IBPS PO Exam Pattern 2024: Detailed Exam Format for Prelims and Mains Exams

IBPS PO Exam Pattern 2024: IBPS PO exam pattern is designed by IBPS itself. The paper comprises three prominent phases: Prelims, Mains, and Interviews. Each year, Probationary Officers and Management Trainees are selected through this mode of examination to work in IBPS PO participating banks. It is also called the Common Recruitment Process (CRP), and candidates from all over the country sit for the examination with the hope of being recruited as a PO. 

It is essential for students to prepare for the examination keeping the IBPS PO syllabus and exam pattern in mind. As mentioned earlier, the examination has three phases and the candidate needs to perform exceptionally well in all the phases. If one has met the IBPS PO cut-off for prelims he/she will be selected for IBPS PO mains. After one obtains a valid score in Mains, he/she will be called for a personal interview round. The final selection is done on the basis of the candidate’s performance in mains and interviews. 

Check merit list details here: IBPS PO Result 2024

IBPS PO Exam Pattern 2024

Every year, a notification PDF is released on the official website of IBPS which has all the details about the recruitment process. The document reveals relevant information that gives interested candidates better clarity. IBPS has announced that the IBPS PO Prelims will be conducted in October 2024, while IBPS PO Mains will be held in November 2024. The notification will include the exam pattern and syllabus, but till then, applicants can check this article out for their reference. 

The table below presents the highlights of the IBPS PO exam pattern-

Let us analyze the exam pattern in detail so the candidates know exactly what to expect when they appear for the examination. 

IBPS PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2024

This is the first phase of the examination, which has three sections that the candidates need to score well in. A specific duration has been dedicated to each section, and if the candidate fails to finish the paper in that duration, his answers will not be accepted.

Quick Highlights

• There are a total of three sections in the examination, i.e Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, and English Language.
• Each correct question carries a +1 mark and the wrong question has 0.25 negative marks.
• The mode of examination is online.
• The duration of the examination is approximately 1 hour (60 minutes).
• The questions will be in an objective (MCQ) pattern, wherein 5 options will be given out of which 1 option will be correct.
• The English section will only be in English while the other two sections will be in both English and Hindi. 

Candidates that meet the cut-off for this paper will be eligible to appear for IBPS PO Main Exam. 

IBPS PO Mains Exam Pattern 2024

This is the second and more elaborated phase of the examination. When compared to the Prelims round, this phase has an additional two sections, namely Computer Aptitude and General Awareness. Candidates who have met the cut-off for Prelims are the only eligible ones for this round. 

Quick Highlights

• There are a total of five sections in the examination, which are: Essay & Letter Writing, Reasoning, Computer Aptitude, General Awareness, Data Analysis & Interpretation, and the English language. 
• One-fourth of the marks are deducted for the wrongly selected answers. 
•  IBPS PO Main will be conducted in both online and offline modes.
• Candidates will get 3 hours and 30 minutes to solve the paper (3 hours for objective paper and 30 minutes for descriptive paper).
• There will be 155 multiple-choice questions and 2 written questions. Each question will have 5 options wherein only 1 option will be correct.
• There will be an overall and also sectional cut-off. 

Candidates that meet the required cut-off for this round will be eligible to appear for IBPS Interview.

IBPS PO Interview 2024

Candidates having qualified IBPS Mains will be eligible to appear for the personal interview round. The interview carries 100 marks and will carry 20% weightage in the final result. 

This round is of great significance as through this, the candidate’s communication skills and overall personality is evaluated. The final merit list is prepared by assessing the candidate’s performance in the Mains examination and the interview round.

IBPS PO combined score will be declared based on scores obtained by the candidates in the Main Examination and Interview in the ratio of 80:20.

After the interview round ends, provisional allotment will be done as per the vacancies in different banks.