In this guide
The IBPS notification names the sections of each paper and stops there. There is no official list of topics, no chapter-wise weight, no reading list. So "the syllabus" for IBPS PO is really a map built from recent papers: the question types that keep appearing, the ones that appear in some years, and the ones that are rare.
That map is useful in two ways. It tells you what to learn, and it tells you in what order, because some topics serve both prelims and mains while others matter only in one stage. This guide lays out the map section by section and then turns it into priorities.
How the sections map across stages
| Prelims section | Mains section | What changes in the mains |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Aptitude (35 Qs, 30 marks) | Data Analysis & Interpretation (40 Qs, 60 marks) | Mostly DI; heavier calculation; caselets and missing data |
| Reasoning Ability (35 Qs, 40 marks) | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Qs, 60 marks) | Longer puzzles, critical reasoning, computer questions |
| English Language (30 Qs, 30 marks) | English Language (40 Qs, 20 marks) | Longer passages, trickier vocabulary and grammar |
| Not tested | General / Economy / Banking Awareness (50 Qs, 60 marks) | An entire new section |
| Not tested | Descriptive test (2 Qs, 25 marks) | Typed essay and letter or comprehension |
Read this table as a plan. Everything in the first three rows is studied once and pays twice. The last two rows must be started early, because there is no time to build them in the few weeks between the prelims and the mains.
Quantitative Aptitude and Data Analysis
| Group | Topics | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Calculation | Simplification, approximation | Prelims |
| Series | Missing number, wrong number | Both |
| Equations | Quadratic equations (comparing x and y) | Both, more in prelims |
| Data interpretation | Tables, bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, caselets, missing-data DI | Both, dominant in mains |
| Arithmetic | Percentage, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, ratio and partnership, averages and ages, time and work, pipes, speed, trains, boats, mixtures, probability, permutation and combination, mensuration | Both |
| Comparison types | Quantity comparison (Quantity I vs Quantity II), data sufficiency | Both, more in mains |
Percentage is the hidden core of this section. It runs through profit and loss, interest, DI and mixtures. An aspirant who can turn 37.5% into 3/8 without thinking will be faster everywhere else. Start with percentage, then follow the quant plan.
Reasoning Ability
| Group | Topics | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Puzzles and seating | Floor, box, scheduling (months, days), linear, circular and square seating | Both, longer in mains |
| Logic | Syllogism (including "only a few"), inequalities, data sufficiency | Both |
| Relations and positions | Blood relations, direction sense, order and ranking | Both |
| Codes and series | Coding–decoding, alphanumeric series, input–output | Both |
| Critical reasoning | Assumptions, inferences, courses of action, strengthening and weakening arguments | Mains |
| Computer aptitude | Hardware, software, networks, internet, security, MS Office basics | Mains |
In recent papers, puzzles and seating have carried the largest share of reasoning questions. With reasoning now worth 40 of the 100 prelims marks, that makes puzzle solving the single most valuable skill in the prelims. See the reasoning plan.
English Language
| Question type | What it tests |
|---|---|
| Reading comprehension | Reading speed, inference, vocabulary in context |
| Cloze test | Grammar and word choice inside a passage |
| Error spotting and sentence improvement | Grammar rules: agreement, tenses, prepositions, parallelism |
| Fillers (single and double) | Vocabulary and sentence logic |
| Para jumbles and odd sentence out | Following an argument |
| Word usage, connectors, vocabulary | Precise meaning and collocation |
Reading comprehension usually takes the largest share, and every other type rewards the same habit: reading well-edited English daily. There is no shortcut around that.
General / Economy / Banking Awareness (mains)
- Banking: history of Indian banking, the RBI and monetary policy, banking terms, payment systems, NPAs, Basel norms, financial inclusion.
- Economy: the Union Budget, the Economic Survey, inflation, GDP, fiscal terms, government schemes.
- Financial markets and insurance: regulators (RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, PFRDA), money and capital markets, insurance basics.
- Current affairs: roughly the six months before the mains, with a banking and economy focus.
- Static GK: headquarters of banks and institutions, currencies and capitals, national parks, important days.
This section is 50 questions and 60 marks, with nothing to calculate. It rewards steady revision more than intelligence. See the banking awareness plan.
Descriptive test and interview
- Descriptive: an essay on a current theme (banking, economy, technology or social issues are common) and a letter or comprehension/précis-style task, typed in English within 30 minutes.
- Interview: your background and graduation subject, why banking, your home state, basic banking knowledge, current events, and how you handle situations.
Turning the map into priorities
| Priority | Topics | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Build first | Calculation speed, percentage and ratio, puzzles and seating, daily reading | Used in almost every section of both stages |
| Build next | DI (all formats), arithmetic word problems, syllogism, inequality, RC, cloze, error spotting | Regular question types in both stages |
| Run alongside, from month one | Banking awareness, current affairs, one essay a week | Mains-only, but impossible to cram |
| Add for the mains | Caselet and missing-data DI, critical reasoning, computer aptitude, long puzzles | Mains-level depth |
| Last | Rare types seen only occasionally | Low return per hour |
How to use this syllabus
- Copy each table into a notebook or spreadsheet and add three columns: learnt, practised, mock-ready.
- Mark every topic honestly after your first ten days of study.
- Each week, move at least three topics one column to the right.
- After every mock, add a tick or a cross against the topics you lost marks on.
After a month, the sheet will show your real syllabus: the topics standing between you and the cut-off.
What to do next
- Build the topic tracker described above.
- Check the exam pattern for marks and timing in the current notification.
- Start one "build first" topic in each of quant, reasoning and English this week.
- Open a banking awareness notebook today.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection website .
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