IBPS SO Syllabus 2023 - Subject Wise Topics Weightage

The Institute of Banking and Personnel Selection unveiled the IBPS SO notification on 31st July, 2023. Subsequently, the Institute of Banking and Personnel Selection has finally put an end to the wait for IBPS SO aspirants. Yes, the Institute of Banking and Personnel Selection has officially released the IBPS SO notification for the year 2023. So, KD Live, keeping up with its commitment, is here with the IBPS SO Syllabus 2023 blog. In this blog post, we will be providing you with a comprehensive understanding of the syllabus. From exam patterns to important dates to the weightage of the topics, we have covered it all for you. 

IBPS SO Syllabus 2023 - An Overview

Let us begin by providing you with an overview of the IBPS SO syllabus 2023. Knowing the subjects and topics in advance allows you to plan your study schedule and allocate time appropriately. Thus, take a glance at the pointers below to learn about the same:

• English Language
• Reasoning
• General Awareness with special reference to the Banking Industry
• Quantitative Aptitude

Now that you are familiar with the subjects you need to prepare, how about we dive into a thorough analysis of them? In the subsequent sections of the blog, we will discuss each of the topics, along with their weightage. Thus, stay engaged!

Download IBPS SO Syllabus 2023 PDF

The IBPS SO Syllabus 2023, the Preliminary exam consists of three subjects. However, the third subject differs according to the posts. To elaborate, the first two subjects in the preliminary exam are the same for all the posts- Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari and IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer. Examine the image below for a better understanding.

[Source: KD Live]

[Source: KD Live]

Let's now do an in-depth analysis of the syllabus for each of these subjects. Hence, we have provided a detailed syllabus for each of these subjects, along with their respective importance, in the tabular format below for your reference.

IBPS SO Syllabus 2023 - Prelims

To focus on each of the subjects individually, we've included a table below that lists all the topics within each subject along with their respective weightage. Moreover, these weights are calculated based on the previous year's papers, i.e., 2022 and 2021.

English Language
Topics	Weightage
Reading Comprehension	10-15
Cloze Test	5-10
Sentence Correction	5-10
Error Detection	5-10
Para Jumbles	3-5
Fill in the Blanks	5

According to our analysis, reading comprehension carries more significance than the other topics listed. Therefore, we would suggest you allocate a larger portion of your study time to this topic.

Reasoning
Topics	Weightage
Puzzles/ Seating Arrangement	10-15
Coding-Decoding	5-10
Verbal Reasoning	5-8
Blood Relations	3-5
Distance & Direction Sense	3-5
Data Sufficiency	3-5
Inequalities	3-5
Syllogism	3-5

You may want to place greater emphasis on Puzzles/ Seating Arrangement, as it is a topic that frequently appears in exams.

General Awareness
Topics	Weightage
Banking & Financial Awareness	15-20
Current Affairs	7-10
General Knowledge	5-10
Economy	3-5

So, what could you analyze from the above table? Clearly, Banking and financial Awareness are the most asked questions in the IBPS SO Syllabus 2023 Preliminary exam.

Quantitative Aptitude
Topics	Weightage
Data Interpretation	10-15
Arithmetic Questions	10-12
Simplification & Approximation	3-5
Data Sufficiency	3-5
Number Series	3-5
Quadratic Equation	3-5

It is evident from the above table that data interpretation and arithmetic questions hold greater importance than the rest of the topics listed in the table. Moreover, proportional questions further include the following sub-topics: percentage, profit and loss, allocation, time and work, time and distance, ratio and proportion, average, number system, HCF-LCM, permutation and combination, mensuration, probability, etc.

IBPS SO Syllabus 2023 - Mains

The IBPS SO Syllabus 2023 Mains exam includes only one test for the posts- Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer. Moreover, the test is Professional Knowledge. However, for the position of Rajbhasha Adhikari, the Mains examination consists of two tests, namely, Professional Knowledge in both objective and descriptive formats.

IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2023

It is crucial to know the exam pattern as it serves as a foundation for any exam. Consequently, it helps the students to plan their strategy accordingly. Hence, let's dive into the IBPS SO exam pattern. The IBPS SO Examination consists of three levels: Preliminary Exam, Main Exam followed by a Personal Interview. 

Following is the exam pattern for the IBPS SO exam 2023 for all three levels.

Preliminary Examination

[Source: ibps.in]

[Source: ibps.in]

Mains Examination

[Source: ibps.in]

Personal Interview

Once you qualify for the preliminary and mains exams, you are eligible for the interview. The IBPS SO Interview Call Letter for 2023 will be issued in February or March, 2024 as per the information given in the official notification. To download the IBPS SO Interview Call Letter, candidates will need their Registration/Roll number and Password/Date Of Birth. You can find the direct link to download the IBPS SO Interview Call Letter for 2023.

For more information on the IBPS SO Exam Pattern 2023, click on the embedded link provided.

IBPS SO 2023 Marking Scheme

As we are aware, the IBPS SO Syllabus 2023 exam is conducted at three levels: Prelims Exam, Mains Exam and Personal Interview. Let's give you a brief about all the levels.

Preliminary Examination: 

• The mode for this exam is online, the questions will be objective-type multiple-choice questions.

• The time duration for this test will be 2 hours, (40 minutes for each section).

• Moreover, it will consist of 150 questions containing 125 marks in total.

• Also, the candidates should attempt the questions correctly, as there will be negative marking. For every incorrect answer, 1/4th of the assigned marks will be deducted.

Main Examination: Law Officer, I.T. Officer, AFO, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer

• This exam is conducted online and consists of objective-type multiple-choice questions.

• Furthermore, this exam comprises 60 questions, for a total score of 60 marks.

• You will have 45 minutes to complete this section.

• For every incorrect answer, 1/4th of the assigned marks will be deducted.

Main Examination: Rajbhasha Adhikari

• However, the exam pattern for the Rajbhasha post is a little different from other posts as it includes both objective and descriptive questions.

• The exam consists of 45 questions in the objective section and 2 questions in the descriptive section.

• Moreover, you will be allotted 30 minutes for each section.

Personal Interview

After the IBPS SO Mains exam, qualified candidates are invited for a personal interview, which plays a crucial role in the final selection process of IBPS SO, contributing 20% to the merit list. It is important for candidates to be excellent in the IBPS SO interview.

• The total marks for the interview will be 100.

• Also, the qualifying score will be 40% and 35% for SC/ST/OBC candidates, respectively.

After the interview, the final merit list will consider the scores achieved in both the main exam and the interview. Subsequently, candidates will be assigned to one of the participating banks, taking into account their scores and the availability of positions within the bank for their respective roles.

Now, we will be explaining to you the IBPS SO Syllabus 2023 normalization process. Moving further, let's dive into the details.

IBPS SO 2023 Marks Normalization

Shall we start by gaining an understanding of what marks normalization entails? Essentially, it is a statistical technique used to compensate for any variations in question paper difficulty that may arise across different shifts of the same exam. Thus, the normalization process is crucial as it ensures fairness and equity in determining a student's performance.

The official notification stated that the marks obtained by you in different sessions will be normalized using the equi-percentile method. Moreover, the scores up to two decimal points will be taken into consideration for the purpose of calculation.

IBPS SO 2023 Exam Date

We do not want you to miss out on any step in your exam journey. Thus, below we have developed a table for you, encompassing every crucial date mentioned in the official notification.

[Source: KD Live]

To know more about these dates, read our blog IBPS SO Exam Dates.

We hope that our blog has offered the clarity you needed when you first delved into the IBPS SO Syllabus 2023. Moreover, remember every subject is equally important. Thus focus on each of them individually.