Institute of Banking Personnel Selection or IBPS is the main recruiting body which conducts online examinations to recruit eligible candidates on various posts in banking organizations. IBPS conducts an online examination for the post of Specialist Officer (SO) every year which recruits eligible candidates on various posts according to the eligibility. IBPS is expected to release IBPS SO 2019 Recruitment Notification in the upcoming months. This is a great opportunity for those who possess professional qualifications and wish to work in the banking sector.
IBPS notifications are the most awaited ones among the job aspirants. IBPS includes all the commercial banks because of which IBPS Exams are the most important ones among the job aspirants as they give a golden chance to all the candidates to make way into one of these banks in the country. The notification for IBPS SO 2019 will be released soon by IBPS in the upcoming months. As soon as the notification will be released, the registration process for the same will start. IBPS will conduct the online examination for IBPS SO 2019 for various posts like Agriculture Field Officer (AFO), IT Officer Scale I, Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari Scale I.
IBPS follows a standard selection process in all its recruitment examinations. It conducts an online examination for IBPS SO which has an exam pattern which may vary for different posts under Specialist Officers (SO). To be able to prepare in the best way possible, you should firstly know the complete pattern of the exam which will help in making a preparation plan accordingly. It conducts online examination for all the posts under SO which is divided into three phases:
The IBPS SO Prelims examination for some of the posts is common and consists of three sections. The Mains examination is different for some posts and common for some. These two phases will be followed by the Interview stage which will lead to the final selection.
IBPS SO Prelims Exam Pattern
The IBPS SO Prelims 2019 will be an online examination which will consist of three sections which will have sectional timings of 40 minutes each but with variable marks. The Prelims exam pattern may differ for some posts. The total marks for IBPS SO Prelims for all the posts will be 125 whereas the total number of questions will be 150. The IBPS SO Prelims 2019 for Rajbhasha Adhikari Scale I & Law Officer will have common exam pattern and will consist of three sections: Reasoning, English Language & General Awareness (With special reference to Banking industry).
Prelims Exam Pattern for the Post of Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari:
Section No.
Name of test
Medium of Exam
No. of Questions
Maximum Marks
Duration
1
English Language
English
50
25
40 Minutes
2
Reasoning
English & Hindi
3
General Awareness with Special reference to Banking Industry
-
Total
150
125
2 Hours
The IBPS SO Prelims for the posts of Agriculture Field Officer, Marketing Officer (Scale I), HR/Personnel Officer, IT Officer (Scale I) will also consist of three sections but will contain Quantitative Aptitude as a subject in place of General Awareness. The other two sections will be Reasoning and English Language. The number of questions here will also be the same as stated above - 150 and the total marks will be 125 with total time duration of 120 minutes.
Exam pattern for the Post of IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer:
No.of questions
Quantitative Aptitude
IBPS SO Mains Exam Pattern
The candidates who will be able to qualify IBPS SO Prelims will appear for the Mains. IBPS SO Mains is a bit different than the other IBPS Exams. IBPS SO Mains consists of either one or maximum two sections which depends on the posts. For the post of Rajbhasha Adhikari there will be two tests on Professional Knowledge: Objective & Descriptive. The total marks for this test will be 60 and total time will be 1 hour. Both the tests can be given in either Hindi or English Language.
Mains Exam Pattern for the post of Rajbhasha Adhikari:
Name of the Test
Professional Knowledge (Objective)
45
60
30 minutes
Professional Knowledge (Descriptive)
IBPS SO Mains for the posts of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer will consist of only one objective test of Professional Knowledge comprising of 60 marks, 60 questions and the time duration will be 45 minutes. The test can be given in both English and Hindi language.
Main Exam Pattern for the Post of Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer:
Professional Knowledge
45 minutes
All the candidates who qualify IBPS SO Mains, will be shortlisted for Interview and the scores obtained in Mains and Interview will be taken into consideration while making the final list of selected candidates.
IBPS SO is one of the most sought-after jobs. Huge number of candidates apply for this job and IBPS makes sure that it provides all facilities to the candidates. You can choose the language in which you wish to attempt the exam. You will have a choice of English and Hindi as the exam language except the test of English Language. You will also have the choice of viewing any particular question in another language other than the one chosen by you.
