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The IBPS Specialist Officer (Agricultural Field Officer Scale-I) 2026 notification is out — with 190 vacancies concentrated in Bank of Baroda (100) and Bank of Maharashtra (90), a completely revised exam pattern (Professional Knowledge is now in Prelims, and Mains adds a Descriptive English paper), and registration open from 1–21 July 2026. This guide breaks down everything you need to know.
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts the Specialist Officer (SO) Common Recruitment Process every year to hire officers in specialised cadres across participating Public Sector Banks. The Agricultural Field Officer (AFO) Scale-I cadre is specifically for candidates with an agricultural sciences background — including agronomy, horticulture, animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, and allied fields — who want to work on agricultural credit, priority sector lending, Kisan Credit Card (KCC), crop insurance, and rural banking initiatives.
With India's push toward doubling farmers' income, the expansion of PM-Kisan, PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana), and the modernization of agri-supply chains through FPOs and warehouse receipt financing, Agricultural Field Officers today play a mission-critical role. They bridge the gap between formal credit institutions and India's 140 million farmers — a role that combines technical expertise, banking acumen, and genuine rural development impact.
The 2026 notification introduces major structural changes: Professional Knowledge has been moved into the Preliminary Examination itself, and the Main Examination is now a full multi-section paper (English, Reasoning, Quant, PK) plus a Descriptive English Paper — bringing IBPS SO closer to the IBPS PO structure. This makes English writing skills and quantitative speed matter significantly more than in previous years.
Quick context: The IBPS SO exam has 6 specialist posts under CRP SPL-XVI — IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer. This guide focuses on the Agricultural Field Officer post, though the Prelims & Mains patterns are shared with IT Officer, HR, and Marketing Officer aspirants (except that the PK content is agriculture-specific).
As per the official IBPS CRP SPL-XVI notification dated 01.07.2026. All exam dates are tentative and will be confirmed on the IBPS website.
| Activity | Tentative Schedule |
|---|---|
| Online registration including Edit/Modification of Application by candidates | 01.07.2026 to 21.07.2026 |
| Payment of Application Fees / Intimation Charges (Online) | 01.07.2026 to 21.07.2026 |
| Edit window for Modification of Application by Candidates | For 2 days after closing of Registration (as notified on official IBPS website) |
| Download of Call Letters for Online Examination — Preliminary | August 2026 |
| Online Examination — Preliminary | August 2026 |
| Result of Online Examination — Preliminary | September / October 2026 |
| Download of Call Letter for Online Examination — Main | October 2026 |
| Online Examination — Main | November 2026 |
| Declaration of Result — Main Examination | November 2026 |
| Conduct of Interview | November / December 2026 |
| Provisional Allotment | January 2027 |
Note: The age cut-off date is 01.07.2026 and the educational qualification cut-off date is 21.07.2026. Ensure your degree final result is declared on or before this date, and be ready with the mark-sheet or provisional certificate for the interview.
Total 190 Agricultural Field Officer Scale-I vacancies notified for 2026. Only Bank of Baroda and Bank of Maharashtra have reported active vacancies; others show 0 or NR (Not Reported).
| Sr. No. | Bank | SC | ST | OBC | EWS | UR | Total | HI | OC | VI | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bank of Baroda | 15 | 7 | 27 | 10 | 41 | 100 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Bank of India | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Bank of Maharashtra | 13 | 6 | 24 | 9 | 38 | 90 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Canara Bank | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Central Bank of India | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Indian Bank | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| 7 | Indian Overseas Bank | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Punjab & Sind Bank | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Punjab National Bank | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | UCO Bank | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| 11 | Union Bank of India | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| TOTAL | 28 | 13 | 51 | 19 | 79 | 190 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
HI = Hearing Impaired · OC = Orthopedically Challenged · VI = Visually Impaired · ID = Intellectual Disability · NR = Not Reported. Reserved category counts are included in the Total column. Vacancies are indicative and may include backlog vacancies.
Preference strategy: Since only Bank of Baroda and Bank of Maharashtra have reported vacancies, and remaining banks may open positions later during the reserve list validity period, candidates should carefully order their bank preferences during application. NR banks may still contribute vacancies from the ~20% reserve list.
A single IBPS SO application lets you be considered by all participating public sector banks. Final allotment is based on your preference and merit.
Selected candidates join as Specialist Officers — Scale I (JMG). Here's what you can expect as per the latest pay scale.
In addition to the basic pay, the officer will be eligible for Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance, City Compensatory Allowance, medical benefits, LFC, pension/NPS, and other perquisites as per the rules of the participating bank in force from time to time. Total CTC typically works out to ₹9–12 LPA at the entry level depending on posting city. AFOs are often posted in semi-urban and rural branches where allowances and additional field allowances may apply.
Age cut-off: 01 July 2026 · Educational qualification cut-off: 21 July 2026
A candidate must possess a 4-year Degree (graduation) from a University / Institution / Board recognised by the Government of India in any one of the following disciplines:
Important notes: The final result of the qualifying degree must be declared on or before 21.07.2026. No equivalent educational qualification will be accepted by IBPS or the Participating Banks. For posts other than IT Officer, candidates should also have a Certificate/Diploma/Degree in computer operations or should have studied Computer/IT as a subject in High School/College/Institute.
Candidate must be a Citizen of India, or a subject of Nepal, Bhutan, a Tibetan Refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962, or a person of Indian origin migrated from specified countries — subject to eligibility certificates from the Government of India where applicable.
