IBPS SO 2026 - Specialist Officer Recruitment CRP SPL XVI | Apply 1-21 July 2026

About IBPS SO 2026

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts the Common Recruitment Process for Specialist Posts (CRP SPL) to recruit Specialist Officers in public sector banks. The 2026 edition — CRP SPL XVI — had its notification released on 30 June 2026, the same day as IBPS PO.

IBPS SO is different from IBPS PO in that it recruits domain specialists — candidates with specific educational qualifications in IT, law, HR, marketing, or agriculture.

Confirmed Exam Schedule (Official)

Stage	Date
Notification Release	30 June 2026
Online Application Opens	1 July 2026
Online Application Closes	21 July 2026
Preliminary Exam	29 August 2026
Mains Exam	1 November 2026
Interview	January-February 2027
Provisional Allotment	March 2027

Specialist Officer Posts

IT Officer (Scale I)

• Qualification: 4-year Engineering degree (CS/IT/Electronics) OR Post-Graduate in CS/IT
• Role: Application development, network admin, cybersecurity, IT support for banking systems
• Min Marks: 60% in engineering

Law Officer (Scale I)

• Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LLB) with minimum 60% marks
• Role: Legal advisory, contract review, recovery proceedings, compliance

HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I)

• Qualification: Graduate + 2-year full-time MBA/PGDM in HR/Industrial Relations/Personnel Management
• Role: Talent acquisition, L&D, employee relations, HRMS management

Marketing Officer (Scale I)

• Qualification: Graduate + 2-year full-time MBA/PGDM in Marketing
• Role: Branch business development, CASA acquisition, retail banking products

Agriculture Field Officer (Scale I)

• Qualification: 4-year degree in Agriculture / Allied Sciences (Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Forestry, etc.)
• Role: Agricultural credit assessment, Kisan Credit Cards, rural lending support

Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)

• Qualification: Post-Graduate in Hindi with English as a subject in graduation, OR PG in Sanskrit with English and Hindi in graduation
• Role: Hindi translation, official language compliance, promotion of Hindi usage

Eligibility — Age

• Minimum: 20 years
• Maximum: 30 years (as on notification date, tentative)
• Relaxation: OBC (3 yrs) | SC/ST (5 yrs) | PwD (10 yrs)

Application Fee (Expected)

• General / OBC / EWS: ₹850
• SC / ST / PwD: ₹175

Exam Pattern

Preliminary Exam (Qualifying — for IT, Law, HR, Marketing, Agriculture Officers)

Section	Questions	Marks	Time
English Language	50	25	40 min
Reasoning	50	50	40 min
Quantitative Aptitude (for IT/AFO) / Professional Knowledge Test (for others)	50	25-50	40 min

Note: Rajbhasha Adhikari: Only Reasoning and English in Prelims

Mains Exam (Merit-determining)

• Professional Knowledge Test: 60 questions, 60 marks, 45 minutes (domain-specific)
• Reasoning: 50 questions, 50 marks, 30 minutes
• English: 25 questions, 25 marks, 20 minutes
• Quantitative Aptitude: 25 questions, 25 marks, 15 minutes
• General Awareness (with banking focus): 50 questions, 50 marks, 30 minutes

Total: 210 questions, 200 marks

Interview: 100 marks (20% weightage in final selection)

Final merit = Mains (80%) + Interview (20%)

Salary

• Basic Pay at Joining: ₹48,480/month (JMGS-I)
• Allowances: DA + HRA + Special Allowance + Medical + Transport
• Approx CTC: ₹19-22 LPA (location dependent)
• Career: Specialist Officers can rise to Senior Manager and above with promotion exams

Participating Banks (11 PSBs)

Same as IBPS PO: Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Punjab National Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, UCO Bank, Union Bank of India.

Key Preparation Focus

For IT Officer

• DBMS: Normalization, SQL, ER diagrams
• Networking: OSI model, TCP/IP, routing protocols
• OS: Process management, memory management, deadlocks
• Cybersecurity basics: Encryption, firewalls, vulnerabilities
• Software Engineering: SDLC, testing, design patterns

For Law Officer

• Banking Regulation Act 1949
• SARFAESI Act 2002
• IBC (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code)
• Negotiable Instruments Act
• Contract Act, Evidence Act basics

For Agriculture Field Officer

• Types of agricultural credit: KCC, Farm Mechanization, Horticulture loans
• NABARD schemes and programs
• Government agricultural schemes (PM-KISAN, PM Fasal Bima Yojana)
• Crop seasons, soil science basics
• Priority sector lending norms

How to Apply — Direct Navigation Steps

1. Visit ibps.in
2. Click “CRP SPL-XVI” under the latest notifications section
3. Register with email and mobile
4. Fill application and select your post preference (only one post can be applied per cycle)
5. Upload documents as per spec
6. Pay fee and submit

The application window is open now through 21 July 2026. Only one Specialist Officer post can be selected per application — choose carefully based on your qualification.