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IBPS SO Recruitment 2026: Apply Online for 745 Posts

📅 Posted: 01/07/2026 📝 Updated: 04/07/2026
Total Vacancy745
SalaryBasic ₹48,480-85,920 (Scale I) [Approx. ₹65,000-70,000/Month with allowances]
LocationAll India
Last Date21/07/2026

Short Information: IBPS has opened online registration for CRP SPL-XVI, the common recruitment process that fills Specialist Officer posts in eleven public sector banks including Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank, and Union Bank of India. This cycle covers 745 vacancies across six specialist streams — IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer — all at Scale I. IT Officer carries the largest share with 301 posts, followed by Agricultural Field Officer at 190 posts. Candidates between 20 and 30 years as on 01 July 2026 can apply if they hold the relevant degree — a 4-year engineering degree for IT Officer, an LLB with Bar Council enrolment for Law Officer, or a postgraduate degree in Hindi or Sanskrit for Rajbhasha Adhikari. The pay scale starts at ₹48,480 and moves through several increments up to ₹85,920, placing Scale I officers well above typical entry-level clerical pay once allowances are added. Selection runs through three stages: an Online Preliminary Exam in August 2026, an Online Main Exam in November 2026, and a Common Interview around November or December 2026, before provisional allotment to a participating bank in January 2027. Registration and fee payment stay open from 01 July 2026 to 21 July 2026, with a two-day edit window afterward for correcting application details.

IBPS SO Recruitment 2026 2026Important Dates

Notification Released01/07/2026
Online Registration Begin01/07/2026
Last Date to Apply Online21/07/2026
Pay Application Fee Last Date21/07/2026
Edit Window (Modify Application)For 2 days after closing of registration
Online Preliminary ExaminationAugust, 2026
Preliminary Exam ResultSeptember/October, 2026
Online Main ExaminationNovember, 2026
Main Exam ResultNovember, 2026
InterviewNovember/December, 2026
Provisional AllotmentJanuary, 2027

IBPS SO Recruitment 2026 2026Application Fee

Gen / EWS / OBC₹850
SC / ST / PwBD₹175
Payment: Online (Debit Card/Credit Card/Internet Banking/IMPS/Mobile Wallets/UPI)

IBPS SO Recruitment 2026: Apply Online for 745 PostsVacancy Details & Age Limit

Age Limit: 20-30 Years (as on 01/07/2026)

(SC/ST: 5 Years, OBC (Non-Creamy Layer): 3 Years, Persons with Benchmark Disability: 10 Years, Ex-Servicemen/Commissioned Officers: 5 Years)

Post NameTotal PostEligibility
IT Officer (Scale I)3014-yr Engineering/Tech Degree in CS/IT/Electronics OR relevant PG Degree.
Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I)1904-yr Degree in Agriculture/Horticulture/Animal Husbandry/allied fields.
Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)89PG in Hindi with English as subject at degree level (or PG in Sanskrit with English & Hindi).
Law Officer (Scale I)105Bachelor Degree in Law (LLB) and enrolled as Advocate with Bar Council.
HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I)60Graduate and 2-yr full time PG Degree/Diploma in Personnel Management/HR/IR.
Marketing Officer (Scale I)0Graduate and 2-yr full time MBA/MMS/PGDM with specialization in Marketing.
Total Vacancy745
Note: Vacancies are indicative and may change based on actual requisition by Participating Banks.

Recruitment Table: Category Wise Vacancy Details

Post NameUROBCSCSTEWSTotal
IT Officer (Scale I)12282462328301
Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I)7951281319190
Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)4321116889
Law Officer (Scale I)492614610105
HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I)281583660
Marketing Officer (Scale I)000000
Total3211951075171745
Note:Vacancies are indicative (2027-28) and subject to change as per actual business needs of Participating Banks.

Recruitment Table: PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disability) Vacancy by Post

Post NameH IO CV II D
IT Officer (Scale I)4522
Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I)2221
Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)0001
Law Officer (Scale I)0120
HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I)1100
Marketing Officer (Scale I)0000
Note:HI = Hearing Impaired, OC = Orthopedically Challenged/Locomotor, VI = Visually Impaired, ID = Intellectual Disability.

IBPS SO Recruitment 2026Eligibility Criteria

  • Candidate must be a Citizen of India, or a subject of Nepal/Bhutan, or a Tibetan refugee who came before 01 January 1962, or a person of Indian origin migrated from specified countries with an eligibility certificate from Govt. of India.
  • Age must be between 20 and 30 years as on 01/07/2026 (born not earlier than 02/07/1996 and not later than 01/07/2006).
  • Candidate can apply for only one post; multiple applications will be summarily rejected.
  • Educational qualification as prescribed for the respective post must be held, with final result declared on or before 21/07/2026.
  • For posts other than IT Officer, candidates must have studied Computer/Information Technology as a subject or hold a related certificate/diploma.

