The IBPS PO exam is one of the most sought competitive exams for the students who have their target as entry through the banking sector. It is conducted every year by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection in order to shortlist candidates for Probationary Officer in respective public sector banks. Thousands of students sit for the exam each year; a paramount thing that they concentrate upon preparation is cut off trends for the previous years.
We will discuss the trends of cut-off in the previous years of the IBPS PO exam, thus helping you to understand the pattern of scoring. How you could use these for strategizing preparation for the IBPS PO 2025? We will provide useful insights on factors that have an impact on cut-offs and tips on how to maximize chances of clearing such a competitive exam.
What is IBPS PO Exam?
Before we look at the IBPS PO cut-off trends, let’s understand why the IBPS PO exam is important. This competitive examination is a gateway to a prestigious career in banking, offering opportunities in top public sector banks. As 2025 approaches, it’s very important to analyze previous year trends to set realistic goals. The PO exam plays a key role in shaping your future in the banking exams landscape, making it an essential milestone.
IBPS PO Exam is a multi-stage recruitment process where:
- preliminary,
- mains,
- interview
Phases are included. Candidates are filtered according to the candidates’ performance in each phase. The competition for the PO exam is very high as it contains lakhs of candidates every year fighting for a few hundred vacancies. Knowing the trends of cut-offs of previous years gives an idea to the students about how tough the exam is and would prepare accordingly.
What Are IBPS PO Cut-Offs?
The minimum score a candidate must obtain in order to qualify for the next stage of the examination is cut-off. For example, the cut-off in Preliminary Exam would be the minimum mark that must be obtained in order to attend Main Exam and similarly for Main Exam, cut-off will decide the candidates who are to be called for Interview.
IBPS PO cut-offs keep on changing every year due to a number of reasons. Here, we have tried to present the trends of IBPS PO previous year cut-offs so that you get an idea of how they have changed in years and what you will expect in 2025.
Factors Affecting IBPS PO Cut-Offs
Several factors would influence the cut-offs in the IBPS PO exam. Going into 2025, some of the key factors would include the degree of toughness in the competitive examination, number of vacancies, and performance by candidates. Bearing these trends of past years, aspirants would get a better idea of the interplay of variables in this regard. The variables, in this case, are vital to aspirants preparing for banking exams and would look toward a cut-off requirement.
- Number of Vacancies: The number of vacancies does not allow the cut-off to be too low so that more candidates are selected.
- Difficulty Level of the Exam:The cut-off of the exam depends on the difficulty level. If the exam is tougher, then the cut-off is usually lower and if it is easy, then the cut-off may go up.
- Number of Candidates Appearing: The more the candidates, the higher the cut-off will be to ensure the competition is good.
- Normalization Process: Since the examination is conducted in multiple shifts, the marks are normalized to maintain fairness.
- Category of Candidates: The cut-off varies for different categories such as General, SC, ST, OBC, etc.
Since we know what influences the cut-off, let’s look into the previous year trends of cut-offs.
IBPS PO Previous Year Cut-Off Trends
The table below represents the IBPS PO previous year cut-offs for Preliminary Exam, Main Exam, and Final Selection under various categories. These trends need to be analyzed for the aspirants of 2025 since this is what gives them an idea about the competition that this competitive examination brings along. It also indicates how the cut-offs are variable in terms of performance. Students who are preparing for banking exams and aspire to get selected for the PO exam require such data.
| Year | Preliminary Exam (Out of 100) | Main Exam (Out of 200) | Final Selection (Out of 100) |
| 2024 | 58.75 (General) | 83.25 (General) | 58.50 (General) |
| 2023 | 57.75 (General) | 85.00 (General) | 58.40 (General) |
| 2022 | 60.00 (General) | 88.00 (General) | 60.20 (General) |
| 2021 | 58.00 (General) | 84.00 (General) | 59.50 (General) |
| 2020 | 59.30 (General) | 86.00 (General) | 59.00 (General) |
| 2019 | 56.75 (General) | 82.50 (General) | 58.25 (General) |
Key Observations:
- General Category : It varies between 56-60 over the last year or so with Preliminary and Main examination of General Category cut-offs, you get some approximation of an actual minimum threshold beyond which no result is usually generated in order for you to achieve both your marks in prelim and mains keeping that in focus also.
