The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) released the CRP SPL-XVI notification 2026 for recruitment of 745 Specialist Officers (Scale I) across 11 Participating Public Sector Banks. The online application window ran from 1 July to 21 July 2026.
⚠️ Note: The application window for IBPS SO 2026 has closed (last date 21 July 2026). This page is retained as a reference for candidates who have applied and are preparing for the exam, and for those tracking the IBPS SO cycle for future reference. Full vacancy break-up, eligibility, exam pattern and the complete selection timeline are below.
IBPS SO Recruitment 2026 (CRP SPL-XVI) – Overview
| Recruitment Name | IBPS CRP SPL-XVI (Specialist Officers) |
| Organisation | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) |
| Posts | IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, Marketing Officer (Scale I) |
| Total Vacancies | 745 (Indicative) |
| Age Limit | 20 to 30 years (as on 01.07.2026) |
| Application Period | 01 July 2026 to 21 July 2026 (closed) |
| Application Mode | Online only |
| Official Website | ibps.in |
Important Dates
| Online Registration & Fee Payment | 01 July – 21 July 2026 (closed) |
| Call Letter – Preliminary Exam | August 2026 |
| Online Preliminary Examination | August 2026 |
| Preliminary Result | September/October 2026 |
| Online Main Examination | November 2026 |
| Main Exam Result | November 2026 |
| Interview | November/December 2026 |
| Provisional Allotment | January 2027 |
Vacancy Details – Post-wise (745 Posts)
| Post | Indicative Vacancies |
| IT Officer (Scale I) | 301 |
| Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I) | 190 |
| Law Officer (Scale I) | 105 |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I) | 89 |
| HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I) | 60 |
| Marketing Officer (Scale I) | 0 (no vacancies reported currently) |
| Total | 745 |
Participating banks include 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 and Union Bank of India. IT Officer carries by far the largest share at 301 posts.
Eligibility Criteria
Age Limit (as on 01.07.2026)
Minimum 20 years, maximum 30 years — born between 02.07.1996 and 01.07.2006. Relaxation: SC/ST 5 years, OBC (NCL) 3 years, PwBD 10 years, Ex-Servicemen 5 years.
Educational Qualification (Post-wise)
| Post | Qualification |
| IT Officer | 4-year Engineering degree in CS/IT/Electronics or related field, OR PG in a relevant field, OR Graduate with DOEACC ‘B’ level |
| Agricultural Field Officer | 4-year degree in Agriculture/Horticulture/Animal Husbandry/Veterinary/Dairy/Fishery Science or allied subjects |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari | PG in Hindi with English at graduation, OR PG in Sanskrit with English and Hindi as subjects |
| Law Officer | Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LL.B) and enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council |
| HR/Personnel Officer | Graduate + 2-year full-time PG degree/diploma in Personnel Management/HR/IR/Social Work/Labour Law |
| Marketing Officer | Graduate + 2-year full-time MBA/MMS/PGDBA/PGDM with specialisation in Marketing |
For posts other than IT Officer, candidates must also have studied Computer/IT as a subject in school/college, or hold a certificate/diploma/degree in computer operations.
Application Fee
| SC / ST / PwBD | ₹175 (inclusive of GST) |
| General / EWS / OBC and all others | ₹850 (inclusive of GST) |
Selection Process
- Online Preliminary Examination (August 2026) — clear individual cut-offs in each test.
- Online Main Examination (November 2026) — scores from this stage alone decide interview shortlisting and final merit.
- Common Interview (November/December 2026) — 100 marks, minimum 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD).
- Provisional Allotment (January 2027) — merit-cum-preference, with 80:20 weightage between Main Exam and Interview.
Exam Pattern
The Preliminary Exam for IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer consists of 100 questions for 125 marks across English Language, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and Professional Knowledge, in 80 minutes. There is a penalty of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer; no penalty for unattempted questions.
Important Links
| Official Notification (PDF) | Click Here |
| Call Letter / Login | Click Here |
| Official Website | ibps.in |
Prepare for the Exam
Applicants heading into the Preliminary Exam should prioritise Professional Knowledge alongside the common English, Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude sections — since the Main Exam score alone decides the merit list, Professional Knowledge is where the competition is won. Our curated Best Books for Government Exams 2026 covers the standard banking-exam titles for these sections.
Related Bank Recruitment 2026
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Is the IBPS SO 2026 application still open?
No. The application window closed on 21 July 2026. This page is retained for candidates who have applied and for future-cycle reference.
Q2. How many vacancies are there in IBPS SO 2026?
745 indicative vacancies — IT Officer (301), Agricultural Field Officer (190), Law Officer (105), Rajbhasha Adhikari (89), HR/Personnel Officer (60) and Marketing Officer (0).
Q3. What is the selection process for IBPS SO 2026?
A three-stage process: Online Preliminary Examination, Online Main Examination and a Common Interview. Final merit uses an 80:20 weightage between the Main Exam and Interview.
Q4. What is the age limit for IBPS SO 2026?
20 to 30 years as on 01 July 2026, with relaxation for SC/ST (5 years), OBC-NCL (3 years), PwBD (10 years) and Ex-Servicemen (5 years).
Q5. Which post has the most vacancies?
IT Officer (Scale I) with 301 of the 745 posts.
Source & Verification
All details above are taken from the official IBPS CRP SPL-XVI notification dated 01 July 2026, published at ibps.in. This page was last verified on 22 July 2026; the application window has since closed.
Disclaimer: Sarkari Job Wale compiles this information from the official IBPS notification and reliable sources for the convenience of aspirants. Vacancies are indicative and subject to change by the participating banks. Candidates must rely on the official notification on ibps.in. We are not affiliated with IBPS.