IBPS SO

What is the IBPS SO?

• The IBPS SO Exam is conducted every year by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS ) to recruit Specialist Officers for different positions in the Public sector banks in India. These specialisations include Officers in departments related to Law, Human Resources. IT, etc.

Can a student in his final semester apply for the IBPS SO exam?

• Yes, a student appearing for the final semester exam is eligible to apply for the IBPS SO exam. But they must note that they need to provide their Graduation degree or certificate at the time of document verification.

For which post is the IBPS SO exam conducted?

There are two types of prelims pattern for IBPS SO exam. The candidates should clear the overall cut off and sectional cut off to move on to the next phase of selection. For each wrong answer, 1/4th of the marks are deducted as the penalty. The various posts in IBPS SO selection are,

• Law Officer
• IT Officer
• Agriculture Field Officer
• HR/Personnel Officer
• Marketing Officer

IBPS SO Age Limit

• The minimum age to apply for IBPS SO is 20 years and the maximum age is 30 years. There are certain relaxations to the same which will be duly mentioned, wherein the maximum age is increased for candidates belonging to the reserved categories.

Relaxation in IBPS SO Age Limit:

• The relaxation for candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe is of 5 years.
• The relaxation for candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes (Non-creamy Layer) is of 3 years.
• The relaxation for persons with a benchmark disability is 10 years.
• The relaxation for candidates who are ex-servicemen is 5 years.

Age Limit:- The candidates should fulfill the upper and lower age limits without fail.

IBPS SO Educational Qualification

The educational qualification to apply for the various post of IBPS SO are:

IBPS SO Online Application

The online application form will be available on the official website of IBPS.

How to Apply For IBPS SO Exam 2022?

Step 1: Candidates will find the form on the official website – www.ibps.in

Step 2: Now, click on ‘New Registration’.

Step 3: You should provide your basic information to register like your name, date of birth, etc.

Step 4: Now you will receive a provisional registration number and a system-generated password. Note these down for future reference.

Step 5: Fill up the application form carefully & click on “Save and Next” after verifying details in each section.

Step 6: Upload your scanned photograph and signature & select the state you want to apply for and submit it.

Step 7: Pay the Online Application fee & take a printout of the e-receipt and online application for your future reference.

IBPS SO Selection Process 2022

In several Public Sector Banks, the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts the Common Recruitment Process (CRP) for the recruitment of Specialist Officers in various cadres such as IT, Agriculture, Law, Marketing, HR, and Rashtrabhasha Adhikari. The details of the IBPS specialist officer selection process are listed below. The IBPS SO selection process consists of the following 3 stages:

• Prelims
• Mains
• Interview

IBPS SO Participating Banks List

Under the IBPS SO, the following banks will hire eligible candidates for various positions such as marketing officer, Rajhbhasha Adhikari, legal officer, HR/ Personnel Officer, Agricultural Officer and many more. Check the list of participating banks in the previous year of IBPS SO.

IBPS SO Bank List

– Bank of Baroda                         – Bank of India                            – Canara bank

– Bank of Maharashtra                – Central Bank of India               – Indian bank

– Indian Overseas Bank              – Punjab national bank               – Punjab & Sind bank

– UCO bank                                 – Union bank of India                 

IBPS SO Prelims pattern for Rajbhasha Adhikari  & Law Officer

IBPS SO Prelims pattern for IT Officer, Marketing Officer, Agriculture Field Officer and HR / Personnel Officer.

IBPS SO Mains Exam Pattern:

Like prelims exam, the IBPS SO mains exam pattern is also available in 2 types, depending on the post. The penalty marks for each wrong answer is 1/4th of the marks assigned to that question.

IBPS SO Mains Syllabus:

IT Officer (Scale-I) Syllabus:-

• Data Communication and Networking, Object-Oriented Programming, Database Management System, Software Engineering, Computer Organization and Microprocessor, Data Structure, Operating System

Agricultural Field Officer (Scale-I) Syllabus:-

• Agricultural Economics, Soil resources Animal Husbandry, Agroforestry, Basics of Crop production, Horticulture, Seed Science, Agronomy and Irrigation, Agricultural Practices, Ecology, Government Schemes.

Law Officer (Scale-I) Syllabus:-

• Banking Regulations, Compliance and Legal Aspects Prevention of Money-laundering, Limitation Act, Relevant Law and Orders related to negotiable instruments, securities, foreign exchange, Banking Ombudsman Scheme Bankers Book Evidence Act, Consumer Protection Act, DRT Act, Laws and Actions with the direct link to Banking Sector, SARFAESI.

Marketing Officer (Scale-I) Syllabus:-

• Basics of Marketing Management, Advertising PR, Brand Management, Marketing Strategies, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sales, Market Segmentation, Business Ethics, Retail, Market research and forecasting demand Service Marketing, Product Life Cycle.

HR/Personnel Officer (Scale-I) Syllabus:-

• Training and Development, Business policy and strategic analysis, Performance Management and Appraisal, Human Resource Development, Business policy and strategic analysis, Transnational Analysis, Industrial Relations, Grievance and Conflict Management, Rewards and Recognition, Recruitment and Selection.

