IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) Recruitment 2025

IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) Recruitment 2025: Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) invites applications for Common Recruitment Proc....
IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) Recruitment 2025

IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) Recruitment 2025: Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) invites applications for Common Recruitment Process (CRP SPL-XV) for recruitment of Specialist Officers in Participating Banks for 2026-27 vacancies. Therefore, it is a good opportunity for candidates who are interested in banking jobs. There are a total of 1,007 posts. Online application for IBPS SO Recruitment 2025 has already started from 1st July and will continue till 21st July. Eligible and interested candidates are advised to fill out the form within this period.

We have provided all the important details regarding this recruitment, such as exam pattern, important dates, selection process, fee structure, etc., so candidates do not need to search elsewhere for information. Therefore, Candidates must read the full article before applying for this post.

IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) Recruitment 2025

Quick Summary

Job TitleSpecialist Officers (Scale I) Recruitment
Total Vacancy1007
Application Dates01.07.2024 to 21.07.2024
Official Websitewww.ibps.in

A Deeper Look at the Role

Specialist Officers in banking institutions play crucial roles in specific domains that require specialized knowledge. Unlike general banking roles, these positions demand expertise in particular fields such as IT, agriculture, law, HR, marketing, and regional language. As a Scale I Officer, you would be responsible for handling specialized functions, providing expert guidance to the bank, and contributing to policy formulation in your area of expertise. The work environment is professional with opportunities to work on challenging projects, interact with various stakeholders, and contribute directly to the bank's operations in your specialized field. These roles offer excellent job security, competitive compensation, and opportunities for career advancement within the banking sector.

Career Path and Salary

Specialist Officers begin their career at Scale I level with a competitive salary package that includes basic pay, dearness allowance, house rent allowance, and other perks as per the bank's policies. The typical starting basic pay is approximately ₹36,000 with a gross monthly compensation of around ₹68,000-70,000 including various allowances. Career progression typically follows the path from Scale I to Scale II, III, IV, V and potentially to top management positions like General Manager and Executive Director. Specialist Officers often have accelerated promotion opportunities compared to generalist officers due to their specialized skills. The role offers job security, pension benefits, medical coverage, loans at concessional rates, and other banking perks. With experience, specialists can move into higher responsibility roles, head departments, or transition into consulting roles within the financial sector.

Important Dates for IBPS SO Exam

The IBPS SO notification has been released along with all the important dates related to this recruitment, such as the application start and end dates, preliminary and mains exam dates, etc. These dates are important because candidates will know when their preliminary or mains exams are scheduled, and they can prepare accordingly. We have provided all the important dates of the IBPS Specialist Officer exam below.

EventDate
Online Registration Start Date01 July 2025
Online Registration End Date21 July 2025
Payment of Application Fees01 July 2025 to 21 July 2025
Preliminary Exam Call Letter DownloadAugust 2025
Preliminary Exam DateAugust 2025
Preliminary Exam ResultSeptember 2025
Main Exam Call Letter DownloadSeptember/October 2025
Main Exam DateNovember 2025
Main Exam ResultNovember 2025
Interview DatesDecember 2025/January 2026
Provisional AllotmentJanuary/February 2026

IBPS SO Vacancy 2025

There are a total of 1,007 posts available in the IBPS SO Recruitment. We have provided the post-wise vacancy details in this article. The detailed vacancy information—including bank-wise, post-wise, and category-wise distribution—has been given in the official notification. Therefore, candidates should read the official notification carefully before applying for this post.

Post NameTotal Vacancies
IT Officer (Scale I)203
Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I)310
Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)78
Law Officer (Scale I)56
HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I)10
Marketing Officer (Scale I)350

Participating 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
  • Union Bank of India

Eligibility Criteria for IBPS SO

Eligibility for the IBPS SO exam can be divided in terms of nationality, age limits, and educational qualifications. The minimum age for the IBPS SO exam is 20 years, and the maximum age is 30 years. Age relaxation will also be available as per government norms. We have provided all the detailed information in this article. Candidates should read the full article before applying for IBPS SO posts.

