IBPS PO 2026 — Complete Prelims Preparation Course

The IBPS Probationary Officer examination is the common recruitment process for probationary officer and management trainee posts across the public sector banks that participate in it. Selection runs in three stages — Preliminary, Main and Interview — and this course covers the Preliminary stage in full, the screening round that decides whether you reach Mains at all. Prelims is 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes, split into three sections: English Language (30 questions), Quantitative Aptitude (35 questions) and Reasoning Ability (35 questions). Each section is time-locked to 20 minutes — when a section's timer ends the screen advances and you cannot return to it. Marking is +1 for a correct answer and −0.25 for a wrong one, with no penalty for questions left unattempted. Prelims is a speed examination before it is a knowledge examination. Twenty minutes for 35 Quantitative Aptitude questions is roughly 34 seconds each, which is only achievable if simplification, approximation and the standard puzzle patterns are automatic rather than worked out from first principles. Clearing requires meeting both the sectional cut-offs and the overall cut-off, so no section can be sacrificed. Eligibility & who can join: • A bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university. Final-year students are generally not eligible — the degree must usually be complete as of the date stated in the notification. • Age limits are commonly 20–30 years for the General category, with relaxations for OBC, SC/ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen candidates as per the official notification. • Basic computer literacy is expected, and some participating banks specify knowledge of the official language of the state applied for. • No prior coaching is assumed — the course builds all three sections from foundations. How the course is structured: The course is taught section by section — English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability — with topics sequenced by their real share of recent Prelims papers. Because each section carries its own 20-minute lock and its own cut-off, practice runs against a per-section clock from the first chapter test rather than only in full mocks. Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning are drilled for automaticity: simplification, approximation, number series and the recurring puzzle and seating-arrangement families are practised until they are recognised rather than derived. IBPS normally notifies the PO recruitment once a year; always confirm dates, vacancies and participating banks against the official notification at ibps.in.