IBPS RRB PO syllabus
The IBPS RRB Officer Scale I Preliminary Examination is the only major banking Prelims with no English section. It has two tests, Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude, and nothing else. Candidates moving across from IBPS PO or SBI PO preparation routinely carry an English plan into a paper that does not test it until Mains.
The second thing commonly got wrong is the clock. IBPS originally set a cumulative 45 minutes for the paper and later introduced separate durations for each test. Reasoning now carries 25 minutes and Quantitative Aptitude 20, which means the two sections of equal length are not given equal time. Material that still describes a single 45 minute block is describing a paper that is no longer set.
There is also a requirement here that no other IBPS recruitment imposes in the same way. Regional Rural Banks serve a defined state or union territory, and proficiency in the local language of the state applied for is part of eligibility rather than a formality at the end. Browse the available IBPS RRB PO practice papers.
Syllabus by section
IBPS names the two Prelims tests and publishes no topic list beneath them. The topic lists further down are reconstructed from past papers.
| Section | Stage | Questions and marks | Syllabus page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning | Prelims | 40 questions, 40 marks, 25 minutes | Reasoning syllabus |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Prelims | 40 questions, 40 marks, 20 minutes | Quantitative Aptitude syllabus |
Even if $9 invested today doubled in five years...
$9 spent on mocks today could change what you’re earning in five years.
IBPS RRB PO Prelims Pro · one year of access.
IBPS RRB PO at a glance
| Conducting body | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, through the Common Recruitment Process for Regional Rural Banks |
|---|---|
| Post | Officer Scale I, also described as Assistant Manager |
| Mode | Online, computer based, objective type |
| Frequency | Usually once a year, as part of the CRP RRB cycle |
| Duration | Prelims 45 minutes. Mains 2 hours |
| Questions | Prelims 80. Mains 200 |
| Total marks | Prelims 80, qualifying only. Mains 200, counted in the merit list |
| Marking | One mark for a correct answer in Prelims. One fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for a wrong answer |
| Sectional timing | Yes. Reasoning 25 minutes and Quantitative Aptitude 20 minutes |
| Eligibility | A graduate degree in any discipline, age generally 18 to 30 years, and proficiency in the local language of the state or union territory applied for |
| Validity | That cycle only. A fresh application is required for each CRP |
Exam pattern
IBPS RRB Officer Scale I, Preliminary Examination
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Sections | Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude |
| Questions | 80 |
| Marks | 80 |
| Duration | 45 minutes, split as 25 minutes for Reasoning and 20 for Quantitative Aptitude |
| Correct answer | Plus 1 |
| Incorrect answer | Minus 0.25 |
| Unattempted | Zero |
| Medium | English and Hindi |
| Nature | Qualifying. Marks are not carried into the final merit list |
The unequal split is deliberate. Reasoning in this paper is puzzle heavy and arrives in sets, so it is given the extra five minutes. Quantitative Aptitude has 40 questions in 20 minutes, which is thirty seconds a question and the tightest pace in any banking Prelims.
Candidates have to qualify in each test separately, by securing the minimum marks IBPS decides for that test, and then be among the top scorers overall in the category and state applied for. Clearing the total while failing one test is not a pass.
Because the paper runs across several shifts, scores are normalised so that a harder slot is not carried into the shortlist.
At plus 1 and minus 0.25, four wrong answers cancel one correct answer. A guess narrowed to two options is worth taking, and a blind guess across five is not.
How the pattern has changed
The two section structure has been stable. What moved is the clock and the eligibility test around the paper.
| Change | Effect |
|---|---|
| Separate durations introduced for each Prelims test | The paper is no longer a single 45 minute block, and time cannot be moved between the two sections |
| Reasoning given 25 minutes against Quantitative Aptitude's 20 | Equal question counts are no longer given equal time |
| Local language proficiency treated as an eligibility condition | Candidates are assessed on the language of the state applied for rather than only at document verification |
The section lock is the change that changes preparation. Under a cumulative 45 minutes a candidate could spend 28 minutes on reasoning sets and 17 on arithmetic. That is no longer possible, and a reasoning plan built on borrowed time now leaves the quantitative section short.