IBPS follows a fixed criteria in all its exams when it comes to the marking scheme. In IBPS SO Prelims all questions carry 1 mark except the section of English Language where the questions carry 0.5 marks. A penalty of 0.25 marks will be charged for every incorrect answer.
IBPS SO holds equal importance just like IBPS PO. The only difference between the two is the kind of job and the professional qualifications that are required to apply for it owing to the job requirements. Therefore you can get a clear idea that the exam level will also be of equally good level. You need to be well prepared for the examination and for that you should be well aware of the exam syllabus which will give you the right direction to start off with the preparation and you will know what to study and then make a plan so that you know how to study. IBPS SO will have two written examinations: Prelims and Mains, where the questions will be asked from different subjects and by knowing the complete and correct syllabus, you can ace the IBPS SO 2019 Examination.
IBPS SO Prelims Syllabus
General Awareness
Synonyms
Percentages
Analogy
Banking Terms
Abbreviations and Economic terminologies
Homonyms
Ratio and proportion
Classification
Overview of Indian Financial System
Antonyms
Averages
Word formation
History of Indian Banking System
Spelling
Mixture and allegation
Statement and conclusions
Recent credit and monetary policies
Time and work
Syllogism
Important Government Schemes on capital & money market
Idioms and phrases
Speed, distance and time
Statement and assumptions
Introduction to national financial institutions like RBI, SEBI, IRDA, FSDC etc.
Fill in the suitable words
Stocks and shares
Statement and arguments
Introdcution to International organisations like IMF, World Bank, ADB, UN etc.
Grammar
Partnership
Coding decoding
Current affairs related to national and international issues of last 6 months
Spotting errors
Clocks
Blood relations
Sentence correction
Volume and surface Area
Passage and conclusions
Active/ passive voice
Height and Distances
Alphabet test
Phrases and idioms
Logarithms
Series test
Direct and indirect speech
Permutation and combinations
Number, ranking and time sequence
Reading Comprehension
Simple and compound interest
Direction sense test
Passage completion
Equations
Decision-making test
Theme detection
Probability
Figure series
Deriving conclusion
Trigonometry
Input/output,
Rearrangement of passage
Profit, loss and discount
Assertion and reasoning
Mensuration
Sitting arrangement
Elements of algebra
Odd figure out
Data Interpretation
Miscellaneous test
IBPS SO Mains Syllabus
Database Management System, Data Communication and Networking, Operating System, Software Engineering, Data Structure, Computer Organization and Microprocessor, Object-Oriented Programming
Basics of Crop Production, Horticulture, Seed Science, Agronomy and Irrigation, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Practices, Soil resources, Animal Husbandry, Agroforestry, Ecology, Government Schemes
Basics of Marketing Management, Brand Management, Advertising PR Sale, Retail Business Ethics, Market Segmentation, Market research and forecasting demand Product Life Cycle, Corporate Social Responsibility, Service Marketing, Marketing Strategies
Banking Regulations, Compliance and Legal Aspects, Relevant Law and Orders related to negotiable instruments, securities, foreign exchange, Prevention of Money laundering, Limitation Act, Consumer Protection Act, SARFAES, Banking Ombudsman Scheme, Laws and Actions with direct link to Banking Sector, Bankers Book Evidence Act, DRT Act
Human Resource Development, Business policy and strategic analysis, Transnational Analysis, Training and Development, Recruitment and Selection, Rewards and Recognition, Industrial Relations, Business Policy and Strategic Analysis, Grievance and Conflict Management, Performance Management and Appraisal
To apply for IBPS SO 2019, an aspirant should meet the eligibility criteria with respect to Educational Qualification, Age etc. which will be mentioned in detail once the official notification will be released. IBPS notifies a particular eligibility criterion for all the candidates who apply for the post of Specialist Officer (SO). Before filling up the application form it is necessary to ensure if you are eligible for the post you wish to apply for. Evey post will have different eligibility criteria with respect to educational qualification.
