IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) Exam Pattern: Marking Scheme & Question Format

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Easetolearn will give students all the information regarding the IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2026 Exam. It will make it easier for students to understand the pattern of the IBPS SO exam like the total number of questions, the marking scheme, the sections of the exam, and the duration of the exam.

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IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2026

The IBPS SO exam has three stages: a preliminary exam, a main exam, and a personal interview. The pattern of the IBPS SO exam is listed below.

IBPS SO Preliminary Exam Pattern 2026

• IBPS SO Mode of Examination –Online
• IBPS SO Total number of question – 100
• IBPS SO Total Marks – 125 marks
• IBPS SO Exam Duration – 1 hour 20 min (80 Minutes)
• Negative Marking – 0.25 for each incorrect answer

IBPS SO Rajbhasha Adhikari & Law Officer Examination Pattern 2026

IBPS SO IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer Examination Pattern 2026

The only students who get selected after the Pre Exam may take the Mains Exam, so a candidate must first appear for the Pre Exam.The Preliminary Exam score will not be considered in the final allotment. The Mains Exam and Interview Process will serve as the basis for the final decision.

IBPS SO Mains Examination Pattern 2026

IBPS SO 2026 mains exam demands professional knowledge of their respective fields. Here is an exam pattern -

IBPS SO IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer Examination Pattern 2026

IBPS SO Rajbhasha Adhikari & Law Officer Examination Pattern 2026

For Rajbhasha Adhikari-

For Law Officer-

IBPS SO Penalty for Wrong Answer 2026

There is a penalty for wrong answers marked in both the preliminary examination as well as mains examination. A wrong answer will result in a deduction of one-fourth or 0.25 marks of the overall mark for that question. If a question is left unanswered or blank, there will be no penalty.

IBPS SO Cut-off Scores (Online Main Examination) 2026

Each candidate will be required to obtain a minimum score in each test of Online Main examination and also secure sufficiently high scores in the test of Professional Knowledge to be considered to be shortlisted for interview. Depending on the number of vacancies available, cut-offs will be decided and candidates will be shortlisted for interview. Prior to the completion of the interview process, scores obtained in the Online Main examination will not be shared with the candidates shortlisted for interview.

IBPS SO Scores 2026

• Using the equi-percentile method, the corrected scores that each candidate received in the various sessions (if any were held) will be normalised.
• Calculations will be done using scores up to two decimal places.

IBPS SO Personal Interview 2026

IBPS will officially invite candidates who pass the Main Exam for IBPS SO 2026 to the interview process.The relative weightage (ratio) of Online Main Examination and interview will be 80:20
respectively.It is important for candidates to perform well in the interview process because this is the last stage of the IBPS SO Recruitment Process that determines a candidate's final selection.

IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2026 : FAQs

What are the stages in IBPS SO 2026?
IBPS SO 2026 has 3 stages: Preliminary Exam, Main Exam, and Interview. Prelims is only qualifying in nature. Final merit is based on Mains + Interview in 80:20 ratio.

What is the revised Prelims Exam Pattern for 2026?
Prelims is online with 100 questions for 125 marks in 80 minutes total. There are 4 sections with separate sectional timing of 20 minutes each. Professional Knowledge has been added to Prelims and carries 50 marks, double the other sections. You must clear both sectional and overall cut-offs.

Is the Prelims pattern same for all posts?
No. For IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer: English Language 25Q/25 marks, Reasoning 25Q/25 marks, Quantitative Aptitude 25Q/25 marks, Professional Knowledge 25Q/50 marks. For Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari: Quant is replaced by General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry 25Q/25 marks.

What is the Mains Exam Pattern 2026?
Mains is mainly Professional Knowledge based on your post. For Law Officer, IT Officer, AFO, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer, it’s 60 objective questions for 60 marks in 45 minutes. For Rajbhasha Adhikari, it has Objective 45Q/60 marks in 30 mins + Descriptive 2Q in 30 mins. Mains marks are counted for final merit.

Is there negative marking?
Yes, 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer in objective tests of both Prelims and Mains.

What is the medium of exam?
Exam is English and Hindi, except English Language section which is only in English.

How many marks is the Interview?
Interview is for 100 marks. Minimum qualifying is 40% for General and 35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD.

What are the exam dates?
As per latest notification, Prelims is scheduled in August 2026 and Mains in November 2026.

Is Prelims marks counted in final selection?
No, Prelims is only a screening test. Final selection is based on Mains 80% + Interview 20%.