Are you planning to become a Specialist Officer (SO) in reputed public sector bank? The IBPS SO 2025 exam is a golden opportunity to fulfilling your dream.
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conduct the Specialist Officer (SO) exam annually to recruit candidates in various specialized roles across the public sector banks. The eligible discipline for IBPS SO are IT, Law, HR, Marketing, and Agriculture.
This post will give you detailed insights into the job profiles, updated exam pattern, eligibility criteria, syllabus, and application process. If you are graduated or post graduated in Law, Agriculture, IT, HR, or Marketing and aiming for secure bank job, then IBPS SO could be the best choice.
IBPS SO Job Profiles
IBPS SO recruits candidates for the following posts:
- IT Officer (Scale I)
- Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I)
- Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)
- Law Officer (Scale I)
- HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I)
- Marketing Officer (Scale I)
Each profile involves specialized tasks within the bank like technical operations, agriculture loan schemes, legal affairs, language translation, HR operations, and branding/advertising.
Perks and Benefits of IBPS SO 2025
Perks/ Benefit |
Description |
|---|---|
Salary |
Basic Pay: ₹36,000 – ₹38,000/month; Gross Salary: ₹52,000 – ₹60,000/month (approx.) |
House Rent Allowance (HRA) |
7% to 9% of basic pay based on posting location (metro/semi-urban/rural) |
Medical Benefits |
Free or subsidized healthcare for self and dependents; reimbursement of medical bills |
Travel Allowance (TA) |
Reimbursement for official travel; Leave Travel Concession (LTC) |
Pension & Gratuity |
Pension under National Pension Scheme (NPS); Gratuity as per government norms |
Leave Benefits |
Casual Leave, Sick Leave, Privilege Leave, Maternity/Paternity Leave, Study Leave |
Training & Development |
Access to skill enhancement programs, seminars, and workshops |
Loan Benefits |
Personal/Home/Vehicle loans at concessional interest rates for bank employees |
Job Security |
Permanent job with high job stability and fixed working hours in most roles |
Social Status |
Respected government job in banking sector with high prestige and recognition |
IBPS SO 2025 Exam Pattern
IBPS SO is conducted in three phases – Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam, and Interview.
IBPS SO 2025 Preliminary Exam Pattern:
Sections |
IT, Agriculture, HR & Marketing |
Rajbhasha Adhikari & Law Officer |
|---|---|---|
English Language |
25 Questions – 25 Marks |
50 Questions – 25 Marks |
Reasoning |
50 Questions – 50 Marks |
50 Questions – 50 Marks |
Quantitative Aptitude / General Awareness |
50 Questions – 50 Marks |
50 Questions – 50 Marks |
Total |
125 Questions – 125 Marks |
150 Questions – 125 Marks |
Time Duration |
2 Hours |
2 Hours |
IBPS SO 2025 Mains Exam Pattern:
Post |
No. of Questions |
Marks |
Time |
|---|---|---|---|
IT Officer, Agriculture, HR, Marketing |
60 (Professional Knowledge) |
60 |
45 Minutes |
Law Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari |
45 (Professional Knowledge Objective) + 2 (Descriptive) |
60 |
60 Minutes |
Eligibility Criteria for IBPS SO 2025
Post |
Educational Qualification |
Age Limit (as on 01-11-2025) |
|---|---|---|
IT Officer |
4-year Engineering Degree in CS/IT/ECE or equivalent |
20–30 years |
Agricultural Field Officer |
Degree in Agriculture/Horticulture/Animal Husbandry etc. |
20–30 years |
Rajbhasha Adhikari |
PG in Hindi with English as a subject at Graduation level |
20–30 years |
Law Officer |
LLB and enrolled as an advocate with Bar Council |
20–30 years |
HR/Personnel Officer |
Graduate and 2-year full-time PG in HR/Personnel Management |
20–30 years |
Marketing Officer |
Graduate and 2-year full-time PG in Marketing |
20–30 years |
Age Relaxation: Applicable for SC/ST/OBC/Ex-Servicemen as per government norms.