IBPS SO Educational Qualification
IBPS is expected to release the notification for IBPS SO 2019 notification soon and before you are ready to start your preparation you should make sure that you are eligible to apply. IBPS SO further consists of many job posts for which the candidates need to possess a particular educational degree with respect to the type of post. The basic minimum qualification will be a ‘graduate degree’ in the respective discipline required for the post along with other requirements. Refer to the table given below for the detailed educational criteria required for IBPS SO 2019:
Post Code
Name of the Post
01
I.T. Officer (Scale-I)
a) 4 year Engineering/ Technology Degree in Computer Science/ Computer Applications/ Information Technology/ Electronics/ Electronics & Telecommunications/Electronics & Communication/ Electronics & Instrumentation
OR
b) Post Graduate Degree in Electronics/ Electronics & Tele Communication/Electronics & Communication/ Electronics & Instrumentation/ Computer Science/ Information Technology/ Computer Applications
Graduate having passed DOEACC ‘B’ level (from a University/ Institution/ Board recognised by Govt. Of India/ approved by Govt. Regulatory Bodies)
02
Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I)
4 year Degree (graduation) in Agriculture/ Horticulture/Animal Husbandry/Veterinary Science/ Dairy Science/ Fishery Science/ Pisciculture/ Agri. Marketing & Cooperation/ Co-operation & Banking/ Agro Forestry/Forestry/ Agricultural Biotechnology/ Food Science/ Agriculture Business Management/ Food Technology/ Dairy Technology/ Agricultural Engineering/ Sericulture
03
Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)
Post Graduate Degree in Hindi with English as a subject at the degree (graduation) level
Postgraduate degree in Sanskrit with English and Hindi as subjects at the degree (graduation) level.
04
Law Officer (Scale I)
A Bachelor Degree in Law (LLB) and enrolled as an advocate with Bar Council
05
HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I)
Graduate and Two Years Full time Post Graduate degree or Two Years Full time Post Graduate diploma in Personnel Management / Industrial Relations/ HR / HRD/ Social Work / Labour Law.*
06
Marketing Officer (Scale I)
Graduate and Two Years Full time MMS (Marketing)/ Two Years Full time MBA (Marketing)/ Two Years Full time PGDBA / PGDBM/ PGPM/ PGDM with specialization in Marketing *
IBPS SO Age Criteria
All the candidates willing to apply for IBPS SO 2019 should also follow an age criteria specified by IBPS. All the candidates should be in between a specified age limit with respect to minimum and maximum age for all the posts for which the vacancies will be declared in the IBPS SO 2019 notification. For all the posts the age criteria will be:
Age
Min- 20 Years
Max-30 Years
Min- 20 years
Max- 30 years
IBPS SO 2019 will be an online examination and therefore IBPS will need specific exam centres like every year to conduct the examination smoothly where all the facilities and support will be available. These exam centres will be spread all across India and the candidates will choose the exam centres according to their choice of state and city and accordingly the centres will be allotted to the candidates by IBPS. The candidates can not change their choice of centre once the application form is submitted. IBPS reserves the right to make changes in the list of exam centres at its discretion.
