IBPS PO mains exam 2026 held today for 7,565 vacancies

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducted the Probationary Officer (PO) Mains Examination 2026 today, October 4, 2026. This examination is a crucial part of the CRP PO/MT-XVI recruitment cycle, aiming to fill Probationary Officer and Management Trainee positions in Public Sector Banks.

The current recruitment drive seeks to fill an updated number of 7,565 vacancies across 11 participating public sector banks. The selection process for these positions involves a preliminary examination, the main examination, and a final interview round.

Examination Structure and General Awareness Section

The IBPS PO Mains examination consists of an online objective test carrying a total of 200 marks. This objective test covers four main sections: Reasoning, General/Economy/Banking/Digital and Financial Awareness (including RBI circulars), English Language, and Data Analysis and Interpretation. Negative marking is applied in the objective test, where one-fourth of the marks assigned to a question are deducted for every incorrect answer, while unanswered questions incur no penalty.

Specifically, the General/Economy/Banking Awareness section within the Mains exam comprises 35 questions for a total of 50 marks. This section has a time limit of 20 minutes and primarily focuses on current affairs, banking awareness, financial awareness, and economic developments. The overall Mains examination includes 170 objective questions.

Recruitment Timeline and Application Process

The application process for IBPS PO 2026-27 commenced on July 1, 2026, with the last date to apply being July 21, 2026. An application correction window was available from July 23 to July 25, 2026, for permitted edits, incurring a correction fee of ₹200 inclusive of GST. The application fee for General/OBC candidates was INR 850, and for SC/ST/PWD candidates, it was INR 175, both inclusive of GST.

The preliminary examination for IBPS PO 2026 was conducted on August 22 and 23, 2026. The IBPS PO Mains Admit Card 2026 was released on September 24, 2026, and candidates were able to download their call letters from the official IBPS website using their registration number or roll number and password or date of birth. The IBPS PO Prelims result date was awaited as of August 28, 2026. Interviews are tentatively expected to begin around February 2027, though the exact date has not yet been announced. Provisional allotment will be based on candidates’ performance in both the mains and interview rounds.

Further reading

• IBPS PO Mains admit card 2026 released: download call letter for October 4 exam
• SBI PO Mains result 2026 expected in September/October for 1,500 vacancies

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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