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IBPS SO Question Paper 2026 (29 August), Download Memory Based Paper PDF

Soumya Rajput

Aug 29, 2026

IBPS SO Prelims 2026 was conducted on Aug 29, 2026 for Specialist Officer posts including IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer. Candidates can check the IBPS SO Prelims 2026 Question Paper, memory-based questions, answer key, and detailed solutions here to analyse their performance in the examination.

IBPS SO Prelims 2026 Question Paper and Answer Key PDF

Note: IBPS SO question papers given here are memory-based papers prepared from questions reported by candidates. These are not the real question papers but are for reference regarding the exam pattern, type of questions, and standard of questions.

IBPS SO Prelims 2026 Exam Analysis

The IBPS SO Prelims 2026 exam analysis provides a detailed review of the questions asked in each shift, including the overall and section-wise difficulty level, important topics, good attempts, and memory-based questions. Candidates can check the shift-wise IBPS SO Prelims 2026 analysis from the links below.

IBPS SO Exam Analysis 2026 Link
IBPS SO Prelims 2026 Exam Analysis (Aug 29, 2026) (Shift 1) Click Here
IBPS SO Prelims 2026 Exam Analysis (Aug 29, 2026) (Shift 2) Click Here

Practice IBPS SO Mock Tests

Full Length Test Link
IBPS SO Prelims Rajbhasha and Law Officer Full Test 01 Attempt Now
IBPS SO Prelims Agriculture and IT Officer Full Test 02 Attempt Now
IBPS SO Prelims Agri. & IT Officer Full Test 03 Attempt Now
IBPS SO Prelims RBA & Law Officer Full Test 04 Attempt Now
IBPS SO Prelims RBA & Law Officer Full Test 05 Attempt Now
IBPS SO Prelims Marketing Officer Full Test 06 Attempt Now
IBPS SO Prelims Agriculture Officer Full Test 07 Attempt Now
IBPS SO Prelims IT Officer Full Test 08 Attempt Now
IBPS SO Prelims Agri. & IT Officer Full Test 09 Attempt Now
IBPS SO Mains AFO Full Test 01 Attempt Now

Practice: IBPS SO Prelims and Mains Mock Tests (Latest Pattern)

IBPS SO Prelims 2026 Exam Pattern

IBPS SO Prelims 2026 was conducted as per the revised exam pattern, under which Professional Knowledge was included in the Preliminary Examination. The Prelims paper consisted of 100 questions carrying a total of 125 marks, with an overall duration of 80 minutes. Each section had a separate sectional duration of 20 minutes.

For IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer, the examination included English Language, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, and Professional Knowledge. For Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari, Quantitative Aptitude was replaced by General Awareness with Special Reference to the Banking Industry.

Post Prelims Sections
IT Officer English Language, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, Professional Knowledge
Agricultural Field Officer English Language, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, Professional Knowledge
HR/Personnel Officer English Language, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, Professional Knowledge
Marketing Officer English Language, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, Professional Knowledge
Law Officer English Language, Reasoning, General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry, Professional Knowledge
Rajbhasha Adhikari English Language, Reasoning, General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry, Professional Knowledge

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:

Section High-Priority Topics Importance
Professional Knowledge Post-specific technical and professional subjects related to IT, Agriculture, Law, HR, Marketing or Rajbhasha Very High
Reasoning Ability Puzzles & Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, Inequality, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relation, Direction Sense, Ranking High
Quantitative Aptitude Data Interpretation, Arithmetic, Approximation, Number Series, Quadratic Equations High
English Language Reading Comprehension, Error Detection, Cloze Test, Para Jumbles, Fillers, Phrase Replacement High
General/Banking Awareness Banking Awareness, RBI, Banking Terms, Financial Awareness, Current Affairs, Government Schemes High

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.

IBPS SO 2026 Question Paper FAQs

Ques: When was the IBPS SO Prelims 2026 exam conducted?

Ans: IBPS SO Prelims 2026 was conducted on Aug 29, 2026 for various Specialist Officer posts. Candidates can check the shift-wise memory-based question papers, answers, and exam analysis on this page.

Ques: Where can I download the IBPS SO Prelims 2026 Question Paper PDF?

Ans: Candidates can download the IBPS SO Prelims 2026 Question Paper PDF from this page. Shift-wise memory-based papers, answer keys, and detailed solutions are provided to help candidates check the questions asked in the examination.

Ques: What was the IBPS SO Prelims 2026 exam pattern?

Ans: Under the revised 2026 pattern, IBPS SO Prelims consisted of four sections with 100 questions carrying 125 marks. The total exam duration was 80 minutes, with 20 minutes allotted to each section. Professional Knowledge was also included in the Preliminary Examination.

Ques: Was the IBPS SO Prelims 2026 exam pattern the same for all posts?

Ans: No. IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer candidates had Quantitative Aptitude, while Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari candidates had General Awareness with Special Reference to the Banking Industry. English Language, Reasoning, and Professional Knowledge were common to these posts.

Ques: How can the IBPS SO 2026 Question Paper help candidates after the exam?

Ans: Candidates can use the IBPS SO 2026 Question Paper to recall the questions attempted, compare their responses with the available answers, estimate their performance, and understand the section-wise difficulty level. The paper is also useful for future aspirants preparing according to the revised pattern.

Ques: Was Professional Knowledge included in IBPS SO Prelims 2026?

Ans: Yes. Professional Knowledge was included in the IBPS SO Prelims 2026 examination under the revised pattern. It consisted of 25 questions carrying 50 marks, making it one of the highest-weightage sections of the paper.

Ques: Was there negative marking in the IBPS SO Prelims 2026 Question Paper?

Ans: Yes. Negative marking was applicable for incorrect answers in the objective tests. Candidates should consider the applicable penalty while estimating their probable score using the memory-based question paper and answer key.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
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