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 2024 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 SPECIALIST OFFICERS EXAMINATION PATTERN 2024

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

· IBPS SO Mode of Examination –Online

· IBPS SO Total number of question – 150

· IBPS SO Total Marks – 125 marks

· IBPS SO Exam Duration – 2 Hours (120 Minutes)

· Negative Marking – 0.25 for each incorrect answer

IBPS CRP SO Rajbhasha Adhikari & Law Officer Examination Pattern

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

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

IBPS SO 2024 mains exam demands professional knowledge of their respective fields. Here is an exam pattern -

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

IBPS CRP SO Rajbhasha Adhikari & Law Officer Examination Pattern:

PENALTY FOR WRONG ANSWERS (Applicable to both – IBPS CRP SO Prelim and Main exam (Online))

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 willbe no penalty.

IBPS SO CUT-OFF SCORES (ONLINE MAIN EXAMINATION)

In order to be considered for interview account, each candidate must pass the Online Main Examination with a minimum score and achieve sufficiently high scores. Cut-offs will be developed and candidates will be shortlisted for interviews based on the number of vacancies.

Only marks from the online main examination will be taken into account for the final merit list and for the interview shortlist.

IBPS SO SCORES

• 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

IBPS will officially invite candidates who pass the Main Exam for IBPS SO 2024 to the interview process. 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.

FAQs related to IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2024

1. What are the stages of the IBPS SO Exam?

• The IBPS SO Exam consists of three stages: Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam, and Interview.

2. How is the Preliminary Exam structured?

• The Preliminary Exam has three sections: English Language, Reasoning Ability, and Quantitative Aptitude (for IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer) or General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry (for Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari). Each section is timed separately.

3. What is the duration of the Preliminary Exam?

• The total duration of the Preliminary Exam is 2 hours, with each section allocated 40 minutes.

4. How many questions are there in the Preliminary Exam?

• The Preliminary Exam comprises 150 questions, with each section containing 50 questions.

5. What is the marking scheme for the Preliminary Exam?

• Each question carries 1 mark, making a total of 150 marks. There is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer.

6. What is the structure of the Mains Exam?

• The Mains Exam focuses on Professional Knowledge specific to the candidate's specialist officer post. The exam format and duration vary by post:
  • IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer: 60 questions, 60 minutes.
  • Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari: Law Officer - 60 questions, 45 minutes; Rajbhasha Adhikari - 45 questions (Objective), 2 questions (Descriptive), 60 minutes.

7. How is the Mains Exam scored?

• Each question typically carries 1 mark, and there is a penalty of 0.25 marks for incorrect answers.

8. What is the medium of the IBPS SO exams?

• Both the Preliminary and Mains exams are conducted in English and Hindi, except for the English Language section, which is in English only.

9. How is the Interview stage conducted?

• Candidates who qualify for the Mains Exam are called for an interview. The interview is conducted by the participating banks and is worth 100 marks. The minimum qualifying marks are 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWD candidates).

10. How is the final selection determined?

• The final selection is based on the combined scores of the Mains Exam and the Interview. The weightage ratio for the Mains Exam and Interview is 80:20.

11. Are there sectional cut-offs in the IBPS SO Exam?

• Yes, candidates must clear the sectional cut-offs as well as the overall cut-off in both the Preliminary and Mains exams to be eligible for the next stage.

12. Can you elaborate on the sectional timings for the Preliminary Exam?

• Each section in the Preliminary Exam is separately timed for 40 minutes, making the total duration of the exam 2 hours.

13. Is there any descriptive test in the IBPS SO Exam?

• Yes, for the Rajbhasha Adhikari post, the Mains Exam includes a descriptive test that involves translating passages from English to Hindi and vice versa.