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As per 2026 (CRP SPL-XVI)

IT Officer Prelims exam

Four tests of 20 minutes each, with a cut-off in every test. Prelims marks don’t count for the final merit: they decide who sits the Mains.

  • 100 questions
  • 125 marks
  • 80 minutes
  • Cut-off in each test

As per 2026 (CRP SPL-XVI); 2027 notification awaited

Official

Prelims format

Each test has its own time; you can move between questions of a test only during that test’s time.

Prelims exam pattern
TestQuestionsMarksMinutes
English Language252520
Reasoning252520
Quantitative Aptitude252520
Professional Knowledge255020
Total10012580

Source: IBPS official notification CRP SPL-XVI (1 Jul 2026), “D. Structure of Examination”

Marking and cut-off

  • Wrong answer: minus one-fourth of that question’s marks (−0.25; −0.50 in Professional Knowledge). A blank answer costs nothing.
  • You must clear the minimum cut-off in each of the four tests. IBPS shortlists an adequate number of candidates in each category for the Mains, depending on requirements.
  • If the exam is held in more than one session, scores are normalised using the equi-percentile method; scores are taken up to two decimal places.
  • English Language is in English only; the other tests are in English and Hindi.

Source: IBPS official notification CRP SPL-XVI (1 Jul 2026), “D. Structure of Examination; E. Penalty for wrong answers; G. Scores”

What’s tested

Each test has its own syllabus page with every topic, study notes where we have them and a 5-question quiz.

Weightage

Official

Marks per test

Prelims: marks per test
TestMarksShare of 125Counts for
English Language2520% Qualifying (cut-off)
Reasoning2520% Qualifying (cut-off)
Quantitative Aptitude2520% Qualifying (cut-off)
Professional Knowledge5040% Qualifying (cut-off)

Source: IBPS official notification CRP SPL-XVI (1 Jul 2026), “D. Structure of Examination”

Shares are worked out from the marks.

Our analysis, not official

English, Reasoning and Quant: topics

Expected questions per topic, from past IBPS SO papers. IBPS publishes only the marks per test; it can change the topic mix any year. These three tests are the same for every IBPS SO post that takes them, so the same past papers apply.

English Language: RC-led, easy–moderate
English Language Prelims: expected questions per topic (our analysis)
TopicExpected questionsDifficulty
Reading comprehension8–10Moderate
Cloze test / para jumbles4–5Moderate
Error detection3–4Moderate
Fill in the blanks2Easy
Column-based questions2Moderate
Word swap2Moderate

IBPS rotates the grammar mix (cloze, para jumbles, column-based, word swap) every year; reading comprehension carries the most questions.

Quantitative Aptitude: DI-heavy, moderate–high
Quantitative Aptitude Prelims: expected questions per topic (our analysis)
TopicExpected questionsDifficulty
Data interpretationTable, bar, pie, caselet or mixed8–10Hard
Arithmetic (combined)Boats & streams, trains, time & work, profit & loss, partnership, ages; percentage, ratio, average, SI & CI, mixture5–6Hard
Simplification / approximation3–4Easy
Number series / quadratic equationsMissing or wrong number, root comparison3–4Easy
Data sufficiency2Moderate

The arithmetic chapter split is indicative: any chapter can appear.

Reasoning: Puzzle-heavy, moderate–high
Reasoning Prelims: expected questions per topic (our analysis)
TopicExpected questionsDifficulty
Puzzle & seating arrangement8–10Hard
Input–output4Moderate
Statement & assumption2Moderate
Syllogism2Easy
Inequality2Easy
Data sufficiency2Moderate
Blood relation2Moderate
Direction & distance2Moderate
Alphanumeric series1Easy

Puzzles are the wild card: 8 or 10 questions, and the other topics absorb the difference.

Last reviewed 31 October 2026.

Not official · based on previous papers

What was asked in Professional Knowledge

IBPS publishes no IT syllabus and no subject split. The subjects below had questions in the two memory-based Mains papers we read (January 2023 and December 2024). We give no counts: two recalled papers are too few to predict how many questions a subject gets. We have no memory-based Prelims paper; the Prelims Professional Knowledge test draws on the same subjects.

Database management (DBMS)
  • Derived attribute
  • Shared lock
  • Lock compatibility (S and X)
  • Third normal form (3NF)
  • NoSQL databases
  • Data mart
  • OLAP slice
  • Fact constellation schema
  • SQL LIKE patterns
  • MySQL BEFORE INSERT trigger
  • Foreign key on insert
  • Tuple relational calculus
  • GROUP BY
  • Natural join
  • Window functions (PARTITION BY)
  • n-th highest salary (LIMIT / OFFSET)
  • SQL INSTR()
  • Atomicity (ACID)
  • Highest normal form from FDs
  • TRC existential quantifier (∃)
  • DROP vs TRUNCATE
  • ON DELETE CASCADE

