To perform well in any particular exam, one has to be well aware of the syllabus. In the IBPS PO examination, the syllabus differs for prelims and mains exams. Since the preliminary exam of IBPS PO is scheduled on 3rd, 4th and 10th October 2020 and the IBPS PO Mains exam is scheduled on 28th November 2020, the candidates are advised to already keep in mind certain parameters while preparing for the exam.

IBPS PO or IBPS CWE is conducted yearly by Institute of Banking Professional Selection to recruit probation officers in the banking institutions across India. The candidates will sit for the 10th edition of the exam this year.

In this article, you will become familiar with the syllabus for each IBPS PO exam section , get the latest updates on IBPS PO in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, and learn about the best preparation books. 

IBPS PO Syllabus – Latest Updates

Lately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the banking jobs recruitment agency, Institute of Banking Professional Selection or IBPS, postponed various recruitment activities in regard to hiring of Probationary Officers (PO), Clerks and Specialist Officers (SO). IBPS PO (VIII) 2018 result of provisional allotment under reserve list has also been delayed because of the same reasons. 

On March 18, IBPS PO Main score card was released.

Schedule for IBPS PO 2020 Prelim and Main exam is shown in the table:

Application form	August 2020	Application form can be downloaded online
Application deadline	August 2020	Submit the application form and pay the fees.
Last minute editing deadline	August 2020	The facility to edit the application form will be available.
Prelims admit card	September 2020	IBPS PO admit card for prelims will be released.
Preliminary exam dates	03-Oct-2020 04-Oct-2020 10-Oct-2020	The preliminary exam of IBPS PO will be conducted online across various cities of the country in multiple sessions.
Result of preliminary exams	November 2020	Results for the preliminary exam will be announced online.
Prelims scorecard	November 2020	IBPS PO prelims exam score can be accessed
Mains admit card	November 2020	Shortlisted candidates of prelims exam will be issued admit cards for appearing in mains
Mains exam	28-Nov-2020	Mains exam will be conducted on this day.
Mains result	January 2021	The result of the mains exam will be announced for all candidates.
Mains scorecard	January 2021	Scorecard is released a few days later to the release of the main result.
Interview call letter	January 2021	Interview call letter is issued to the qualified candidates only.
Provisional allotment	April 2021	The provisional allotment is done based on candidates performance in both mains and interview.

IBPS PO Syllabus – Exam Pattern

Aspirants must also know the exam pattern along with the syllabus to prepare for the exam in a more conducive manner.

To know about each detail on IBPS probationary exam, read IBPS PO blog here.

Exam Stages	Three stages – Prelims, Mains and Common Interview
Mode of exam	Online
Duration of prelims exam	1 hour
Duration for Mains exam	3 hours 30 minutes
Question type	Prelims is an Objective Type exam Mains consists of both Objective & Descriptive Type of questions.
Total questions	Prelims has 100 questions Mains has 157 questions (which includes 155 objective types and 2 descriptive types)
Maximum Marks	Prelims – 100 Mains –  225 Interview – 100
Language instructions	English and Hindi
Negative marks for each question	0.25 marks

To know how to register or fill an IBPS PO exam form, read IBPS PO Registration here.

IBPS PO Syllabus – Preliminary exam

This is a primary selection round and once you qualify this, you can move to the main exam. The exam consists of Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning and English. The marks allotted to this exam is 100. The full detailed syllabus is given in the table below:

Syllabus of IBPS PO Prelims

English	Quantitative Ability	Reasoning
Reading Comprehension	Simplification	Logical Reasoning
Cloze Test	Profit & Loss	Alphanumeric Series
Paragraph jumbles	Mixtures Allegations	Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test
Miscellaneous	Simple Interest Compound Interest Surds Indices	Data Sufficiency
Fill in the blanks	Work & Time	Coded Inequalities
Multiple Meaning or Error Spotting	Time & Distance	Seating Arrangement
Paragraph Completion	Mensuration Cylinder Cone Sphere	Puzzle

Other topics covered in the Quantitative Ability are:

1. Data Interpretation
2. Ration, Proportion, Percentage
3. Number Systems
4. Sequence and Series
5. Permutation, Combination and Probability

Some other topics in the Logical Reasoning section of IBPS PO prelim exam are:

1. Puzzle
2. Tabulation
3. Syllogism
4. Blood Relations
5. Input-Output
6. Coding and Decoding

IBPS PO Syllabus – Mains Exam

In the mains exam, the candidates are assessed on the following topics:

1. Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude
2. Computer Aptitude
3. English Language
4. General Awareness.

Also, apart from the objective part, there is a subjective section in the exam. Letter writing and essay along with the objective questions carries 225 marks in the main exam.

You are expected to get the questions from the following topics in Data Interpretation & Analysis (Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude):

1. Simplification
2. Percentage
3. Data Interpretation
4. Quadratic Equation
5. Problems of Ages
6. Number of Series
7. Speed, distance and time
8. Number system
9. Linear equations
10. Probability
11. Average, ratio and percentage
12. Profit and loss
13. Mensuration and Geometry
14. Time and work
15. Data sufficiency
16. Permutation and combination
17. Mixture and allegations
18. Interest

In the General Awareness type of questions, you must practice general knowledge, financial awareness and current affairs. 

In the Computer aptitude sections, the following is expected:

1. Verbal
2. Syllogism
3. Circular seating arrangements
4. Double lineup
5. Scheduling
6. Input-output
7. Blood donations
8. Directions and distances
9. Ordering and ranking
10. Data sufficiency
11. Code inequalities
12. Computer hardware
13. Operating system
14. Networking
15. Computer fundamentals
16. Internet and keyboard
17. Microsoft office

In English language, you have to be familiar with the Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar, Verbal Ability and Fill in the blanks.

IBPS PO Syllabus – Books

Candidates/aspirants who wish to crack the IBPS PO exam with ease can get guidance from the following books:

English Language	Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis High School Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin
Quantitative Aptitude	Quantitative Aptitude by RS Agarwal
Reasoning Ability	Modern Approach to Verbal Reasoning by RS Agarwal A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal & Non-Verbal (Arihant) by BS Sijwali Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey
General Awareness	Banking and Economic Awareness by Rakesh Kumar Banking, Financial & General Awareness by I K Pavel

IBPS PO Syllabus – FAQs

Q. What are the total number of questions in prelims and mains exam?

Prelims has 100 marks and mains exam has 157 marks.

Q. What are the scoring areas in the English section?

We recommend you to prepare the following topics in the best possible way to get good scores. Topics are fill in the blanks, rearrangement, spotting errors, reading comprehension and vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms).

Q. What are the topics generally asked in the data interpretation part?

Graphs and pie charts are the common topics asked in data interpretation.

Q. How to better prepare the GK section in the exam?

Reading newspapers and online portals helps you to get a better understanding of general knowledge areas.

Q. Are mock up tests best for preparing for IBPS PO syllabus?

Yes, they do help you to understand the problems areas and so that you can concentrate on them to perfect them.