NEELGYAN EXAM GUIDE
IBPS Specialist Officer Exam Guide
CRP for Specialist Officers
2026–27 examination cycle · IBPS
Written and source-checked by NeelGyan Team · Last verified 2 August 2026
Checked against the official sources linked below
Current cycle
CRP SPL XVI
Current status
Applications closed; prelims upcoming
Next key date
29 August 2026
Updated vacancies
1,035 indicative
Age
20–30 years on 1 July 2026
Selection route
Prelims → mains → interview
2026–27 cycle tracker
- Detailed notice1 July 2026
- ApplicationsClosed July 2026
- Preliminary exam29 AugustYou are here
- Main exam1 November
- InterviewAfter mains
- Provisional allotmentAfter final merit
On This Page
Exam Resources
About IBPS SO
What is IBPS SO?
IBPS CRP Specialist Officers XVI recruits Scale I IT Officers, Agricultural Field Officers, Rajbhasha Adhikaris, Law Officers, HR/Personnel Officers and Marketing Officers for participating public-sector banks.
IBPS published 1,035 updated indicative vacancies as on 20 July 2026. The preliminary examination is officially scheduled for 29 August and the main examination for 1 November.
Educational eligibility is role-specific and exact. A general bachelor's degree alone does not make a candidate eligible for every Specialist Officer post.
Latest IBPS Specialist Officer Updates
Verified updates, newest first
IBPS Specialist Officer Highlights
Key verified exam details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Posts | IT, AFO, Rajbhasha, Law, HR and Marketing |
| Prelims | 100 questions · 125 marks · 80 minutes |
| Mains | Role-specific professional knowledge plus qualifying sections |
| Final weight | Main 80% · Interview 20% |
| Negative marking | One-fourth of assigned marks |
| Vacancies | 1,035 indicative as on 20 July |
IBPS Specialist Officer 2026–27 Important Dates
Official notification and exam timeline
| Milestone | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Detailed notification | Published | |
| Extended application closure | Closed | |
| Preliminary examination | Upcoming | |
| Main examination | Upcoming |
IBPS Specialist Officer Application Process and Fees
Official application route and fee details
The CRP SPL XVI application portal is closed. Use the official cycle page for call letters and results.
Candidates had to select one Specialist Officer post and meet its exact discipline, course-duration and professional condition.
Updated vacancies are indicative and cannot override educational eligibility.
| Candidate category | Fee |
|---|---|
| SC, ST and PwBD candidates | ₹175 |
| All other candidates | ₹850 |
- Bank transaction charges, if any, are borne by the candidate.
IBPS Specialist Officer Eligibility Criteria
Qualification, age and other requirements
IT Officer
Technical degree / PG
- Specified engineering, technology or postgraduate disciplines qualify.
- The notice also lists a graduate plus DOEACC B-level route.
Agriculture
4-year degree
- Only the listed agriculture and allied disciplines qualify.
- A general science degree should not be assumed eligible.
Law and Rajbhasha
Professional / PG
- Law requires LLB and advocate enrolment.
- Rajbhasha uses the exact Hindi, Sanskrit and degree-language combinations in the notice.
HR and Marketing
Graduate + 2-year PG
- The postgraduate qualification must match the specified HR or marketing field.
- Course duration and full-time wording matter.
IBPS SO Prelims Call Letter
Verified current-cycle status
Current status: Use the CRP SPL XVI official page for the call-letter link when IBPS activates it.
Verify the opted post, date, shift, venue, reporting time and identity documents on the issued call letter.
IBPS Specialist Officer Exam Pattern and Selection Process
Stages, papers and qualifying rules
- 01Post-specific preliminary exam
- 02Main exam with Professional Knowledge
- 03Interview
- 04Provisional bank allotment
IBPS SO XVI Preliminary Pattern
| Component | Questions | Marks / time |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 25 | 25 · 20 min |
| Reasoning | 25 | 25 · 20 min |
| Quantitative Aptitude or General Awareness with banking reference | 25 | 25 · 20 min |
| Professional Knowledge | 25 | 50 · 20 min |
- Total: 100 questions, 125 marks and 80 minutes.
- Law and Rajbhasha use General Awareness; IT, AFO, HR and Marketing use Quantitative Aptitude.
IBPS SO XVI Main Pattern
| Component | Questions | Marks / time |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 · 25 min |
| Reasoning | 40 | 40 · 35 min |
| Quantitative Aptitude or General Awareness | 30 | 30 · 25 min |
| Professional Knowledge | 50 | 100 · 40 or 45 min |
| Descriptive paper | 2 | 25 · 30 min |
- Total: 150 objective questions for 200 marks plus 25 descriptive marks.
