IBPS SO Main Exam 2026 on 1 November: call letter out, exam pattern and what to carry (CRP SPL-XVI)

IBPS has released the Main exam call letter and the Information Handout for CRP SPL-XVI (Specialist Officers, Scale-I) on 22.10.2026. The Online Main exam is on 01.11.2026. It is 225 marks in 155 minutes: an objective part of 150 questions, 200 marks, 125 minutes, followed at once by a descriptive part of 25 marks in 30 minutes that you type on the computer. Only Professional Knowledge decides your merit; every other test is qualifying. Each wrong objective answer costs one-fourth of that question’s marks. Updated vacancies as on 20.07.2026 add up to about 1,035 posts across six posts. Below is what the official handout says, post by post, and what you must carry on exam day.

When is the IBPS SO Main exam 2026 and is the call letter out?

Yes. On 22.10.2026 IBPS added two items to the CRP SPL-XVI page: the “Online Main Exam Call Letter for CRP-SPL-XVI” and the Information Handout in English and Hindi. The handout gives the exam date on its cover: 01.11.2026.

Only candidates shortlisted in the Preliminary exam (result status published on 15.10.2026) can download the Main call letter. Your reporting time, shift and venue address are printed on your own call letter, not in the handout, so check them as soon as you download it. IBPS also advises visiting the venue a day earlier so you are not late, because late comers are not allowed.

What is the Main exam pattern for IT, Agriculture Field, HR and Marketing Officer?

These four posts share one pattern. The objective tests run first and the descriptive paper starts immediately after.

Test	Questions	Marks	Time
English Language	30	30	25 min
Reasoning	40	40	35 min
Quantitative Aptitude	30	30	25 min
Professional Knowledge (objective)	50	100	40 min
Objective total	150	200	125 min
Descriptive paper (essay and comprehension, in English)	2	25	30 min
Grand total		225	155 min

Each objective test has its own time limit; you can move between questions only within the time of the test you are in. English is in English only; the other objective tests are available in English and Hindi.

What is the pattern for Rajbhasha Adhikari and Law Officer?

These two posts take General Awareness with special reference to the banking industry (30 questions, 30 marks, 20 minutes) instead of Quantitative Aptitude, and get 45 minutes for Professional Knowledge.

Test	Questions	Marks	Time
English Language	30	30	25 min
Reasoning	40	40	35 min
General Awareness with special reference to banking	30	30	20 min
Professional Knowledge (objective)	50	100	45 min
Objective total	150	200	125 min
Descriptive paper	2	25	30 min
Grand total		225	155 min

For Rajbhasha Adhikari the descriptive paper is Professional Knowledge (descriptive) and can be answered in English or Hindi. Hindi typing needs familiarity with the Inscript or Remington (GAIL) keyboard layout. For Law Officer the descriptive paper is an essay and comprehension in English.

How is the merit list made?

The handout is clear: all tests except Professional Knowledge are qualifying, and the merit list is based on the Professional Knowledge score. Professional Knowledge carries 100 of the 200 objective marks, with 50 questions of 2 marks each.

In practice this means you must clear every qualifying test (English, Reasoning, Quant or General Awareness, and the descriptive paper), but your rank depends on how well you do in your own subject. Spend your last ten days on the subject paper of your post.

Is there negative marking in the IBPS SO Main exam?

Yes, in the objective tests. For every wrong answer one-fourth (0.25) of the marks of that question is deducted. In Professional Knowledge a question is worth 2 marks, so a wrong answer there costs 0.5 marks. A question left blank carries no penalty.

Only answers that are saved (Save & Next) or answered and marked for review are evaluated. The exam ends by itself when the timer hits zero; you cannot submit early.

How does the descriptive paper work?

The descriptive paper starts immediately after the objective test and is typed on the computer using the keyboard. It lasts 30 minutes, carries 25 marks and has 2 questions. There is no spellcheck, and you can submit only after the full 30 minutes. Practise typing an essay of a few hundred words in 15 minutes to stay safe.

What documents must I carry on 1 November?

• The Main exam call letter with a recent photograph pasted in the space given (without it you will not be allowed in).
• The authenticated / stamped Preliminary exam call letter.
• A stamped photocopy and the original of a valid photo ID: PAN, passport, permanent driving licence, voter ID, bank passbook with photo, Aadhaar / e-Aadhaar, college ID, employee ID, Bar Council ID, or a gazetted-officer photo certificate on letterhead.
• Your Aadhaar card for biometric authentication.
• A ball-point pen. Rough sheets are given and must be returned.

Ration card and learner’s licence are not accepted. Your name on the ID must match the call letter exactly; if you changed your name after marriage, bring the gazette notification, marriage certificate or affidavit in original. Signatures in capital letters are not accepted.

What is not allowed inside the exam centre?

Calculators, mobile phones, Bluetooth devices, earphones, watches, health bands, cameras, pen drives, books or papers, geometry boxes, bags, belts, caps, goggles, metallic items and food or water bottles are not allowed. IBPS also analyses answer patterns and logs to detect copying and may cancel candidature. Candidates using a scribe must fill the online scribe declaration form and bring its printout along with the medical certificate required by the notification. Eligible candidates get 20 minutes of compensatory time per hour of exam time. No travelling allowance is paid.

How many vacancies are there and what does the notice not say?

Annexure I, updated as on 20.07.2026, lists indicative vacancies for 2027-28: IT Officer 376, Agricultural Field Officer 370, Law Officer 125, Rajbhasha Adhikari 94, HR/Personnel Officer 60, Marketing Officer 10. That is 1,035 in total by our addition; UCO Bank and Union Bank of India had not reported.

What the handout does not say: the reporting time and venue (they are on your call letter), the last date to download the call letter, a topic-wise syllabus for Professional Knowledge, the cut-off marks, and the date of the Main result. Do not trust any website that quotes these as official until IBPS publishes them.