The IBPS PO Recruitment process consists of three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Candidates must clear each stage to be considered for the final vacancies. To excel in the IBPS PO Exam, it is essential to understand the exam pattern and detailed syllabus, which will help in preparing effectively. According to the IBPS PO Notification 2025, the exam pattern for both Prelims and Mains has been updated in terms of marks and duration. Let’s take a detailed look at the IBPS PO Exam Pattern and Syllabus 2025.
The IBPS PO Syllabus and Exam Pattern for 2025 have been released by the officials. In the Preliminary Exam, each section has a separate time limit. The IBPS PO 2025 Exam will be conducted in three stages: Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam, and Interview. Candidates must qualify in all stages to be selected for the post of Probationary Officer in various Public Sector Banks.
| Organisation | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) |
|---|---|
| Posts | Probationary Officer |
| Exam Name | IBPS PO 2025 |
| Category | Syllabus & Exam Pattern |
| IBPS PO Exam Date 2025 | Prelims: 23rd & 24th August 2025Mains: 12th October 2025 |
| Mode of Exam | Online |
| Duration of Exam | Prelims: 60 minutesMains: 190 minutes |
| Negative Marking | 0.25 marks |
| Recruitment Stages | Prelims, Mains, and Interview |
| Official Website | www.ibps.in |
This year, IBPS has revised the IBPS PO Prelims and Mains Exam Pattern. Candidates appearing for IBPS PO 2025 must understand the updated pattern to prepare effectively. The revised IBPS PO Exam Pattern 2025 is discussed below.
The IBPS PO Preliminary Exam will be conducted online and candidates are given 1 hour to complete it. The exam comprises three sections with a total of 100 questions carrying 100 marks. Negative marking applies, with 0.25 marks deducted for each incorrect answer. To qualify for the IBPS PO Mains Exam, candidates must meet the cut-off in all three sections. Note that the total marks for Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability sections have been revised.
| S.No. | Name of Tests (Objective) | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| 3 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 40 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
Introduction to the Descriptive Paper: Similar to the SBI PO Exam, IBPS has introduced a Descriptive Paper in the Mains Examination to assess candidates’ writing skills. Candidates are required to write an essay and a letter, which together carry 25 marks and must be completed within 30 minutes.
| S. No. | Name of Test | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Examination | Time Allotted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reasoning | 40 | 60 | English & Hindi | 50 minutes |
| 2 | English Language | 35 | 40 | English only | 40 minutes |
| 3 | Data Analysis and Interpretation | 35 | 50 | English & Hindi | 45 minutes |
| 4 | General / Economy / Banking Awareness / Digital / Financial Awareness (including RBI circulars) | 35 | 50 | English & Hindi | 25 minutes |
| Total | 145 | 200 | 160 minutes | ||
| English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) | 2 | 25 | English | 30 minutes |
Candidates who clear the IBPS PO Mains Exam are shortlisted for the Interview stage. The interview carries 100 marks, with a minimum qualifying score of 40% for general candidates and 35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWD candidates.
In both the IBPS PO 2025 Preliminary and Mains Exams, 0.25 marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer. No marks will be deducted for unattempted questions.
The final selection for the Probationary Officer post will be based on the combined scores of the IBPS PO Mains Exam and the Interview, with weightage of 80:20, respectively. After the Interview Process, a merit list will be prepared, and candidates who qualify will receive their appointment letters from their allotted banks.
To excel in the IBPS PO 2025 exam, understanding the detailed syllabus is essential. The syllabus differs for the Preliminary and Mains exams. Let’s explore the topics for both phases of the IBPS PO exam.
IBPS PO Prelims Syllabus: The IBPS PO Preliminary Exam serves as the first stage of selection. Candidates who qualify in this round become eligible for the Mains Exam. The Prelims consist of three key sections: Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Language.
| Quantitative Ability Syllabus | Reasoning Syllabus | English Language Syllabus |
|---|---|---|
| Simplification | Logical Reasoning | Reading Comprehension |
| Profit & Loss | Alphanumeric Series | Cloze Test |
| Mixtures & Allegations | Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test | Para Jumbles |
| Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices | Data Sufficiency | Word Usage, Word-Swap |
| Work & Time | Inequalities | Fill in the Blanks |
| Time & Distance | Seating Arrangement | Error Detection, Error Spotting |
| Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere | Puzzle | Paragraph Completion |
| Data Interpretation | Tabulation | One Word Substitution |
| Ratio & Proportion, Percentage | Syllogism | Miscellaneous |
| Number Systems | Blood Relations | |
| Sequence & Series | Input-Output | |
| Permutation, Combination & Probability | Coding-Decoding |
IBPS PO Mains Exam Syllabus: The Mains Exam is a crucial stage of the IBPS PO 2025 selection process, as scores obtained here carry significant weight in the final selection for the Probationary Officer post. The Mains Exam consists of five sections: Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, and a Descriptive Paper. The descriptive section is included to assess the candidate’s writing skills and plays an important role in evaluating suitability for the PO role.
Also Read:- IBPS PO Handwritten Declaration 2024: Latest Guidelines & tips
IBPS has incorporated the descriptive test of 25 Marks in the PO Mains Exam. The applicants will have to compose an essay and a letter of 25 marks. The English Language Paper is designed to examine the candidates’ writing skills, grammar, vocabulary, and coherence. It is required to pass this paper by attaining a minimum cut-off to qualify for the final selection process successfully.
The IBPS PO objective exam penalizes incorrect answers by one-fourth or 0.25 marks. However, if you choose not to answer a question, there is no penalty. This encourages careful consideration of each question, as guessing incorrectly can lower your score. Avoiding penalties can significantly impact your overall performance, so focusing on accuracy, effective time management, and practicing mock tests regularly is equally important for success in the IBPS PO exam.
Ans. The IBPS PO exam pattern will have three sections, i.e., Prelims examination, Mains section, and a personal interview. For more details, read the complete article closely. The time duration for the prelims examination will be 60 minutes, for the mains examination the duration will be 3 hours and 30 minutes, and for the personal interview, the duration will be 20-30 minutes.
Ans. With proper preparation, it may be easy to crack the examination. However, to ensure your qualification in all the examination stages, you must go through the IBPS PO Exam Pattern, study material, and also follow the IBPS syllabus mentioned in the article above.
Ans. There are 2 examinations and 1 personal interview for the IBPS PO Exam Pattern 2022. The IBPS PO prelims examination will carry 100 marks, the IBPS PO mains examination will carry 225 marks, and the IBPS PO interview will carry 100 marks.
Ans. Yes, the IBPS PO Exam Pattern has a personal interview of 100 marks. To clear the interview, the candidates must score 40%. Once you have secured 40% marks in the personal interview, you can expect your name to be on the merit list that gets released after the final round.
Ans. IBPS PO interview is neither easy nor tough. It depends on the candidate’s preparation and presence of mind in the interview. They need to be spontaneous and creative with their answers. The interview is more of a personality test than a test of knowledge.
The cut-off varies yearly. It depends on the number of vacancies, difficulty level, and candidates appearing.
Authored by, Nidhi Kukreja
Exam Prep Advisor
Nidhi is a passionate writer who specializes in long-form, research-backed content that delivers real value. Whether she’s writing blog articles or creating educational modules, she focuses on making complex topics clear, detailed, and easy to understand. Her content is designed to build knowledge and credibility, helping readers gain deeper insights with every piece.
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