IBPS SO Question Paper 2026 PDF with Answer Key, Prelims & Mains

IBPS SO Prelims 2026 Important Topics

The IBPS SO Prelims 2026 paper covered aptitude sections along with post-specific Professional Knowledge. Professional Knowledge carried 50 marks under the revised pattern, making it one of the most significant sections of the examination. Candidates can use the topics listed below to compare the areas covered in the exam and prepare for upcoming IBPS SO examinations.

The table below highlights the major topics relevant to the IBPS SO Prelims examination:

Professional Knowledge

Professional Knowledge was an important part of the IBPS SO Prelims 2026 examination, carrying 50 marks under the revised pattern. Questions in this section were based on the specialised discipline associated with the post for which the candidate had applied.

For IT Officer, major areas included Computer Networks, Database Management Systems, Operating Systems, Data Structures, Cyber Security, Software Engineering, Cloud Computing, and Computer Architecture.

For Agricultural Field Officer, important areas included Agronomy, Soil Science, Horticulture, Agricultural Economics, Animal Husbandry, Irrigation, Crop Production, Plant Pathology, and Government Agriculture Schemes.

For Law Officer, important topics included Constitutional Law, Contract Act, Banking Regulation Act, Companies Act, Negotiable Instruments Act, SARFAESI Act, Consumer Protection, and other banking-related laws.

For HR/Personnel Officer, relevant areas included Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, Labour Laws, Performance Management, Recruitment, Training and Development, and Organisational Behaviour.

For Marketing Officer, major topics included Marketing Management, Consumer Behaviour, Branding, Sales Management, Market Research, Digital Marketing, Product Strategy, and Advertising.

For Rajbhasha Adhikari, important areas included Hindi grammar, translation, vocabulary, official language rules, comprehension, and professional language skills.

Reasoning Ability

The Reasoning Ability section tested candidates on topics such as Puzzles and Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, Inequality, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relation, Direction Sense, and Order & Ranking. Candidates can check the memory-based paper to understand the exact distribution and difficulty level of reasoning questions asked in IBPS SO Prelims 2026.

Quantitative Aptitude

Quantitative Aptitude was applicable to candidates appearing for IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer. Major areas included Data Interpretation, Arithmetic, Approximation, Number Series, and Quadratic Equations.

Important arithmetic areas included Percentage, Profit and Loss, Ratio and Proportion, Average, Simple and Compound Interest, Time and Work, Speed, Time and Distance, Partnership, Mixture and Alligation, and Ages.

English Language

The English Language section assessed candidates on Reading Comprehension, Error Detection, Cloze Test, Para Jumbles, Fill in the Blanks, Phrase Replacement, Sentence Rearrangement, Vocabulary, and other grammar-based questions. Candidates can refer to the shift-wise question paper to check the actual questions asked.

General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry

General Awareness with Special Reference to the Banking Industry was included for Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari candidates. The section covered areas such as Banking Awareness, RBI and its functions, banking terminology, financial institutions, monetary policy, current affairs, government schemes, digital banking, and recent developments in the financial sector. Under the revised pattern, this section consisted of 25 questions carrying 25 marks.

Candidates can use the IBPS SO Prelims 2026 Question Paper and exam analysis to review the section-wise questions, identify important topics, estimate their performance, and understand the level of questions asked under the revised examination pattern.