IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) Exam: Complete Guide to Format, Strategy, Cut-offs, and Vacancies
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts the Specialist Officer (SO) exam to recruit candidates for various specialized roles in public sector banks. This comprehensive guide covers the exam format, preparation strategy, historical cut-offs, and vacancy trends to help you effectively prepare for the examination.
The IBPS SO recruitment process consists of three primary stages:
Total marks: 125
Duration: 120 minutes (with sectional timing of 40 minutes per section)
Medium: English and Hindi (except English Language section)
Negative marking: 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer
For IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer:
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 50 | 25 | 40 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 120 minutes |
For Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari:
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 50 | 25 | 40 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| General Awareness with Banking Focus | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 120 minutes |
Focus: Professional knowledge relevant to the applied post
Total marks: 60
For Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer:
Professional Knowledge: 60 questions, 60 marks, 45 minutes
For Rajbhasha Adhikari:
Professional Knowledge (Objective): 45 questions, 60 marks, 30 minutes
Professional Knowledge (Descriptive): 2 questions, 30 minutes
Total marks: 100
Minimum qualifying marks: 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWBD candidates)
Enhance vocabulary through daily reading
Focus on grammar fundamentals and practice regularly
Concentrate on comprehension, synonyms/antonyms, para jumbles, and error spotting
Practice puzzles, seating arrangements, syllogism, and coding-decoding questions
Regular revision is crucial for mastering concepts
Solve previous years’ questions to understand patterns
Master formulas for topics like ratio and proportion, time and work, speed and distance
Regular practice of data interpretation and number series questions
Focus on calculation speed and accuracy
Read newspapers daily to stay updated on current events
Focus specifically on banking and financial sector news
Maintain a notebook of important financial terms and events
Create a detailed study plan based on your chosen post’s syllabus
Identify weak areas and allocate more time to strengthen them
Practice previous years’ papers to understand question patterns
Take regular mock tests to assess your preparation level
Set aside dedicated time daily for revision
Create a realistic timetable and adhere to it consistently
Balance time between all sections based on your strengths
Practice with a timer to improve speed and accuracy
Regularly review and adjust your preparation strategy as needed
| Posts | SC | ST | OBC | EWS | UR | HI | OC | VI | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT Officer | 13 | 10.25 | 15.50 | 14.75 | 16.50 | 8 | 9.75 | 8 | 7.75 |
| Agriculture Field Officer | 12.50 | 12.50 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 12.50 | 17.50 | 13.25 | 13.25 |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari | 14.75 | 13.50 | 14.75 | 14.75 | 14.75 | NA | 18.25 | 20 | NA |
| Law Officer | 37.50 | 34.75 | 42 | 44 | 44 | 32 | 30.50 | 32.50 | 48 |
| HR/Personnel Officer | 27.25 | 21.25 | 26.75 | 26.50 | 27.25 | NA | 19.25 | 22.25 | NA |
| Marketing Officer | 14.50 | 14.50 | 14.50 | 18.50 | 18.50 | 19 | 14.75 | 30.50 | NA |
| Section | Maximum Marks | General | SC/ST/OBC/PwD |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 25 | 4.75 | 2.50 |
| Reasoning | 50 | 15.25 | 10 |
| General Awareness/Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 16.75 | 11.50 |
| Category | Cut-off Marks |
|---|---|
| General | 89.88 |
| SC | 81.25 |
| ST | 70 |
| OBC | 87.50 |
| VI | 70 |
| HI | 49 |
| ID | 48.25 |
| OC | 83.38 |
| Year | Total Vacancies |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 896 |
| 2023 | 1402 |
| 2022 | 710 |
| 2021 | 1828 |
| 2020 | 720 |
| 2019 | 1163 |
| 2018 | 1599 |
| Post | SC | ST | OBC | EWS | UR | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture Field Officer | 52 | 26 | 92 | 34 | 142 | 346 |
| HR/Personnel | 03 | 01 | 06 | 02 | 13 | 25 |
| IT Officer | 25 | 12 | 45 | 16 | 72 | 170 |
| Law Officer | 18 | 08 | 33 | 11 | 55 | 125 |
| Marketing | 31 | 15 | 55 | 21 | 83 | 205 |
| Rajbhasha | 03 | 01 | 06 | 02 | 13 | 25 |
| Total | 132 | 63 | 237 | 86 | 378 | 896 |