IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) 16th Notification 2026: Vacancies, Eligibility Criteria, Exam Pattern, Selection Process

Bank | 01 Jul 2026

IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) 16th Notification 2026: Vacancies, Eligibility Criteria, Exam Pattern, Selection Process

Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) has released the Recruitment of Common Recruitment Specialist Officer SO in IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, Marketing Officer, Law Officer, Rajbasha Adhikari, and other posts in Participating Banks IBPS SO 16th Notification. Any candidate who is interested in this IBPS Specialist Officer SO XVI recruitment 2026 and fulfills the eligibility can Apply Online from 01/07/2026 to 21/07/2026. For recruitment eligibility, age limit, post-wise eligibility, selection procedure, syllabus, and all other information, read the advertisement and then apply.

👉 Click Here To Check The Official Notification

IBPS SO Recruitment 2026 Notification Overview

Organization	Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS)
Exam Name	IBPS CRP SPL-XVI
Post Name	Specialist Officers (SO)
Vacancy Session	2027-28
Job Location	All India
Notification Date	30 June 2026
Official Website	ibps.in

Important Dates

Event	Date
Notification Release Date	30 June 2026
Online Application Start	01 July 2026
Last Date to Apply & Fee Payment	21 July 2026
Preliminary Exam	August 2026
Main Examination	November 2026

Application Fee

Category	Fee
SC / ST / PwBD	₹175
General / OBC / EWS	₹850

Vacancy Details, Age Limit and Qualification

IBPS SO Post-Wise Vacancy Details

Post	Vacancies (2026)
IT Officer	301
Agriculture Field Officer	190
Law Officer	105
Rajbhasha Adhikari	89
HR/Personnel Officer	60
Marketing Officer	0
Total	745

IBPS SO Bank-wise Vacancy Details

Participating Bank	Agricultural Field Officer	HR/ Personnel Officer	IT Officer	Law Officer	Marketing Officer	Rajbhasha Adhikari	Total
Bank of Baroda	100	50	0	10	0	7	167
Bank of India	0	0	110	0	0	10	120
Bank of Maharashtra	90	10	0	0	0	0	100
Canara Bank	0	0	0	30	0	20	50
Central Bank of India	0	0	50	30	0	31	111
Indian Bank	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Indian Overseas Bank	0	0	25	10	0	0	35
Punjab & Sind Bank	0	0	16	0	0	11	27
Punjab National Bank	0	0	100	25	0	10	135
UCO Bank	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Union Bank of India	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Total	190	60	301	105	0	89	745

IBPS SO 2026 Eligibility Criteria

The candidates can go through the minimum IBPS SO Eligibility Criteria below in terms of Nationality, Educational Qualification, and age limit.

Age Limit (1/7/2026)

The age should be between 20 and 30 years. Age relaxation will be applicable as per category and is given in the table below:

Category	Age Relaxation
SC/ ST	5 years
OBC	3 years
PWD	10 years
Ex-Servicemen	5 years
A person affected by the 1984 riots	5 years

Qualification

Post Name	Educational Qualification
I.T. Officer (Scale I)	4-year Engineering/Technology Degree in Computer Science/Computer Applications/Information Technology/Electronics/Electronics & Telecommunications/Electronics & Communication/Electronics & Instrumentation OR Post Graduate Degree in Electronics/Electronics & Telecommunication/Electronics & Communication/Electronics & Instrumentation/Computer Science/Information Technology/Computer Applications OR Graduate having passed DOEACC ‘B’ Level.
Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I)	4-year Degree (Graduation) in Agriculture/Horticulture/Animal Husbandry/Veterinary Science/Dairy Science/Fishery Science/Pisciculture/Agricultural Marketing & Cooperation/Co-operation & Banking/Agro-Forestry/Forestry/Agricultural Biotechnology/Food Science/Agriculture Business Management/Food Technology/Dairy Technology/Agricultural Engineering/Sericulture.
Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)	Post Graduate Degree in Hindi with English as a subject at the Graduation level OR Post Graduate Degree in Sanskrit with English and Hindi as subjects at the Graduation level.
Law Officer (Scale I)	Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LLB) and must be enrolled as an Advocate with the 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.

Nationality

The candidate should have citizenship of India issued by the Government of India. The following candidates can also apply for the IBPS SO exam:

a subject of Nepal or
a subject of Bhutan or
a Tibetan Refugee, who came to India before 1st January 1962, to permanently settle in India or
Persons migrated from India from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, intending to permanently settle in India, along with the certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India.

IBPS SO Recruitment 2026 Selection Process

The selection process of IBPS SO Recruitment 2026 consists of:

Preliminary Examination
Main Examination
Interview
Document Verification
Medical Examination

IBPS SO 2026 Exam Pattern Revised

The IBPS SO Exam Pattern has been revised for both Prelims and Mains exams. It tests candidates on professional knowledge along with reasoning, English, and quantitative aptitude, depending on the post applied for. Check the stage-wise exam pattern below and start preparing.

Post	Subjects	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer (AFO), HR/Personnel Officer & Marketing Officer	English Language (25), Reasoning (25), Quantitative Aptitude (25), Professional Knowledge (25)	100	125	80 Minutes
Law Officer & Rajbhasha Adhikari	English Language (25), Reasoning (25), General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry (25), Professional Knowledge (25)	100	125	80 Minutes

Mains Exam Pattern

The main exam pattern is also changed, and it is different for Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer, and Rajbhasha Adhikari posts. Check the post-wise mains exam structure below.

Exam Component	IT Officer / AFO / HR / Marketing Officer	Law Officer	Rajbhasha Adhikari
English Language	30 Questions (30 Marks)	30 Questions (30 Marks)	30 Questions (30 Marks)
Reasoning	40 Questions (40 Marks)	40 Questions (40 Marks)	40 Questions (40 Marks)
Third Section	Quantitative Aptitude30 Questions (30 Marks)	General Awareness (Banking)30 Questions (30 Marks)	General Awareness (Banking)30 Questions (30 Marks)
Professional Knowledge (Objective)	50 Questions (100 Marks)	50 Questions (100 Marks)	50 Questions (100 Marks)
Objective Test Total	150 Questions – 200 Marks	150 Questions – 200 Marks	150 Questions – 200 Marks
Descriptive Paper	English (2 Questions)	English (2 Questions)	Professional Knowledge (2 Questions)
Descriptive Marks	25 Marks	25 Marks	25 Marks
Total Marks	225	225	225
Total Duration	155 Minutes	155 Minutes	155 Minutes

How to Apply for IBPS SO 2026

Visit the official IBPS website ibps.in
Click on CRP SPL-XVI Recruitment 2026.
Complete the registration process.
Fill the online application form carefully.
Upload photograph, signature, and required documents.
Pay the application fee online.
Submit the application form.
Download and print the confirmation page for future reference.

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