IBPS PO Syllabus: Every Section, Every Topic
Four subject areas across prelims and mains. Here is the complete topic list, and which parts carry the most marks.
The IBPS PO syllabus covers four subject areas: Quantitative Aptitude and Data Analysis, Reasoning Ability, English Language, and Banking & Financial Awareness. Prelims tests the first three; mains adds Banking Awareness, deepens the quant section into Data Analysis & Interpretation, and bolts on a separate descriptive paper of essay and letter writing.
This page lists every topic under each section. For how the phases are timed and scored, see the exam pattern page; this one is about what to study, not how the marks work.
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How the Syllabus Splits Across Prelims and Mains
Prelims has three sections: English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability. Mains rearranges the same subjects into harder forms, Reasoning becomes Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, Quant becomes Data Analysis & Interpretation, and adds a General Economy and Banking Awareness section that does not appear in prelims at all.
That structure has a practical consequence: Banking Awareness cannot be crammed after the prelims result, because the gap between the two phases is short. Candidates who treat it as a mains-only subject usually run out of runway.
Quantitative Aptitude and Data Analysis Topics
The quant section in prelims, and the heavier Data Analysis & Interpretation section in mains, draw from:
- check_circleData Interpretation: tables, bar graphs, pie charts, line graphs, and caselet DI
- check_circleArithmetic: percentage, ratio, profit and loss, time and work, time-speed-distance, mensuration
- check_circleNumber series, including missing number series
- check_circleQuadratic equations
- check_circleApproximation and simplification
- check_circleData sufficiency
Reasoning Ability Topics
Reasoning runs through both phases, with computer aptitude folded in at mains:
- check_circleSeating arrangement: linear, circular, square, and rectangular
- check_circlePuzzles: floor-based, box-based, and month-year based
- check_circleSyllogism and inequality
- check_circleCoding-decoding in the newer pattern
- check_circleBlood relations, direction and distance
- check_circleData sufficiency
- check_circleLogical reasoning: course of action, conclusions
- check_circleInput-output machine problems
Real questions from these exact topics. No signup.
English Language Topics
Tested in prelims and mains, plus the descriptive paper:
- check_circleReading comprehension, with double RC passages in mains
- check_circleError detection and correction, sentence improvement
- check_circleCloze test in the newer phrase and word-based pattern
- check_circlePara jumbles and para completion
- check_circleVocabulary: word usage and column matching
- check_circleEssay writing and formal or informal letter writing, in the mains descriptive test
Banking and Financial Awareness Topics
The mains-only section, and the one that most rewards a daily habit:
- check_circleBanking history and structure in India
- check_circleRBI functions and monetary policy
- check_circleTypes of bank accounts
- check_circleNABARD, SIDBI, and EXIM Bank
- check_circleGovernment schemes such as PM Jan Dhan and Mudra
- check_circleCurrent affairs from roughly the last 6 months
- check_circleUnion Budget and Economic Survey highlights
- check_circleCapital markets, SEBI, and insurance (IRDAI)
- check_circleInternational organisations: IMF, World Bank, ADB
The Descriptive Paper Is Part of the Syllabus Too
Mains includes a separate 25-mark descriptive test of essay and letter writing. Essay topics tend to be banking and economy related, and letters are formal. It is the easiest part of the syllabus to ignore during prep and the only part that tests writing rather than selecting an option, so it deserves scheduled practice, not leftover time.
FAQs
Is the IBPS PO syllabus the same for prelims and mains?expand_more
The subjects overlap but the sections differ. Prelims tests English, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning. Mains tests Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, English, Data Analysis & Interpretation, and General Economy / Banking Awareness, plus a descriptive paper of essay and letter writing.
Which section of the IBPS PO syllabus is hardest?expand_more
Data Analysis & Interpretation in mains is widely treated as the differentiator: the DI sets are lengthy, including caselet and multi-graph formats, and separate top scorers from average ones.
Is Banking Awareness asked in IBPS PO prelims?expand_more
No. Banking and Financial Awareness appears only in mains, as the General Economy / Banking Awareness section. It still needs early preparation because the gap between prelims and mains is short.
Does IBPS PO have a computer knowledge section?expand_more
Not as a standalone paper. Computer aptitude is folded into the mains Reasoning & Computer Aptitude section rather than tested separately.
Next steps
Take a full IBPS PO mock testThe whole syllabus, timed and scored, in one sitting.