IBPS SO Exam Centres for Preliminary Exam
Centre Code
City
State
11
Port Blair
Andaman & Nicobar
29
Kavarrati
Lakshadweep
12
1.Vijaywada, 2.Vishakhapatnam 3.Vizianagaram 4.Srikakulam 5.Tirupati 6.Chirala 7.Chittoor 8.Guntur 9.Nellore 10.Ongole 11.Rajahmundry 12.Kadapa 13.Kakinada 14.Kurnool
Andhra Pradesh
30
1.Bhopal 2.Gwalior 3.Indore 4.Jabalpur 5.Sagar 6.Satna 7.Ujjain
Madhya Pradesh
13
Naharlagun
Arunachal Pradesh
31
1.Amravati 2.Aurangabad 3.Chandrapur 4.Dhule 5.Jalgaon 6.Kolhapur 7.Latur 8.Mumbai/Thane/ Navi Mumbai 9.Nagpur 10.Nanded 11.Nashik 12.Pune 13.Ratnagiri
Maharashtra
14
1.Silchar 2.Tezpur 3.Dibrugarh 4.Guwahati 5.Jorhat
Assam
32
Imphal
Manipur
15
1.Muzaffarpur 2.Patna 3.Purnea 4.Arrah 5.Aurangabad 6.Bhagalpur 7.Darbhanga 8.Gaya
Bihar
33
Shillong
Meghalaya
16
Chandigarh/Mohali
Chandigarh
34
Aizawl
Mizoram
17
1.Bhilai Nagar 2.Bilaspur 3.Raipur
Chhattisgarh
35
Kohima
Nagaland
18
1.Surat 2.Jamnagar
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
36
1.Balasore 2.Berhampur(Ganjam) 3.Bhubaneshwar 4.Sambalpur 5.Cuttack 6.Dhenkanal 7.Rourkela
Odisha
19
Daman & Diu
37
Puducherry
20
1.Delhi/New Delhi 2.Faridabad 3.Ghaziabad 4.Greater Noida 5.Gurugram
Delhi
38
1.Amritsar 2.Bhatinda 3.Fategarh Sahib 4.Jalandhar 5.Ludhiana 6.Mohali 7.Pathankot 8.Patiala 9.Sangrur
Punjab
21
Panaji
Goa
39
1.Alwar 2.Ajmer 3.Udaipur 4.Bikaner 5.Jaipur 6.Jodhpur 7.Kota 8.Sikar
Rajasthan
22
1.Rajkot 2.Ahmedabad 3.Anand 4.Gandhinagar 5.Himatnagar 6.Jamnagar 7.Mehsana 8.Surat 9.Vadodara
Gujarat
40
Bardang/ Gangtok
Sikkim
23
1.Yamuna Nagar 2.Ambala 3.Hissar 4.Karnal 5.Kurukshetra 6.Panipat
Haryana
41
1.Chennai 2.Coimbatore 3.Madurai 4.Nagercoil 5.Salem 6.Thanjavur 7.Thiruchirapalli 8.Tirunelvelli
9.Vellore
Tamil Nadu
24
1.Bilaspur 2.Hamirpur 3.Una 4.Kangra 5.Kullu 6.Mandi 7.Shimla 8.Solan
Himachal Pradesh
42
1.Hyderabad 2.Karimnagar 3.Khammam 4.Warangal
Telangana
1.Samba 2.Jammu 3.Srinagar
Jammu & Kashmir
43
Agartala
Tripura
26
1.Ranchi 2.Bokaro Steel 3.City Dhanbad 4.Hazaribagh 5.Jamshedpur
Jharkhand
44
1.Agra 2.Aligarh 3.Allahabad 4.Bareilly 5.Gorakhpur 6.Jhansi 7.Kanpur 8.Lucknow 9.Mathura 10.Meerut 11.Moradabad 12.Muzaffarnagar 13.Varanasi
Uttar Pradesh
27
1.Bengaluru 2.Mangalore 3.Belgaum 4.Bidar 5.Gulbarga 6.Hubli 7.Mysore 8.Shimoga 9.Udupi
Karnataka
1.Dehradu 2.Haldwani 3.Roorkee
Uttarakhand
28
1.Alappuzha 2.Kannur 3.Kochi 4.Kozhikode 5.Kollam 6.Kottayam 7.Malappuram 8.Palakkad 9.Thiruvananthapuram 10.Thrichur
Kerala
46
1.Asansol 2.Durgapur 3.Greater Kolkata 4.Hooghly 5.Kalyani 6.Siliguri
West Bengal
IBPS SO Exam Centre for Mains exam
Kavaratti
1.Vijaywada 2.Vishakhapatnam
Bhopal
1.Aurangabad 2.Mumbai/ Thane/ Navi Mumbai, 3.Nagpur 4.Pune
Guwahati
Patna
Raipur
Surat
Bhubaneshwar
1.Delhi/New Delhi 2.Faridabad 3.Greater Noida 4.Ghaziabad 5.Gurugram
1.Jalandhar 2.Ludhiana
Panji
1.Jaipur 2. Udaipur
Ahmedabad
Bardang/Gangtok
Hissar
1.Chennai 2.Madurai 3.Tirunelveli
1.Shimla 2.Hamirpur
Hyderabad
1.Jammu 2.Srinagar
Ranchi
1.Allahabad 2.Lucknow 3.Meerut
1.Hubli 2.Bengaluru
Dehradun
1.Kochi 2.Thiruvananthapuram
1.Greater Kolkata 2.Siliguri
IBPS is known for its timely execution of the examination schedule. The IBPS Exam Calendar for the year 2019-20 has already been released and the dates for IBPS SO 2019 Examination have also been mentioned there. IBPS has always followed its time-table and therefore the dates mentioned in the exam calendar can be considered as final. The IBPS SO 2019 Prelims Examination is expected to be conducted in November and Main Examination will be conducted in January. The complete details are as follows:
