The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts the Specialist Officer (SO) exam to recruit candidates for various specialist roles in participating banks and financial institutions. The IBPS SO exam is held annually and is a two-stage process: a preliminary exam, followed by a main exam. Candidates who qualify the preliminary exam are eligible to take the main exam.
The preliminary exam is typically conducted in December and the main exam is conducted in January of the following year. The exam is conducted online and covers topics such as reasoning, quantitative aptitude, and English language. The paper for SO IT Officer and Agricultural Field Officer will have the additional section for the related subjects
The main exam is more detailed and covers specialized subjects related to the particular specialist role being recruited for. For example, the paper for the IT Officer role will include questions on computer networks, data structures, and database management systems.
The final selection of candidates is based on the combined scores of the preliminary and main exams, and is subject to the candidate meeting the minimum qualifying marks in each test. The preliminary exam is of qualifying nature, only the marks of main examination will be considered for final merit list
Eligibility for the IBPS SO exam varies depending on the specific specialist role being recruited for, but in general, candidates must have a graduate degree or equivalent in the relevant field, such as engineering, agriculture, or law. Candidates must also meet certain age and nationality requirements.
Candidates should check the official website of IBPS for the detailed eligibility criteria and other information regarding the SO exam and also the notification is released for every year in the month of October or November. It will be available on official website as well as on leading newspapers, they should go through the details carefully and apply online within the given time frame.