IBPS SO 2024 Exam - Notification (Out), Application form (Released), Exam Dates, Syllabus, Eligibility

The eligibility criteria of IBPS SO are divided as per age, citizenship and educational qualification. 

IBPS SO Eligibility Criteria - Citizenship 

• Candidates need to be citizens of India or Bhutan or Nepal

• If the candidates are refugees from Tibet, then they have to be migrated to India before January 1, 1962 for permanently settling in India.

• Candidates with Indian origin migrated from Burma, Pakistan, Uganda, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Zaire, the United Republic of Tanzania, Ethiopia and Vietnam for settling permanently in India are also eligible.

IBPS SO Eligibility Criteria – Age 

Candidates must be minimum 20 years and maximum 30 years. In other words, candidates must have been born between August 2, 1994 and not later than August 1, 2004.

IBPS SO Eligibility Criteria - Educational Qualification                     

The IBPS SO 2024 application form was deactivated on August 28, 2024. The authorities had released the IBPS SO application form in online mode on August 1, 2024. Candidates can check out the detailed instructions below to fill out the application form of IBPS SO 2024.

Step 1 - Registration

The first step to filling out the application form for IBPS SO 2024 is the registration process. Candidates have to enter their name, email ID and phone number in the first step of registration in IBPS SO 2024 application form. A system-generated application number will be created after the registration process. This system-generated provisional IBPS SO 2024 application number will be sent to the registered mobile number and email id of the candidate.

Step 2 - Uploading of Signature and Photograph

In the second step of IBPS SO application form 2024, candidates are required to upload a scanned copy of passport sized photograph and signature as per the prescribed specifications. Candidates must note that the photograph must be the latest coloured with a white background, having dimensions of 200 x 230 pixels in a file size of 20 kb–50 KB. The signature must be in black ink on a white paper in a file size of 10 -20 KB with dimensions 140 x 60 pixels.

Step 3 - Filling up of Basic Details

The third step of filling the IBPS SO 2024 application form constitutes filling up of personal details of the candidates applying for the vacant positions. The following details are required to be inserted:

• Basic details – Name, Gender, Date of Birth, Category

• Personal details – Address, Choice of Centre, Post Applied

• Educational details – Marks scored in Class 10, Class 12, Under-Graduation, Post-Graduation, Computer Courses, Professional Courses

• Work Experience

Step 4 - Preview of IBPS SO 2024 Application Form

Candidates are to have a preview of the application form of IBPS SO 2024 before the final submission. Previewing the IBPS SO application form 2024 will enable candidates to check whether the details filled by them are correct or not and if any errors are found, necessary rectifications are done.

Step 5 – Payment of IBPS SO Application Fees 2024

The final step is the payment of IBPS SO 2024 application form. The application fee can be paid in online mode only through Internet banking or Credit/Debit Cards.

Step 6 - Final Submission of Application Form of IBPS SO 2024

After paying the application fee of IBPS SO 2024, candidates need to click on the final submit button. Candidates should also download and save a copy of the IBPS SO application form 2024 for future reference.

IBPS SO exam pattern for Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari (Prelims)

The prelims exam for these 2 posts will have 3 sections – English Language, Reasoning and General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry.  Reasoning and General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry will have 50 questions each for 50 marks, while English will have 50 questions for 25 marks. 

This means that in English candidates will be given ½ or .50 marks per correct answer, but in the other two sections, each correct answer will fetch 1 mark. However, there is a negative marking too. For each incorrect answer in all the sections, 1/4th marks will be deducted. The exam will be held in online mode for 2 hours. Except for English, both the other 2 sections will be held in English and Hindi medium. 

IBPS SO exam pattern for IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer (Prelims)

IBPS SO prelims exam pattern for the posts of IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer will also have 3 sections, however, unlike General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry section for Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari, here it’s Quantitative Aptitude. 

Rest of the 2 sections English and Reasoning are the same as that of the paper for Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari. The marking scheme for these posts is also the same – 1 mark for each correct answer in Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. 

The paper for these posts too will be held for 2 hours. There will be a total of 150 questions for 125 marks in this paper which will be held in online mode. Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude will be held in both English and Hindi medium. Each incorrect answer will fetch negative marking of .25 or 1/4th of the allotted marks. 

IBPS SO exam pattern for Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer (Mains)

The mains exam of IBPS SO for these posts will have one professional knowledge paper of 60 marks wherein candidates have to answer 60 objective type questions. The paper has to be done in 45 minutes and will be available in Hindi as well as in English medium. 

IBPS SO exam pattern for Rajbhasha Adhikari (Mains)

Candidates applying for the posts of IBPS SO Rajbhasha Adhikari have to take one professional knowledge objective test which will have 45 questions and one professional knowledge descriptive test which will have 2 questions. Candidates will be allotted marks out of 60 for both the objective and descriptive test taken together. Candidates will be given 30 minutes each to complete both objective and descriptive test. 

•    Be familiar with the syllabus and exam pattern. 

•    Divide the syllabus as per the time left for the exam.

•    Get the best books to prepare and decide daily target for study. Meet the daily and monthly targets.

•    Take lot of mock tests and practise ample sample papers and previous years question papers of IBPS SO. 

•    Make short notes while preparing. Use these short notes during revision.

•    Keep some days for revision. Make use of these short notes to revise the entire syllabus again.

•    Do not take any new topic or chapter during the last lap of the preparation.