Nationality/Citizenship

If we talk about the nationality of this recruitment, then we can say that the candidates must be citizens of India. However, subjects of Nepal, Bhutan, Tibetan refugees who came to India before 1st January 1962, and persons of Indian origin who migrated from specified countries are also eligible for this recruitment.

Age Limit (as on 01.07.2025)

The minimum age limit of this recruitment is 20 years and the maximum age limit is 30 years. However, age relaxation will also be given as per the government rules. Age relaxations are as follows:

Age Relaxation

CategoryRelaxation
Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe5 years
Other Backward Classes (Non-creamy layer)3 years
Persons With Benchmark Disability10 years
Ex-Servicemen5 years

Educational Qualifications (as on 21.07.2025)

Educational qualification for each post is different. Educational qualifications are as follows:

PostQualification
IT Officer (Scale I) 4 year Engineering/Technology Degree
in Computer Science/IT/Electronics OR Post Graduate Degree in
Electronics/Computer Science/IT OR Graduate with
DOEACC 'B' level
Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I) 4 year Degree in Agriculture/Horticulture/Animal
Husbandry/Veterinary Science/Dairy Science/Fishery Science/Agri.
Marketing & Cooperation/Forestry/Agricultural
Biotechnology/Food Science/Agricultural Engineering etc.
Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I) Post Graduate Degree in Hindi with English at graduation
level OR Post graduate degree in Sanskrit
with English and Hindi at graduation level
Law Officer (Scale I) Bachelor Degree in Law (LL.B) and
enrolled as advocate with Bar Council
HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I) Graduate and Two Years Full time Post
Graduate degree or diploma in Personnel
Management/Industrial Relations/HR/HRD/Social
Work/Labour Law
Marketing Officer (Scale I) Graduate and Two Years Full time MMS
(Marketing)/MBA (Marketing)/PGDBA/PGDBM/PGPM/PGDM
with specialization in Marketing

Application Fee for IBPS SO Exam

Candidates need to pay application fees for this recruitment. The payment mode for application fees is online. Candidates can use multiple methods for this payment, such as Debit Cards (RuPay/Visa/MasterCard/Maestro), Credit Cards, Internet Banking, IMPS, Cash Cards/Mobile Wallets/UPI. After the successful payment, an e-receipt will be generated. Candidates need to take a printout of the e-receipt as proof.

CategoryFee
SC/ST/PwBD candidates₹175/- (inclusive of GST)
All others₹850/- (inclusive of GST)

IBPS SO Selection Process

Interested and eligible candidates have to go through a three-level selection process as mentioned in the notification. The IBPS SO Preliminary and Mains exams will be conducted in online mode. After clearing both of these exams, candidates will have to appear for the personality test, i.e., the interview. Upon successfully clearing the interview, candidates will receive provisional allotment.

  1. Online Preliminary Examination
  2. Online Main Examination
  3. Interview
  4. Provisional Allotment

Exam & Interview Preparation Tips

For effective preparation for IBPS Specialist Officers exam, focus on both the common sections and your professional domain. For the preliminary exam, practice reasoning, quantitative aptitude, English language, and general awareness with special emphasis on banking industry knowledge. For the main exam, deep dive into your professional subject - whether it's IT, agriculture, law, HR, marketing, or Hindi. Solve previous years' question papers and take mock tests to improve speed and accuracy. For the interview, be prepared to discuss current affairs, banking sector developments, and your specialized field in depth. Review your academic subjects thoroughly and be ready to explain how your expertise can benefit the banking sector. Practice speaking clearly and confidently about your strengths and career goals.

IBPS SO Exam Pattern

In the IBPS SO selection process, candidates have to pass both the Preliminary and Mains exams. Both exams will be conducted in online mode. However, the marks of the Preliminary exam will not be counted in the final result, as it is qualifying in nature. Candidates must clear the cutoff of the IBPS Preliminary exam to appear in the IBPS Mains exam. The final result will be declared based on the marks obtained in the Mains exam and the Interview.

