IBPS PO Exam Design for 2025: Details on Preliminary and Main Examination Structure, Scoring System
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) has announced the updated exam pattern for the Probationary Officer (PO) recruitment process in 2025. The recruitment process consists of three stages: Online Preliminary, Online Main Examination, and Personality Test.
Online Preliminary Examination
The online preliminary exam is a screening stage, and candidates must qualify both sectionally and overall based on cutoffs. The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) for a total of 100 marks. The exam duration for each section is 20 minutes, and the overall duration is 60 minutes.
The sections and their respective marks and time limits are as follows:
- English Language: 30 questions, 30 marks, 20 minutes
- Quantitative Aptitude: 35 questions, 30 marks, 20 minutes
- Reasoning Ability: 35 questions, 40 marks, 20 minutes
The marking scheme is straightforward, with 1 mark awarded for each correct answer, and a penalty of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer. It is important to note that there is no penalty for unanswered questions in the IBPS PO Prelims exam.
Online Main Examination
The online main examination is the second stage of the recruitment process. The updated IBPS PO Mains exam pattern reflects recent changes, including the reduction of marks for Quantitative Aptitude from 35 to 30, an increase in marks for Reasoning Ability from 35 to 40, the exclusion of the Computer Aptitude section, a reduction in the number of questions and time limit for the Reasoning section, and a reduction in the number of questions and time limit for the General/Economy/Banking Awareness section.
The IBPS PO Mains exam consists of 145 objective-type questions and 2 descriptive questions. The total marks for the objective paper are 200. The sections and their respective marks, questions, and time limits are as follows:
- Reasoning & Computer Aptitude: 40 questions, 60 marks, 50 minutes
- General / Economy / Banking Awareness: 35 questions, 50 marks, 25 minutes
- English Language: 35 questions, 40 marks, 40 minutes
- Data Analysis & Interpretation: 35 questions, 50 marks, 45 minutes
The descriptive test includes 2 questions (Essay and Letter), 25 marks, and 30 minutes. The negative marking for each incorrect answer in the objective sections is 0.25 marks, but there is no negative marking in the descriptive test.
Final Selection
The final selection is based on the combined scores of the Mains objective & descriptive (80%) and the Interview (20%). It is important to note that the Prelims exam score is qualifying in nature only.
Candidates can download their admit cards for the IBPS PO Prelims exam till August 24, 2025, from the official website. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is conducting the online preliminary exam for the Probationary Officer/ Management Trainee (PO/MT) posts from August 17 to August 24, 2025.
Related stories include IBPS PO Previous Year Cut Off, IBPS PO Salary, IBPS PO English Questions, and IBPS PO Reasoning Questions. For more detailed information, candidates are advised to visit the official IBPS website, where the IBPS PO exam pattern and marking scheme are available.
In the recruitment process for the Probationary Officer (PO) position at the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) in 2025, education and self-development are crucial, as the IBPS PO Main Examination, a stage of the process, consists of sections like Reasoning Ability, General/Economy/Banking Awareness, and English Language, calling for extensive learning. Career development is also signals, as candidates who perform well in this stage and pass to the next round, could potentially secure prestigious banking positions. Learning will aid them in preparing for sections like Data Analysis & Interpretation, where problem-solving skills are essential.
