IBPS Agriculture Field Officer Exam Highlights 

The much awaited IBPS SO AFO 2024 Notification has finally been released. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, or the IBPS, is the primary recruiting body that conducts online examinations to recruit eligible candidates for various posts in banking organizations. The IBPS conducts an online examination for the Specialist Officer (SO) post in various streams every year. These specialist posts include- Agriculture Field Officer, IT Officer, Marketing Officer, Law Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari and HR/Personnel Officer.

According to the 2024 IBPS SO Notification, the online registration for the IBPS SO posts will begin from August 1, 2024, and end by August 21, 2024. For completion of the IBPS SO online application process, candidates need to make sure they have also paid the application fee. According to the notification, the 2024 IBPS SO Prelims exam will be held on November 09, 2024. The 2024 IBPS SO Mains exam is supposed to take place on December 14, 2024. The final stage of the IBPS SO AFO exam, which is the Interview will be held in February or March of 2025. With only a few months left for the IBPS AFO exam preparation, candidates can gear up now. The IBPS SO AFO exam and its recruitment 2024-25 is an excellent opportunity if you possess the required educational and professional qualifications.  

IBPS SO (AFO) 2024 Highlights

Conducting AuthorityIBPS
Official Website https://www.ibps.in/
Name of the Posts Specialist Officer (Agriculture Field Officer)
Mode of application Online
Stages of Exam Three Stages-
  • Phase 1- Preliminary Exam
  • Phase 2- Mains Exam
  • Phase 3- Interview
Maximum marks & Time duration
  • Phase 1 (Preliminary Exam)- 150 marks, 2 hours
  • Phase 2 (Mains Exam)- 60 marks, 45 minutes
  • Phase 3 (Interview)- 100 marks
Online registration including Edit/Modification of Application August 01, 2024 to August 21, 2024
Payment of Application Fees/ Intimation Charges (Online) August 01, 2024 to August 21, 2024
Download of call letters for Online examination – Preliminary November 2024
Online Examination – Preliminary November 09, 2024 (Tentative)
Result of Online exam – Preliminary November/December 2024
Online Examination – Main December 14, 2024 (Tentative)

IBPS SO AFO Notification 2024 

The IBPS has recently published the official notice PDF for IBPS SO AFO Exam 2024 on its website. All the details regarding the IBPS SO AFO exam dates and number of vacancies have been mentioned in the notification. Apart from that, the notification by IBPS also contains all the essential details regarding age criteria, nationality, and educational qualifications required for applicants interested in applying for the IBPS AFO positions. Let us study all the details related to the IBPS AFO SO Exam and the recruitment process for 2024 in the following sections. 

IBPS AFO SO Exam Pattern 2024 

It is extremely important to get in touch with all the relevant details such as the IBPS SO AFO exam pattern & syllabus that will help you in the preparation process. The IBPS SO 2024 exam for the post of Agriculture Field Officer (AFO) is conducted online . It will consist of three phases - 

  • Prelims 
  • Mains 
  • Interview 

Both Prelims & Mains for the IBPS AFO exam will be conducted online. There will be a negative marking of 1/4th of the marks allotted to each question. No marks will be deducted for an unanswered question. 

IBPS Agriculture Field Officer Vacancies 

The IBPS AFO Recruitment 2024 has announced the number of vacancies for the position of Agriculture Field Officer (AFO). The IBPS SO has 346 vacancies for the Agricultural Field Officer recruitment this year. The recruitment notification includes category-wise IBPS SO AFO 2024 vacancies, which can be found in the official notification. Interested candidates are advised to go through this entire page very carefully for detailed and up-to-date information on the IBPS AFO exam 2024, including category-wise vacancies and other relevant details. Please refer to the table below for IBPS SO AFO 2024 exam and recruitment vacancies. 

