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Institute of Banking and Personnel Selection, IBPS will conduct IBPS SO Examination to recruit eligible candidates for Specialist Officer (SO) vacancies. For the IBPS SO 2025 Exam, you need to know the detailed Exam Pattern and Syllabus. This will help the candidates in preparing for the upcoming IBPS SO exam in a tactical manner. This article has discussed IBPS Specialist Officer Course in detail for all the banking aspirants who are working hard for the position of Specialist Cadre Officer in Public Sector Banks.
IBPS SO Syllabus 2025 and Exam Pattern
IBPS SO 2025 Exam Date Prelims and Mains exam dates have been released which will be held in August 2025 (tentative). Candidates have to appear for the Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam and Interview Round to get recruited as SO. For better preparation for selection, candidates should not skip the courses mentioned in IBPS SO Syllabus 2025. Let us check IBPS SO 2025 Exam Pattern and Syllabus one by one.
| Particular | Details |
| Exam Conducting Authority | Institute of Banking & Personnel Selection, IBPS |
| Exam Name | IBPS SO 2025 |
| Examination Mode | Online |
| IBPS SO Exam Dates | Prelims- August 2025 Mains – November 2025 |
| Duration | Prelims- 120 minutes Mains- 45 minutes/60 minutes |
| Selection Process | Prelims-Mains-Interview |
| Negative Marking | ¼th marks |
| Official Website | ibps.in |
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IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2025
1: What does the acronym "ATM" stand for in banking?
IBPS SO 2025 Exam will be conducted in the following three phases: Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam and Interview Process. It is mandatory for every applicant to clear all levels of examination to get selected to the post of Specialist Officer in multiple Public Sector Banks participating in IBPS SO 2025.
Important Points
• IBPS SO exam will be conducted in three phases: Preliminary, Mains and Interview Process.
• IBPS has introduced separate sectional timing for each section in the prelims exam. The IBPS SO preliminary examination has a total duration of 120 minutes and 40 minutes for each section.
• A candidate must appear for the Prelims first and the selected students after the Preliminary Exam will be eligible to give the Mains Exam.
• Score of the Preliminary Exam will not be taken into consideration for final allotment. The final selection will be based on the Mains Exam and Interview Process.
• The Mains Examination will contain questions only from the Professional Knowledge Subjects.
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Join Now!IBPS SO Preliminary Exam Pattern 2025
For the post of Law Officer & Rajbhasha Adhikari
| S No | Section | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| 2. | English Language | 50 | 25 | 40 minutes |
| 3. | General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 2 Hours |
For other Specialist Officers (Agriculture Field Officer, Marketing Officer (Scale I), HR/Personnel Officer, IT Officer Scale I
| S No | Section | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| 2. | English Language | 50 | 25 | 40 minutes |
| 3. | Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 2 Hours |
IBPS SO Mains Exam Pattern
For the Posts of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer
| Name of Test | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Knowledge | 60 | 60 | English & Hindi | 45 minutes |
For the Post of Rajbhasha Adhikari
| Name of Test | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Knowledge(Objective) | 45 | 60 | English & Hindi | 30 minutes |
| Professional Knowledge(Descriptive) | 2 | English & Hindi | 30 minutes |
Points to note:
- There is a Penalty marked for every wrong answer in both the stages of prelims and mains for objective type of question.
- A total of 0.25 marks is deducted for every wrong answer
- If a question is left unattempted then no marks will be deducted.
