The Specialist Officer (SO) Exam 2026 exam is a competitive recruitment test designed to evaluate candidates for various positions. It assesses proficiency, technical skills, and general aptitude required in this sector.
Q: What is the primary recruitment body for Specialist Officer (SO) Exam 2026?
A: The official governing commission/board is responsible for conducting the Specialist Officer (SO) Exam 2026 exam and publishing notifications.
Q: Where can I find Specialist Officer (SO) Exam 2026 online mock tests?
A: You can practice free full-length mock tests and chapter tests on our online preparation platform.
The Specialist Officer (SO) Exam 2026 consists of a preliminary objective test followed by a professional knowledge paper and a personal interview.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Vacancies | To Be Declared in Official Notification |
| Important Dates | To Be Declared in Official Notification |
| Application Fees | INR 850 (General/OBC), INR 175 (SC/ST/PwBD) |
| Age Limits | 20 to 30 Years |
| Attempt Limits | Not Applicable |
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The Specialist Officer (SO) Exam 2026 notification is released by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) on the official website ibps.in. Candidates must complete the online registration and fee payment within the stipulated window. The examination process follows the standard IBPS SO Common Recruitment Process (CRP SPL-XVI) for various technical and professional cadres. All candidates must possess the mandatory educational qualifications and age criteria as of the crucial date specified in the official notification to remain eligible for the selection process.
Follow these steps to download the official Specialist Officer notification:
| Year | Total Vacancies |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 896 |
| 2023 | 1402 |
| 2022 | 710 |
| Designation | Department | Pay Level |
|---|---|---|
| IT Officer (Scale I) | Information Technology | Level 7 |
| Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I) | Agriculture | Level 7 |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I) | Official Language | Level 7 |
| Law Officer (Scale I) | Legal | Level 7 |
| HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I) | HR | Level 7 |
| Marketing Officer (Scale I) | Marketing | Level 7 |
The application fee for the Specialist Officer Exam is as follows:
Payment must be made online via Debit Cards, Credit Cards, Internet Banking, IMPS, Cash Cards, or Mobile Wallets.
The minimum age limit is 20 years and the maximum age limit is 30 years as of the crucial date mentioned in the notification.
Candidates must possess a 4-year Engineering Degree in CS/IT/Electronics for IT Officer, or a 4-year Degree in Agriculture/Horticulture/Animal Husbandry for AFO. Law Officers require an LLB degree with enrollment as an advocate. Rajbhasha Adhikari requires a Post Graduate degree in Hindi with English as a subject. HR/Personnel Officers require a Graduate degree and full-time Post Graduate degree/diploma in Personnel Management/Industrial Relations/HR. Marketing Officers require a full-time MMS/MBA (Marketing) or a 2-year full-time PGDBA/PGDBM with a specialization in Marketing.
| Stage | Subjects | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims | English, Reasoning, Quant/GA | 150 | 125 | 120 Mins |
| Mains | Professional Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 Mins |
Selected candidates are appointed at the Junior Management Grade Scale I. The basic pay starts at Rs. 36,000 in the pay scale of 36000-1490/7-46430-1740/2-49910-1990/7-63840. Allowances include Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA), City Compensatory Allowance (CCA), and Special Allowance as per the Bipartite Settlement.
Admit cards are released on the official IBPS portal. Candidates must download the call letter using their Registration Number and Password/DOB. On the exam day, candidates must carry a hard copy of the admit card and a valid original photo ID (Aadhar Card, PAN Card, Voter ID, or Passport).
Official answer keys for the objective tests are released by IBPS after the completion of the recruitment process. Candidates can access the portal using login credentials to view responses. Objections can be submitted within the specified window by paying the requisite fee per question as notified by the board.
The result is prepared based on the marks obtained in the Mains examination and the Interview. Scores are normalized to account for variations in difficulty levels across different shifts. A final merit list is prepared by assigning 80% weightage to the Mains score and 20% weightage to the Interview score.
Focus primarily on the Professional Knowledge section as it carries the highest weightage in the Mains exam. Allocate 60% of your study time to core technical subjects relevant to your specific post. Practice previous years' question papers to understand the difficulty level and question distribution. Maintain a strict schedule for speed tests in Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude for the Prelims stage. Utilize standard textbooks and official technical manuals for conceptual clarity.
The following historical cut-off data for the IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) examination is sourced directly from the official IBPS CRP SPL result write-ups and notification archives. As the 2026 exam cycle has not yet been conducted, the data reflects the most recent completed recruitment cycles.
| Post Name | SC | ST | OBC | EWS | UR | HI | OC | VI | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT Officer (Scale I) | 15.50 | 10.25 | 21.50 | 21.50 | 21.50 | 10.25 | 10.25 | 10.25 | 10.25 |
| Agricultural Field Officer | 14.00 | 10.00 | 19.75 | 19.75 | 19.75 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 |
| Law Officer | 14.75 | 10.00 | 20.00 | 20.00 | 20.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 |
| HR/Personnel Officer | 15.25 | 10.00 | 20.50 | 20.50 | 20.50 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 |
| Marketing Officer | 15.50 | 10.00 | 21.00 | 21.00 | 21.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 |
Source: Official IBPS CRP SPL-XIII Preliminary Examination Result Write-up, January 2024.
| Post Name | SC | ST | OBC | EWS | UR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT Officer (Scale I) | 45.80 | 41.20 | 51.40 | 51.40 | 52.80 |
| Agricultural Field Officer | 42.60 | 38.40 | 47.20 | 47.20 | 48.80 |
| Rajbhasha Adhikari | 44.40 | 40.00 | 49.60 | 49.60 | 51.20 |
| Law Officer | 46.20 | 42.00 | 52.00 | 52.00 | 53.60 |
| HR/Personnel Officer | 48.00 | 44.00 | 54.40 | 54.40 | 56.00 |
| Marketing Officer | 47.60 | 43.20 | 53.80 | 53.80 | 55.20 |
Source: Official IBPS CRP SPL-XIII Provisional Allotment Result Write-up, April 2024.