AGRICULTURAL FIELD OFFICER (SCALE-I) 

BANKSCSTOBCEWSURTOTALOut of Which (PwBD)
HIOCVIID
1 BANK OF BARODA NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
2 BANK OF INDIA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 BANK OF MAHARASHTRA NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
4 CANARA BANK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 CENTRAL BANK OF INDIA NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
6 INDIAN BANK NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
7 INDIAN OVERSEAS BANK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 PUNJAB & SIND BANK NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
9 PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK 46 23 83 31 127 310 3 3 3 3
10 UCO BANK 6 3 9 3 15 36 1 0 0 1
11 UNION BANK OF INDIA NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
TOTAL 52 26 92 34 142 346 4 3 3 4

IBPS AFO Prelims Exam Pattern 

Phase 1 or Prelims of IBPS AFO exam and its selection process will be an online objective test which consists of three sections: English Language, Reasoning & Quantitative Aptitude. Both Reasoning & Quantitative Aptitude sections will be available in both English & Hindi. Check out the complete details below on the IBPS AFO exam.  

S. No.Name of testMedium of ExamNo.of questionsMaximum MarksDuration
1 English Language English 50 25 40 Minutes
2 Reasoning English & Hindi 50 50 40 Minutes
3 Quantitative Aptitude English & Hindi 50 50 40 Minutes
  Total   1501252 Hours

IBPS AFO Mains Exam Pattern 

All the candidates who are able to clear Prelims will be called for IBPS (SO) AFO Mains. This phase also is conducted in online mode. There will only be a single test in this phase that will test the ‘Professional Knowledge’ of the candidates. This section will have 60 questions and will carry 1 mark each. The questions for the IBPS AFO exam will be available bilingually. 

Name of the TestNo. of QuestionsMaximum MarksMedium of ExamDuration
Professional Knowledge 60 60 English & Hindi 45 minutes

IBPS SO AFO Interview 

Those who are able to qualify for the IBPS SO AFO Mains will be called for the final phase, i.e., the IBPS SO AFO Interview. As per the notification, the interview is expected to be held in February or March of 2025. The Interview stage will carry 100 marks. Post Interview, the final scores will be obtained by taking both IBPS AFO Mains & Interview scores into consideration. The candidates who score high in merit will be shortlisted at last. The weightage given to the online IBPS AFO exam with respect to the Interview will be 80:20. The minimum qualifying marks will be 40% for the IBPS AFO exam. 

IBPS AFO Syllabus 2024 

An important aspect of your IBPS SO AFO exam preparation is knowing the syllabus. Before you start with your preparation, it will be extremely beneficial for you to take note of the IBPS SO AFO syllabus 2024. The IBPS SO (AFO) Prelims will contain questions from QRE (Quants, Reasoning & English Language). Thus, you should first know what you actually need to cover with respect to each of the subjects. In IBPS AFO Mains, the knowledge in your specialized subject will be tested. Have a look at the detailed syllabus below. 

Agricultural Field Officer
Introduction to Agriculture & Crop: Seed Technology, Agriculture Economics, Agricultural Practices, Seasonal Crops (Rabi and Kharif)
Soil & Fertility: Soil Resources, Types of Soils in India, Physical Properties of these Soils
Manures & Fertilizers: Green Manures, Fertilizer – types, chemical composition
Cropping Scheme: Crop Rotation, Cropping System, Soil and Crop suitability, Climate and Crops
Irrigation: Sources and Methods of Irrigation, Problems related to Irrigation, Advanced Irrigational Facilities, Important Dams and Rivers that have played a major role in shaping Irrigational Activities
Rural Credit: Agriculture Insurance Schemes, Woman & Child Development Schemes, Role of RRBs, Agricultural Loans and Financing
Vegetable & Fruit Science: Crop Horticulture – Sowing Time & Spacing, Seed Rate, Important Varieties, Herbicides & Pesticides, Plant Diseases, Preservation and Types of Cropping Systems Fruits & Vegetables Preservation Methods
Weeds: Classification of weeds, Merits and Demerits, Weed Control
Surveying: Introduction to Surveying, Classification of Surveying, Benefits and Recent Surveys and Committees
Animal Husbandry: Classifications, Small Industries, Diseases and Causes, Breeding Dairy, Cattle Management, Small Scale Industries and Threats to them
Dairy: Cattle Management, Rearing
Botany: Plant Biotechnology, Agricultural Microbiology, Plant Physiology & Biochemistry, Soil Microbiology
Agriculture Engineering: Farm Machinery & Power, Food Processing, Agricultural Structure, Post Harvest Technology
Miscellaneous: Latest Developments, Recent Discoveries, Latest Bt Crops and related Research, Hybrid

