IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2024, Prelims & Mains

IBPS SO Exam Pattern

The exam pattern of IBPS SO 2024 varies for different posts covered under Specialist Officers (SO). To be able to prepare in the best way possible, you should first know IBPS SO exam pattern which will help you in making a solid preparation plan. The IBPS SO process is divided into three phases:

• Prelims
• Mains
• Interview

The detailed IBPS SO paper pattern for Prelims and Mains for various streams covered under it is mentioned below.

IBPS SO Prelims Exam Pattern 

The IBPS SO Prelims 2024 will be an online examination that will consist of three sections with sectional timings of 40 minutes each. The Prelims IBPS SO Pre exam pattern differs from one post to another. The total marks for all the posts will be 125 whereas the total number of questions will be 150. The IBPS SO Prelims 2024 for Rajbhasha Adhikari Scale I & Law Officer will have a common exam pattern and will consist of three sections as mentioned below.

IBPS SO Pre Exam Pattern for Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari 

The IBPS SO Prelims 2024 for the posts of Agriculture Field Officer, Marketing Officer (Scale I), HR/Personnel Officer, IT Officer (Scale I) will also consist of three sections but will contain Quantitative Aptitude as a subject in place of General Awareness. The other two sections will be Reasoning and English Language. The number of questions here will also be the same as stated above i.e 150 and the total marks will be 125 with a total time duration of 120 minutes.

IBPS SO exam pattern for IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer is given below.

IBPS SO Mains Pattern 

If you qualify IBPS SO Prelims 2024, you will be called for the Mains. IBPS SO Mains exam pattern is a bit different than the other IBPS exams. IBPS Specialist Officer 2024 exam pattern for Mains consists of either one or a maximum of two sections depending on the post you are applying for. For the post of Rajbhasha Adhikari, there will be two tests - Objective & Descriptive. The total marks for this test will be 60 and the time limit is one hour. Both the tests can be given in either Hindi or English Language.

Exam Pattern for IBPS SO Mains for Rajbhasha Adhikari is as follows.

IBPS SO Mains for the posts of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer will consist of only one objective test of Professional Knowledge comprising of 60 marks, 60 questions with a time duration of 45 minutes. The test can be given in both English and Hindi language.

Exam Pattern for IBPS SO Mains for Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer is given below.

If you qualify in IBPS SO Mains you will be shortlisted for an Interview and the scores obtained in IBPS SO Mains and Interview will be taken into consideration while making the final merit.

IBPS SO Interview

The total allotted marks for the Interview are 100. The minimum qualifying marks in the Interview should not be less than 40% for the General category (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWD category). The ratio of weightage given to online CWE (Main Exam) and Interview is 80:20 respectively. The combined final score will be on the basis of the total scores obtained by you in the IBPS SO Mains exam and Interview. You need to qualify both - the IBPS SO 2024 Main Examination and interview and be adequately high in the merit to be shortlisted for the subsequent provisional allotment process, details of which will be made available subsequently on the IBPS website.

Note: While appearing for the Interview, it is mandatory to bring valid documents, in the absence of which the candidates' candidature may be cancelled.

IBPS SO Marking scheme

IBPS follows fixed criteria in all its exams when it comes to the marking scheme. In IBPS SO exam 2024, all questions carry 1 mark except the section of English Language where the questions carry 0.5 marks. A penalty of 0.25 marks will be charged for every incorrect answer in both Prelims and Mains.

IBPS SO Exam Language

IBPS SO  is one of the most sought-after jobs. You can choose the language in which you wish to attempt the IBPS SO 2024 exam. You will have a choice of English and Hindi as the exam language except for the test of English Language. You can also view any particular question in a language other than the one chosen by you initially.

IBPS SO Free Mock Tests 

Practicing mock tests for IBPS SO is one such way through which you can make the most out of your daily practice along with learning more. If this practice comes with mock tests that are totally free, it adds to your advantage in a better way. To get an edge over others ixamBee is providing IBPS SO free mock tests. We provide IBPS SO Prelims mock tests & IBPS SO Mains mock tests, which will improve your performance along with enhancing your accuracy.