IBPS PO 2026 Notification — Exam Date, Vacancy, Eligibility and How to Apply

Every year lakhs of graduates sit for IBPS PO hoping to land a bank job with a decent
salary, job security and respect back home. If that sounds like you, here is everything
you need to know about IBPS PO 2026 before the notification drops.

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection will release the IBPS PO 2026 notification
in June 2026 on its official website ibps.in. This year's recruitment is the 16th edition
of the exam, officially called CRP PO/MT XVI. Once the notification is out, eligible
graduates can apply online for Probationary Officer posts in public sector banks across
India.

## Exam Dates — Already Confirmed

IBPS announced the exam calendar in January 2026. Mark these dates right now:

Prelims Exam: 22 and 23 August 2026
Mains Exam: 4 October 2026
Notification Release: June 2026
Application Start: June 2026
Application Last Date: July 2026
Prelims Admit Card: August 2026
Mains Admit Card: September 2026
Interview: November to December 2026
Final Result: January 2027

## How Many Vacancies in IBPS PO 2026

The exact number will come with the official notification. Last year IBPS released 5208
vacancies. The year before that it was 6189. So for 2026 you can expect somewhere between
5000 and 5500 posts across 11 public sector banks including Bank of Baroda, Punjab
National Bank, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra and others.

The good news is that Bank of Baroda, Bank of Maharashtra and Canara Bank typically
release the highest number of seats, so there are real options even if you have a
preference for a specific bank.

## Who Can Apply — Eligibility

Education: You need a graduation degree in any discipline from a recognised university.
Engineering, commerce, arts, science — any stream works. Final year students cannot apply
as you need your final marksheet at the time of registration.

Age Limit: Minimum 20 years, maximum 30 years as on 1 July 2026. In simple terms, you
should have been born between 2 July 1996 and 1 July 2006.

Age Relaxation:
OBC candidates get 3 years extra
SC and ST candidates get 5 years extra
PwD candidates get 10 years extra
Ex-servicemen get relaxation as per government rules

There is no limit on the number of attempts as long as you are within the age limit.

## Application Fee

SC, ST and PwD candidates: Rs 175
All others including General and OBC: Rs 850
Payment is online only through debit card, credit card, UPI or net banking

## Salary — What You Will Actually Earn

This is where IBPS PO gets really attractive. The starting basic pay is Rs 48,480 per
month. After adding House Rent Allowance, Dearness Allowance and other benefits your
total in-hand salary comes to roughly Rs 74,000 to Rs 76,000 per month in most cities.
As you get promoted the salary grows significantly.

## Selection Process — 3 Stages

Stage 1 Prelims: This is an online objective exam of 100 questions for 100 marks in
60 minutes. It covers English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability.
Prelims is qualifying in nature — the marks here are not counted in the final merit.

Stage 2 Mains: This is the real battle. Mains has both objective and descriptive
sections. The objective part covers Reasoning and Computer Aptitude, English Language,
Data Analysis and Interpretation, and General Economy and Banking Awareness. The
descriptive part has Letter and Essay Writing. Total marks are 200 and the exam
duration is 3 hours 30 minutes.

Stage 3 Interview: Candidates who clear Mains are called for a Personality Test and
Interview. The final merit is calculated as 80 percent weightage to Mains marks and
20 percent to Interview marks.

## Participating Banks

Your score in IBPS PO can get you into any of these 11 public sector banks — Bank of
Baroda, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, Indian
Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Punjab National Bank, Punjab and Sind Bank, UCO Bank and
Union Bank of India.

## How to Apply for IBPS PO 2026

Step 1: Go to ibps.in and click on CRP PO/MT section
Step 2: Register with your basic details and get a registration number
Step 3: Fill the application form with your personal and educational details
Step 4: Upload your photograph and signature as per the specifications
Step 5: Upload your handwritten declaration
Step 6: Pay the application fee online
Step 7: Submit the form and save the confirmation page

Keep your registration number and password safe — you will need them to download your
admit card later.

## Documents You Need to Keep Ready

Graduation marksheet and degree certificate
Class 10 certificate for date of birth proof
Caste certificate if applying under reserved category
Valid email ID and mobile number
Scanned photograph and signature

## Should You Apply for IBPS PO 2026

Honestly, if you have a graduation degree and you are within the age limit, yes you
should apply. The application fee is small compared to the opportunity. The salary is
better than most private sector jobs at entry level. The job is permanent with good
growth. And you get to serve in your home state in most cases.

The exam is tough but not impossible. Lakhs appear but the ones who prepare
consistently for 3 to 4 months with the right strategy do crack it. Prelims level
math and English are not very different from what you studied in school.

For latest updates on IBPS PO 2026 notification keep checking examsalert.com and
ibps.in.

Official Website: ibps.in