IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2024: Marking Scheme & Total Marks

Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Specialist Officers 2024 ( IBPS SO )

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Anangsha Patra

Anangsha PatraDeputy Manager – Editorial

Updated on Mar 22, 2024 18:24 IST

IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2024: The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) prescribes IBPS SO exam pattern. The exam pattern is such that it is divided into three stages-prelims, mains, and interview. The prelims and mains exams are conducted online. IBPS SO exam pattern is different for different posts and exam stages. IBPS SO exam pattern provides details regarding the marking scheme, total marks, weightage of topics, and many more. Read below for more details on IBPS SO exam pattern.

IBPS SO Exam Pattern Highlights

Some of the important highlights of IBPS SO exam pattern are given below:

  • The selection process of IBPS SO includes prelims exam, mains exam, and interview
  • As per the IBPS SO exam pattern, the prelims exam carries a total of 150 questions and carries 125 marks
  • All qualified candidates of the prelims exam are called for the mains exam
  • IBPS SO mains exam is conducted to test the professional knowledge of the candidates in their respective fields. The exam carries a total of 60 marks
  • IBPS SO prelims exam is objective in nature while the mains exam comprises both objective and descriptive questions
  • Candidates qualifying the mains exam are called for the interview

IBPS SO Prelims Exam Pattern

IBPS SO prelims exam pattern for Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari comprises objective-type questions based on subjects such as English Language, Reasoning and General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry. The prelims question paper for the post of IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer comprises subjects such as English Language, Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude. A total of 125 questions are asked in the exam and the total marks allotted to the test are 150. The language of the question paper will be English and Hindi. There is sectional timing of 40 minutes for each section, and the total time allotted for the exam is 120 minutes. The structure of IBPS SO prelims exam is given below.

Subjects 

Total Marks

No. of Questions

Post: Law officer & Rajbhasha Adhikari

Reasoning

50

50

English Language

50

25

General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry

50

50

Post: Agriculture Field Officer, Marketing Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, IT Officer

Reasoning

50

50

English Language

50

25

Quantitative Aptitude

50

50


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IBPS SO Mains Exam Pattern

IBPS SO mains exam assesses the professional knowledge of candidates in their respective domains. The mains exam pattern for the post of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer is such that it comprises questions from professional knowledge. The test paper will carry 60 questions of 60 marks. The language of the question paper will be English and Hindi. The duration of the test is 45 minutes. IBPS SO mains question paper for the post of Rajbhasha Adhikari comprises objective and descriptive-type questions from professional knowledge. The test will carry a total of 47 questions (45 questions in objective paper and two questions in descriptive paper). The total marks allotted to the test are 60. The language of the question paper will be English and Hindi. The duration of the test is 30 minutes. The structure of IBPS SO mains exam pattern is given below.

Subjects 

Total Marks

Total number of Question

Post: Rajbhasha Adhikari

Professional Knowledge(Objective)

60

45

Professional Knowledge(Descriptive)

2

Post: Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer

Professional Knowledge

60

60

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IBPS SO Interview Exam Pattern

Successful candidates in IBPS SO mains exam are called for the personal interview. The interview is conducted by the participating banks and coordinated by the nodal banks in each state/UT. The total marks allotted for the interview are 100. The minimum qualifying mark in the interview is 40 per cent (35 per cent for SC/ST/OBC/PWBD candidates). 

Read More:

IBPS SO preparation 

IBPS SO Syllabus

IBPS SO Books

IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2024 FAQs

Candidates can check below IBPS SO exam pattern FAQs.

Q:   What is IBPS SO exam pattern for interview?

A:

IBPS SO interview is conducted for candidates who qualify the Mains exam. The interview is conducted by the participating banks and coordinated by the nodal banks in each state/UT. The total marks allotted for the interview are 100. The minimum qualifying mark in the interview is 40 per cent (35 per cent for SC/ST/OBC/PWBD candidates). 

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Q:   What is IBPS SO marking scheme?

