IBPS PO (CRP PO/MT) - Pattern, Syllabus & Mock Tests
IBPS PO is the Common Recruitment Process run by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection for Probationary Officers and Management Trainees in 11 public sector banks. The latest cycle is CRP PO/MT-XVI, notified on 1 July 2026 for vacancies of 2027-28, with 7,565 indicative vacancies in the updated list of 27 August 2026. Selection has an online Preliminary Examination, an online Main Examination, a personality test and an interview. Prelims is a screening stage: 100 questions in 60 minutes across three separately timed tests. Only Main Examination marks count for merit. The guide and mocks here are for Prelims.
Under 10 minutes · no account needed · real percentile at the end
What is the IBPS PO exam pattern?
Prelims has three separately timed tests of 20 minutes each: English Language (30 questions, 30 marks), Quantitative Aptitude (35 questions, 30 marks) and Reasoning Ability (35 questions, 40 marks). One fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer. You must clear the cut-off IBPS sets in each of the three tests. The Main Examination in CRP PO/MT-XVI has 170 objective questions for 200 marks in 160 minutes (Reasoning 60 marks, Awareness 60, English 20, Data Analysis and Interpretation 60) and a 25-mark descriptive paper of 30 minutes. A non-qualifying personality test and a 100-mark interview follow, and Mains and interview are combined 80:20.
| Section | Questions | Max Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 30 |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 40 |
Full exam pattern: Tier-wise marks, timers and qualifying rules →
What is the IBPS PO syllabus?
IBPS notifies the tests, not a topic list. Prelims has English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability. As a working list of ours: English covers reading comprehension, error spotting, fillers, cloze test and para jumbles; Quantitative Aptitude covers simplification, number series, quadratic equations, arithmetic (percentage, ratio, profit and loss, interest, time and work, speed) and data interpretation; Reasoning covers puzzles, seating arrangement, syllogism, inequalities, coding-decoding, blood relations and direction. Mains adds General, Economy, Banking, Digital and Financial Awareness including RBI circulars, Data Analysis and Interpretation, and a descriptive paper with an essay and a comprehension.
Complete syllabus, subject by subject →
What is a good IBPS PO cut-off?
IBPS does not print cut-offs in its notification. It decides them after each stage, category-wise, and shows scores through candidate logins. As of 13 November 2026 ibps.in had no cut-off or scorecard document for CRP PO/MT-XVI or XV that we could open, so no marks are reproduced here. The rules are notified: a minimum in each of the three Prelims tests; a minimum in each Mains test and on the Mains total; and at least 40% in the 100-mark interview (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD). Prelims marks do not count in the final merit.
Official cut-offs and vacancies →
How should I prepare for IBPS PO?
Each Prelims test has its own 20-minute timer, which works out to 40 seconds per question in English and about 34 seconds in Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning. Because every test has its own cut-off, aim to clear all three with a margin, and plan your weakest test first. A wrong answer costs a quarter of the question's marks, so guess only when your chance of being right is better than 1 in 5. Start banking and economy awareness and essay practice before Prelims: in the 2026-27 calendar Mains came six weeks after Prelims, and only Mains marks count for merit.
Preparation strategy built on the marks and timers →
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are there in IBPS PO Prelims?
100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes: English Language 30 questions (30 marks), Quantitative Aptitude 35 questions (30 marks) and Reasoning Ability 35 questions (40 marks), each with a separate 20-minute timer.
What is the negative marking in IBPS PO?
One fourth (0.25) of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer in the objective tests of both Prelims and Mains. Blank questions carry no penalty.
What is the eligibility for IBPS PO?
Under CRP PO/MT-XVI: a degree in any discipline with the result declared on or before 21 July 2026, and age 20 to 30 years as on 1 July 2026. The upper age limit is relaxed by 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC (non-creamy layer) and 10 years for persons with benchmark disabilities.
Do IBPS PO Prelims marks count in the final merit?
No. Only Main Examination marks are used for shortlisting for the interview and for final merit. The Main Examination and the interview are combined in the ratio 80:20.