Important dates regarding IBPS Specialist Officer Exam 2019-20 as follows:
Events
Tentative Dates
On-line registration including Edit/Modification of Application by
Candidates
06th November 2019- 26 November 2019
Payment of Application Fees/Intimation Charges (Online)
06 November 2019- 26 November 2019
Download of call letters for Online examination – Preliminary
December 2019
Online Examination – Preliminary
28th December 2019 & 29th December 2019
Result of Online exam – Preliminary
January 2020
Download of Call letter for Online exam – Main
Online Examination – Main
25 January 2020
Declaration of Result of Online Main Examination
February 2020
Download of call letters for interview
Conduct of interview
Provisional Allotment
April 2020
One of the major reasons behind most of the candidates preferring Bank jobs is the stability and security that you receive in a Bank. Along with this stability you also get an attractive salary which makes Banks an obvious choice. An IBPS SO working as an AFO will receive a starting salary of Rs 22,700 - Rs 23,700 /- per month. An Agriculture Field Officer (AFO) posted in Scale I is also entitled to receive other allowances like HRA, DA, Special Allowance, Travel Allowance etc. He/she will also receive reimbursement for medical expenses, newspaper etc.
IBPS releases a good number of vacancies every year for the post of Specialist Officers (SO) under various categories. Last year it released around 1590 vacancies including all the posts in different streams. This year too IBPS is expected to release a similar or higher number of vacancies. Therefore, all the candidates interested to apply can start preparing for the same, without waiting for the last moment.
IBPS SO 2019 is going to be among the important examinations that are most awaited by all the job aspirants. Everyone is going to prepare for this much awaited exam and give their best to get a stable and good job like that of a ‘Specialist Officer’. All of this will be useful only if you are able to apply for the job successfully and for that you should be well aware of the complete application process and clear out all the confusion,if you have any. The registration/application process for IBPS SO 2019 can be simplified in a few easy steps:
All those who will apply for IBPS SO 2019 will have to complete the application process in the proper way. This implies that until and unless you make the fee payment, your application will be considered incomplete.You will have to choose any one of the online payment methods given there and pay the application fee for the exam. The fee amount will vary according to the category of candidates. The details are as follows:
S. No.
Category
Application Fee
SC/ST/PWD
Rs.100/- (Intimation Charges only)
General and Others
Rs. 600/- (App. Fee including intimation charges)
Once the application process for IBPS SO 2019 will be completed, the next step will be releasing the admit cards for the Preliminary exam. The admit cards will be released a few days before IBPS SO Prelims where all the details of the exam centre will be mentioned including the exam venue, date, time and other exam related instructions. Candidates are advised to follow these instructions to avoid any last minute tension. After the Prelims examination, the IBPS SO Mains 2019 will be held soon after for which the admit cards will be released a few days before. The candidates will have to download/print a copy of admit card from the official website of IBPS and bring a valid identity proof along with it to the exam venue.