- Rajbhasha uses a bilingual Professional Knowledge descriptive paper; the other notified posts use English descriptive.
- Only Professional Knowledge contributes to main merit; the other sections are qualifying under the notice.
IBPS Specialist Officer Syllabus Overview
Subjects and stages in the official syllabus
- Common ability areas: English, Reasoning and either Quantitative Aptitude or banking General Awareness according to post.
- Professional Knowledge is specific to IT, Agriculture, Rajbhasha, Law, HR or Marketing and carries the core main-merit weight.
- Use the current notice and role qualification as boundaries; a generic bank-exam syllabus cannot replace the specialist subject.
IT
Core computing, networks, databases, operating systems, software, security and role-relevant technical fundamentals.
Agriculture
Agronomy, soil, horticulture, livestock, extension, agricultural economy and banking-linked rural concepts.
Law / Rajbhasha
Role-specific legal or language professional knowledge together with the notice's common ability sections.
HR / Marketing
Human-resource or marketing principles, organisational and management concepts, plus common ability sections.
IBPS SO Answer Key
Verified current-cycle status
Current status: IBPS does not normally maintain a public official answer-key archive for this recruitment exam.
Memory-based professional-knowledge questions are unofficial and can differ by post or shift.
IBPS SO Result Status
Verified current-cycle status
Current status: No CRP SPL XVI preliminary result existed before the 29 August examination.
Preliminary qualification leads to the post-specific main examination; main and interview performance determine final combined merit.
IBPS SO Cut-off
Verified current-cycle status
Current status: No official CRP SPL XVI cut-off was available before the examination stages.
Thresholds vary by post, category and stage. A previous IT Officer cut-off does not establish an AFO or Law Officer threshold.
IBPS SO XVI Role Comparison
Updated indicative vacancies by specialist stream
Each Specialist Officer post has a separate qualification and vacancy count; apply the exact row, not a broad label.
- IT Officer Scale I
- Agricultural Field Officer Scale I
- Rajbhasha Adhikari Scale I
- Law Officer Scale I
- HR/Personnel Officer Scale I
- Marketing Officer Scale I
CRP SPL XVI Updated Vacancies
| Post | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| IT Officer | 376 |
| Agricultural Field Officer | 370 |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari | 94 |
| Law Officer | 125 |
| HR/Personnel Officer | 60 |
| Marketing Officer | 10 |
- Total: 1,035 indicative vacancies.
- Participating banks can revise these figures.
Official sources for this table
IBPS Specialist Officer Preparation Strategy
A syllabus-first preparation route
- Confirm post eligibility before beginning a specialist syllabus; course title and duration can determine whether an application is valid.
- Prepare the Professional Knowledge section as the main merit driver while still clearing every qualifying section.
- Use separate 20-minute prelim section practice and the longer main-stage professional block.
- Build interview answers around genuine specialist training and banking application rather than generic PO responses.
Official-first IBPS SO Preparation Stack
- Keep the CRP SPL XVI detailed notice and role qualification row as the source of truth.
- Use standard university or professional texts for the chosen specialist discipline.
- Use IBPS's official mock-test route when activated.
- Use RBI and public-sector bank sources to connect specialist knowledge to banking practice.
IBPS Specialist Officer Previous Question Papers
Official question-paper resources
IBPS does not maintain a stable official past-paper archive. Its mock route is official; memory-based specialist questions must be labelled unofficial and post-specific.
IBPS Specialist Officer Frequently Asked Questions
When is IBPS SO XVI prelims?
29 August 2026 according to the official IBPS calendar.
How many IBPS SO XVI vacancies are there?
IBPS published 1,035 updated indicative vacancies as on 20 July 2026.
Can any graduate apply for IBPS SO?
No. Every post has a specific technical, agricultural, legal, language, HR or marketing qualification.
What is the IBPS SO age limit?
20–30 years as on 1 July 2026, with prescribed relaxations.
Which main section determines merit?
Under the XVI notice, Professional Knowledge drives main merit while the other main sections are qualifying.
What is the final weighting?
Main performance is weighted 80 percent and interview 20 percent for final combined merit.
Is there negative marking?
Yes. One-fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for a wrong objective answer.
What is the application fee?
₹175 for SC, ST and PwBD candidates and ₹850 for all other candidates, including GST.
Official Information and Sources
Primary notice and authority links
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Verify Before You Apply
Eligibility, dates, fees, vacancies, pattern and status can change. Read the latest notice on the official authority’s website before applying. NeelGyan does not collect application fees or guarantee admission or selection.