Eligibility
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Qualification | A degree in any discipline from a recognised university. Preference may be given to candidates with qualifications in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry, veterinary science, agricultural engineering, pisciculture, accountancy, law, economics, management, information technology or computer science, as stated in the advertisement |
| Age | Generally above 18 and below 30 years as on the date given in the advertisement |
| Age relaxation | As per government rules for OBC, SC, ST, persons with benchmark disabilities and ex servicemen |
| Language | Proficiency in the local language of the state or union territory applied for |
| Attempts | No limit stated. The age band is the binding constraint |
| Nationality | Indian, or as otherwise specified in the advertisement |
The local language condition is the one that catches candidates from outside the state. It is not satisfied by a willingness to learn, and the advertisement sets out how proficiency is established, usually through study of the language at a specified level or through a separate language test.
Selection process
- Preliminary Examination, qualifying only, used to shortlist for Mains
- Main Examination, a single objective paper of five tests carrying 200 marks
- Interview, conducted by the Nodal Regional Rural Bank with the participating banks
- Provisional allotment to a participating Regional Rural Bank, followed by document verification
Officer Scale II and Officer Scale III candidates do not sit a Preliminary Examination. They sit a single online examination followed by an interview, which is why Scale I material does not transfer cleanly to the higher scales.
How the merit list is decided
Final merit is built from the Main Examination score and the interview score, combined in the ratio stated in the advertisement, which has generally placed the far larger weight on the Mains paper. Preliminary Examination marks are not added at any stage.
Allotment then depends on merit within the state and category applied for, the preferences given and the vacancies available in each participating bank. Two candidates with the same Mains score can be allotted very differently because they applied to different states, which makes the state choice at application a selection decision rather than a logistical one.
Reasoning
- Puzzles, including floor, box, month, day and category based
- Seating Arrangement, linear, circular and uncertain
- Syllogism, including possibility
- Inequality, direct and coded
- Blood Relations
- Direction Sense and Distance
- Order and Ranking
- Coding and Decoding
- Alphanumeric Series and Number Series
- Alphabet Test and word based arrangement
- Data Sufficiency
- Input Output
- Logical Reasoning, covering statement and assumption, statement and conclusion and course of action
Reasoning gets the longer clock because it carries the heavier sets. The full Reasoning breakdown covers which sets are worth opening inside 25 minutes.
Quantitative Aptitude
- Data Interpretation, covering tables, bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, mixed graphs and caselets
- Simplification and Approximation
- Number Series, missing and wrong term
- Quadratic Equations and quantity comparison
- Percentage, Ratio and Proportion
- Average and Problems on Ages
- Profit, Loss, Discount and Partnership
- Simple Interest and Compound Interest
- Mixture and Alligation
- Time and Work, including Pipes and Cisterns
- Time, Speed and Distance, including Trains, Boats and Streams
- Mensuration
- Permutation, Combination and Probability
- Data Sufficiency
- Number System, including HCF and LCM
Forty questions in twenty minutes is the tightest pace in any banking Prelims. The full Quantitative Aptitude breakdown covers how to hold that pace.
What is not in the syllabus
- No English section at Prelims. Language appears only at Mains, where the candidate chooses English or Hindi
- No General Awareness at Prelims
- No Computer Knowledge at Prelims
- No descriptive paper at any stage
- No published topic wise question split
- No option to move time between the two Prelims sections
- No stated limit on the number of attempts
How to spend the time
The two sections need different strategies because they are given different pace. Reasoning at 40 questions in 25 minutes is roughly 37 seconds a question, which is survivable when the standalone questions are cleared first and the puzzles are chosen rather than taken in order. Quantitative Aptitude at 40 questions in 20 minutes leaves no room for a set that does not open immediately.
