Exam Pattern
IBPS PO Exam Pattern
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection: Probationary Officer
The Prelims marks are no longer flat across sections. In 2026 Reasoning Ability carries 40 marks from 35 questions, Quantitative Aptitude 30 from 35, and English Language 30 from 30, so a reasoning question pays more than a quantitative one and the three 20-minute windows do not buy equal marks. Mains runs 170 objective questions for 200 marks plus two descriptive tasks for 25, with English Language paying 20 marks from 40 questions, the lowest return in the paper. Every test is separately timed, the descriptive paper included.
The IBPS PO exam pattern below is checked stage by stage, so one stage cannot inherit another stage's scoring rules.
Prelims
Official 2026 pattern| Questions | 100 |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Negative marking | One-fourth of the marks assigned to the question per wrong answer |
| Sections | English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability |
| Test | Qs | Marks | Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 30 | 20 |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 40 | 20 |
Timing: 20 minutes per test.
Candidates must qualify each of the three separately timed tests. The 2026 marks distribution is not equal across sections.
Official source · checked 3 August 2026The IBPS PO Prelims exam pattern is 100 questions carrying 100 marks, to be answered in 60 minutes. That works out to about 36 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 3 sections are English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability. Reasoning Ability carries the most, 40 marks of the 100 or about 40%, against 30 marks for Quantitative Aptitude. Marks per question are not uniform across sections either, so an equal number of questions does not mean equal weight. All 3 sections are separately timed, so time saved in one cannot be carried into another. You cannot bank minutes by rushing an easy section.
IBPS PO Prelims marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1 mark.
- Worked example: attempt 80 of the 100 questions and get 60 right and 20 wrong, and you score 60 out of 100.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 36 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free IBPS PO mock test to see where your time actually goes.
Mains
Official 2026 pattern| Questions | 172 |
| Total marks | 225 |
| Duration | 190 minutes |
| Negative marking | One-fourth of the marks assigned to an objective question per wrong answer |
| Sections | Reasoning, General, Economy, Banking, Digital and Financial Awareness, English Language, Data Analysis and Interpretation, Descriptive Paper |
| Test | Qs | Marks | Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning | 40 | 60 | 45 |
| General, Economy, Banking, Digital and Financial Awareness | 50 | 60 | 35 |
| English Language | 40 | 20 | 35 |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | 40 | 60 | 45 |
| Descriptive: Essay and Comprehension | 2 | 25 | 30 |
Timing: Each objective test and the descriptive paper are separately timed.
The total comprises 170 objective questions for 200 marks and 2 descriptive tasks for 25 marks.
Official source · checked 3 August 2026The IBPS PO Mains exam pattern is 172 questions carrying 225 marks, to be answered in 190 minutes. That works out to about 66 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 5 sections are Reasoning, General, Economy, Banking, Digital and Financial Awareness, English Language, Data Analysis and Interpretation and Descriptive Paper. Reasoning carries the most, 60 marks of the 225 or about 27%, against 20 marks for English Language. Marks per question are not uniform across sections either, so an equal number of questions does not mean equal weight. All 5 sections are separately timed, so time saved in one cannot be carried into another. You cannot bank minutes by rushing an easy section.
IBPS PO Mains marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1.31 marks.
- Worked example: attempt 138 of the 172 questions and get 104 right and 34 wrong, and you score 136.24 out of 225.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 66 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free IBPS PO mock test to see where your time actually goes.
IBPS PO exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in IBPS PO?
IBPS PO Prelims deducts One-fourth of the marks assigned to the question for a wrong answer; IBPS PO Mains deducts One-fourth of the marks assigned to an objective question for a wrong answer. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in IBPS PO?
IBPS PO Prelims has 100 questions, IBPS PO Mains has 172 questions. That leaves about 36 seconds per question in IBPS PO Prelims and 66 seconds per question in IBPS PO Mains.
What are the total marks in IBPS PO?
IBPS PO Prelims is out of 100 marks, which works out at 1 mark a question, IBPS PO Mains is out of 225 marks, which works out at 1.31 marks a question.
How long is the IBPS PO exam?
IBPS PO Prelims runs for 60 minutes, IBPS PO Mains runs for 190 minutes.
Does IBPS PO have a sectional time limit?
Yes. IBPS PO Prelims times its sections separately, IBPS PO Mains times its sections separately, so time left over in one section cannot be spent on another. Plan a per-section budget before you sit it.
How many stages does IBPS PO have?
This site covers 2 objective stages: Prelims, Mains. Each stage is checked against the official notification separately, because scoring rules routinely differ between stages of the same exam.