IBPS SO Recruitment 2026Pay Scale / Salary Structure

Post NameSalary Level
Specialist Officer (Scale I) - All PostsBasic ₹48480-2000/7-62480-2340/2-67160-2680/7-85920

IBPS SO Recruitment 2026Selection Process Steps

  1. Online Preliminary Examination
  2. Online Main Examination
  3. Common Interview
  4. Provisional Allotment

IBPS SO Recruitment 2026Detailed Exam Pattern

Recruitment Details: Exam Overview

  • Two-tier online examination: Preliminary and Main, followed by a Common Interview.
  • Negative Marking: 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer in Objective Tests. No penalty for unattempted questions.
  • In the Main Exam, all tests except Professional Knowledge are qualifying in nature; merit is based on Professional Knowledge score.
  • Relative weightage of Online Main Examination and Interview is 80:20.

Recruitment Table: Preliminary Exam - IT Officer / Agricultural Field Officer / HR-Personnel Officer / Marketing Officer

SubjectQuestionsMarksDuration
English Language252520 minutes
Reasoning252520 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude252520 minutes
Professional Knowledge255020 minutes
Total10012580

Recruitment Table: Preliminary Exam - Law Officer & Rajbhasha Adhikari

SubjectQuestionsMarksDuration
English Language252520 minutes
Reasoning252520 minutes
General Awareness (Banking)252520 minutes
Professional Knowledge255020 minutes
Total10012580

Recruitment Table: Main Exam - IT Officer / Agricultural Field Officer / HR-Personnel Officer / Marketing Officer

SubjectQuestionsMarksDuration
English Language303025 minutes
Reasoning404035 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude303025 minutes
Professional Knowledge (Objective)5010040 minutes
Descriptive Paper (English)22530 minutes
Total152225155

Recruitment Table: Main Exam - Rajbhasha Adhikari

SubjectQuestionsMarksDuration
English Language303025 minutes
Reasoning404035 minutes
General Awareness (Banking)303020 minutes
Professional Knowledge (Objective)5010045 minutes
Professional Knowledge (Descriptive)22530 minutes
Total152225155

Recruitment Table: Main Exam - Law Officer

SubjectQuestionsMarksDuration
English Language303025 minutes
Reasoning404035 minutes
General Awareness (Banking)303020 minutes
Professional Knowledge (Objective)5010045 minutes
Descriptive Paper (English)22530 minutes
Total152225155

Recruitment Table: Job Profile by Post

Post NamePrimary Responsibilities
IT OfficerManage bank's IT infrastructure, software applications, network security, and digital banking systems; support core banking operations.
Agricultural Field OfficerAppraise and sanction agricultural loans, conduct farm visits, promote priority sector lending, and support rural credit schemes.
Rajbhasha AdhikariImplement official language policy, translate official documents into Hindi, and promote Hindi usage across bank correspondence.
Law OfficerHandle legal documentation, loan recovery litigation, contract vetting, and represent the bank in legal proceedings.
HR/Personnel OfficerManage recruitment, training, employee relations, performance appraisal, and HR policy implementation for bank staff.
Marketing OfficerDrive product marketing, cross-selling of banking products, market research, and customer acquisition strategies.

Recruitment Table: Selection Weightage

ComponentWeightage
Online Main Examination80%
Interview20%

IBPS SO Recruitment 2026Subject-wise Syllabus Topics

The syllabus covers English Language, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude/General Awareness, and post-specific Professional Knowledge as per graduate/postgraduate level relevant to each specialist stream.

📚 English Language
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Grammar
  • Vocabulary
  • Cloze Test
  • Para Jumbles
📚 Reasoning
  • Puzzles
  • Seating Arrangement
  • Syllogism
  • Coding-Decoding
  • Blood Relations
📚 Quantitative Aptitude
  • Data Interpretation
  • Simplification
  • Number Series
  • Arithmetic Problems
📚 General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry
  • Banking Terms
  • Current Affairs
  • Financial Awareness
  • RBI Policies
📚 Professional Knowledge
  • Post-specific subject knowledge as per graduate/postgraduate curriculum (Expected based on previous papers)

IBPS SO Recruitment 2026How to Apply

  1. Visit the official IBPS website www.ibps.in.
  2. Click on the link 'CRP SPL' and then 'Click Here to Apply Online for CRP-Specialist Officers (CRP SPL-XVI)'.
  3. Click 'Click Here for New Registration' and fill basic details to generate provisional registration number and password.
  4. Upload photograph, signature, left thumb impression, hand written declaration, and SSC/SSLC/10th certificate as per specifications.
  5. Fill in the complete application form using 'Save and Next' and verify all details carefully.
  6. Pay the application fee/intimation charges through Online mode (Debit Card/Credit Card/Net Banking/UPI).
  7. Submit the application and take a printout of the system-generated application form and e-receipt for future reference.