A:

The marking scheme of IBPS SO is given below:

  • For correct answer, candidates score one mark
  • There will be a penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests.
  • For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate one fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at a corrected score.
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Q:   What is IBPS SO syllabus for Mains exam?

A:

IBPS SO syllabus for Mains exam is given below.

IT Officer (Scale-I)

Database Management System

Data Communication and Networking

Operating System

Software Engineering

Data Structure

Computer Organization and Microprocessor

Object-Oriented Programming

Agricultural Field Officer (Scale-I)

Basics of Crop production

Horticulture

Seed Science

Agronomy and Irrigation

Agricultural Economics

Agricultural Practices

Soil resources

Animal Husbandry

Agroforestry

Ecology

Government Schemes

Marketing Officer (Scale-I)

Basics of Marketing Management

Brand Management

Advertising

PR

Sales

Retail

Business Ethics

Market Segmentation

Market research and forecasting demand

Product Life Cycle

Corporate Social Responsibility

Service Marketing

Marketing Strategies

Law Officer (Scale-I)

Banking Regulations

Compliance and Legal Aspects

Relevant Law and Orders related to negotiable instruments, securities, foreign exchange

Prevention of Money-laundering, Limitation Act

Consumer Protection Act

SARFAES

Banking Ombudsman Scheme

Laws and Actions with the direct link to Banking Sector

Bankers Book Evidence Act

DRT Act

HR/Personnel Officer (Scale-I)

Human Resource Development

Business policy and strategic analysis

Transnational Analysis

Training and Development

Recruitment and Selection

Rewards and Recognition

Industrial Relations

Business Policy and Strategic Analysis

Grievance and Conflict Management

Performance Management and Appraisa

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Q:   What is IBPS SO Mains Exam Pattern?

A:

IBPS SO Mains exam tests the professional knowledge of candidates. The Mains exam pattern for the post of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer is such that it comprises questions from professional knowledge. The test paper carries 60 questions of 60 marks. The language of the question paper is framed in English and Hindi. The duration of the test is 45 minutes.

IBPS SO Mains question paper for the post of Rajbhasha Adhikari comprises objective and descriptive-type questions from professional knowledge. The test carries a total of 47 questions (45 questions in objective paper and two questions in descriptive paper). The total marks allotted to the test are 60. The language of the question paper will be English and Hindi. The duration of the test is 30 minutes. The structure of IBPS SO Mains exam pattern is given below.

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Q:   What are the sectional timings for IBPS SO exam?

A:

There is sectional timing of 40 minutes for each section in IBPS SO prelims exam, and the total time allotted for the exam is 120 minutes. The Mains exam pattern for the post of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer is such that it comprises questions from professional knowledge. The test paper will carry 60 questions of 60 marks. The language of the question paper will be English and Hindi. The duration of the test is 45 minutes. IBPS SO Mains question paper for the post of Rajbhasha Adhikari comprises objective and descriptive-type questions from professional knowledge. The test will carry a total of 47 questions (45 questions in objective paper and two questions in descriptive paper). The total marks allotted to the test are 60. The language of the question paper will be English and Hindi. The duration of the test is 30 minutes.

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Q:   What are the section-wise marks for IBPS SO exam?

A:

The section-wise marks allotted for IBPS SO prelims and Mains exams are given below:

Mains

Subjects 

Total Marks

Total number of Question

Post: Rajbhasha Adhikari

Professional Knowledge (Objective)

60

45

Professional Knowledge (Descriptive)

2

Post: Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer

Professional Knowledge

60

60

Prelims

Subjects 

Total Marks

No. of Questions

Post: Law officer & Rajbhasha Adhikari

Reasoning

50

50

English Language

50

25

General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry

50

50

Post: Agriculture Field Officer, Marketing Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, IT Officer

Reasoning

50

50

English Language

50

25

Quantitative Aptitude

50

50

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Q:   What is IBPS SO Prelims Exam Pattern?

