IBPS SO Exam Pattern elucidates essential details related to the exam, such as the total number of questions, marking scheme, duration of the exam, etc. Candidates aspiring to take the exam should know the latest exam pattern to outrank the competitors. It will assist them in drawing up a concrete preparation strategy to ace the exam. IBPS SO exam pattern for the prelims and mains exams has been elaborated to help aspirants understand it easily. Candidates should go through the exam pattern thoroughly before starting their preparation.
According to the guidelines established by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, the IBPS SO exam pattern was prepared. Instead of wasting time, interested applicants should start planning their preparation for the next exam. The IBPS SO Exam Pattern for Agriculture Officer, Law Officer, Marketing Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, HR/Personnel Officer, and IT Officer is well explained below.
The IBPS SO exam pattern is formulated by the Institute of Banking and Personnel Selection (IBPS) officials to hold the exam. IBPS SO exam is conducted in online mode. With the help of the IBPS SO paper pattern, we can understand that there will be three sections in the prelims exam. Candidates have to qualify for each section by obtaining the minimum required marks to be eligible to appear in the main exam. Further, shortlisted candidates are called to appear in the interview after qualifying for the mains exam. Check the detailed IBPS SO exam pattern divided into two parts for all the posts. The parts are:
The IBPS SO exam pattern for the prelims exam of IT Officer, Marketing Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, and HR/ Personnel Officer differs from the post for Rajbhasha Adhikari and Law Officer. The IBPS SO Prelims exam pattern details are presented in the table below.
The question paper shall comprise a total of 150 objective-type questions. The questions will be bilingual, i.e., in Hindi and English, in the Reasoning and General Awareness section. Candidates will get 40 minutes each for the three sections to solve the given questions. Check the IBPS SO exam pattern for the prelims mentioned below.
| Subjects | Total Questions | Total Marks |
| Reasoning | 50 | 50 |
| English Language | 50 | 25 |
| General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry | 50 | 50 |
| Total | 150 Questions | 125 Marks |
150 objective questions from Reasoning, English Language and Quantitative Aptitude will be asked. The questions in the Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude section will be bilingual. The duration prescribed to solve the questions of each section is 40 minutes. Following is the prelims IBPS SO exam pattern for IT officers and other posts:
| Subjects | Total Questions | Total Marks |
| Reasoning | 50 | 50 |
| English Language | 50 | 25 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 |
| Total | 150 Questions | 125 Marks |
IBPS SO exam pattern for mains differs from post to post. Shortlisted candidates will get the chance to appear in the main exam. The details on the IBPS SO exam pattern for Mains exam are given below.
There will be two sections in the rajbhasha adhikari exam, i.e., Professional Knowledge (Objective) and Professional Knowledge (Descriptive). Following are the essential details related to the IBPS SO exam pattern for rajbhasha adhikari mains:
| IBPS SO Exam Pattern for 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 | |
The main exam will be conducted to test the Professional Knowledge of the related field. More information on the main IBPS SO exam pattern for IT Officers and other posts can be seen below.
| IBPS SO Exam Pattern for Law Officers and others | ||||
| Section | Questions | Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
| Professional Knowledge Related to Law | 60 | 60 | English & Hindi | 45 minutes |
IBPS SO marking scheme enables aspirants to understand the criteria for negative marking. A penalty for the wrong answers has been prescribed in the IBPS SO exam pattern. It is applicable for both prelims and main examinations. 0.25 marks or one-fourth of marks are deducted for each incorrect answer marked by a candidate. However, no marks are deducted for the questions that are left unanswered.
Qualified candidates are invited for a personal interview after passing the IBPS SO Mains exam. The IBPS SO final selection process includes a personal interview. Applicants must do well in the IBPS SO Interview, which accounts for 20% of the merit list weightage.
The weighted average (ratio) for the online main examination and interview will be 80:20. The total scores attained by the candidates in the IBPS SO Main Examination will be used to calculate the combined final score of the applicants.
The IBPS SO exam pattern describes the structure of the examination. The exam pattern imparts knowledge of the total number of questions, marks, marking scheme, exam duration, etc. Candidates must refer to the exam pattern and IBPS SO syllabus to devise a concrete preparation strategy.
The IBPS SO exam pattern for Prelims is divided into two categories based on the nature of the posts. For the Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari posts, questions are asked from the Reasoning, English, and General Awareness section, whereas for the IT officer and other posts, questions will be from Reasoning, English, and Quantitative Aptitude.
The IBPS SO exam pattern for the mains exam is again divided into two categories. The question paper for Rajbhasha Adhikari shall comprise objective and descriptive questions, whereas, for IT officers and other posts, only objective-type questions will be asked to test their professional knowledge.
Yes, negative marking is applicable in prelims and mains exams. 0.25 marks or one-fourth marks from the marks assigned to the question will be deducted for marking the incorrect answer. However, no marks will be deducted for the questions left unanswered.
Objective-type questions will be asked in preliminary and main examinations except for the mains examination of Rajbhasha Adhikari. The question paper for the Rajbhasha Adhikari mains exam will consist of objective and descriptive questions.
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