DBMS study guide

Networking
  • Number of networks in a class (Class C)
  • 100BASE-TX segment length
  • Subnet mask for N subnets (borrowing bits)
  • Protocols of the web (HTTP/HTTPS family)
  • Bit-oriented protocol
  • Class C first-octet range
  • PDU names per OSI layer
  • Full duplex
  • traceroute -n
  • Trunk link / VLAN
  • SMTP uses TCP
  • OSI layer functions
  • Private IPv4 addresses
  • Store-and-forward delay
  • ARP
  • FTP compressed mode
  • IMAP
  • Port mirroring

Networking study guide

Operating systems
  • uname (kernel version)
  • Banker's algorithm and safe sequences
  • Starvation
  • Hyper-V (Microsoft)
  • BitLocker
  • FCFS scheduling (waiting / turnaround time)
  • Disk scheduling head movement
  • Partition styles (MBR and GPT)
  • uname -s (kernel name)
  • Dirty bit
  • ls -t (sort by modified time)
  • File system formats (NTFS, FAT, ext)
  • Bash for loop syntax
  • Repairing the MBR (bootrec)
  • $ in shell scripts (variables)
  • /bin/bash

Operating systems study guide

Data structures and algorithms
  • Linear vs non-linear data structures
  • AVL tree height for n nodes
  • Divide and conquer
  • DP time complexity (LIS)
  • Infix to postfix
  • Hash table load factor
  • Sort with the same time in every case
  • BST insertion and traversal
  • Fewest swaps (selection sort)
  • Memoization

Data structures and algorithms study guide

Software engineering
  • Unit testing
  • Acceptance testing

Software engineering study guide

Information and cyber security
  • DES effective key length (56 bits)
  • Cross-site scripting (XSS)
  • Snooping attack (eavesdropping / sniffing)
  • Offsite recovery (hot, warm, cold sites)
  • Server hardening practices
  • Network-based IDS
  • Allowlisting (deny by default)
  • Firewall blocking ports
  • HTTP flood
  • What a firewall does not stop (insiders)
  • Cyber Kill Chain: weaponization
  • CSRF
  • Stateful firewall
  • Evil twin

Information and cyber security study guide

Web technologies
  • HTML table element

Web technologies topics

Computer organisation
  • Intel 8089 pin count
  • General-purpose register
  • Decimal to binary
  • CISC characteristics
  • Binary to hexadecimal

Computer organisation study guide

OOP and programming
  • C++ boolean output
  • Python identifier rules
  • C program output
  • Ternary (conditional) operator in C
  • Reserved words (keywords) in C
  • Code snippet output (programming)
  • Java static keyword
  • Namespaces
  • Nested loop final value (programming)
  • C++ pointer operations
  • Python file append mode
  • C++ endl and setw
  • Abstraction / encapsulation (OOP)
  • Python list output
  • Composition vs aggregation
  • Strings (sequence of characters)
  • Python re module
  • Python in operator on dictionaries
  • sys.argv (command-line arguments)

OOP and programming topics

Cloud and emerging tech
  • SaaS (cloud service model)

Cloud and emerging tech topics

Computer fundamentals
  • NFA to DFA (subset construction)

Computer fundamentals topics

Our suggestion

Attempt order and time

Time per question is the test’s time divided by its questions. The order is our suggestion: quick, sure marks first, long sets last.

Prelims: time and attempt order (our suggestion)
TestTime per questionAttempt order
English Language48 sFill in the blanks first, then error detection, cloze and para jumbles, column-based and word swap; reading comprehension last.
Reasoning48 sSyllogism and inequality first, then the alphanumeric series, blood relation and direction, input–output and data sufficiency; puzzles last.
Quantitative Aptitude48 sSimplification and approximation first, then number series and quadratic equations, the arithmetic you know; DI and data sufficiency last.
Professional Knowledge48 sRecall questions first (definitions, layers, ports, commands, normal forms), then the short numericals (subnetting, scheduling, page replacement); code-output questions last. Each is worth 2 marks, so a wrong guess costs 0.50.

Practise for the Prelims

Topic quizzes are live now: 5 random questions, answers after you submit, no login needed.

Prelims FAQ

How many questions are there in the IBPS SO IT Officer Prelims?

100 questions for 125 marks in 80 minutes: English Language, Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude (25 questions, 25 marks each) and Professional Knowledge (25 questions, 50 marks). Each test has its own 20 minutes.

Is there a sectional cut-off in the Prelims?

Yes. You must clear the minimum cut-off in each of the four tests. IBPS shortlists an adequate number of candidates in each category for the Mains, depending on requirements.

Do Prelims marks count in the final merit list?

No. IBPS uses only the Online Main exam marks to shortlist for interview and for the final merit list; the Prelims only decides who is called for the Mains.

What is the negative marking in the Prelims?

One-fourth of the question’s marks for a wrong answer: −0.25 in English, Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude, −0.50 in Professional Knowledge. A blank answer costs nothing.

Which topics carry the most questions?

IBPS doesn’t publish a topic split. In past IBPS SO papers, reading comprehension, puzzles and data interpretation carried the most questions in English, Reasoning and Quant; see “Weightage” above, which is our analysis, not official.