IBPS Exam Calendar 2026-27: PO, Clerk, SO, RRB Complete Schedule

IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) conducts recruitment exams for 19 public sector banks through its Common Recruitment Process (CRP). If you want to become a bank PO, Clerk, or Specialist Officer in any nationalised bank (except SBI, which has its own process), the IBPS exam calendar is what dictates your entire year.

IBPS publishes its calendar annually, usually around March-April. Here is the consolidated calendar for the 2026-27 recruitment cycle.

IBPS CRP Calendar 2026-27: Complete Overview

IBPS PO (CRP PO/MT-XVI)

Event	Expected Date
Notification	August 2026
Online Registration	August-September 2026
Prelims Exam	October 2026
Prelims Result	November 2026
Mains Exam	November-December 2026
Mains Result	January 2027
Interview	February-March 2027
Provisional Allotment	April 2027

IBPS Clerk (CRP Clerk-XVI)

Event	Expected Date
Notification	July 2026
Online Registration	July-August 2026
Prelims Exam	August-September 2026
Prelims Result	October 2026
Mains Exam	October 2026
Mains Result	December 2026
Provisional Allotment	January 2027

Note: IBPS Clerk does not have an interview stage. Selection is based entirely on Prelims + Mains scores.

IBPS SO (CRP SPL-XVI)

Event	Expected Date
Notification	November 2026
Online Registration	November-December 2026
Prelims Exam	December 2026-January 2027
Mains Exam	January-February 2027
Interview	March 2027
Provisional Allotment	April 2027

IBPS SO posts include IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer.

IBPS RRB (CRP RRB-XV)

IBPS RRB recruits for Regional Rural Banks — Officer Scale I/II/III and Office Assistant (Multipurpose).

Event	Expected Date
Notification	June 2026
Online Registration	June-July 2026
Officer Prelims	August 2026
Office Assistant Prelims	August-September 2026
Officer Mains	September-October 2026
Office Assistant Mains	October 2026
Interview (Officers only)	November-December 2026
Provisional Allotment	January 2027

Month-by-Month Banking Exam Schedule

Here is the consolidated monthly view so you can see the full picture:

Month	IBPS Events	SBI Events (for reference)
April 2026	Previous cycle allotments	SBI PO notification expected
May 2026	RRB notification prep	SBI Clerk notification
June 2026	RRB notification + registration	SBI PO Prelims
July 2026	Clerk notification, RRB registration	SBI PO Mains
August 2026	PO notification, Clerk Prelims, RRB Prelims	SBI Clerk Prelims
September 2026	Clerk Mains, RRB Mains	SBI Clerk Mains
October 2026	PO Prelims, Clerk Mains	SBI PO Interview
November 2026	PO Mains, SO notification	SBI allotments
December 2026	SO Prelims, RRB interviews	-
January 2027	SO Mains, allotments	-
February 2027	PO Interview	-
March 2027	SO Interview, final allotments	-

Exam Structure Comparison

Feature	PO	Clerk	SO	RRB Officer	RRB Assistant
Prelims Duration	60 min	60 min	40-60 min	45 min	45 min
Mains Duration	3.5 hrs	2 hrs 40 min	Varies	2 hrs	2 hrs
Interview	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Descriptive Paper	Yes (Mains)	No	No	No	No
Sectional Timing	Yes	Yes	Yes	No (RRB)	No (RRB)

Application Fee

Category	PO/SO	Clerk	RRB
General / OBC / EWS	Rs 850	Rs 750	Rs 850 (Officer), Rs 750 (Asst)
SC / ST / PwD	Rs 175	Rs 175	Rs 175

Payment through online modes only — no challan system.

How IBPS Allotment Works

Unlike SSC where you get a specific post in a specific department, IBPS allocates you to a bank based on your score, preference, and vacancies. Here is the process:

1. You rank 19 banks in order of preference during application
2. After all stages (Prelims + Mains + Interview for PO), a final merit list is prepared
3. Allocation happens based on your rank within your category and state
4. Higher-ranked candidates get their preferred banks; lower-ranked ones get what is left

The key insight: Your bank preference matters, but your rank matters more. If you score in the top 500, you will likely get your first or second preference. Below top 2000, you should be flexible about bank allocation.

State-Wise Vacancy Distribution

IBPS allocates vacancies state-wise. This means the cut-off effectively varies by state. High-competition states like UP, Bihar, and Rajasthan have higher cut-offs than NE states or smaller UTs.

Typical state-wise cut-off variation (PO Mains, General category):

State Group	Cut-Off Range
UP, Bihar, Rajasthan	Highest (55-65 out of 100 scaled)
Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat	High (50-60)
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, AP/Telangana	Moderate (45-55)
NE States, J&K, Uttarakhand	Lower (35-45)

Preparation Timeline: Starting Now

If you are reading this in March 2026, here is how your banking exam year should look:

Targeting IBPS PO 2026

Period	Focus
March-May	Foundation: Quantitative Aptitude + Reasoning basics
June-July	Intensive: English, GK/Banking Awareness, mock tests start
August-September	Prelims mock test sprint: 2-3 mocks daily
October	Prelims exam, then immediate Mains prep
November	Mains mock tests + Descriptive writing practice
December+	Interview preparation (if qualified)

Targeting IBPS Clerk 2026

Period	Focus
March-May	Foundation: All subjects at basic level
June-July	Speed building: Timed section practice
August	Prelims exam
September-October	Mains preparation: Focus on GK and Computer

Multi-Exam Strategy

Many banking aspirants appear for IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO, SBI Clerk, and IBPS RRB in the same year. This is smart because:

• 90% syllabus overlap across all banking exams
• Each exam is an independent chance at a banking job
• Experience from earlier exams improves performance in later ones

The only challenge is avoiding burnout. Six banking exams in 8 months is demanding. Schedule rest days and do not neglect your health.

IBPS Calendar vs Actual Dates: Reliability Check

IBPS has been more consistent than SSC in meeting published dates:

Exam	Published Date	Actual Date	Delay
PO Prelims 2024	October 2024	October 2024	On time
Clerk Prelims 2024	August 2024	August 2024	On time
PO Prelims 2025	October 2025	October 2025	On time
Clerk Mains 2025	October 2025	November 2025	~2 weeks

IBPS delays are rare and usually minor (1-2 weeks at most). You can plan your preparation with reasonable confidence around IBPS dates.

Staying Updated

IBPS publishes all notifications on ibps.in. For consolidated banking exam calendar tracking, notification alerts, and exam day guidance, bookmark sarkarinaukri.in. We cover all IBPS, SBI, RBI, and NABARD exam updates in one place.

The banking recruitment cycle is a well-oiled machine. Exams happen predictably, results come within reasonable timeframes, and the entire process from notification to joining takes about 8-10 months. Use this calendar to plan your assault on the banking sector methodically.