IBPS has released the notification for recruitment of probationary officers. The total number of vacancies has drastically reduced to 8822 from 3562 this year. In this article, let us have a look at the IBPS PO cut off marks for final selection in the previous years.
As the number of vacancies has drastically reduced, we expect the cut offs to increase by a good margin. Aspirants can try IBPS PO online preparation to prepare in a structured way and to better their chances.
IBPS PO online mock tests can give aspirants an idea about where they stand with respect to the competition and what needs to be done to bridge the preparation gaps. Practicing IBPS PO past papers can also prove helpful to gather some idea about the various types of questions that appear in the exam.
IBPS PO cut off marks for final selection in 2016:
Preliminary exam cut off:
IBPS PO selection procedure consists of 3 steps. The first screening process is the preliminary exam. The pattern of the preliminary exam is as follows.
English language – 30 questions
Reasoning ability – 35 questions
Quantitative ability – 35 questions
Each question carries 1 mark and for every wrong answer, IBPS deducts 0.25 marks. The preliminary exam is of qualifying nature and the marks a candidate obtains in the preliminary exam will have no bearing on the final selection.
Aspirants must clear both sectional cutoffs and overall cutoffs to get shortlisted for further processes. The cut off for various categories are as below.
| English language | Reasoning Ability | Quantitative Ability | Overall Cutoff | |
| General | 7 | 8.5 | 8.25 | 47.5 |
| OBC | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.25 | 46.5 |
| SC | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.25 | 40 |
| ST | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.25 | 31.25 |
| OC | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.25 | 32.75 |
| VI | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.25 | 31.5 |
| HI | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.25 | 18.0 |
Mains exam cut off:
IBPS shortlists candidates for the mains exam on the basis of scores in the preliminary exam. IBPS has changed the pattern of the mains exam this year. The updated pattern is as follows.
| Section | Number of questions | Marks | Time limit | Type |
| Reasoning and Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 minutes | Objective |
| General awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes | Objective |
| English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 minutes | Objective |
| Data analysis and Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 minutes | Objective |
| Total (Objective questions) | 155 | 200 | 180 minutes | |
| Letter and Essay writing | 2 | 25 | 30 minutes | Descriptive |
| Total | 157 | 225 | 210 minutes |
Just like the preliminary exam, aspirants must clear both sectional as well as overall cutoffs to earn their berth for further processes. Hence, aspirants must plan their preparations accordingly and must not let their efforts go in vain by missing the sectional cut off in any of the sections.
IBPS went a little offbeat last year by asking tricky questions that do not fit into any template. As a result, the cutoffs plummeted. Just scoring 52.5 out of 200 was sufficient to sail an aspirant to the interview.
The IBPS PO cut off for mains exam last year was as follows.
| English language | Reasoning Ability | Quants | General
Awareness |
Computer Knowledge | Overall Cutoff | |
| General | 4.75 | 5.25 | 12.5 | 10.75 | 6.5 | 52.5 |
| OBC | 2.25 | 3.25 | 10.75 | 8 | 5 | 52.5 |
| SC | 2.25 | 3.25 | 10.75 | 8 | 5 | 41.75 |
| ST | 2.25 | 3.25 | 10.75 | 8 | 5 | 31.5 |
| OC | 2.25 | 3.25 | 10.75 | 8 | 5 | 34 |
| VI | 2.25 | 3.25 | 10.75 | 8 | 5 | 37.5 |
| HI | 2.25 | 3.25 | 10.75 | 8 | 5 | 37 |
IBPS PO cut off marks for final selection:
After the mains exam, IBPS shortlists candidates for the interview. The score of the candidates in the mains exam is the most important deciding factor in the selection. IBPS converts mains exam scores to 80.
In the interview, the minimum qualifying mark is 40% for general category and 35% for other categories. IBPS converts the interview marks to 20.
After the interview, IBPS calculates cumulative scores by adding mains exam scores (out of 80) and interview scores( out of 20). Then, IBPS ranks candidates and provisionally allots postings in banks to those who are placed sufficiently high in the merit list.
There is no state wise cut off in IBPS PO, unlike IBPS clerk.
The IBPS PO final cut off marks for final selection last year are as follows.
| Category | Gen | OBC | SC | ST | OC | VI | HI |
| Minimum Cumulative score | 39.9 | 37 | 33.7 | 28.6 | 31.4 | 33.1 | 25.4 |
Historically, a score of 50 or above (cumulative) has always been a safe bet. Shoot to score at least 55 this time to compensate for the reduced vacancies.
| Take a free Mock for IBPS PO (in the latest pattern) |
The IBPS PO cut off marks for final selection this year 2017 is expected to rise steeply as the number of vacancies advertised is not even half of those advertised last year. Moreover, the cut offs last year were a bit low due to very tough mains exam. Hence, aspirants must shoot for 50 to be on the safer side.
To know how to start preparing for the various sections, try reading 6 tricks to crack IBPS PO quantitative aptitude and 8 tips to improve English for IBPS PO.
