Loss, Simple & Compound Interest
- Time & Work, Time Speed & Distance
- Partnership
- Mixture & Alligation
- Mensuration (basic)
Reasoning Ability
- Puzzles & Seating Arrangement
- Syllogism
- Blood Relations
- Direction Sense
- Alphanumeric Series
- Inequality
- Coding-Decoding
- Order & Ranking
- Data Sufficiency
- Logical Reasoning
General / Economy / Banking / Financial Awareness
- Banking & financial sector awareness
- RBI, SEBI & NABARD updates and RBI circulars
- Union Budget & economic concepts
- Government schemes & policies
- Digital banking & payments (UPI, NEFT, RTGS, cards)
- Current affairs — national & international
- Awards, books, sports & important days
- Financial institutions, terms & abbreviations
Data Analysis & Interpretation
- Tabular & graphical DI sets
- Caselet-based DI
- Missing-data DI
- Arithmetic-based DI (percentage, ratio, average)
- Data Sufficiency
Sources (official documents)
Checked: Mains pattern verified from the official IBPS information handout; Prelims structure as announced in the CRP PO/MT-XVI notification on ibps.in. Always confirm with the latest notification before applying.