Download- IBPS AFO 6 months Study Plan 2024

IBPS AFO Important Dates 2024 

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducts the IBPS AFO exam every year to recruit candidates for the posts of Specialist Officers in various fields like IT, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Agricultural Field Officer, Marketing Officer, Law Officer, and HR/ Personnel Officer. The IBPS AFO 2024 Notification has been released on the official website (www.ibps.in) in August. All the details about the application and IBPS AFO exam dates has been mentioned in the notification. However, according to the IBPS annual Calendar, the IBPS AFO exams for the prelims is going to be held on November 9, 2024, and the mains exam on December 14, 2024, tentatively. The actual confirmed dates will be mentioned on the official website for IBPS even though the dates provided now are tentative. For more details and updates, candidates are advised to visit the official IBPS website. For further details on IBPS SO AFO exam dates , please refer below. 

IBPS SO Important Dates 

EventsTentative Dates
Online registration including Edit/Modification of Application August 01, 2024 to August 21, 2024
Payment of Application Fees/ Intimation Charges (Online) August 01, 2024 to August 21, 2024
Download of call letters for Online examination – Preliminary November 2024
Online Examination – Preliminary November 09, 2024 (Tentative)
Result of Online exam – Preliminary November/December 2024
Online Examination – Main December 14, 2024 (Tentative)
Download of call letters for interview To be notified later
Conduct of interview February/March 2025
Provisional Allotment April, 2025

IBPS AFO Salary 2024 

One of the reasons why IBPS AFO exam and its subsequent recruitment is preferred by a lot of young individuals is, that along with job security, it provides a handsome salary. An Agriculture Field Officer (AFO) posted in Scale I is also entitled to receive other allowances aside from the IBPS SO AFO salary, like House Rent Allowance, Dearness Allowance, Special Allowance, Travel Allowance, Medical expenses & also reimbursements for newspapers. The allowances may also be meant for entertainment, cleaning, petrol and mobile expenses. 

PostSalary
IBPS SO AFO (Agriculture Field Officer) Net Salary - Rs. 62,035/- Per month
Gross Income - Rs. 77,034/- Per month
Allowances - Rs. 16k - 18k Per month (approx.)
CTC - Rs. 9- 10 lakh- Per year (approx.)

IBPS AFO Job Profile 

After you get selected as an IBPS Agriculture Field Officer (AFO), you will have to perform a variety of duties, including fieldwork. The job can be highly challenging and interesting too. An IBPS SO Agriculture Field Officer may have to take up many responsibilities. Some basic duties and responsibilities of an IBPS SO AFO are as follows. 

  • Disbursing loans to the farmers: One of the primary responsibilities of an IBPS AFO is to facilitate and manage the process of providing loans to farmers for agricultural activities. This involves assessing loan applications, verifying eligibility, and ensuring timely disbursal of funds. 
  • Reviewing agricultural loans: An IBPS SO AFO is required to monitor and evaluate the progress of agricultural loans provided to farmers. They need to ensure that the loans are being utilized for the intended agricultural purposes and that the borrowers are adhering to the repayment schedule. 
  • Promoting rural financing: An IBPS SO AFO plays a crucial role in promoting financial services and schemes offered by the bank in rural areas. They educate farmers and rural communities about various financial products, encouraging them to avail themselves of banking services. 
  • Looking into crop failure cases: In cases of crop failure or other agricultural challenges, IBPS SO AFOs work closely with farmers to assess the situation, provide support, and explore possible solutions. They may help in restructuring loans or providing assistance during difficult times. 
  • Promoting bank’s products in rural areas, specifically among farmers: AFOs actively promote the bank's products and services tailored for farmers. They engage with farmers to understand their needs and offer suitable banking solutions to meet their requirements effectively. 

