IBPS PO Selection Process 2022
IBPS PO Selection Process 2022 is decided by the officials of the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection. The selection process of IBPS PO comprises three different stages which are – Preliminary Exam, Main Exam, and Interview Round.
Candidates are required to fill a single IBPS PO application form for all three stages, however, the admit cards for the IBPS PO exam will be released separately. Candidates qualifying in all the selection stages of the IBPS PO exam 2022 will only be eligible for the post.
Thus, check out the different phases of the IBPS PO selection process along with new guidelines for IBPS PO prelims, mains, interview, & provisional allotment 2022. This guide will keep you updated with the IBPS PO selection procedure.

Stages of IBPS PO Selection Process
BPS PO selection process is divided into three stages - prelims, mains, and interview. You need to qualify for all three stages for the final selection. It is crucially important for candidates to be conversant with the whole exam procedure to avoid any discomfort during the examination. Check out our detailed stagewise overview of the IBPS PO selection process for a better understanding of the candidates.

- Stage 1: The preliminary exam is of qualifying in nature which means the marks won't be counted for the final selection. However, in IBPS PO selection process, candidates need to secure sectional as well as overall cut off to be shortlisted for the next stage.
- Stage 2: Mains is the second phase of selection. Candidates who qualify mains exam will then be called for an interview. Marks obtained in the mains exam will be counted in the final selection.
- Stage 3: Interview is the last round in the IBPS PO selection process and also the most important and deciding round. Candidates obtaining qualifying marks in interviews will be recruited as probationary officers in participating banks.
Note: The selection of candidates for the probationary officer posts will be in the ratio of 80:20 for mains and interview scores.
IBPS PO Selection Process - Prelims Exam (Stage 1)
The initial stage of the selection process for the IBPS PO exam is the prelims phase. IBPS PO prelims 2022 is scheduled to be held on 15th, 16th, and 22nd October 2022 as per the official IBPS Calendar 2022-23. A sectional timing of 20 minutes has been allotted in each of the three sections of the prelims exam. Prelims is an objective type of test, which will consist of 100 questions.
The following table depicts the complete exam pattern for IBPS PO prelims exam 2022:
S. No. | Name of Test | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Total time |
1. | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 Minutes |
2. | Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 Minutes |
3. | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 Minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 Minutes |
- Candidates are required to secure the minimum cut off marks decided by IBPS in all three sections as well as overall.
- Candidates should know that the prelims exam is only of a qualifying nature, which means marks obtained in the prelims exam will be not added anywhere else.
- Marks obtained by you in prelims exam will not be considered in the interview or the final selection or allotment for the IBPS PO post.
IBPS PO Selection Process - Mains Exam (Stage 2)
The main exam is the second and crucial stage of the IBPS PO recruitment 2022 as it holds the utmost importance in the IBPS PO selection process, so be extra aware and jot down all important points to not miss out on anything. The candidates who will crack IBPS PO prelims 2022, i.e. who will secure sectional, as well as an overall cut-off in mains exam, will be shortlisted for the next and final Stage of IBPS PO exam, i.e. IBPS PO interview round 2022. The tentative date for the commencement of IBPS PO mains 2022 is 26th November 2022.
- There are no changes in the main exam pattern of IBPS PO exam.
- The exam pattern is similar to the pattern introduced in 2019 and 2018.
- IBPS also introduced a descriptive section in the year 2018. Immediately after the 3 hours of the objective test, the descriptive test will start on the computer screen of candidates. The total time allotted to complete the descriptive test is 30 Minutes.
- The descriptive test is a test of the English language of candidates in which two questions of letter writing and essay writing will be asked.
Look at the below table carefully to get a clear idea about the IBPS PO Mains Examination 2022:
S. No. | Test Type | Name of Test | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Separate time limit (Time allotted for each section ) |
1. | Objective Test | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 Minutes |
2. | Objective Test | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 Minutes |
3. | Objective Test | English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 Minutes |
4. | Objective Test | General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 Minutes |
| | Total | 155 | 200 | 3 hours (180 Minutes) |
5. | Descriptive Test | Letter Writing & Essay | 2 | 25 | 30 minutes |
- The candidates who will secure sectional cut off in each section and also the overall cutoff for IBPS PO mains 2022 decided by IBPS will get entry into the next stage i.e. interview.
- It is important to perform well in the main examination because marks obtained in the mains exam carry the maximum weightage in the final selection for the IBPS PO post.
Note: There will be a penalty for wrong answers marked in both the stages i.e. prelims and mains. There will be a deduction of 0.25 marks for each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate. If a question is left blank, i.e. no answer is marked by the candidate, then no marks will be deducted for that question.
IBPS PO Final Selection Process
IBPS prepares the final merit list of the selected candidates on the basis of marks obtained in the IBPS PO selection process’ mains examination and interview round. The merit list is prepared based on the combined scores of mains examination and interview round. The weightage of marks obtained in the main examination is more than the weightage of marks obtained in the interview round. The weightage of online mains examination and interview will be 80:20 respectively to arrive at the final score.
The final cut off will be released by IBPS for different categories on a particular date. Those candidates who secure the final cut-off will be selected for the post of probationary officer in one of the participating banks. The final cutoff is decided on the basis of vacancies available as well as the maximum marks obtained by any candidate.
IBPS PO Provisional Allotment
The name of the allotted bank will be mentioned in the final result of the candidate, if the candidate has secured more than or equal to the minimum final cutoff marks they will be selected in the IBPS PO selection process for the post of probationary officers. The allocation is done on the basis of marks obtained by the candidate. At first, the bank will be allotted to those candidates who have secured a high cut off as compared to other candidates.
The participating banks are allotted to the candidate as per the availability of the seats in the banks and as per the preference marked by the candidate. There is an allocation software that is designed to check the availability of seats in the first preference bank marked by the candidate. If a seat is available, that bank will be allotted to that candidate otherwise allocation software will check for the next preferences marked by the candidate respectively.
We hope that this post will be helpful in clearing your doubts regarding the selection procedure of IBPS PO 2022, it is suggested by our experts to read all the steps carefully and jot down all the points to be fully conversed and enlightened with all the minor details of the exam.
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