A:

IBPS SO prelims exam pattern for Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari comprises objective-type questions based on subjects such as English Language, Reasoning and General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry. The prelims question paper for the post of IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer comprises subjects such as English Language, Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude. A total of 125 questions are asked in the exam and the total marks allotted to the test are 150. The language of the question paper is framed in English and Hindi. There is sectional timing of 40 minutes for each section, and the total time allotted for the exam is 120 minutes.

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Q:   Is a BCA Graduate eligible to give IBPS SO Exam?

A:

Candidates from any discipline can apply for IBPS SO exam. The stream-wise eligibility is given below.

Post

IBPS SO Qualification 

IT Officer (Scale I)

BTech in Computer Science/ Applications, IT, Electronics, Electronics & Telecommunications, Electronics & Communication or Electronics & Instrumentation

Or

Postgraduation in the above-mentioned field

Or

Graduate who has passed DOEACC ‘B’ level

Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I)

Four-year Graduation in Agriculture, Horticulture, Food Technology, Agricultural Engineering or corresponding fields

Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)

Postgraduation in Hindi with English as a subject at the Graduation level

Or,

Postgraduation in Sanskrit with English and Hindi as subjects at the Graduation level 

Law Officer (Scale I)

Graduation in law (LLB) (The person should be enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council)

HR/ Personnel Officer (Scale I)

Graduation with two-years full-time PG degree or Diploma in Personnel Management, Industrial Relations, HR, HRD, Social Work or Labour Law

Marketing Officer (Scale I)

Graduation with a two-year full-time degree in MMS (Marketing), MBA (Marketing), PGDBA, PGDBM, PGPM or PGDM with a specialisation in Marketing

Q:   I am a B.Tech final year student. I want to know about the new IBPS SO vacancy. Can you help me with the same?

A:

IBPS SO 2024 vacancies was released onAugust 1, 2024. The vacancy break-up of 2024 is given below.

PostsSCSTOBCEWSURVacancies
Agriculture Field Officer (AFO)52269234142346
HR/Personnel030106021325
IT Officer2512451672170
Law Officer1808331155125
Marketing3115552183205
Rajbhasha030106021325
Total 1326323786378896
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Q:   What is IBPS SO Prelims Syllabus?

A:

IBPS SO Syllabus for prelims exam is given below.

IBPS SO Syllabus for Prelims

Reasoning Ability

English Language

Quantitative Aptitude

General Awareness

Seating Arrangements

Puzzles

Inequalities

Syllogism

Input-Output

Data Sufficiency

Blood Relations

Order and Ranking

Alphanumeric Series

Distance and Direction

Verbal Reasoning

Cloze Test

Reading Comprehension

Spotting Errors

Sentence Improvement

Sentence Correction

Para Jumbles

Fill in the Blanks

Para/Sentence Completion

Number Series

Data Interpretation

Simplification/ Approximation

Quadratic Equation

Data Sufficiency

Mensuration

Average

Profit and Loss

Ratio and Proportion

Work, Time and Energy

Time and Distance

Probability

Relations

Simple and Compound Interest

Permutation and Combination

Current Affairs

Banking Awareness

GK Updates

Currencies

Important Places

Books and Authors Awards

Headquarters

Prime Minister Schemes

Important Days

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Q:   In how many cities IBPS SO prelims exam is conducted?

A:

IBPS SO prelims exam is conducted in the following cities.

State /UT/NCRIBPS SO Prelims Exam Centre

Andaman & Nicobar

Port Blair

Andhra Pradesh

Chirala, Chittoor, Guntur, Kadapa, Kakinada, Kurnool, Nellore, Ongole, Rajahmundry, Srikakulam, Tirupati, Vijaywada, Vishakhapatnam, Vizianagaram

Arunachal Pradesh

Naharlagun

Assam

Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur

Bihar

Arrah, Aurangabad, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Purnea

Chandigarh

Chandigarh/Mohali

Chhattisgarh

Bhilai Nagar, Bilaspur, Raipur

Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu

Surat, Jamnagar

Delhi

Delhi/New Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurugram

Goa

Panaji

Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Anand, Gandhinagar, Himatnagar, Jamnagar, Mehsana, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara

