IBPS – Your Gateway To Government Jobs

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is a recruiting body that conducts examinations for all Public Sector Banks (PSBs) except SBI. Over the years, the institute has also provided services related to assessment and testing for different banks through various bank exams.

The organization is governed by a board of nominees from different government bodies and banks such as the RBI, IIT Mumbai, Ministry of Finance, IBA, and NIBM. It originated in 1984 from the original examining body under the National Institute of Bank Management. 

In the same year, the centralized examinations covering all public sector banks' recruitment started on a limited scale. The process of conducting online exams began in the late 2000s. IBPS exams are conducted to recruit candidates for PSBs at various levels, such as Probationary Officers, Clerks, and Specialist Officers. In this article, we’ll discuss various exams under IBPS and their eligibility criteria.

List of Exams Under IBPS 

Given below is the list of exams conducted under IBPS, so you can choose the exam you wish to take and start your preparation for IBPS exams. 

1. IBPS Clerk

IBPS Clerk is a common written exam conducted every year to recruit candidates for the clerical post in multiple banks all across the country. Two exams are conducted to recruit candidates for this post: Preliminary and Mains exam. 

2. IBPS PO (Probationary Officer)

IBPS PO exam is conducted to appoint Probationary Officers and Management Trainees in national public sector banks. Candidates have to pass the Preliminary exam, Mains exam, and the Interview round to qualify for the post. 

3. IBPS SO (Specialist Officer)

IBPS SO is conducted to recruit Specialist Officers, Scale-I officers in the national public sector banks. Scale-I officers provide grade management service at the junior level in areas like HR, IT, Marketing, Law, etc. Scale-II officers require specialization in an MBA, PG, PGDBM, CFA, etc. 

4. IBPS RRB

IBPS RRB exam is conducted for the candidates who wish to pursue a career in the Regional Rural Banks (RRB) in India as Group A Officers (Scale- I, II & III) or Group B- Office Assistants (Multipurpose). Necessary qualifications and work experience are required for this exam.

IBPS Exam Highlights

The exam highlights of various IBPS exams are given below:

• IBPS Clerk 

IBPS Clerk
Name of the Post	Clerk
Number of Vacancies	5830 vacancies
Recruitment Stages	Preliminary and Mains exam
Mode of Exam	Online
Exam Duration	Prelims: 60 minutes Mains: 160 minutes

Read More: IBPS Clerk 2022: Latest Syllabus & Exam Pattern

• IBPS PO

IBPS PO
Name of the Post	Probationary Officer
Number of Vacancies	To be notified
Recruitment Stages	Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam, and Interview
Mode of Exam	Preliminary and Mains exams are conducted online
Exam Duration	Prelims: One hour (60 minutes) Mains: 3 hours 30 minutes

• IBPS SO

IBPS SO
Name of the Post	IT Officer (Scale-I), HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I), Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I), Law Officer (Scale I), Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I), and Marketing Officer (Scale I).
Number of Vacancies	To be notified
Recruitment Stages	Preliminary, Mains and Personal Interview
Mode of Exam	Online
Exam Duration	Prelims: 120 minutes Mains: 120 minutes

• IBPS RRB

IBPS RRB
Name of the Post	Officers Scale I, II & III and Office Assistant (Multipurpose)
Number of Vacancies	12,958 vacancies
Recruitment Stages	Officers Scale I: Prelims, Mains and Interview Officers Scale II and II: Single level exam and Interview Office Assistant (Multipurpose): Prelims and Mains
Mode of Exam	Prelims, Mains, and Single level exams are conducted online.
Exam Duration	Prelims: 45 minutes Mains: Two hours Single level exam: Two hours

IBPS Eligibility Criteria 

You can find the eligibility criteria of various IBPS exams below:

Exams	Eligibility Criteria
IBPS Clerk	Educational Qualification: Graduation Age limit: 20 to 28 years
IBPS PO	Educational Qualification: Graduation in any discipline Age limit: 20 to 30 years
IBPS SO	Age Limit: 20 to 30 years Educational Qualification: Graduation (Vary as per posts)
IBPS RRB	Educational Qualification: Candidates must possess a degree in any discipline from a recognized university. Age Limit: 18 to 40 years (Vary as per the posts)

You can check the important dates of the IBPS exam here: IBPS Exam Calendar 

FAQs

Q1. What is the common exam pattern of various IBPS exams?

Ans. The IBPS exam pattern is divided into prelims, mains, and the interview. For the lower grade posts, the interview is not conducted. Also, the preliminary and main exams are conducted online. 

The questions are usually asked from the English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation, Computer Aptitude, General Awareness, etc.

Q2. Are there only objective-type questions in the IBPS exams?

Ans. IBPS PO and IBPS SO have both objective and descriptive type questions. However, in IBPS RRB and IBPS Clerk, only objective-type questions are asked.

Q3. What are the important books for IBPS exam preparation?

Ans. Some of the important books that students can refer to are:

• Quantitative Aptitude by R.S Agarwal

• Manorama Yearbook

• Wren and Martin English Grammar and Composition

• Verbal and Non-Verbal by B.S Sijwali and Indu Sijwali

Q4. What is the best IBPS exam preparation advice?

Ans. Solve previous year's question papers and online IBPS clerk mock tests or mock tests of the exam you're preparing for. It will help you improve your weak areas and know where you stand in the competition.