There are lakhs of aspirants who appear for IBPS PO every year and most of the first-time exam takers are curious about the IBPS PO exam pattern. The IBPS PO exam pattern is decided by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) which is the conducting body for all IBPS exams. Here we'll be having a closer look into the exam pattern of IBPS PO which includes the prelims, Mains & interviews.
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IBPS PO Exam Pattern
There are three stages of examination for the candidates in the recruitment process for IBPS PO. The following table shows the examination pattern.
Exam Type | Maximum Marks | Question Details |
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Prelims | 100 | Objective (MCQ) |
Final | 225 | Objective (MCQ) and Descriptive Paper for English |
Interview | 100 | Verbal |
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2022
The IBPS PO Prelims Exam Pattern has remained constant since the start of the exam. The IBPS preliminary examination for the post of Probationary Officer will be conducted online. The duration of the examination will be an hour. The IBPS PO Prelims examination will be of 3 sections, with 100 questions and a maximum score of 100 marks. This examination will have negative marking, and 0.25 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer. The IBPS PO Prelims exam consists of three sections:
- Quantitative Aptitude
- Reasoning Ability
- English Language
The Preliminary examination pattern is given below:
Sl. No. | Name of Tests | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
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1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
2 | Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
3 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
IBPS PO Mains Examination Pattern
The IBPS PO Mains exam consists of two papers, both conducted online by the IBPS itself. As per the IBPS PO Mains Pattern, there will be two papers i.e. Objective Test and a Descriptive test. IBPS has introduced Descriptive type answer writing in its Mains Examination. The candidate will be asked to write an essay and a letter to judge their writing skills. The descriptive test will be of 25 marks and should be completed within half an hour. The objective test will consist of four sections that are mentioned below in the table. The candidates who clear the prelims cut-off marks set by the IBPS are eligible to write the Mains exam. Following is the examination pattern for Main Examination.
Important points regarding IBPS PO Prelims and Mains Exam Pattern:
- The IBPS PO descriptive paper will be on 30 minutes consisting of 25 marks.
- Marks are awarded on the basis of grammar, flow of content, and structure of the sentences.
- There is no separate section for Computer Knowledge as it has been combined with the Reasoning Section.
- The candidates who clear the mains exam will be eligible for the interview round.
- There will be sectional cutoff and overall cutoff.
- A specified sectional time limit is allocated to attempt each section in the Main exam.
- The final selection of candidates is made based on their performance in the main exam and interview.
IBPS PO Interview Process
The candidates who clear the main examination will appear for the interview. The interview process will be of 100 marks. The minimum mark to qualify will be 40%. For candidates belonging to SC, ST, OBC, PwD it will be further reduced to 25%. IBPS will make the final selection based on the cumulative score of the Mains examination and the interview. A merit list will be released after the interview process is over. The Bank will offer the successful candidates the joining letter.
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