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Institute of Banking Personnel Selection holds an annual SO exam to select the Specialist Officers in the banks. These officers are usually in the top-level management of the bank and have special roles in the functioning.
The positions that the banks offer are – IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law Officer, HR/ Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer. The applicants appear for this examination in 3 levels that are – Prelims, Mains, and the Interviews.
The prelims are only to qualify while the mains and interview are considered for the final score. The mode of examination for the first two stages is online with the first round being MCQ based.
Some of the banks that participate in this exam are – IDBI Bank, Union Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank of India, etc. The eligibility and the syllabus of the exam differ according to the position applied for.
This is to ensure that the right candidates apply for the right job. Let us take a look at some of the important elements of the IBPS SO Exam –
IBPS SO Eligibility
Nationality
- An Indian Citizen
- Candidates can be a subject of Nepal or Bhutan
- A Tibetan refugee residing in India before 1 January 1962
- Persons of Indian Origin migrated from Pakistan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, or one of the listed East African countries
Age Limit and Relaxation
- 20 to 30 is the average age range for candidates to apply
Age relaxation is –
- SC/ ST – 5 years
- OBC – 3 years
- PWD – 10 years
- Ex-Servicemen – 5 years
- An individual domiciled in J&K 1980 – 1989 – 5 years
- An individual affected by 1984 riots – 5 years
IBPS SO Educational Qualification Requirements
IT Officer (Scale I)
- Degree in Computer Science, IT, Electronics, Telecommunications, Communication or Instrumentation
- PG degree in the following fields
- A graduate who has passed DOEACC ‘B’ level
Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I)
- Minimum 4-year degree in graduation
- Preferably in Agriculture, Horticulture, Food Technology, Agricultural Engineering
Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)
- Post Graduate in Hindi with English as a subject
- Post Graduate in Sanskrit with English and Hindi as subjects
Law Officer (Scale I)
- Bachelor’s degree in law (LLB)
- Enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council
HR/ Personnel Officer (Scale I)
- Personnel Management, Industrial Relations, HR, HRD, Social Work, or Labor Law diploma of a minimum of 2 years
Marketing Officer (Scale I)
- 2-year full-time degree in MMS (Marketing)
- MBA, PGDBA, PGDBM, PGPM, or PGDM – specialization in Marketing
IBPS SO Application
- Visit the official website of IBPS SO
- Go to Click here for New Registration
- Create a User Profile
- Fill in general details and register
- A Registration Number and Password will generate
- Login using them for IBPS SO application process
- Enter the relevant details in the form
- Upload the documents required and submit
- Pay the application fees
- Download the form for future reference
The fees to apply is Rs 600 for General, OBC, and EWS. And it is INR 100 for SC/ ST/ PWD/ Ex-servicemen applicants.
IBPS SO Admit Card
- Visit the official website of IBPS SO
- Login using registration number
- Go to the Download Admit Card link
- The Admit card will open in a new tab which you can download
- It comes out a few days before the exam
IBPS SO Exam Center
IBPS SO has centers across major parts of India. Participants can select their preference while applying for the exam. The admit card has details about the location of the examination.
IBPS SO Exam Pattern
- The prelims is on an online platform and has MCQs only.
- The exam takes place for 2 consecutive days.
- There are 150 objective questions.
- There are 3 sections – English, Reasoning, and Quantitative/ General Awareness.
- The 3rd section depends on the post applied. Rajbhasha Adhikari and Law Officers applicants attempt the General Awareness section.
- Mains have a combination of descriptive and objective type questions
IBPS SO Prelims Exam Pattern
| Sections | Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration | Medium of Exam |
| English Language | 50 | 125
Marks |
120
Minutes |
English |
| Reasoning | 50 | English / Hindi | ||
| General Awareness / Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | English / Hindi |
IBPS SO Mains Exam Pattern
For Law Officer, Marketing Officer, Agriculture Field Officer HR/Personnel Officer, and IT Officer Scale 1 –
| Name of the Test | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration | Medium of Exam |
| Professional Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 Minutes | English & Hindi |
For Rajbhasha Adhikari –
| Name of the Test | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration | Medium of Exam |
| Professional Knowledge (Objective) | 45 | 60 | 30 minutes | English & Hindi |
| Professional Knowledge (Descriptive) | 2 | 30 Minutes | English & Hindi |
IBPS SO Marking Scheme
Marking Scheme for IBPS SO Prelims –
| Position | Sections | Questions | Correct Response | Negative Marking |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari and Law Officer | Reasoning | 50 each | 1 mark | 0.25
marks |
| English Language | 0.5 mark | |||
| General Awareness | 1 mark | |||
| Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer HR/Personnel Officer, and IT Officer Scale 1 | Reasoning | 50 each | 1 mark | |
| English Language | 0.5 mark | |||
| Quantitative Aptitude | 1 mark |
Marking Scheme for IBPS SO Mains –
| Position | Questions | Marks Allotted | Negative Marking |
| Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer HR/Personnel Officer, and IT Officer Scale 1 | 60 | 60 Marks | 0.25 Marks |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari | 45 |
IBPS SO Prelims Syllabus
Quantitative Aptitude
- Simplification
- Average
- Percentage
- Ratio Proportion
- Data Interpretation
- Quadratic Equations
- Interest
- Linear Equations
- Profit & Loss
- Number Series
- Speed, Time & Distance
- Mensuration
- Geometry
- Time & Work
- Number Systems
- Data Sufficiency
- Permutation
- Combination
- Probability
Reasoning Ability
- Verbal Reasoning
- Syllogisms
- Seating Arrangements
- Scheduling
- Input-Output
- Data Sufficiency
- Blood Relations
- Directions & Distances
- Ordering & Ranking
- Coding & Decoding
- Coded Inequalities
- Analytical Decision Making
English Language
- Reading Comprehension
- Error Spotting
- Phrase Replacement
- Fill in the Blanks
- Sentence completion
- Cloze Test
- Para Jumbles
General Awareness
- Financial Awareness
- Current Affairs
- General Knowledge
IBPS SO Main Syllabus
IT Officer (Scale-I)
- Database Management System
- Data Communication and Networking
- Operating System
- Computer Organization and Microprocessor
- Software Engineering
- Data Structure
- Object-Oriented Programming
Agricultural Field Officer (Scale-I)
- Basics of Crop production
- Horticulture
- Seed Science
- Soil resources
- Agronomy and Irrigation
- Agricultural Economics
- Agricultural Practices
- Animal Husbandry
- Agroforestry
- Ecology
- Government Schemes
Marketing Officer (Scale-I)
- Basics of Marketing Management
- PR
- Sales
- Retail
- Business Ethics
- Brand Management
- Advertising
- 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
- SAFARIS
- Prevention of Money-laundering,
- Limitation Act
- Consumer Protection Act
- Banking Ombudsman Scheme
- Laws and Actions – Banking Sector
- Bankers Book Evidence Act
- DRT Act
HR/Personnel Officer (Scale-I)
- Human Resource Development
- Business policy and strategic analysis
- Rewards and Recognition
- Transnational Analysis
- Training and Development
- Recruitment and Selection
- Industrial Relations
- Business Policy and Strategic Analysis
- Grievance and Conflict Management
- Performance Management and Appraisal
IBPS SO Interview
- The candidates who qualify for the mains examination appear for the interview.
- The interview takes place face to face with the jury.
- The questions are mainly about work specialization and general awareness.
IBPS SO Result
- Visit the official IBPS website
- Go to IBPS SO Prelims/ Main Result
- Fill in the roll number and open the result
- The final merit list comes out after the interview
- The final score is according to mains and interview results
IBPS SO Study Material
Logical Reasoning
- Modern Approach to Verbal and Non – Verbal Reasoning – RS Aggarwal
- Analytical Reasoning (BSC Publication) – M K Pandey
Quantitative Aptitude
- Fast track – Rajesh Verma
- Quantitative Aptitude – RS Aggarwal
- Accredited Guide to Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency – Ananta Ashisha
English Language
- Objective General English – SP Bakshi
- Mirror of Common Error – Ashok Kumar Singh
- Word Power Made Easy – Norman Lewi
Professional Knowledge
- Objective Computer Awareness for General Competitive Exams 1st Edition – R Pillai
- IBPS Specialist Officers I.T. Officers CWE SPL for IT Officer (Scale-1) & IT Officer (Scale-2) Professional Knowledge Practice Work Book – Pratiyogita Kiran
- CWE IBPS Bank IT Specialist Officer Exam – Chandresh Aggarwal
- CWE-IBPS Bank IT Specialist Officer Exam – RPH Editorial Board
IBPS SO Cutoff 2019 – 2020 exam due this month
| Posts | General | OBC | SC | ST | HI | OC | VI |
| Marketing Officer | 53.30
26/09/89 |
51.90
5/4/92 |
47.35
30/08/91 |
38.50
09/07/88 |
33.70
27/08/88 |
39.40
16/02/92 |
NA |
| IT Officer | 61.50
29/08/89 |
57.75
26/10/93 |
53.55
26/09/89 |
46.50
18/03/92 |
40.60
19/10/86 |
50.15
13/06/90 |
60.10
05/12/87 |
| Law Officer | 52.95
11/07/89 |
49.20
08/05/86 |
44.95
25/02/3 |
39.55
22/07/81 |
NA | 39.65
05/02/76 |
36.70
09/05/84 |
| HR/Personnel Officer | 60.75
05/10/90 |
53.50
25/11/89 |
50.70
21/07/91 |
46.65
27/12/85 |
43.40
10/07/86 |
NA | NA |
| Agriculture Field Officer | 41.65
15/03/92 |
40.90
04/05/85 |
34.65
30/06/89 |
30.00
10/12/83 |
26.50
31/01/87 |
27.20
03/06/93 |
28.95
25/01/93 |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari | 44.15
12/10/89 |
45.05
02/01/92 |
43.35
27/05/84 |
34.20
11/08/90 |
NA | 38.75
16/5/90 |
69.05
01/04/90 |
Conclusion
The specialized officer at any bank is a privileged job. The IBPS is a well-known institute of India which conducts exams for the hiring process of bank officers. Many banks participate in this process to get new people for their banks. Thus the competition is very high every year.
This article will guide you in studying the IBPS SO exam pattern, syllabus, eligibility, cut off, result, the application process, interview, and much more. You must read it before applying in order to ensure hassle-free IBPS SO Exam preparation. All the bank SO aspirants will benefit from reading this article.