The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducts the Probation Officer(PO) every year. The IBPS Exam is conducted every year to recruit candidates in the banking sector.
The IBPS PO Prelims examination is used to shortlist candidates for the Main examination for the selection of distinguished Probationary Officers in public sector banks.
Candidates must check important updates on other Bank exams if they wish to have a career in the banking sector.
This article is about the IBPS PO Prelims exam regarding the exam pattern and syllabus along with important dates for the exam.
For more details on Upcoming bank exams, refer to the linked article.
Given below are the important dates regarding the IBPS PO Prelims exam 2023:
| Event | IBPS PO Prelims Exam date [Tentative] |
| IBPS PO Prelims Admit Card | September 2023 |
| IBPS PO Prelims Exam | 23rd & 30th September, 01st October 2023 |
| IBPS PO Prelims Exam Result | November 2023 |
The IBPS PO prelims is only qualifying in nature but is also the main stage where the maximum number of candidates are shortlisted for the next level of examination.
| Prepared for the IBPS PO prelims 2023??
Give a Free Online IBPS PO Mock Test Now! Also, refer to the links given below and ace the upcoming IBPS PO exam 2023: |
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Pattern
The IBPS PO exam pattern for Prelims exam consists of one objective-type paper that is divided into three sections. The IBPS PO Prelims exam is completely online.
This examination tests the ability of candidates in the following subjects:
- English Language
- Quantitative Aptitude(Numerical Ability)
- Reasoning Ability(Verbal and Non-Verbal)
Each section has to be solved in 20 minutes at the end of which, the timer runs out and the next section appears.
The following is the IBPS PO Exam Pattern for Prelims exam:
| IBPS PO Prelims Exam pattern -Section | Number of Questions | Marks Allotted | Time Allotted |
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 min |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 min |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 min |
The total marks for this paper are 100. The IBPS PO Prelims cut off marks are announced by the institute along with the result.
Candidates can check the IBPS PO Exam Pattern for more details on the same.
Candidates should visit the official website to track any updates on the IBPS upcoming notification.
To understand the level of examination, type of questions asked and the exact exam pattern, candidates can also check the IBPS PO Prelims exam analysis at the linked article.
IBPS PO Prelims Syllabus
The main source of the Prelims syllabus is through IBPS PO Prelims exam analysis. The institute does not publish an official IBPS PO Prelims syllabus in the notification but specifies the subjects that will be tested and the level of knowledge that should be possessed by the candidate.
The level of the exam is generally of an undergraduate degree standard.
The following topics are included in the IBPS PO Prelims syllabus:
| Reasoning | Quantitative Aptitude | English Language |
| Logical Reasoning | Simplification | Reading Comprehension |
| Alphanumeric Series | Profit & Loss | Cloze Test |
| Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test | Mixtures & Alligations | Para jumbles |
| Data Sufficiency | Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices | Multiple Meaning / Error Spotting |
| Coded Inequalities | Work & Time | Fill in the blanks |
| Seating Arrangement | Time & Distance | Miscellaneous |
| Puzzle | Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere | Paragraph Completion |
| Tabulation | Data Interpretation | |
| Syllogism | Ratio & Proportion, Percentage | |
| Blood Relations | Number Systems | |
| Input-Output | Sequence & Series | |
| Coding-Decoding | Permutation, Combination & Probability |
The exam analysis for the IBPS PO Prelims exam is given in brief:
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2018: Section-wise Analysis
| IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis- Subject | Good Attempt | Time |
| English Language | 19-23 | 20 |
| Reasoning Ability | 23-26 | 20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 18-21 | 20 |
| Total | 57-62 | 60 |
Quantitative Aptitude (Moderate)
As per the IBPS PO Prelims exam analysis, Quantitative section was of moderate level. A little practice on this section can fetch great marks.
The IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis for the Quantitative section is as follows:
| IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis- Topic | No. of Questions | Level |
| Data Interpretation | 16 | Moderate-Calculative |
| Missing Number Series | 05 | Moderate |
| Approximation | 05 | Easy-Moderate |
| Data Sufficiency | 03 | Moderate |
| Arithmetic Word Problems (Profit and Loss, Problem on Ages, SI & CI etc) | 06 | Moderate |
| Total | 35 | Moderate |
English Language (Easy-Moderate)
The English section in the IBPS PO Prelims exam was in the range of easy to moderate.
| IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis-Topic | No. of Questions | Level |
| Reading Comprehension | 06 | Moderate |
| Error Detection | 04 | Easy-Moderate |
| Filler | 05 | Moderate |
| Sentence Rearrangement | 04 | Moderate |
| Math the Column | 03 | Easy-Moderate |
| Sentence Correction | 04 | Moderate |
| Word Replacement | 04 | Easy-Moderate |
| Total | 30 | Moderate |
Reasoning (Moderate)
The level of reasoning in the IBPS PO Prelims exam was in the Easy to Moderate range.
The IBPS PO Prelims exam analysis for Reasoning section is given below:
| IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis-Topics | No. of Questions | Level |
| Puzzles and Seating Arrangement | 21 | Moderate |
| Syllogism | 03 | Easy-Moderate |
| Direction Sense | 04 | Moderate |
| Blood Relation | 02 | Easy-Moderate |
| Alphabets | 02 | Easy-Moderate |
| Data Sufficiency | 03 | Moderate |
| Total | 35 | Moderate |
IBPS PO Prelims Result
The IBPS PO Prelims results are generally declared one month after the examination.
The IBPS PO Prelims result is used to shortlist candidates for the main examination. There is very little gap between the Prelims and Mains exam which is generally about two months.
| Event | IBPS PO Prelims Result date |
| IBPS PO Prelims Result 2023 | November 2023 |
Aspirants can check the IBPS PO result for prelims exam 2023 and also get the cut off for preliminary examination at the linked article.
IBPS PO Prelims Exam- Important Pointers
- Preparation strategy for this exam should be well crafted and focused.
- IBPS PO Prelims mock tests from the official website as well as books should be attempted regularly. Aspirants must also solve the IBPS PO mock test series on a regular basis for better results in the IBPS PO prelims exam.
- One should focus on weak areas of the syllabus and develop the ability to intelligently answer MCQs.
- IBPS PO Preparation should be done thoroughly to score well in the exam.
BYJU’S website can be used for accessing study material, IBPS books and IBPS PO Prelims question papers to streamline preparation and succeed in the exam.
Related Links
| RBI Exam | IBPS PO Eligibility |
| IBPS PO Syllabus | IBPS PO Admit Card |
| IBPS Notification | IBPS PO Salary |
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