IBPS has significantly revised the SO exam pattern for 2026. The selection process still has three stages — Preliminary, Main, and Interview — but Prelims now includes Professional Knowledge, and Mains includes a Descriptive English Paper.
What changed: Earlier, Prelims had only English + Reasoning + Quant, and Mains was just a 60-question PK paper. Now, Professional Knowledge is added to Prelims itself (25 Qs / 50 marks), and Mains has become a full 5-paper exam (English, Reasoning, Quant, PK Objective + Descriptive English). The 2026 pattern is more comprehensive and rewards well-rounded preparation.
Common for Agricultural Field Officer, IT Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer
| Sr. No. | Name of Test | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English Language | 25 | 25 | English | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Reasoning | 25 | 25 | English & Hindi | 20 minutes |
| 3 | Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 25 | English & Hindi | 20 minutes |
| 4 | Professional Knowledge · NEW · Agriculture | 25 | 50 | English & Hindi | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 125 | — | 80 minutes |
Candidates have to qualify in each of the four tests by securing minimum cut-off marks decided by IBPS. Adequate number of candidates in each category will be shortlisted for the Main Examination. Note: Professional Knowledge (50 marks) now carries double weight per question versus other Prelims sections — making it the highest-yield paper.
A full multi-section paper — no longer just Professional Knowledge alone.
| Sr. No. | Name of Test | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium of Exam | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | English | 25 minutes |
| 2 | Reasoning | 40 | 40 | English & Hindi | 35 minutes |
| 3 | Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 | English & Hindi | 25 minutes |
| 4 | Professional Knowledge (Objective) | 50 | 100 | English & Hindi | 40 minutes |
| Objective Total | 150 | 200 | — | 125 minutes |
| Sr. No. | Name of Test | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Descriptive Paper (English) · NEW | 2 | 25 | English | 30 minutes |
| Grand Total (Mains) | 152 | 225 | — | 155 minutes |
Merit listing: In the Main examination, English, Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude will be qualifying in nature — merit listing is done on the basis of scores in the Professional Knowledge test. So while you need to clear cut-offs in all four objective sections, your final rank depends heavily on your PK score.
Negative Marking: 0.25 mark is deducted for every wrong answer in both Prelims and Mains (Objective sections). The Descriptive Paper is evaluated separately with no negative marking. Un-attempted questions carry no penalty.
Candidates shortlisted after Mains are called for an interview conducted by the participating banks (co-ordinated by IBPS/nodal bank). Interview carries 100 marks; minimum qualifying marks are 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD categories). The final merit list is prepared in the ratio 80:20 (Mains : Interview).
Every topic you must prepare — mapped to the latest IBPS question trends and the revised 2026 weightages. The Agriculture PK is the decisive section.
The decisive paper. Expect 4–6 questions from each of the areas below, with heavy weightage on Agronomy, Agricultural Economics, Rural Banking, and Government Schemes. The Descriptive Paper tests essay/precis/letter writing in English.
With Prelims tentatively in August 2026, you have roughly 60 days from registration close. Here's a proven roadmap tuned for the new pattern.
Since PK is now in Prelims (50 marks!), start immediately. Cover Agronomy, Soil Science, Horticulture core. Read ICAR handbooks + last 3 years' economic survey (agri chapter). Parallel: 30 min/day Quant arithmetic.
Deep-dive Priority Sector Lending, KCC, NABARD, PMFBY. Add Animal Husbandry, Fisheries. Ramp Reasoning puzzles (2 sets/day) and English RC. Start sectional tests — aim 70%+ accuracy.
Finish Government schemes, Agri economics, current affairs. Switch to daily Prelims full mocks (80-min simulation). Analyze section-wise cut-offs. Revise agri current affairs from PIB & Yojana magazine.
Deep-dive Mains PK. Daily descriptive practice — 1 essay + 1 letter/day on agri/rural themes. Full Mains mocks with descriptive evaluation. PYQ analysis from last 5 years.
Recommended sources for Agri PK: ICAR handbook of agriculture, Objective Agriculture by S.R. Kantwa, Modern Agronomy by Yellamanda Reddy, RBI Master Circular on Priority Sector Lending, NABARD annual report, monthly Yojana & Kurukshetra magazines, PIB Agriculture releases, and the Economic Survey (Chapter on Agriculture & Food Management). For descriptive practice, follow The Hindu editorials on rural India and agriculture policy.
An Agricultural Field Officer (Scale-I) is a Junior Management Grade officer posted primarily in semi-urban and rural branches, working at the intersection of agricultural expertise and banking operations. Your typical responsibilities include:
IBPS SO AFO enters as Scale-I (JMG). Typical promotion trajectory is Scale-I → Scale-II (Manager) → Scale-III (Senior Manager) → Scale-IV (Chief Manager) → Scale-V (Assistant General Manager) and beyond. With banking sector reforms and increased focus on rural credit, AFOs often move into leadership roles heading Agri Business Verticals, Zonal Agri Coordinators, or Priority Sector Heads at Regional/Zonal Offices. Some also transition into NABARD, RBI (agriculture division), SIDBI, or agri-startups after gaining 5–7 years of experience.
The pattern has changed. 190 AFO vacancies are up for grabs — largely at Bank of Baroda and Bank of Maharashtra. Prelims is tentatively 4–6 weeks away. Every day you don't start is a day someone else does. Download the official notification and begin your preparation now.