IBPS THUS Syllabus 2026 - Prelims & Mains Test structure, Subject-Wise Topics

IBPS SO Overview - 2026

IBPS SO 2026 Selection Process - An Overview

Before diving into individual subjects, it helps to understand how the selection procedure is structured, since the weightage given to each stage directly affects how you should prioritize your preparation.

According to the latest notice, The IBPS THEREFORE recruitment for CRP SPL-XVI is conducted in three stages:

The official notification states that, Only test-takers who clear the Prelims cut-off move to Mains, along with only Mains-picked aspirants are called for the interview. The final selection is based on combined Mains as well as Interview performance, with Mains carrying significantly greater weight than the interview.

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IBPS SO Prelims Syllabus 2026

The Preliminary Examination is the first screening stage in addition to tests general aptitude along with an introductory Professional Knowledge component. Its syllabus differs slightly depending on the post applied for.

Interested applicants should know that, test-takers applying for IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, as well as Marketing Officer attempt:

According to the latest notice, English Language

Reasoning Ability

Quantitative Aptitude

Professional Knowledge

The official notification states that, applicants applying for Law Officer as well as Rajbhasha Adhikari attempt General Awareness (with special reference to the banking industry) instead of Quantitative Aptitude:

Aspirants are advised that, English Language

Reasoning Ability

General Awareness (Banking-focused)

Professional Knowledge

English Language Syllabus

The English Language section is qualifying in nature however requires test-takers to clear a minimum sectional cut-off, hence it cannot be ignored even though its marks aren't used for final ranking.

Common topics include:

Reading Comprehension

Cloze Test

Aspirants are advised that, Para Jumbles as well as Sentence Rearrangement

Error Detection/Spotting

Fill in the Blanks

Sentence Improvement

Vocabulary (Synonyms/Antonyms)

Reasoning Ability Syllabus

Interested applicants should know that, Reasoning Ability evaluates logical thinking, pattern recognition, along with problem-solving speed, in addition to it is common to all Specialist Officer posts.

Key topics include:

Aspirants are advised that, Puzzles along with Seating Arrangement (linear, circular, box-based)

Syllogism

Blood Relations

Coding-Decoding

Direction Sense

It is informed that, Inequalities

As per the official update, Order in addition to Ranking

The official notification states that, Data Sufficiency

Aspirants are advised that, Machine Input-Output

Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus (IT Officer, AFO, HR, Marketing Officer)

It is informed that, This section checks numerical ability as well as calculation speed as well as applies only to IT Officer, AFO, HR/Personnel Officer, in addition to Marketing Officer aspirants.

Core topics include:

Simplification in addition to Approximation

Number Series

The conducting body has announced that, Data Interpretation (tables, bar/line/pie charts)

Quadratic Equations

Arithmetic Topics: Percentage, Profit & Loss, Simple/Compound Interest, Time in addition to Work, Time Speed & Distance, Ratio along with Proportion, Averages, Mixtures in addition to Alligations

General Awareness Syllabus (Law Officer & Rajbhasha Adhikari)

This section replaces Quantitative Aptitude for Law Officer in addition to Rajbhasha Adhikari posts in addition to focuses on current events in addition to banking-sector knowledge.

Aspirants are advised that, Topics typically covered:

Interested applicants should know that, Banking in addition to Financial Awareness

Current Affairs (national as well as international)

Candidates should note that, RBI Policies in addition to Monetary Tools

Government Schemes related to banking/finance

Static GK (currencies, capitals, headquarters, awards)

IBPS SO Prelims Exam Pattern 2026

Interested applicants should know that, Knowing the exact marking structure helps you allocate time efficiently across sections during the actual exam.

A penalty of 0.25 marks is deducted for every wrong answer in both Prelims along with Mains, therefore guessing without elimination can hurt your score.

Interested applicants should know that, furthermore Read: IBPS HENCE Recruitment 2026

IBPS SO Mains Syllabus 2026 (Post-Wise Professional Knowledge)

It is informed that, The Main Examination is where final merit is largely decided, hence its post-specific Professional Knowledge paper deserves the bulk of your preparation time. The Mains syllabus is entirely different for each Specialist Officer post, unlike the largely common Prelims syllabus.

IT Officer Professional Knowledge Syllabus

Interested applicants should know that, The IT Officer paper tests core computer science along with engineering fundamentals relevant to banking technology roles.

Key areas include:

Database Management Systems (DBMS)

Computer Networks

Operating Systems

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) Concepts

The official notification states that, Data Structures

Software Engineering

Cyber Security

Cloud Computing Basics

Agriculture Field Officer (AFO) Professional Knowledge Syllabus

The AFO paper is based on graduation-level agricultural science subjects as well as government scheme awareness relevant to field banking roles.

Key areas include:

Crop Production in addition to Cropping Patterns

It is informed that, Soil Science

The department has confirmed that, Agricultural Economics

The department has confirmed that, Horticulture

Animal Husbandry

The conducting body has announced that, Government Agricultural Schemes along with Rural Credit

Law Officer Professional Knowledge Syllabus

The official notification states that, The Law Officer paper focuses on statutes as well as regulations directly applicable to banking operations, along with general legal principles.

Key areas include:

Banking as well as Commercial Laws

Constitutional Law

SARFAESI Act

Negotiable Instruments (NI) Act

Insolvency along with Bankruptcy Code (IBC)

Interested applicants should know that, Procedural Laws relevant to banking litigation

HR/Personnel Officer Professional Knowledge Syllabus

The HR Officer paper evaluates human resource management concepts commonly applied within banking as well as corporate environments.

The conducting body has announced that, Key areas include:

Labour Laws

Human Resource Management as well as Development

Organizational Behaviour

Motivation Theories

The official notification states that, Industrial Relations

Aspirants are advised that, Performance Management

Marketing Officer Professional Knowledge Syllabus

It is informed that, The Marketing Officer paper (where applicable) evaluates core marketing management concepts applied to banking products as well as services.

According to the latest notice, Key areas include:

Marketing Mix (Product, Price, Place, Promotion)

Consumer Behaviour

Brand Management

Sales in addition to Distribution Management

The conducting body has announced that, Digital as well as Rural Marketing Strategies

Rajbhasha Adhikari Professional Knowledge Syllabus

The Rajbhasha Adhikari paper tests Hindi language proficiency, translation skills, along with government language implementation in banking.

Key areas include:

Hindi Grammar as well as Translation (Hindi-to-English along with English-to-Hindi)

Government Language Policy of the Government of India

Interested applicants should know that, Rajbhasha Implementation in Banks

The conducting body has announced that, Essay Writing in addition to Precis Writing in Hindi

IBPS SO Mains Exam Pattern 2026

The Mains test structure varies by post group, with Law Officer along with Rajbhasha Adhikari following one structure in addition to the remaining four posts following another.

For IT Officer, AFO, HR/Personnel Officer, as well as Marketing Officer:

For Law Officer along with Rajbhasha Adhikari:

Aspirants are advised that, Only the Professional Knowledge along with descriptive components count meaningfully toward the final Mains score, while sections like English in addition to Reasoning within Mains are largely qualifying.

IBPS SO Interview 2026

As per the official update, aspirants who clear the Main Examination cut-off are called for a Common Interview conducted by the participating banks in addition to coordinated by IBPS through Nodal Banks.

The interview typically:

Lasts around 15-20 minutes

Assesses subject/domain knowledge, communication skills, along with confidence

Requires test-takers to carry original documents for verification

Is combined with Mains marks to prepare the final merit list in addition to provisional bank allotment