IBPS PO Eligibility – Age, Qualification, Reserved Category, Key Criteria

IBPS PO exam is one of the most sought-after entrance exams in India which lakhs of candidates appear for in a given year. The exam is conducted once a year in both Hindi and English language. Candidates have to fulfill a certain age, nationality and educational criteria before applying for the IBPS PO exam.

Also known as CRP PO/MT-X (Recruitment of Probationary Officers/Management Trainees in Participating Organisations), the IBPS PO exam comprises three stages – prelims, mains and interview. 

In this article, you will get familiar with the IBPS PO eligibility criteria as per age, educational qualification, nationality and category.

IBPS PO Eligibility – Age limit 

For general candidates, the following table shows the minimum and maximum age limit for appearing in the IBPS PO exam.

To know details on IBPS probationary examination, read IBPS PO article here.

IBPS PO General Category Age Limit

IBPS PO Age Limit – Maximum	30 years
IBPS PO Age Limit – Minimum	20 years

Age relaxation is given to the candidates belonging to the following categories in the table below:

Category	Age Relaxation Duration
SC or ST candidates	5 years
OBC category	3 years
Persons with Disabilities(PwD): Partial or Full blind Partial or Loss of Hearing Locomotor Disabilities Intellectual or Learning Disabilities Multiple Concurrent Disabilities	10 years
Ex-Servicemen	5 years
Person Domiciled in Jammu and Kashmir from year 1980 to 1989	5 years
1984 Riot Victims	5 years

Important points related to IBPS PO age exemptions and relaxations:

1. SC, ST and OBC candidates can apply for a maximum of 2 cumulative exemptions.
2. If an ST candidate also has a physical disability, then a maximum of 15 years will be relaxed for the upper age limit. 
3. Candidates are required to produce certificates affirming their exemption category during the time of the interview.
4. The IBPS age limit relaxation is only given to the candidates as per the specifications in the official notification. The details may change or remain the same as per the direction of the IBPS.

To know what is the exam schedule for IBPS PO, read IBPS PO exam dates here.

IBPS PO Eligibility – Nationality and Educational Qualification

The following kinds of subjects and citizens of India can apply for the IBPS PO exam: 

1. Those with a citizenship of India
2. Subjects of Nepal or Bhutan
3. Tibetan Refugees who arrived prior to 1 January 1962
4. Persons of Indian origin who migrated from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Burma(Myanmar), Vietnam or East African countries of the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Zaire or Ethiopia to permanently settle in India

Note: All non-Indians have to produce a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India during the Bank PO interview.

Important points related to IBPS PO educational criteria:

1. Any graduate candidate can apply for IBPS PO exam.
2. Candidates have to clearly specify the percentage obtained in graduation when in a process of form filling. Candidates being awarded CGPA have to convert those into percentage. 
3. Percentage calculation must be done to the nearest two decimals. The fraction of percentage arrived will be ignored i.e. 54.99% will be treated as less than 55%. 
4. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection does not specify any IBPS PO eligibility percentage.

IBPS PO Eligibility – EWS Category

EWS candidates who belong to the Economically Weaker Section are entitled to the benefit of 10% reservation in the vacancies released by IBPS.

Any candidate who has or who’s family has possession of any of the below-mentioned assets, will not be included in the EWS category, irrespective of his/her annual family income.

1. Agricultural Land of 5 acres and above
2. Residential flat of 1000 sq. ft. and above
3. Residential plot of 100 sq. yards and above in notified municipalities
4. Residential plot of 200 sq. yards and above in areas other than the notified municipalities

Note: Candidates who are going to apply for the IBPS PO Selection Process under the EWS reservation, are required to produce an Income and Asset Certificate at the time of document verification.

IBPS PO Eligibility – PwD category

The categories of PwD (Persons with Disabilities) eligible to avail reservation under the Section 34 of 2016 Disability Act is as follows:

1. Deaf and hard of hearing
2. Blindness and low vision
3. Intellectual disability, autism, mental illness, and specific learning disability
4. Locomotor disability including leprosy, cerebral palsy, dwarfism, muscular dystrophy, and acid attack victims

Important points related to PwD candidates using a scribe:

1. Candidates affected with minimum benchmark disability for any reason are allowed to use their own scribe. 
2. Candidates who wish to use the scribe services can apply for the services of scribe while filling the IBPS PO Application Form. 
3. Scribe will have to be arranged by the candidates themselves at their own cost. 
4. Candidates and scribe will have to submit an undertaking that all the stipulated eligibility conditions mentioned for the scribe is fulfilled. 
5. Visually Impaired candidates suffering from 40% or more disability may opt to view the contents of the question paper in magnified font and will be eligible for compensatory time of 20 min/hr otherwise advised.

Important points related to candidates with cerebral palsy and locomotor disability:

1. Candidates with 40% Cerebral Palsy and Locomotor Disability where dominant extremity i.e. writing is affected to the scope where it may slow down the performance, will be permitted a compensatory time of 20 min/hr or otherwise advised.

Key points for visually impaired candidates

Candidates suffering from 40% or more disability can opt to  view the contents of the question paper in magnified font and will be eligible for compensatory time of 20 min/hr otherwise advised. 

IBPS PO Eligibility – Key points to remember

1. The number of reserved vacancies is declared after the respective banks communicate the number of vacant positions to the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection(IBPS).
2. Candidates who fulfil all the IBPS PO eligibility criteria should start preparing for the examination well in advance to get good cut off marks.
3. As the IBPS application process is entirely online, it is useful to keep scanned copies of all relevant supporting documents handy.
4. PwD and visually impaired candidates are provided reservation and facilities of scribe services respectively.

IBPS PO Eligibility – FAQs

Q. What is the eligibility to apply for the IBPS PO exam?

A. One has to adhere to the age limit, nationality and education qualification to apply for the IBPS PO exam.

Q. I am 31 years old and belong to an unreserved category. Am I still eligible to apply for the IBPS PO exam?

A. No, you won’t be eligible for the IBPS PO exam as the upper age limit to apply for the IBPS PO exam is 30 years.

Q. I belong to the OBC category according to the State list but not the central list. What should I do?

A. You will be considered as a general category candidate and you will have to mention the general category in the IBPS PO application form.

Q. What is the minimum percentage required to qualify for IBPS PO exam?

A. There is no minimum percentage required (in the university studies) to qualify for appearing in the IBPS PO exam.