Prelims Syllabus
Quant Topics of Prelims exam are;
| Simplification | Profit & Loss |
| Mixtures &Alligations | Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices |
| Work & Time | Time & Distance |
| Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere | Data Interpretation |
| Ratio & Proportion, Percentage | Number Systems |
| Sequence & Series | Permutation, Combination &Probability |
Reasoning
| Logical Reasoning | Alphanumeric Series |
| Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test | Data Sufficiency |
| Data Sufficiency | Coded Inequalities |
| Seating Arrangement | Puzzle |
| Tabulation | Syllogism |
| Blood Relations | Input Output |
English Language
| Reading Comprehension & Paragraphh Completion | Cloze Test |
| Para jumbles | Multiple Meaning / Error Spotting |
| Fill in the blanks | Miscellaneous |
General Awareness
| Past 6 months Current Affairs | GK Updates |
| Currencies | Important Places |
| Prime minster Scheme | Important Days |
| Awards | Banking Awareness |
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Join Now!Mains Syllabus
In Mains level questions the candidates are required to have subject knowledge of respective branches. The Syllabus for all the branches are as follows;
| IT Officer (Scale-I) | Agricultural Field Officer (Scale – I) | Marketing Officer (Scale-I) | Law Officer (Scale-I) | HR/Personnel Officer (Scale-I) |
| Database Management System | Basics of Crop production | Basics of Marketing Management | Banking Regulations | Human Resource Development |
| Data Communication and Networking | Horticulture | Brand Management | Compliance and Legal Aspects | Business policy and strategic analysis |
| Operating System | Seed Science | Advertising | Relevant Law and Orders related to negotiable instruments, securities, foreign exchange | Transnational Analysis |
| Software Engineering | Agronomy and Irrigation | PR | Prevention of Money-laundering, Limitation Act | Training and Development |
| Data Structure | Agricultural Economics | Sales | Consumer Protection Act | Recruitment and Selection |
| Computer Organization and Microprocessor | Agricultural Practices | Retail | SARFAES | Rewards and Recognition |
| Object-Oriented Programming | Soil resources | Business Ethics | Banking Ombudsman Scheme | Industrial Relations |
| Animal Husbandry | Market Segmentation | Laws and Actions with direct link to Banking Sector | Business Policy and Strategic Analysis | |
| Agroforestry | Market research and forecasting demand | Bankers Book Evidence Act | Grievance and Conflict Management | |
| Ecology | Product Life Cycle | DRT Act | Performance Management and Appraisal | |
| Government Schemes | Corporate Social Responsibility | |||
| Service Marketing | ||||
| Marketing Strategies |
Download IBPS SO Previous Year Question Papers
Download the PDF files of IBPS SO previous question papers:
| IBPS SO Previous Question Papers | |
| IBPS SO previous question paper 1 | |
| IBPS SO previous question paper 2 | |
| English Language | |
| IBPS SO previous question paper 3 | |
| Verbal Ability | |
| IBPS SO General Awareness previous questions. |
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Enroll in Kerala's Top-rated Bank Coaching Program!
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Join Now!Frequently Asked Questions
What is the selection process for the IBPS SO 2025 exam?
The selection process includes three stages: Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam, and Interview. Candidates must qualify each stage to be considered for final selection. The prelims serve as a screening round and are not counted in the final score. The final merit is based on marks from the Mains and Interview stages. Each phase is conducted online with negative marking in objective papers.
What subjects are included in the IBPS SO 2025 Preliminary Exam?
For Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari, the sections are Reasoning, English Language, and General Awareness. For other posts like IT Officer and Marketing Officer, the subjects are Reasoning, English Language, and Quantitative Aptitude. Each section has 50 questions, and the total duration is 120 minutes. There is sectional timing of 40 minutes per section. The total marks for the prelims are 125.
How is the IBPS SO 2025 Mains Exam structured?
The Mains Exam tests only Professional Knowledge relevant to each post. For most positions, it includes 60 questions for 60 marks in 45 minutes. For Rajbhasha Adhikari, it includes both objective and descriptive papers. The descriptive section includes 2 questions and lasts 30 minutes. The Mains marks are considered for final selection.
What are the major topics in the IBPS SO 2025 syllabus?
The Prelims include topics in Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, English, and General Awareness. Topics range from simplification, puzzles, comprehension to banking current affairs. The Mains syllabus includes specialized subjects like Software Engineering for IT Officers and Banking Law for Law Officers. Candidates must study according to their chosen post. Practicing past papers helps understand the depth of topics.
How can Entri help in preparing for the IBPS SO exam?
Entri provides updated mock tests, previous question papers, and expert-made study materials. It offers bilingual practice tests and real-exam simulation. The app covers Prelims and Mains subjects with targeted courses. Users can track progress and focus on weak areas. Regular practice through Entri improves speed, accuracy, and confidence.
