March 27, 20268 min read

IBPS PO Syllabus 2026: Complete Prelims and Mains Topic-Wise Syllabus with Weightage

Full IBPS PO 2026 syllabus for Prelims and Mains with topic-wise weightage, banking awareness topics, and a section-wise preparation strategy for each stage.

IBPS PO IBPS PO syllabus IBPS PO syllabus 2026 banking exams Prelims syllabus Mains syllabus

IBPS PO is one of the most sought-after banking exams in India, and every year lakhs of candidates apply for a few thousand vacancies. The competition is fierce, but the syllabus is well-defined — and that's your advantage. If you know exactly what's being tested and how much weight each topic carries, you can plan your preparation with surgical precision.

Here's the complete IBPS PO 2026 syllabus for both Prelims and Mains, broken down topic by topic with weightage data from recent exam cycles.

Exam Structure at a Glance

Stage	Sections	Total Marks	Duration	Purpose
Prelims	Quant, Reasoning, English	100	60 min (20 min/section)	Screening
Mains	Reasoning & CA, English, Data Analysis, GA	200	180 min (varied sectional)	Merit
Interview	—	100	—	Final selection

Important: Prelims has sectional timing — 20 minutes per section. You cannot switch between sections. Mains also has sectional timing but with different durations per section.

Prelims Syllabus: Topic-Wise Breakdown

Quantitative Aptitude (35 Questions, 35 Marks, 20 min)

Topic	Avg. Questions (Last 3 Years)	Priority
Simplification / Approximation	5–6	Very High
Number Series	5	Very High
Data Interpretation (Table, Bar, Line, Pie)	5–10	Very High
Quadratic Equations	5	High
Percentage	1–2	Medium
Ratio and Proportion	1–2	Medium
Average	1	Medium
Mixture and Alligation	1	Medium
Simple and Compound Interest	1–2	Medium
Profit and Loss	1–2	Medium
Time, Speed, and Distance	1	Medium
Time and Work	1	Medium
Mensuration	0–1	Low
Probability	0–1	Low

Key insight: Simplification + Number Series + DI + Quadratic Equations = 20–26 questions out of 35. These four topic groups are non-negotiable. If you nail these, you'll clear the Prelims cutoff in Quant comfortably. DI alone can give you 10 marks if you practice 2 sets daily for a month.

Reasoning Ability (35 Questions, 35 Marks, 20 min)

Topic	Avg. Questions (Last 3 Years)	Priority
Seating Arrangement (Linear, Circular)	5–10	Very High
Puzzle (Floor, Box, Scheduling)	5–10	Very High
Syllogism	3–5	High
Inequality (Coded/Direct)	3–5	High
Coding-Decoding	2–3	High
Blood Relation	1–2	Medium
Direction and Distance	1–2	Medium
Order and Ranking	1–2	Medium
Machine Input-Output	0–2	Medium
Data Sufficiency	0–2	Low
Alphanumeric Series	1–2	Medium

Key insight: Seating Arrangement + Puzzle = 10–20 questions. This is the single most important topic in IBPS PO Reasoning. You'll get linear (single/double row), circular, and floor-based arrangements. Practice at least 5 puzzles daily. Speed here determines whether you clear Prelims or not.

English Language (30 Questions, 30 Marks, 20 min)

Topic	Avg. Questions (Last 3 Years)	Priority
Reading Comprehension	7–10	Very High
Cloze Test	5–7	Very High
Para Jumbles	3–5	High
Error Spotting / Phrase Replacement	3–5	High
Fill in the Blanks (Single/Double)	3–5	High
Sentence Connector / Starter	2–3	Medium
Column-based Match	0–2	Low

Key insight: RC passages in IBPS PO are typically 400–500 words, often on economics, social issues, or technology. Read the questions first, then skim the passage. Para Jumbles have shifted from sentence-based to paragraph-based in recent years — practice the newer pattern.

Mains Syllabus: Topic-Wise Breakdown

Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude (45 Questions, 60 Marks, 60 min)

This section combines logical reasoning with basic computer knowledge. The reasoning topics are the same as Prelims but significantly harder — expect 3-variable puzzles, coded inequality chains, and multi-step input-output.

