IBPS SO 2021 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
Updated On -
Apr 12, 2021
Exams Prepmaster
IBPS SO (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Specialist Officer Exam) is conducted every year for selection to several scale I officer posts in public sector banks. The test will be conducted in online mode. IBPS SO Exam Pattern will vary for different posts.
- IBPS SO is conducted in 2 stages - Prelims and Mains, followed by Interview round.
- Both Prelims and Mains are computer-based examinations.
- Prelims Exam is an objective (MCQs) type examination.
IBPS SO 2021 Exam Pattern is indicated below for different posts:
- For the post of Rajbhasha Adhikari and Law Officer (Prelims)
- For the post of IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer (Prelims)
- For the post of Rajbhasha Adhikari (Mains)
- For the post of Law Officer, Marketing Officer, Agriculture Field Officer HR/Personnel Officer, and IT Officer Scale 1 (Mains)
Also check- IBPS SO Application Process
IBPS SO 2021 Exam Pattern Highlights
| Exam Pattern Highlights | |
| Exam Mode | Online |
| Number of Papers | 2 (Prelims and Mains) |
| Number of Sections | Prelims - 3 sections, Mains - 2 sections |
| Question Paper Type | Objective type MCQs |
| IBPS SO Total marks | Prelims- 125 marks Mains- 60 Marks |
| Exam Duration | 2 hours each |
| Exam language | Hindi and English |
Also, check the IBPS Exam Calendar for 2021-22
IBPS SO 2021 Exam Pattern in Detail
IBPS SO will comprise 2 tiers for selection namely Prelims and the Mains. Both the tests are computer-based objective-type questions primarily. Here is the section-wise distribution of questions in IBPS SO Prelims and Mains.
Section-Wise Distribution of Questions in IBPS SO 2021 Prelims
| Name of Tests | No. of Questions | Medium of Exam |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 50 | English |
| Reasoning | 50 | English and Hindi |
| General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry/ Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | English and Hindi |
- 3 sections in the question paper- English Language, General Awareness, and Logical Reasoning.
- Exam duration is 120 minutes.
- Maximum marks allotted for the exam is 125 marks.
- The Logical reasoning section comprises 50 marks, General Awareness for 25 marks and Logical reasoning for 50 marks.
- This paper is also divided into 3 sections - Logical Reasoning, English Language, and Quantitative Aptitude.
- Part A and Part C contain 50 marks respectively and Part B comprises 25 marks.
- Candidates get 2 hours to complete the exam with the maximum score being 125 marks.
- Both the papers for Prelims in IBPS SO contain 150 questions.
- Negative marking of 0.25 marks is done in the case of the wrong answer. No marks will be deducted for questions left un-attempted.
Note: Candidates applying for Rajbhasha Adhikari and Law Officers need to attempt the General Awareness section.
Also Practice IBPS SO 2021 Prelims Sample Papers for free during your IBPS SO Preparation Time
Section-Wise Distribution of Questions in IBPS SO 2021 Mains
For Law Officer, Marketing Officer, Agriculture Field Officer HR/Personnel Officer, and IT Officer Scale 1 (Mains)
| Name of the Test | No. of Questions | Medium of Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Knowledge | 60 | English & Hindi |
For Rajbhasha Adhikari
| Name of the Test | No. of Questions | Medium of Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Knowledge (Objective) | 45 | English & Hindi |
| Professional Knowledge (Descriptive) | 2 | English & Hindi |
IBPS SO 2021 Marking Scheme
As the exam for IBPS SO 2021 is conducted in 2 parts, the marking scheme for both of their papers is also different.
Marking Scheme for IBPS SO Prelims
| Paper Number- | Sections | Number of Questions | For Correct Response | Negative Marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-1 Post of Rajbhasha Adhikari and Law Officer |
Reasoning | 50 Questions each | 1 mark | 0.25 marks |
| English Language | 0.5 mark | |||
| General Awareness with special reference to Banking Industry | 1 mark | |||
| Paper-2 post of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer HR/Personnel Officer, and IT Officer Scale 1 |
Reasoning | 50 Questions each | 1 mark | |
| English Language | 0.5 mark | |||
| Quantitative Aptitude | 1 mark |
Marking Scheme for IBPS SO Mains
The marking scheme for IBPS SO 2021 Mains is mentioned below.
| Paper Number | Number of Questions | Marks Allotted | Negative Marking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-1 (post of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer HR/Personnel Officer, and IT Officer Scale 1) | 60 | 60 Marks | 0.25 Marks |
| Paper -2 (post of Rajbhasha Adhikari) | 45 |
- Question paper is to be answered in Objective as well as Descriptive type questions for Part A and Part B respectively.
- Part A which is Professional Knowledge (Objective Type Question) contains 45 questions.
- Part B which is Professional Knowledge (Descriptive type Questions) Contains 2 questions.
- Maximum marks allotted for the paper are 60.
- Both sections are allotted a time duration of 30 minutes each.
- Question paper contains a single part i.e. Professional Knowledge with 60 Objective type questions
- Negative Marking is also applicable to questions attempted wrong. 0.25 marks will be deducted.
- No marks will be deducted for questions left un-attempted.
- For Rajbhasha Adhikari, 1 mark each for MCQs and 15 marks for the 2 descriptive questions.
- For other posts, 1 mark each for all the MCQs.
FAQs
Ques: What kind of questions are asked in Prelims?
Ans: All the questions asked in Prelims are objective in nature.
Ques: Is there a provision for negative marking in IBPS SO?
Ans: Yes, 0.25 or 1/4th of the allotted marks are deducted for every wrong answer in IBPS SO.
Ques: What is the difficulty level of IBPS SO?
Ans: The difficulty level of IBPS SO is moderate.
Ques: Is there a round of Personal Interview after the Mains exams?
Ans: Yes, the candidates who pass the cut-offs of the Mains exam are called for the Personal Interview.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.