IBPS PO 2026 Exam Date, Notification & Vacancies

From the official Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) documents · last checked 3 October 2026

IBPS PO is the common exam for Probationary Officer / Management Trainee jobs in public sector banks. Its official name is the Common Recruitment Process for Recruitment of Probationary Officers/Management Trainees in Participating Banks (CRP PO/MT-XVI). The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) runs it once a year. The 2026 cycle fills vacancies for the year 2027-28 in 11 banks: Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Punjab National Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, UCO Bank and Union Bank of India. There are four steps: an online Preliminary exam, an online Main exam (objective tests plus a typed descriptive paper), a Personality Test that does not count for merit, and an Interview. Only Main exam and Interview marks decide the final merit, in the ratio 80:20. After that, IBPS provisionally allots each selected candidate to one bank, based on merit and the candidate's bank preference. IBPS does not publish a detailed topic-wise syllabus. The topic lists on this page come from the official notification and the official information handouts.

Important dates

CRP PO/MT-XVI (2026 cycle, for bank vacancies of 2027-28)

  • Detailed notification released1 July 2026done
  • Online registration and fee payment (extended from 21 July 2026)1 July 2026 - 26 July 2026done
  • Edit window to correct application (fee Rs. 200)29 July 2026 - 30 July 2026done
  • Latest vacancy update (Annexure I)27 August 2026done
  • Prelims call letter downloadAugust 2026done
  • Online Preliminary exam (dates as per IBPS tentative calendar of 16.01.2026)22 August 2026 and 23 August 2026done
  • Main exam call letter and information handout released24 September 2026done
  • Prelims result notice, scores and cut-offs published29 September 2026done
  • Online Main exam4 October 2026upcoming
  • Main exam resultNovember 2026tentative
  • Personality TestNovember 2026tentative
  • InterviewNovember 2026 - December 2026tentative
  • Provisional allotment to banksJanuary 2027tentative

Vacancies

7,565

Indicative vacancies for 2027-28, as per the updated Annexure I dated 27 August 2026. Earlier counts were 6,715 (notification, 1 July 2026) and 7,365 (update, 20 July 2026). Bank-wise: Bank of Baroda 1,900; Canara Bank 1,500; Bank of Maharashtra 1,100; Indian Bank 650; Indian Overseas Bank 550; Punjab National Bank 504; Bank of India 500; Central Bank of India 500; UCO Bank 200; Punjab & Sind Bank 161; Union Bank of India not reported. Category-wise: SC 1,161; ST 577; OBC (NCL) 2,069; EWS 741; UR 3,017. Within these, PwBD: HI 86, OC 80, VI 77, ID 91. Some banks may include backlog posts. IBPS says final allotment will follow the actual vacancies reported by the banks.

Official notification ↗Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) website ↗

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for IBPS PO 2026?

You need a graduation degree in any subject, with the result declared by 21 July 2026. You must be 20 to 30 years old on 1 July 2026, which means born between 2 July 1996 and 1 July 2006. SC/ST get 5 extra years, OBC (NCL) 3 years and PwBD 10 years.

How many vacancies are there?

IBPS shows 7,565 indicative vacancies for 2027-28 (update of 27 August 2026) in 10 banks. Union Bank of India has not reported its number. Final allotment depends on the actual vacancies the banks report.

What is the Prelims pattern and is there negative marking?

Prelims has 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes: English (30 Q), Quantitative Aptitude (35 Q) and Reasoning (35 Q), each with 20 minutes. One-fourth of a question's marks is cut for each wrong answer. You must clear each test and the total cut-off.

What is in the Main exam?

Mains has four objective tests (170 questions, 200 marks, 160 minutes) and a typed descriptive paper in English with an essay and comprehension (25 marks, 30 minutes). The full exam lasts 3 hours 10 minutes. Each test has its own time limit and minimum score.

How is the final selection made?

Only Main exam and Interview marks count, in the ratio 80:20. Prelims marks are not counted. The Personality Test does not add marks, but you must take it to be allowed into the Interview. The Interview is for 100 marks, and you need at least 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD).

What is the salary of an IBPS PO?

Basic pay starts at Rs. 48,480 a month and can go up to Rs. 85,920 in the official pay scale. You also get allowances and perks as per the rules of the bank you join.

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Official sources