IBPS AFO Eligibility Criteria 2024 

IBPS has recently released the detailed notification which provides a glimpse into when the exams are expected to take place. While the notification carried all the details about the eligibility, the IBPS SO AFO exam dates have not been confirmed yet. That confirmation is expected by November which is when the prelims is expected to take place. The notification also carries with it the eligibility criteria and other important details needed for the Specialist Officers’ recruitment process 2024-25. Before you move on with the online application, you need to know whether you are eligible for the preferred post or not. To ensure successful completion, you need to know the complete IBPS SO eligibility criteria 2024

IBPS AFO Educational Criteria 

Any aspirant who wishes to apply for the post of IBPS SO Agriculture Field Officer needs to possess the required educational qualification/s. To know which of the disciplines are permissible, check out the table given below for the educational criteria needed for the IBPS SO AFO exam.

Post CodeName of the PostEducational Qualification
02 Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I) 4 year Degree (graduation) in Agriculture/ Horticulture/Animal Husbandry/Veterinary Science/ Dairy Science/ Fishery Science/ Pisciculture/ Agri.Marketing & Cooperation/ Co-operation & Banking/ Agro-Forestry/Forestry/Agricultural Biotechnology/ Food Science/ Agriculture Business Management/Food Technology/ Dairy Technology/ Agricultural Engineering/ Sericulture

IBPS AFO Age Criteria 

Adhering to the age criteria is equally necessary as possessing the requisite educational qualifications. To be eligible for the post of Agriculture Field Officer, you need to be within the specified IBPS Agriculture Field Officer age limit. You will only be eligible if you fall into a specific age bracket mentioned by IBPS. Read complete details below for IBPS SO age limit 2024.

Post CodeName of the PostAge
02 Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I) Min- 20 Years / Max-30 Years

IBPS AFO Age Relaxation 

IBPS provides certain age relaxation to reserved category candidates like SC/ST/OBC/EX servicemen. The relaxation in age varies within the reserved category. If you are eligible for age relaxation, you should ensure that you have the necessary documents related to it when asked for verification. Complete details related to IBPS SO AFO age relaxation is provided below.

CategoryAge Relaxation
Other Backward Classes (OBC) (Non- creamy layer)  3 years
Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe 5 years
Ex-Servicemen, Commissioned Officers including Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/ Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) who have rendered at least 5 years military service and have been released on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from the last date of receipt of application) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency or physical disability attributable to military service or invalidment 5 years
Persons affected by 1984 riots 5 years

Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PWBD) 10 years

How To Apply Online for IBPS AFO 

In order to apply successfully for IBPS SO AFO exam, you should first go through the following step-by-step guide. The application form has to be filled out via online mode for the IBPS AFO exam. No other mode of application will be acceptable. Therefore, you need to fill in the application very carefully. 