Haryana

Ambala, Hissar, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Yamuna Nagar

Himachal Pradesh

Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan, Una

Jammu & Kashmir

Jammu, Samba, Srinagar

Jharkhand

Bokaro, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur, Ranchi

Karnataka

Bengaluru, Belgaum, Bidar, Gulbarga, Hubli, Mangalore, Mysore, Shimoga, Udupi

Kerala

Alappuzha, Kannur, Kochi, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrichur

Ladakh

Leh

Lakshadweep

Kavarrati

Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Sagar, Satna, Ujjain

Maharashtra

Amravati, Aurangabad, Chandrapur, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Latur, Mumbai/ Thane/ Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Pune, Ratnagiri

Manipur

Imphal

Meghalaya

Shillong

Mizoram

Aizawl

Nagaland

Kohima

Odisha

Balasore, Berhampur(Ganjam), Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Rourkela, Sambalpur

Puducherry

Puducherry

Punjab

Amritsar, Bhatinda, Fategarh Sahib, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali, Pathankot, Patiala

Rajasthan

Ajmer, Alwar, Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Sikar, Udaipur

Sikkim

Bardang/ Gangtok

Tamil Nadu

Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Nagercoil, Salem, Thanjavur, Thiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli, Vellore

Telangana

Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Warangal

Tripura

Agartala

Uttar Pradesh

Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mathura, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Prayagraj (Allahabad), Varanasi

Uttarakhand

Dehradun, Haldwani, Roorkee

West Bengal

Asansol, Durgapur, Greater Kolkata, Hooghly, Kalyani, Siliguri

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IBPS SO Exam

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered a month ago

Candidates need to bring any one of the following photo-identity proofs to the exam centre:

  • Aadhaar Card/E-Aadhaar card with a photograph  
  • PAN Card
  • Permanent Driving License
  • Voter’s card
  • Bank passbook
  • Photo-identity proof issued by a gazetted officer/people’s representative along with a photograph
  • Identit

...more

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

IBPS SO admit card can be downloaded online only. The hard copy of the admit card is not sent to candidates by post. Candidates need to download their admit cards by logging by the required credentials. 

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

Few important points related to IBPS SO admit card are given below:

  • IBPS SO admit card is an important document without which candidates are not allowed to appear in the exam
  • The details of IBPS SO exam centres are mentioned on the admit card
  • Candidates should retain IBPS SO admit card till the complet

...more

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

IBPS SO prelims admit card 2024 was released on October 31, 2024. Candidates need to download their admit cards online. To download the admit card, candidates need to enter the required credentials. The hard copy of the admit card is not sent to candidates by post.

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

Candidates need to abide by the following guidelines present in the IBPS SO hall tickets:

  • Candidates need to carry the printed copy of IBPS SO admit card along with one photo-identity proof
  • Along with IBPS SO admit card, candidates need to carry two passport-sized photographs
  • Candidates must report 30

...more

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

The hard copy of IBPS SO scorecard is not sent to candidates by post. Candidates need to download it online only. To download the scorecard, candidates need to enter the required credentials.

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

IBPS SO result is announced within one week after the exam is conducted. The result is announced online on the official website. Candidates can check their results by logging with the required credentials. The scorecard is released few days after the declaration of the result.

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

The tips and tricks to prepare for IBPS SO General Awareness are given below:

  • Read newspapers and magazines regularly to stay updated on national and international affairs.
  • Make a list of frequently asked questions, revise previous year model papers, and take notes to revise effectively.
  • Focus on India

...more

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

IBPS SO syllabus for Quant is given below.

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

IBPS SO syllabus for Reasoning is given below.

  • Alphanumeric Series
  • Data Sufficiency
  • Coded Inequalities
  • Seating Arrangement
  • Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test
  • Puzzle
  • Syllogism
  • Coding-Decoding
  • Blood Relations
  • Input-Output

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

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