- Difficulty Level: As mentioned earlier, the cut-offs vary year after year based on the level of difficulty the exam holds. For instance, in 2022, the cut-offs for the Preliminary Exam were slightly higher since it was a moderately difficult one.
- Category-wise Cut-Off: Cut-offs are less for SC/ST/OBC candidates as compared to General category. But competition is very sharp, and one should not bother about his/her category; one should try to increase the score.
Trends of Last Year Cut-Off for Preparation for IBPS PO 2025
The trends cut off the previous year should be your benchmark in getting ready for the 2025 IBPS PO exam. These analysis trends give you a realistic target and help one figure out how much score can be required. One must work on weak areas and should practice timing. This will keep you targeting the competition in this competitive examination and hence make preparation for the 2025 PO exam and banking exams more targeted and focused:
- Target Score
- As a precursor, take an estimate of cut-offs from last year, target a minimum of 10-15 marks higher than last year’s cut-offs for Preliminary and Main Exams in 2025 IBPS PO exams. With this strategy, you will get the best results with respect to competitive examinations, prepare well for PO exams and other banking exams, and gain success.
- Sectional Cut-Offs
- IBPS PO also has sectional cut-offs. That is, you must score minimum in each section, namely, English, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability. For knowing how much you must score in every section, refer to the cut-offs provided for the previous year.
- Mock Tests
- Practice as many mock tests as possible. Mock tests will give you an idea of how to manage your time during the exam.Mock tests are a part of your preparation. Use the IBPS PO mock tests provided on ixamBee to practice and know the areas where you require improvement. Regular practice in mock tests will save time during the exams and build confidence and better preparation for the exams.
- Trends
- The pattern as well as the difficulty level of IBPS PO examination keeps on changing every year. Keep an eye on changes in paper and match cut-offs from previous years to see if it has turned out to be an easy paper or a tough paper for competitive exams for the year 2025. Using this, you can change your strategy of preparation for the competitive exam. Thus, keeping a track of all these changes you prepare for the PO exam along with all other bank exams.
It is important to know the Cut-off of the Previous year.
Any competitive examination has cut-offs depicting the difficulty level of the examination, number of vacancies, and performance of students in that year. IBPS PO is among the toughest bank exams. This is why a previous year’s cut-off of the exam makes aspirants familiar with what could be expected by them and accordingly prepare for themselves.
- Helps Set Realistic Goals for 2025
- You can derive a target score for the IBPS PO 2025 exam by making use of the previous year’s cut-off trends. The cut-offs will enable you to make a concentrated study plan because you will have sufficient time to focus on the tough competition areas. Score at least 5 to 10 marks above the previous year’s cut-off to get a fair chance of passing with ease.
- Efficient Time Management
- Once you know the IBPS PO previous year cut-offs, you can begin practicing time management by practicing in a way that suits the trends of the expected cut-offs. If you know that a specific section usually cuts off at a higher rate, for example, Quantitative Aptitude, then you can devote more time strengthening that section up to the marks required.
- Section-wise Cut-Off Analysis
- The cut-offs for IBPS PO are sectional. So, each of the sections-Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and English Language-carry its own minimum qualifying marks. Analyzing cut-offs from previous years will give you an idea about how important is each section and where you need to work more.
Role of Mock tests for your IBPS PO Preparation
The most important practice one needs to undertake before appearing for the IBPS PO exam is mock tests. You are running into 2025; thus, it would be good if you started taking the regular, well-timed mock tests under exam conditions. From this, by evaluating the performance and comparing with previous year cut-offs, you would know the place. You will know the areas to work upon, gain speed, and also get the much-needed confidence to attempt the competitive examination.
Conclusion: Target to Crack IBPS PO 2025
The IBPS PO exam is indeed challenging, but with the proper preparation and strategy, it can be cracked well. Cut-off trends of previous years would help you set goals and monitor your progress in a real sense. Consistent practice, developing a proper concept understanding, and good revision are all keys to success.
Do not miss the preparation courses and mock tests by ixamBee specially designed to support you in the preparation process. You can earn the Probationary Officer position in one of the most significant banks in India with proper dedication and right resources.
Keep practicing, stay focused, and wish you good luck for IBPS PO 2025 preparation!
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