IBPS SO admit card for the preliminary exam was issued on October 31, 2024 in online mode. Candidates can download the admit card by entering their registration number and date of birth in the login window. Candidates must download the admit card and take more than one printout.
Details on IBPS SO Admit Card: 

•    Roll number

•    Name and address of the candidate

•    Registration number

•    Venue code

•    Date and day of examination

•    Time of examination

•    Venue of examination

•    Candidate's passport size photograph

•    Space to paste passport size photograph

•    Space for candidate's signature

•    Space for candidate's left thumb impression

•    Space for invigilator’s signature

•    Exam Instructions

IBPS releases the admit card in online mode. Candidates can download the admit card by entering their login credentials until the day of examination. IBPS SO admit card has details like name and address of the candidate, roll number, registration number, venue code, venue of examination, date and day of examination etc. It is mandatory for the candidates to carry valid photo identity proof and their copies with the mains admit card of IBPS SO on the day of examination.

The IBPS SO result 2024 will be declared in online mode on the official website. In order to check the result of IBPS SO, candidates have to enter their registration number/roll number and password/date of birth. IBPS SO result are being declared separately as per the different posts - IT, Agriculture, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law, HR/Personnel and Marketing Officers.

Along with the result of IBPS SO, the scorecard is expected to be released. As per the number of vacancies, the exam authority decides separate qualifying marks as per the different posts. Further, a merit list for IBPS SO is prepared for all the qualified candidates. Based on the ranks and preferences of the candidates are recruited as Specialist Officer in participating banks.

The result of IBPS SO 2024 preliminary exam will be released on the official website. Candidates can check their results by entering their registration number/roll number and password/date of birth. Candidates have to secure the minimum qualifying marks, sectional as well as the overall cut-off of prelims. Candidates are considered eligible for appearing in the subsequent stage of the exam – Mains, only if they qualify in the prelims exam. 

How to check IBPS SO result?

• Visit the official website  

• Click on the IBPS SO result link

• Enter your registration number/roll number and date of birth/password

• Click on the submit button and the result of the prelims exam is displayed

Candidates can check their scorecard by entering their required credentials. The result of IBPS SO mains exam will be declared in online mode. Candidates can check the result for mains exam by entering the required details - registration number/roll number and date of birth/password. 

The result of IBPS SO mains exam will be declared only for those candidates who would take the mains test by securing the minimum qualifying marks, sectional and overall cut off of IBPS SO. The mains exam is held to test the professional knowledge of the candidates. 

Steps to check IBPS SO Main Result 

•    Candidates have to click on the result link

•    Enter IBPS SO registration number/roll number and date of birth/password

•    Click on submit button and see your result

The cut off of IBPS SO is released along with the result of the different stages of the exam – prelims, mains and interview. IBPS SO cut off marks included the post-wise, section-wise and category-wise qualifying marks for prelims and mains. After candidates qualify the mains exam, they have to appear in the interview. 

Post the interview conduction, the marks of the candidates in mains and interview are normalized to 100. Thus, the allotment of the posts happen as per the normalized scores of the candidates and their preference. The combined final score is arrived at by giving 80% weightage to the marks of mains exam and 20% weightage to interview marks.

IBPS will release the cut off of the preliminary exam online. IBPS SO cut off is the minimum marks candidates must secure in order to take the subsequent stage of the recruitment procedure. Candidates appeared in prelims exam and secured the post-wise, category-wise and section-wise cut off of IBPS SO prelims exam would be considered qualified for taking the mains exam. 

The mains cut off of IBPS SO will be released by the examination authority alongside the result of the exam. IBPS SO mains cut off is the minimum marks out of 60 which candidates have to secure as per their category, for each section and as per the post they have applied for, in order to be considered for appearing in the interview. 

Post the mains exam, if candidates qualify in this, the exam authority will also release another cut off which is applied for shortlisting candidates for appearing in the interview. IBPS will also release cut off score for provisional allotment and a reserve list. 

The selection procedure of IBPS SO includes preliminary exam, mains exam and interview. Candidates who qualify in prelims exam, are eligible to sit for the mains exam, while candidates qualifying in the mains exam would be considered for appearing in the interview. 

The interview will be conducted by the respective participating banks and coordinated by the Nodal Banks of each State/UT with the help of IBPS. The exam authority will inform the shortlisted candidates about the interview centre, address, time, day and other details shortlisted candidates via their call letter. 

Candidates are allotted marks in the interview out of 100. General category candidates have to score 40% marks in the interview, while SC/ST/OBC/PWD candidates have to secure 35% marks (which is the minimum cut off score for qualifying in the interview). 

The mains online exam and interview will be given a weightage (ratio) of 80:20 respectively. The combined final score will be calculated on the basis of total scores secured by the candidates in mains and interview. Candidates must qualify in mains as well as in the interview with sufficiently high in the merit to be shortlisted for subsequent provisional allotment. 

After candidates qualify the mains exam, further they have to appear in the interview. The interview will be held by the respective participating banks and coordinated by the Nodal Banks of each State/UT with the help of IBPS. Marks are allotted in the interview out of 100. General category candidates have to secure at least 40% marks, while reserved category candidates (SC/ST/OBC/PWD) candidates must score minimum 35% marks to qualify in the interview. 

The mains examination and interview will be given weightage in the ratio 80:20 respectively. The combined final score of the candidates will be arrived at based on their total scores in mains exam and interview. It's mandatory for candidates to qualify in mains and the interview with high scores so as to be shortlisted for provisional allotment.