Recruitment Note: About IBPS

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is an autonomous recruitment body set up by the Reserve Bank of India and public sector banks to conduct standardized recruitment for banking personnel across India. IBPS conducts the annual Common Recruitment Process (CRP) for Clerks, POs, RRBs, and Specialist Officers on behalf of eleven participating public sector banks, coordinating online examinations, interviews, and provisional allotment through Nodal Banks in each state and region.

Recruitment Note: Benefits & Perks Beyond Salary

Specialist Officers selected through CRP SPL-XVI are eligible for allowances and perquisites as per the rules of the allotted Participating Bank, typically including Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance, Medical coverage, Provident Fund, Gratuity, Pension (NPS), Leave Fare Concession, and other standard public sector bank benefits applicable from time to time.
Apply Online Application Window: 01/07/2026 to 21/07/2026 Click Here ↗
Download Notification CRP SPL-XVI (Vacancies of 2027-28) Click Here ↗
Official Website Click Here ↗
Disclaimer Information provided here is for quick reference. Verify all details on the official website before taking action.

Quick Overview

🚀 Recruitment Overview

Quick Summary of the Notification

Organization Government Board Logo IBPS
Post Name Specialist Officer (Scale I)
Total Vacancy 745
Salary Basic ₹48,480-85,920 (Scale I) [Approx. ₹65,000-70,000/Month with allowances]
Job Location All India
Apply Mode Online
Last Date 21/07/2026
Official Website Visit Website ↗

💡 Expert Tip

One detail candidates often overlook in CRP SPL-XVI is that a candidate can apply for only one post — submitting more than one application leads to automatic rejection of all except the last completed one, and the extra fee is forfeited. Since the Main Exam carries a penalty of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer, avoid guessing on Professional Knowledge questions where you can't eliminate at least two options, as this section alone decides the merit list; English, Reasoning, and General Awareness/Quantitative Aptitude are only qualifying in the Main Exam. Also keep the hand-written declaration in your own handwriting and in English, not capital letters — mismatched handwriting detected at a later stage can cancel your candidature even after provisional allotment.

Common Questions (FAQs)

Q.1 What is the in-hand salary for IBPS SO Specialist Officer?
Ans: The post falls under Scale I with Basic Pay of ₹48,480 (₹48480-2000/7-62480-2340/2-67160-2680/7-85920). After adding DA, HRA, and other allowances as per the allotted bank's rules, the starting in-hand salary is approximately ₹65,000 to ₹70,000 per month.
Q.2 What is the last date to apply online for IBPS SO Recruitment 2026?
Ans: The last date to apply online and pay the application fee/intimation charges for CRP SPL-XVI is 21/07/2026. Registration began on 01/07/2026. Candidates are advised not to wait until the last date due to possible website load issues.
Q.3 Is there any negative marking in the IBPS SO exam?
Ans: Yes, there is negative marking in both the Preliminary and Main online examinations. For each wrong answer marked in the Objective Tests, 0.25 marks (one-fourth) of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted. Unattempted questions carry no penalty.
Q.4 What is the age limit for IBPS SO Specialist Officer posts?
Ans: Candidates must be between 20 and 30 years as on 01/07/2026, i.e., born not earlier than 02/07/1996 and not later than 01/07/2006. Age relaxation is available: 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC (NCL), 10 years for PwBD, and 5 years for Ex-servicemen.
Q.5 How to download the IBPS SO CRP SPL-XVI Notification PDF?
Ans: The detailed notification for CRP SPL-XVI can be downloaded from the official IBPS website www.ibps.in under the 'CRP SPL' link. Candidates should read the complete notification carefully before applying online for eligibility and process details.
Q.6 What is the educational qualification required for IBPS SO posts?
Ans: Qualification varies by post: IT Officer needs a 4-year Engineering/Tech degree in relevant streams or equivalent PG; Agricultural Field Officer needs a 4-year degree in Agriculture or allied fields; Law Officer needs an LLB with Bar Council enrolment; HR/Personnel and Marketing Officer need Graduation plus a relevant 2-year PG degree/diploma; Rajbhasha Adhikari needs a PG in Hindi or Sanskrit with specified subject combinations.
Q.7 What is the selection process for IBPS SO Specialist Officer?
Ans: Selection involves an Online Preliminary Examination, followed by an Online Main Examination, and a Common Interview conducted by Participating Banks. Only Main Exam Professional Knowledge scores decide merit listing, and the final score combines Main Exam and Interview marks in an 80:20 ratio before provisional allotment.
Q.8 What documents are required for the IBPS SO application?
Ans: Candidates must upload a recent photograph, signature, left thumb impression, a hand-written declaration in English, and SSC/SSLC/10th standard certificate during registration. At later stages, original documents including caste certificate, EWS certificate, disability certificate (if applicable), and educational mark sheets must be produced for verification.

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