Preliminary Examination

For Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari:

TestQuestionsMarksDuration
English Language502540 minutes
Reasoning505040 minutes
General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry505040 minutes
Total1501252 Hours

For IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer:

TestQuestionsMarksDuration
English Language502540 minutes
Reasoning505040 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude505040 minutes
Total1501252 Hours

Main Examination

For Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer:

TestQuestionsMarksDuration
Professional Knowledge606045 minutes

For Rajbhasha Adhikari:

TestQuestionsMarksDuration
Professional Knowledge (Objective)456030 minutes
Professional Knowledge (Descriptive)2-30 minutes

How to Apply

A candidate can apply for these posts through its official website. The mode of application is fully online. At first, candidates have to register on its application portal. Candidates are advised to enter all the correct information during the online application; otherwise, a mismatch in information may lead to cancellation of the candidature. Candidates also need to upload various documents, which we have discussed below. For any doubts and confusion, candidates are advised to read the official notification.

  1. Visit official IBPS website: www.ibps.in
  2. Click on "CRP SPL" and then "CLICK HERE TO APPLY ONLINE FOR CRP- SPECIALIST OFFICERS (CRP SPL-XV)"
  3. Click on "CLICK HERE FOR NEW REGISTRATION" and enter basic information
  4. Upload required documents (Photograph, Signature, Left thumb impression, Hand written declaration, SSC/SSLC certificate)
  5. Pay application fee through online mode (Debit Cards/Credit Cards/Internet Banking/IMPS/Cash Cards/Mobile Wallets/UPI)
  6. Submit the application and take printout for future reference

Important Links

Link TitleAction
IBPS SO Official Website Visit
IBPS SO Apply Online Click
IBPS SO Official Notification 2025 Download

Additional Details

  • Candidates must bring valid photo ID proof and call letter to exam center
  • Penalty for wrong answers: 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer
  • Final selection based on 80% weightage for Main Exam and 20% for Interview
  • Minimum qualifying marks in interview: 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD candidates)

FAQs – IBPS SO Recruitment 2025

Who is eligible for IBPS SO exam?

To be eligible for IBPS SO exam, candidates must: (1) Be 20-30 years old (with age relaxations for reserved categories), (2) Possess the required educational qualification for the specific post (like Engineering degree for IT Officer, Law degree for Law Officer etc.), and (3) Be an Indian citizen or fulfill other nationality criteria mentioned in the notification.

What is IBPS SO salary?

The pay scale for IBPS Specialist Officer (Scale I) is ₹48,480-1,990/7-62,480-2,340/2-67,160-2,680/7-85,920 plus allowances and perks as per the rules of the allotted bank. The initial in-hand salary typically ranges between ₹52,000-55,000 per month.

Which is higher, PO or SO?

Both Probationary Officers (PO) and Specialist Officers (SO) start at the same Scale I level with similar pay scales. However, SOs have specialized roles in specific domains (IT, Law, Agriculture etc.) while POs have general banking roles. Career progression depends on performance, but SOs often have better growth prospects in their specialized fields.

Is IBPS SO a permanent job?

Yes, IBPS SO is a permanent job in public sector banks after successful completion of probation period (typically 2 years). Selected candidates are appointed as permanent employees of the allotted bank.

Is IBPS SO has interview?

Yes, IBPS SO selection process includes an interview (100 marks) after the Main examination. The final merit list is prepared with 80% weightage for Main exam score and 20% for interview performance. Minimum qualifying marks are 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD candidates).

How many attempts for IBPS SO?

IBPS has not specified any limit on the number of attempts for SO exam, as long as candidates meet the age criteria. General category candidates can attempt until age 30, while reserved categories have age relaxations (SC/ST: 35 years, OBC: 33 years, PwBD: 40 years).

Is there negative marking in IBPS SO?

Yes, there is negative marking of 0.25 marks (1/4th) for each wrong answer in both Preliminary and Main examinations. No marks are deducted for unanswered questions.

About the author

Diganta Kumar
A graduate in English Honours from Calcutta University, content creator, and web developer, currently preparing for government job exams while sharing useful resources and updates on this blog.

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