  • Visit the official website of IBPS to apply for the exam 
  • Click on the ‘Click here for New Registration’ link 
  • Fill in details like name, date of birth, contact details, and valid email ID and click on ‘Register’ 
  • A Provisional Registration Number and Password will be generated 
  • An email and SMS on your registered email ID and a mobile number indicating the same will be sent 
  • Login again using these credentials to proceed with the IBPS SO AFO recruitment application process 
  • Fill in other details like academic qualification, work experience, preference exam center and others as asked 
  • Upload scanned images of your recent photograph, signature, thumb impression and handwritten declaration as per the specifications mentioned 
  • Go through all the details carefully and click on ‘Final Submit to proceed to the IBPS SO application fees 
  • Pay the application fee as per your category using a Credit/ Debit card, Net banking, Cash Card, Wallet, and IMPS option 
  • Take a print of the e-receipt of the online transaction and application form for future reference 

IBPS AFO Important Books 

The IBPS Agriculture Field Officer is one of the popular posts released by IBPS in its yearly recruitment notification. It is a golden opportunity for those belonging to an agricultural background. To ensure success, you need to get hold of the best books as they are the most important aspect for preparing for the IBPS SO AFO exam with the best IBPS SO AFO study material. It is always essential to ensure that you have the best study material in the form of notes and books to prepare. We have listed the best books for IBPS SO AFO exam preparation in the table below. 

PaperBookAuthor/Publisher
Basic Agriculture Fundamentals of Agriculture Vol. 1 & 2 Arun Katyayan
Agriculture at a Glance R.K. Sharma
Objective Books A Competitive Book of Agriculture Nemraj Sunda
Objective Agriculture S.R. Kantwa
Agri Wizard Surahee Publication
IBPS (Specialist officer) Agricultural Field officer (Scale-I) R. Gupta's

IBPS AFO Previous Year Cut-off 

To prepare well for the IBPS AFO exam, it is essential to know the complete ‘in’ and ‘out’ of it. For those who are beginners, knowing every detail related to the exam will help you in forming a basic idea of the IBPS SO AFO exam. Besides the IBPS AFO exam pattern and syllabus, the IBPS SO exam cut-off is a significant detail that needs to be taken note of. It gives you a fair idea of the exam. Thus it is extremely necessary to properly analyze and jot down the previous year’s exam cut-offs and prepare accordingly. 

IBPS SO AFO Overall Cut-off Year Wise Analyse

CategoryYear Wise Cut Off
2023202220212020
SC 58.27 55.67 69.87 78.67
ST 54.53 50.60 68.33 79.47
OBC 65.33 62.67 76.07 83.5O
EWS 64.33 61.00 67.73 79.00
UR 66.67 63.20 78.93 86.93
HI - - 62.07 72.33
OC - - 63.67 77.67
VI - - 65.00 77.27

IBPS AFO 2023-24 Prelims Cut Off

Post NameName of testMax. MarksCategory
EWS/GeneralSC/ ST/ OBC/ PWBD
Agriculture Field Officer English Language 25 8.0 6.0
Reasoning 50 7.0 4.25
Qualitative Aptitude 50 9.5 6.50
Total 125 36.88 36.88

IBPS AFO 2023- 24 Mains Cut Off

Post NameMax. MarksCategory
URSCSTOBCEWSHearing ImpairedOrthopaedically ImpairedVisually ImpairedIntellectual Disability
Agriculture Field Officer 60 29 27.75 23.25 29 29 25 25.25 23.5 17.75

IBPS AFO 2023- 24 Final Cut Off (Mains + Interview)

CategoriesURSCSTOBCEWS
Minimum Marks 66.67 58.27 54.53 65.33 64.33
  27/07/2000 24/10/1994 15/06/2000 05/06/1997 12/09/1999
Maximum marks 78.27 70.87 69.80 75.67 71.07

IBPS AFO 2022-23 Prelims Cut Off

Post NameName of testMax. MarksCategory
EWS/GeneralSC/ ST/ OBC/ PWBD
Agriculture Field Officer English Language 25 5.75 3.50
Reasoning 50 5.75 3
Qualitative Aptitude 50 6.0 3.50
Total 125 17.75 17.75

IBPS AFO 2022- 23 Mains Cut Off

Post NameMax. MarksCategory
URSCSTOBCEWSHearing ImpairedOrthopaedically ImpairedVisually ImpairedIntellectual Disability
Agriculture Field Officer 60 29 27.00 22.25 27.50 27.50 19.75 27.00 24.5 20.75