Computer Aptitude Topics:

Topic	Avg. Questions	Priority
Hardware and Software Basics	1–2	Medium
Networking (LAN, WAN, Internet protocols)	1–2	Medium
MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)	1–2	Medium
Database Concepts (DBMS basics)	1	Low
Cyber Security (Phishing, Malware, Firewall)	1–2	High
Number System (Binary, Octal, Hexadecimal)	1	Medium
Logic Gates (AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR)	1	Medium

Computer Aptitude questions are typically easy — don't spend weeks on this. Two days of focused study from any banking exam computer book will cover everything.

Data Analysis and Interpretation (35 Questions, 60 Marks, 45 min)

Topic	Avg. Questions	Priority
Data Interpretation (Caselet, Mixed Graph)	10–15	Very High
Data Sufficiency	3–5	High
Quantity Comparison	5	High
Missing Number Series	5	High
Percentage, Ratio, Average (Application-based)	5–10	High

Key insight: Mains DI is significantly harder than Prelims. You'll see caselets (data given in paragraph form, no graph) and mixed graphs (bar + line + table combined). Speed and calculation accuracy are everything. Practice Vedic maths shortcuts for multiplication and percentage calculations.

English Language (35 Questions, 40 Marks, 40 min)

Same topics as Prelims but with added complexity:

RC passages are longer (600–800 words) and more abstract

Vocabulary-based questions increase

Sentence rearrangement gets paragraph-level

Descriptive component was removed — it's all objective now

General / Economy / Banking Awareness (40 Questions, 40 Marks, 35 min)

This is the section that separates serious candidates from casual ones.

Topic	Avg. Questions	Priority
Banking Awareness (RBI, Banking Terms, Basel)	10–12	Very High
Current Affairs (Last 6 Months)	10–12	Very High
Government Schemes (Financial Inclusion)	4–5	High
Economy (GDP, Inflation, Budget, Fiscal Policy)	4–5	High
Static GK (HQ, Taglines, CEOs, Committees)	3–5	High
Financial Awareness (SEBI, IRDAI, NABARD, SIDBI)	3–4	High

Banking awareness topics to cover: RBI monetary policy tools (Repo Rate, Reverse Repo, CRR, SLR, MSF, LAF, SDF), types of banks (commercial, cooperative, payment, small finance, regional rural), NPA classification and recovery (SARFAESI Act, IBC, ARC), Basel III norms (CRAR, Tier I/II capital), CASA ratio, priority sector lending, Jan Dhan Yojana, MUDRA scheme, PM SVANidhi, UPI/NEFT/RTGS/IMPS, CBDC (e-Rupee), and financial terms (CTS, ECS, NACH, BBPS).

Preparation Strategy: Section-Wise Time Allocation

Section	Suggested Duration	Key Resources
Quant + DI	3 months (daily 2 hours)	RS Aggarwal, Arun Sharma, Oliveboard DI sets
Reasoning + Puzzle	2.5 months (daily 1.5 hours)	Puzzles from Oliveboard / Adda247 daily quizzes
English	2 months (daily 1 hour)	The Hindu editorial + SP Bakshi
General Awareness	Ongoing (daily 30 min)	GKToday, monthly capsules, Adda247 banking capsule
Computer Aptitude	1 week	Arihant Computer Awareness book

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is IBPS PO syllabus the same as SBI PO? About 90% overlap. Both test the same subjects at similar difficulty levels. The main difference is that SBI PO Mains can have slightly harder DI and Reasoning puzzles, and SBI's interview weightage differs. If you prepare for IBPS PO, you're largely prepared for SBI PO too. Q: How important is Banking Awareness for IBPS PO? Very important for Mains. The General Awareness section alone carries 40 marks, and 10–12 questions are directly from banking awareness. Candidates who ignore this section struggle to clear the Mains cutoff even if they score well in other sections. Start reading banking awareness capsules 3 months before Mains. Q: Should I attempt all questions in Prelims? Focus on accuracy over attempts. Aim for 25–28 correct in Quant, 28–30 in Reasoning, and 22–25 in English. With -0.25 negative marking, 5 wrong answers cost you more than 1 unattempted. Most successful candidates attempt 85–90% questions and get 80% of those right. Q: When should I start mock tests? Start sectional mocks after completing 60% of the syllabus (roughly 2 months in). Start full-length mocks 6–8 weeks before the exam. Analyze every mock test — reviewing a mock properly takes longer than taking it.