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IBPS SO IT Officer · Professional Knowledge (IT)

IT Officer syllabus

The IT Professional Knowledge topics, grouped by subject: 12 subjects, from databases and networking to banking technology.

  • Prelims: 25 Q · 50 marks
  • Mains: 50 Q · 100 marks
  • 2 marks per question

IBPS publishes no official syllabus; this list is based on previous papers. The subjects below are compiled from previous memory-based papers and coaching-site syllabi. Use them as a guide, not as an IBPS document.

Official

What IBPS says

The Mains handout describes the Professional Knowledge test in one line: “Questions in this test will be based on the area of specialization.” Marks and time are in the notification.

Professional Knowledge (IT)
TestQuestionsMarksMinutes
Prelims255020
Mains5010040

Source: IBPS official notification CRP SPL-XVI (1 Jul 2026); IBPS Information Handout, Online Main Exam CRP SPL-XVI

Last verified 28 October 2026. The full pattern, with the other tests and the descriptive paper, is on the IBPS SO IT Officer exam pattern page; who can apply is on IBPS SO IT Officer eligibility.

Not official · based on previous papers

Professional Knowledge topics by subject

No weightage is shown because IBPS publishes none.

Database management (DBMS)

  • ER model
  • relational algebra
  • SQL (joins, subqueries, views)
  • keys
  • normalisation (1NF to BCNF)
  • transactions and ACID
  • concurrency
  • indexing (B/B+ trees)
  • NoSQL basics
  • data warehousing

Networking

  • OSI and TCP/IP
  • data link and MAC
  • IPv4/IPv6
  • subnetting and CIDR
  • routing
  • TCP and UDP
  • HTTP
  • DNS
  • DHCP
  • network devices

Operating systems

  • Processes and threads
  • CPU scheduling
  • synchronisation
  • deadlocks
  • paging and virtual memory
  • file systems
  • disk scheduling
  • Linux basics

Data structures and algorithms

  • Arrays
  • linked lists
  • stacks and queues
  • trees (BST, AVL, heaps)
  • graphs (BFS, DFS, shortest path)
  • sorting and searching
  • hashing
  • Big-O

Software engineering

  • SDLC models (waterfall to agile and DevOps)
  • SRS
  • cohesion and coupling
  • UML
  • testing levels and types
  • quality and CMM
  • COCOMO and function points

Information and cyber security

  • Malware and attacks (phishing, DDoS, SQL injection, XSS)
  • cryptography
  • digital signatures and PKI
  • SSL/TLS
  • firewalls
  • IDS/IPS
  • VPN
  • IT Act 2000

Web technologies

  • HTML5
  • CSS3
  • JavaScript basics
  • client/server architecture
  • XML/JSON
  • REST and SOAP

Computer organisation

  • Instructions and addressing modes
  • CPU and pipelining
  • memory hierarchy and cache
  • I/O
  • DMA and interrupts
  • 8085/8086
  • number systems and digital logic

OOP and programming

  • Classes and objects
  • inheritance
  • polymorphism
  • encapsulation
  • exceptions
  • output prediction (C/C++/Java/Python)
  • pointers

Banking technology

  • Core banking
  • NEFT
  • RTGS
  • IMPS
  • UPI
  • NACH
  • ATM/POS
  • KYC/e-KYC
  • data centre and disaster recovery

Cloud and emerging tech

  • IaaS/PaaS/SaaS
  • virtualisation
  • big data
  • AI/ML basics
  • blockchain
  • IoT

Computer fundamentals

  • Hardware and software
  • memory and storage
  • generations
  • office-software basics

Compiled from coaching-site syllabi and previous memory-based papers; not an IBPS document.

FAQ

Syllabus FAQ

Is there an official IBPS SO IT Officer syllabus?

No. IBPS does not publish a topic-wise syllabus for Professional Knowledge. Its Mains handout only says: “Questions in this test will be based on the area of specialization.” The subject list on this page is based on previous papers and coaching-site syllabi, not on an IBPS document.

How many Professional Knowledge questions are there?

Prelims: 25 questions, 50 marks, 20 minutes. Mains: 50 questions, 100 marks, 40 minutes. Each question carries 2 marks, and a wrong answer costs one-fourth of that (−0.50).

Which IT subjects carry the most marks?

IBPS does not publish a weightage per subject, so we do not show one. Cover every subject on the list; the Mains Professional Knowledge test is the only one that counts for the merit list.

Is there a syllabus for English, Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude?

The notification gives only the test names, number of questions, marks and time for these tests, not a topic list. In the Mains they are qualifying: you need the minimum score, but they do not count for merit.

Is the descriptive paper part of the syllabus?

Yes, in the Mains: 2 questions (Essay and Comprehension), 25 marks, 30 minutes, in English, typed on the computer.

Where does this topic list come from?

From coaching-site syllabi and topics seen in previous memory-based IT Officer papers. A new paper can ask about topics that are not listed here. We update the list when new papers show a change.

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