Preparation of any exam should be accompanied by complete and extensive information related to the exam. An important exam like IBPS SO needs a good preparation and information. By tracking the previous year exams that have been held in all the past years, gives a lot of clarity about the exam and its level. You can get a good idea about what to be expected from IBPS SO 2019, by referring to the previous year cut-off:
IBPS SO Final Cut-Off 2018-19: Category-wise
POST
IBPS SO Prelims Sectional Cutoff 2018
IBPS SO Final Cut-Off 2017-18 (maximum marks)
IBPS SO 2017-18 Final Cut-Off (minimum marks)
The IBPS SO 2019 Exam notification will be released in the upcoming months and all the candidates who are eligible and interested to apply for the post of Specialist Officer in one of the public sector banks (PSBs). The notification for IBPS SO mentions the vacancies for more than one posts as mentioned above. IBPS AFO - Agriculture Field Officer - is one of the best jobs listed under IBPS SO vacancies. An IBPS AFO , just as the title of the job suggests, works as a ‘field officer’. Some of the job responsibilities of an AFO are:
IBPS has been increasing the level of its exams since few years owing to the competition and race among the aspirants to get a good job for themselves. Therefore it has become even more necessary to prepare in the best way possible. You should keep few points in mind:
There is a pool of information available online these days. You should know which source to refer to as you may get lost and waste your valuable time there. Blogs are one of the best sources of information in this online era. Educational blogs give you a clear idea and information related to almost all important exam these days. IBPS SO is one of these important examinations which is awaited by many and applied by a huge number of candidates. To get some information regarding IBPS SO, you can read the following blogs:
Gathering all information about the exam like the syllabus, exam pattern is a good step but it would not prove helpful if you do not accompany it with a good quality study material. Talking about study material, books play a very important role even in this online digitale era. To have a book by your side to refer at any point is always beneficial and you cannot totally do away with books. Therefore it is better to research well and get hold of some best quality books which guide you in the right direction and provide you with just the right information. Refer to the table given below for some good quality material:
The online examination for IBPS SO 2019 will be conducted in the months of November & December. All eligible candidates will have to start their preparation well in advance but what will matter most is how well you actually sink in all that preparation and for how long does it stay,if you start preparing few months before. It is very important to check on your knowledge and for that you need a lot of practice. If this practice is accompanied by real exam experience, it would prove even more helpful and will let you ace the IBPS SO Exam. Practicing mock tests is one such way through which you can make the most out of your daily practice along with learning more. If this practice comes with mock tests that are totally free, it adds on to your advantage in a better way. Practice free mock tests for IBPS SO 2019 Exam and get an edge over others.
IBPS SO being one of the most important exams, needs a thorough study and a good level of preparation. Being in a digital era, everyone today prefers going online where you may find an ocean of knowledge and information. You need to be sensible enough to select the useful sources of knowledge and information. Everyone can get directionless and lost seeing excess of information. Therefore, to give a set direction to your preparation ixamBee has come up with a comprehensive yet crisp IBPS AFO Online Course which will provide you with complete and correct information and resources that you need to qualify this important exam. This course is designed by ixamBee experts:
IBPS AFO Online Course for 2019 consists of the following features:
The IBPS AFO Online Course will be valid till final selection.
Question: Can those students who are appearing in final year of Graduation apply for any post in IBPS SO 2019 recruitment?
Answer: Yes. The candidates who have appeared for the final examinations and waiting for the results are eligible to appear in the IBPS SO selection process.
Question: In IBPS SO 2019 Exam, can I choose Hindi language as the exam language?
Answer: Yes, IBPS SO 2019 Exam is bilingual (i.e, Hindi & English). You can choose your preferred language accordingly.
Question: Is the IBPS SO 2019 Examination in ONLINE or OFFLINE mode?
Answer: IBPS SO 2019 Exam will be in online mode.
Question: Is there any sectional CUT-OFF in IBPS SO 2019 Exam ?
Answer: Yes, IBPS SO 2019 Exam will have sectional cut-off along with the overall cut-off.
Question: Is IBPS SO 2019 Job transferable?
Answer: Yes, IBPS SO is liable to be posted anywhere in India, also depending on the job profile and department being served.
Question: How many attempts are there in IBPS SO 2019 Exam ?
Answer: There is no such limit on the number of attempts for IBPS SO 2019 Exam. You can appear for this exam till the time you are eligible according to the eligibility criteria provided by IBPS in its notification.
Question: What is the age limit for IBPS SO post?
Answer: The minimum age of the candidates must be 20 years & maximum age limit is 30 years as on 1st March 2019.
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