IBPS SO Syllabus for Rajbhasha Adhikari

The Rajbhasha Adhikari primarily deals with Hindi communications, advertising material and associated documents handled by the bank. The topics covered in the Rajbhasha Adhikari syllabus are as follows:

• Grammar
• Error Correction
• Fill in The Banks
• Reading Comprehension
• Letter Writing
• Essay Writing

IBPS SO Interview

• Upon clearing the written test, you become eligible for the interview.
• The interview is conducted by the participating organizations and coordinated by the nodal banks with the help of IBPS. The interview is 100 marks.
• The minimum qualifying marks in an interview should not be less than 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWD candidates).

IBPS SO Final Merit List

• The final merit list is prepared on the basis of total scores obtained in the written test + Interview. The weightage of the online test and interview will be 80 : 20. For being selected as a Specialist Officer in the public sector bank you have to qualify in both exams – A written online exam as well as an Interview and must score high in the merit list.

IBPS SO Exam Syllabus

The syllabus of IBPS SO Exam will cover topics from General English, Reasoning Ability, General Awareness, and Quantitative Aptitude. The details of the syllabus are mentioned below:

Reasoning Ability:

• Seating arrangement puzzles
• Inequality syllogisms
• Input and Output of data
• Sufficiency Problems
• Blood relations
• Order and Ranking problems
• Alphanumeric
• Verbal Reasoning
• Distance and Direction

General English

• Reading
• Comprehension
• Spotting Errors
• Sentence Improvement/correction
• Unscrambling of Paragraphs
• Filling in the blanks
• Close tests
• Sentence completion

Quantitative Aptitude

• Number Series simplifications
• Approximation and Interpretation of Data
• Quadratic Equations
• Data Sufficiency
• Mensuration
• Averages
• Profit and Loss
• Simple and Compound Interest
• Time
• Work
• Distance
• Partnership
• Ratio and Proportion
• Probability

General Awareness

• Current Affairs and Banking Awareness Topics
• Questions on books and their authors
• Currencies
• Important Places
• Awards
• Headquarters
• Prime minister’s schemes

Apart from these subjects, candidates are required to have Professional Knowledge in his/her area of expertise as well. The detailed syllabus is discussed below:

Syllabus:

IT Officer (Scale-I)

• Database Management System
• Data Communication and Networking
• Operating System
• Software Engineering
• Data Structure
• Computer Organization and Microprocessor
• Object-Oriented Programming

Agricultural Field Officer (Scale-I)

• Basics of Crop production
• Horticulture
• Seed Science
• Agronomy and Irrigation
• Agricultural Economics
• Agricultural Practices
• Soil resources
• Animal Husbandry
• Agroforestry
• Ecology
• Government Schemes

Marketing Officer (Scale-I):

• Basics of Marketing Management
• Brand Management
• Advertising
• PR
• Sales
• Retail
• Business Ethics
• Market Segmentation
• Market research and forecasting demand
• Product Life Cycle
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Service Marketing
• Marketing Strategies

Law Officer (Scale-I):

• Banking Regulations
• Compliance and Legal Aspects
• Relevant Law and Orders related to negotiable instruments, securities, foreign exchange
• Prevention of Money-laundering, Limitation Act
• Consumer Protection Act
• SARFAES
• Banking Ombudsman Scheme
• Laws and Actions with the direct link to Banking Sector
• Bankers Book Evidence Act
• DRT Act

HR/Personnel Officer (Scale-I):

• Human Resource Development
• Business policy and strategic analysis
• Transnational Analysis
• Training and Development
• Recruitment and Selection
• Rewards and Recognition
• Industrial Relations
• Business Policy and Strategic Analysis
• Grievance and Conflict Management
• Performance Management and Appraisal

IBPS SO Exam Results

The results for the IBPS-SO Exam will be declared in 3 phases – preliminary, main, and final.

The final result (inclusive of interview evaluation) will be declared. These interviews will typically happen in February. The results, and provisional allotments, will be handed out through the official website.

IBPS SO Exam Cut Off

The minimum score required to be secured in order to qualify for the examination will be communicated by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection through the official website.

The steps to check the cut-off of IBPS SO will be available on the official website of IBPS:

Step 1: The candidate is required to visit the official website.

Step 2: At the top of the page, they will be needed to click on the “IBPS SO cut off” link from a list of notifications.

Step 3: Candidates will be required to enter their login credentials.

Step 4: The mark sheet of the candidate will then be visible on the screen, with a sectional and overall cut-off.

IBPS SO Admit Card

IBPS will release admit card of IBPS SO Candidates can download the admit card from the official website of IBPS i.e., www.ibps.in. IBPS SO Admit Card is released separately for Prelims, Mains, and Interviews.

The steps to download the IBPS SO Admit Card are:

• Go to the official website of IBPS i.e., https://www.ibps.in/
• Candidates need to log in using their Registration Number and Password.
• Candidates will see a link on their profile i.e., “Download Admit Card” and click on the link.
• The admit card of the IBPS SO admit card will appear on the screen.
• Go through all the details and take a printout of the admit card of IBPS SO.