Detailed Syllabus for IBPS SO 2025
1. English Language:
- Reading Comprehension
- Cloze Test
- Para Jumbles
- Error Detection
- Fill in the Blanks
- Sentence Improvement
2. Reasoning:
- Puzzle
- Seating Arrangement
- Syllogism
- Blood Relations
- Input-Output
- Coding-Decoding
3. Quantitative Aptitude (for IT/HR/Agri/Marketing):
- Data Interpretation
- Simplification
- Number Series
- Time & Work
- Profit & Loss
- Interest, Speed, Distance
4. General Awareness (for Law & Rajbhasha):
- Current Affairs
- Banking Awareness
- Financial Awareness
- Static GK
5. Professional Knowledge:
- Based on the domain-specific subject relevant to the post applied. For example:
- IT Officer: Networking, DBMS, Operating Systems, Security
- Law Officer: Constitution, Banking Regulations, Civil/Criminal Laws
- Rajbhasha: Translation & Grammar (Hindi-English)
- HR: HRM Concepts, Industrial Relations
- Marketing: Sales, Branding, Market Strategies
- Agriculture: Agronomy, Soil Science, Horticulture, Crop Production
How to Apply for IBPS SO 2025
Step |
Action |
|---|---|
1️⃣ |
Visit the official IBPS website—www.ibps.in. |
2️⃣ |
Click on CRP Specialist Officers section |
3️⃣ |
Register with a valid email ID and mobile number |
4️⃣ |
Fill out the application form with accurate details |
5️⃣ |
Upload scanned documents – Photo, Signature, Thumb, and Declaration |
6️⃣ |
Pay the online application fee (₹850 for Gen/OBC, ₹175 for SC/ST/PwD) |
7️⃣ |
Submit and print the application for future reference |
IBPS SO vs IBPS PO vs RRB PO: Detailed Comparison
Features / Criteria |
IBPS SO (Specialist Officer) |
IBPS PO (Probationary Officer) |
RRB PO (Regional Rural Bank PO) |
|---|---|---|---|
Job Role |
Specialized roles like IT, HR, Law, Agri, etc. |
General banking, customer service, and admin |
Branch-level management in rural/semi-urban areas |
Department/Posting |
PSU Banks (urban/metro/tech depts.) |
PSU Banks (urban/semi-urban branches) |
Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) – rural/remote branches |
Basic Pay |
₹36,000/month |
₹36,000/month |
₹36,000/month |
Gross Salary |
₹52,000–₹60,000/month |
₹52,000–₹60,000/month |
₹42,000–₹50,000/month |
Eligibility |
Professional degree (e.g., Engineering, MBA, Law, Agri, etc.) |
Any graduate |
Any graduate |
Job Pressure |
Moderate – domain-focused |
High – sales + customer management |
Moderate – local operations, target-based |
Transfer Frequency |
Less frequent – domain-specific units |
Frequent – pan-India |
Very limited – stays mostly in home state |
Work Location |
Mostly urban and zonal HQs |
Across cities/towns |
Rural and semi-urban areas |
Promotion Scope |
Limited (within specialization) |
High (can rise to top posts) |
Moderate (internal promotion after 3+ years) |
Language Requirement |
No regional language needed |
No regional language needed |
Must know local/state language |
Career Path |
SO → Sr. SO → Manager |
PO → Manager → AGM → DGM |
PO → Manager → Sr. Manager (usually local posting) |
Perks & Allowances |
HRA, medical, LTC, loans |
Similar to SO |
Lesser than SO/PO due to RRB structure |
Work-Life Balance |
Better than PO |
Challenging |
Good (stable work hours, local transfers) |
📝 Summary:
- ✅ Choose IBPS SO if you have a professional degree and want to work in specialized banking roles with moderate pressure.
- ✅ Choose IBPS PO for fast-track promotions, broader banking exposure, and challenging roles.
- ✅ Choose RRB PO if you prefer posting in your home state, lower stress, and good work-life balance.
📌 Key Differences in Bank Exams
Feature |
IBPS |
RRB |
SBI |
RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Difficulty Level |
Moderate |
Easy to Moderate |
Moderate to Difficult |
Difficult |
General Awareness Focus |
Banking + Current Affairs |
Rural Banking Focus |
Latest Banking Updates |
Economics + Finance + RBI Specific GK |
English Section |
Yes |
Optional in some posts |
Yes |
Yes |
Computer Aptitude |
Yes (Main Exam) |
Yes |
Sometimes merged with Reasoning |
No (RBI Grade B) |
Interview Round |
PO/SO (Yes) |
PO (Yes) |
PO (Yes) |
Assistant (No), Grade B (Yes) |
Posting Area |
Nationalized Banks |
Rural Areas |
SBI Branches |
RBI Branches (Metro/Urban) |
Conclusion
The IBPS SO 2025 exam opens the door to a prestigious career in public sector banks for candidates with specialized disciplines. With its professional knowledge-based approach, it’s ideal for those who wish to build a specialized role in banking.
If you are preparing for a bank exam, then you should be aware that all bank exams have nearly the same syllabus. If you prepare for one exam, you can give all banking exams. Preparing for all major bank exams like IBPS, RRB, SBI, and RBI is a smart goal. While the syllabi and preparation strategies are largely similar, there are key differences you should be aware of. The core syllabus is mostly the same, and you can follow a common preparation plan. However, as you get closer to each exam, make minor adjustments based on its unique pattern, focus areas, and difficulty level.
If you want to know all the details, then check other post in this website, such as
- IBPS PO (Probationary Officer)
- IBPS Clerk, IBPS SO (Specialist Officer)
- IBPS RRB Officer Scale I (PO)
- IBPS RRB Officer Scale II & III
- IBPS RRB Office Assistant (Clerk)
- SBI PO
- SBI Clerk
- RBI Assistant
- RBI Grade B
- NABARD Grade A and B
Stay tuned to examniti.info for updates on IBPS SO admit cards, result dates, and preparation tips. Start your preparation now and turn your specialization into a stable government job opportunity!