IBPS PO selects Probationary Officers and Management Trainees for public sector banks. The 2026 notification (CRP PO/MT-XVI) brought changes to both the Prelims marks and the Mains pattern, so older syllabus guides are now out of date.
Here is the complete IBPS PO syllabus for 2026, based on the official notification, along with what changed and which topics deserve most of your time.
IBPS PO 2026 at a glance
| Stage | What it is | Counts for final merit? |
|---|---|---|
| Prelims | 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes | No (qualifying) |
| Mains (objective) | 170 questions, 200 marks, 160 minutes | Yes |
| Mains (descriptive) | Essay and comprehension, 25 marks, 30 minutes | Yes |
| Personality Test | Mandatory, no qualifying marks | No |
| Interview | 100 marks | Yes |
The final merit list combines Mains and interview marks in the ratio 80:20. Wrong answers in the objective tests cost one-fourth of the question's marks.
IBPS PO Prelims exam pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 40 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
Each section has its own 20-minute timer and its own cut-off. Note the new weighting: Reasoning is now worth 40 marks, more than either of the other sections. For a timing plan for each section, read our IBPS PO Prelims section-wise strategy.
IBPS PO Mains exam pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning | 40 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| General, Economy, Banking, Digital and Financial Awareness | 50 | 60 | 35 minutes |
| English Language | 40 | 20 | 35 minutes |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | 40 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| Total | 170 | 200 | 160 minutes |
| Descriptive: Essay and Comprehension | 2 | 25 | 30 minutes |
Compared with the 2025 cycle (145 questions for 200 marks), the 2026 Mains has more questions in the same 160 minutes, so speed matters more than before. The awareness section now explicitly includes digital and financial awareness and RBI circulars.
IBPS PO syllabus, subject by subject
Reasoning Ability
- Puzzles and seating arrangement: linear, circular, floor, box and scheduling puzzles. This is the largest block in both Prelims and Mains.
- Logical reasoning: syllogism, inequalities, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, order and ranking.
- Mains level: input-output, data sufficiency, statement and assumption, cause and effect, course of action, logical arguments.
Quantitative Aptitude and Data Analysis
- Calculation: simplification, approximation, number series, quadratic equations.
- Arithmetic: percentage, ratio, average, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, speed and distance, mixtures, partnership, probability, permutation and combination.
- Data interpretation: tables, bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, caselets and missing-data DI. In Mains this is a full 40-question section worth 60 marks.
- Data sufficiency and quantity comparison.
English Language
- Reading comprehension (usually the biggest block)
- Cloze test, error detection, sentence improvement
- Para jumbles, word swap, fillers, phrase replacement
- Mains: longer passages and inference-based questions
General, Economy, Banking, Digital and Financial Awareness (Mains only)
- Current affairs of the last 6 months
- Banking awareness: RBI functions, monetary policy, types of banks and accounts, recent RBI circulars
- Indian economy: budget, GDP, inflation, government schemes
- Digital banking and payments: UPI, NEFT, RTGS, cyber security basics
- Financial awareness: financial institutions, markets and regulators
Descriptive paper
You write one essay and one comprehension answer in 30 minutes, for 25 marks. Practise typing 250-word essays on banking, economy and social topics.
What to focus on first
- Puzzles every day. Reasoning is now the heaviest Prelims section and carries 60 marks in Mains.
- Calculation speed. Learn squares to 30, cubes to 20 and percentage-fraction equivalents for faster Quant and DI.
- Reading habit. Read one editorial a day to handle comprehension and the descriptive paper.
- Banking awareness from month one. It needs steady revision, not last-minute cramming.
Practise each topic on its own with IBPS PO topic-wise practice, then move to timed IBPS PO mock tests to build section-wise speed.
Always confirm the final pattern in the official IBPS notification on ibps.in before your exam.
Frequently asked questions
Has the IBPS PO exam pattern changed in 2026?
Yes. In the 2026 notification (CRP PO/MT-XVI), Prelims marks are now 30 for English, 30 for Quant and 40 for Reasoning. Mains has 170 questions instead of 145, still for 200 marks in 160 minutes.
Do Prelims marks count in the IBPS PO final merit?
No. Prelims is a qualifying screening stage. The final merit is based on Mains and the interview, combined in the ratio 80:20.
What is the negative marking in IBPS PO?
One-fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for every wrong answer, in both Prelims and Mains objective tests.
Is there a sectional cut-off in IBPS PO?
Yes. Candidates must clear the cut-off in each section as well as the overall cut-off in Prelims and in the Mains objective test.
What is the new Personality Test in IBPS PO 2026?
The 2026 notification adds a mandatory Personality Test. You must take it, but it does not carry qualifying marks. Check the official notification for its format.
