IBPS SO Selection Process 2023: The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducts the IBPS SO recruitment annually for the position of the specialist officer. IBPS will hold the examination for the following Scale I positions through the IBPS SO 2023 Recruitment: IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer, Law Officer, and Rajbhasa Adhikari.
For better preparation, candidates must be familiar with the selection criteria and exam format as well as IBPS SO 2023 syllabus. The selection of candidates is based on a common recruitment process (CRP). The selection process is divided into two parts: the common written exam (preliminary and main exam) followed by the common interview.
Candidates must perform well in each stage in order to get selected for the post of SO. Complete details related to the IBPS SO 2023 selection process, along with the IBPS SO 2023 exam pattern, are provided in the given article.
IBPS SO 2023 Selection process
| IBPS SO 2023 Selection process | Mode of exam | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Exam | Objective type | Hindi English |
| Mains Exam | Objective type( IT, Agriculture, HR, Marketing, Law, Rajhbhasa) Objective+Descriptive type(Law, Rajhbhasa) | Hindi English |
| Interview | Viva | Hindi English |
IBPS SO 2023 Preliminary Exam
The preliminary exam is the first stage of the examination. All the questions in the exam are of the objective type, and the exam is taken online using the CBT format. Altogether, there are three sections, which include a total of 150 questions worth 125 marks. The prelims exam is qualifying in nature.
The exam format will be the same for all SO cadres with the exception of the Law Officer and Rajbhasa Adhikari, who will have a General Awareness section in place of the quantitative aptitude section.
The candidate will get a time frame of 40 minutes to complete each section. Check out the exam structure for the preliminary examination for the position of specialist officer below.
Preliminary Exam Pattern for Scale I specialist officer – IT, Agriculture, HR/Personnel and Marketing.
| Section | Total Questions | Total Mark | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 50 | 25 | 40 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 120 minutes |
Preliminary Exam Pattern for Scale I specialist officer – Law and Rajbhasa Adhikari
| Section | Total Questions | Total Mark | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 50 | 25 | 40 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| General Awareness with Special Reference to the Banking Industry | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 125 | 120 minutes |
IBPS SO 2023 Mains Exam
Candidates who meet the cut-off for the preliminary exam will appear for the main examination. The main exam consists of 60 marks with professional knowledge questions related to the respective field. There are 60 questions of the objective type for all the specialist cadres except Rajbhasa Adhikari.
For the Rajbhasa Adhikari post, candidates have to appear for objective as well as descriptive papers for a total of 60 marks. The marks obtained in the main exam will be included in the final selection and have a weightage of 80%.
Mains Exam Pattern for Scale I specialist officer – IT, Agriculture, HR/Personnel, Law and Marketing.
| Section | Total Questions | Total Mark | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 minutes |
Mains Exam Pattern for Scale I specialist officer – Rajbhasa Adhikari
| Section | Total Questions | Total Mark | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Knowledge(Objective) | 45 | 30 minutes | |
| Professional Knowledge (Descriptive) | 2 | combined section marks- 60 | 30 minutes |
IBPS SO 2023 Interview
Qualified candidates from the main exam will appear for the final round, which is the interview. There is no particular pattern to the interview round. This round will be conducted by the participating banks. Marks obtained in the interview round will have a weightage of 20%.
The interview consists of 100 marks and candidates have to score the minimum qualifying marks which are 40% for the general catagery and 35% for the reserved category.
Based on the candidates’ combined results from the CWE online main examination and interview, their final score will be determined.
IBPS SO 2023 Provisional allotment
Candidates who clear all the rounds of the IBPS SO 2023 selection process will be provisionally allotted to one of the participating public sector banks based on their marks, available vacancies in the bank, and merit list.
According to the tie-breaking procedure of IBPS, if two candidates receive the same score, the candidate with the higher age will be chosen for the position.
IBPS SO 2023 Selection Process FAQs
Ans- The IBPS SO selection process is divided into 3 stages- prelims, mains and interviews.
Ans- The weightage ratio of the mains and interview is 80:20 for the final selection.
Ans- Yes there will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks.
Ans- If two candidates receive the same score, the candidate with the higher age will be chosen for the position.
What are the suggested reading materials for the 2023 IBPS SO Exam?
The following are a few books that are suggested for the IBPS SO Exam 2023 preparation:
MK Pandey’s Analytical Reasoning
Data Sufficiency & Interpretation
By RS Aggarwal, “Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations”
Basic English Grammar with Solutions
Lucent’s Basic Information
IBPS Specialist Officers by Kiran
How do I apply for the 2023 IBPS SO?
Candidates can visit the IBPS SO website or use the official link provided on the recruiting page to submit an application for the 2023 IBPS SO.
IBPS SO Exam 2023: Is there any negative marking?
Yes, the IBPS SO Exam 2023 will have a negative marking system. For each wrong response, 0.25 marks will be deducted.
Does the IBPS SO have a maximum number of attempts?
No, there is no limit on how many times you can take the IBPS SO exam till you meet the eligibility criteria.
Does IBPS SO require any prior work experience?
It depends on the Post you are applying for. While some posts require that the candidate have an experience, other posts does not have such requirements.