In Quantitative Aptitude the fast block decides the section. Simplification, approximation, number series and quadratic equations are standalone, formula light and quick for anyone fluent in tables, squares and fractional equivalents. Clearing them before touching a data interpretation set is what makes 20 minutes workable.
In Reasoning the standalone questions do the same job. Syllogism, inequality, blood relations, direction sense, order and ranking and coding together form a reliable floor, and they should be banked before any puzzle is opened.
Since the sections are separately qualifying, the plan has to deliver a pass in both. A candidate who is excellent at reasoning and leaves quantitative aptitude at eight attempts does not clear, however high the total. Browse the available IBPS RRB PO practice papers.
Common mistakes
- Preparing an English section that the Prelims paper does not contain
- Planning on a single cumulative 45 minutes, when each test now has its own clock
- Assuming the two 40 question sections get equal time, when Reasoning has 25 minutes and Quantitative Aptitude 20
- Chasing a high total while failing one test, when both are separately qualifying
- Opening a data interpretation set before clearing the fast standalone block
- Guessing blind across five options at minus 0.25
- Applying to a state whose local language requirement cannot be met
- Treating Prelims marks as part of the merit list, when only Mains and the interview count
- Carrying Officer Scale I preparation into Scale II or III, which have no Preliminary Examination
IBPS RRB PO against IBPS PO and IBPS RRB Clerk
All three are IBPS recruitments with a qualifying Prelims. They differ in the sections at Prelims, the language requirement and whether an interview exists at all.
| Feature | IBPS RRB PO | IBPS PO | IBPS RRB Clerk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post | Officer Scale I at a Regional Rural Bank | Probationary Officer at a public sector bank | Office Assistant at a Regional Rural Bank |
| Prelims sections | Two | Three | Two |
| English at Prelims | No | Yes | No |
| Prelims questions | 80 | 100 | 80 |
| Prelims duration | 45 minutes, unequal section locks | 60 minutes, 20 per section | 45 minutes |
| Interview | Yes | Yes | No |
| Local language requirement | Yes | No | Yes |
| Merit built from | Mains and interview | Mains and interview | Mains only |
IBPS RRB PO is the only one of the three that combines a two section Prelims with an interview, and it shares the local language condition with the Clerk paper rather than with IBPS PO.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in IBPS RRB PO Prelims?
Eighty, carrying 80 marks, in 45 minutes. Reasoning has 40 and Quantitative Aptitude has 40.
Is there an English section in IBPS RRB PO Prelims?
No. Prelims has only Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. A language paper, English or Hindi at the candidate's choice, appears at Mains.
Is there sectional timing in IBPS RRB PO Prelims?
Yes. Reasoning is given 25 minutes and Quantitative Aptitude 20 minutes, and time cannot be moved between them.
Why do the two sections get different time if they have the same number of questions?
Reasoning in this paper is puzzle heavy and arrives in sets, so it is given the longer clock. Quantitative Aptitude runs at thirty seconds a question.
Do Prelims marks count in the final merit list?
No. Prelims is qualifying. The merit list is built from the Main Examination and the interview.
Is there a sectional cut-off?
Yes. Candidates have to secure the minimum marks IBPS decides for each test, and clearing the total alone is not sufficient.
What is the negative marking?
One fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for a wrong answer, which is 0.25 marks per question at Prelims.
Is the local language requirement compulsory?
Yes. Proficiency in the local language of the state or union territory applied for is part of eligibility, and the advertisement sets out how it is established.
What is the age limit for IBPS RRB PO?
Generally above 18 and below 30 years as on the date stated in the advertisement, with the usual category relaxations.
How many attempts are allowed?
The advertisement sets no limit on attempts. The age band is what ends a candidate's run.
Do Officer Scale II and III candidates sit the same Prelims?
No. Scale II and Scale III candidates sit a single online examination followed by an interview, with no Preliminary Examination.
Is the paper available in Hindi?
Yes. Both Prelims tests are set in English and Hindi.
Related syllabus pages
IBPS RRB PO syllabus guides