IBPS AFO 2022- 23 Final Cut Off (Mains + Interview)

CategoriesURSCSTOBCEWS
Minimum Marks 63.20 55.67 50.60 62.67 61.00
  18/03/1998 05/12/1998 04/07/1997 20/07/1996 16/07/1997
Maximum marks          

IBPS AFO 2021-22 Prelims Cut Off

Post NameName of testMax. MarksCategory
EWS/GeneralSC/ ST/ OBC/ PWBD
Agriculture Field Officer English Language 25 4.70 2.50
Reasoning 50 6.50 3.25
Qualitative Aptitude 50 9.0 5.25
Total 125 21.25 21.25

IBPS AFO 2021- 22 Mains Cut Off

Post NameMax. MarksCategory
URSCSTOBCEWSHearing ImpairedOrthopaedically ImpairedVisually ImpairedIntellectual Disability
Agriculture Field Officer 60 22.75 18.75 18.75 18.75 22.75 - - - -

IBPS AFO 2021- 22 Final Cut Off (Mains + Interview)

CategoriesURSCSTOBCEWS
Minimum Marks 63.87 56.67 53.00 63.47 62.00
  11/12/1996 08/09/1998 20/09/1997 09/04/1997 05/09/1997
Maximum marks - - - - -

IBPS AFO 2020-21 Cut Off Prelims Cut Off

Post NameName of testMax. MarksCategory
 SC/ ST/ OBC/ PWBDEWS/ General
Agriculture Field Officer English Language 25 2.75 5.25
Reasoning 50 2.50 5.50
General Awareness 50 5.75 9.75

IBPS AFO 2020- 21 Cut Off Mains

Post NameName of testMax. MarksCategory
EWS/GeneralSC/ ST/ OBC/ PWBD
Agriculture Field Officer Professional Knowledge (AFO) 60 32.75 28.00

IBPS AFO 2020- 21 Final Cut Off (Mains + Interview)

Post NameCategory
SCSTOBCEWSURHearing Impaired (HI)Orthopaedically Impaired (OC)Visually Impaired (VI)Intellectual Disability (ID)
Agriculture field officer 64.8 56.33 53.47 64 62.67 56.33 55.33 51.93 NA

IBPS AFO Online Course 

If you are willing to apply for the IBPS (SO) AFO post and are feeling clueless about how you will start your preparation, ixamBee is here to your rescue. To help you prepare and ace your IBPS AFO exam and provide you with all the necessary information and knowledge, ixamBee has put together a comprehensive and well-curated IBPS SO AFO Online Course that consists of ‘just what you need’. You will find every important detail that is necessary to excel in the IBPS AFO exam and attain your dream job. Enroll and leave behind all the worries. 

IBPS SO AFO Free Mock Test 

The IBPS SO notification is awaited eagerly by many job aspirants who are looking for a stable government job. The competition thus cannot be expected to be an easy one. Therefore, intelligence lies in preparing yourself in advance. While you prepare, one thing that you shouldn’t ignore is enough practice. That’s where practicing the IBPS SO AFO mock tests come to the rescue. By practicing online mock tests, you will be able to develop a fair understanding of the exam pattern. ixamBee provides online mock tests for IBPS SO AFO Prelims & IBPS AFO Mains. By practicing enough mock tests online, you will be able to gradually improve your performance. 

IBPS AFO Blogs 

Self-preparation holds a lot of importance but can also pose tough challenges at times. Therefore, we need to push ourselves sometimes, so that we run faster than before. Keeping this in mind and to give an edge to your preparation we are here to assist you with some very useful blogs related to the IBPS Agriculture Field Officer exam. All the candidates are advised to go to our blog section and explore where he/she can get the relevant material. 

Rooftop rainwater harvesting

ZBNF in details

Ramsar Sites In India

Salary of an IBPS SO Agriculture Field Officer