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The IBPS Specialist Officer (HR/Personnel Officer Scale-I) 2026 notification is out — with 60 vacancies concentrated in Bank of Baroda (50) and Bank of Maharashtra (10), 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. A prime opportunity for MBA-HR, MSW, and PG Personnel Management graduates.
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 HR/Personnel Officer (Scale-I) cadre is specifically for candidates with a post-graduate qualification in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Social Work, or Labour Law — those who want to build HR careers inside India's public sector banking system, one of the largest employers in the country.
Public sector banks together employ over 7 lakh people across recruitment, training, compensation, employee relations, diversity & inclusion, and organisational development functions. Bank HR is a uniquely rewarding domain — you deal with statutory compliance under the Industrial Relations Code, Bipartite Settlement negotiations, IBPS-based mass recruitment cycles, and increasingly, HR technology transformation. It combines the job security of PSU banking with genuine HR strategy work.
The 2026 notification introduces major structural changes: HR 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, on top of your core HR knowledge.
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 HR/Personnel Officer post, though the Prelims & Mains patterns are shared with IT Officer, AFO, and Marketing Officer aspirants (except that the PK content is HR-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 PG degree/diploma final result is declared on or before this date, with proper documentary proof from your university/institute for the interview.
Total 60 HR/Personnel 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 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 22 | 50 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Bank of India | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Bank of Maharashtra | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 | 8 | 3 | 15 | 6 | 28 | 60 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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: With only 60 HR vacancies (of which Bank of Baroda holds 83%), competition will be sharp. Since remaining banks may open positions later during the reserve list validity period, order your bank preferences carefully during application. NR banks (Indian Bank, UCO, Union Bank) may still contribute to the ~20% reserve list allotment.
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. HR Officers are usually posted at Zonal Offices, Regional Offices, HR Colleges, or Head Office HR departments — mostly in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities.
Age cut-off: 01 July 2026 · Educational qualification cut-off: 21 July 2026
A candidate must possess both of the following as on 21.07.2026, from a University/Institution/Board recognised by the Government of India:
(a) A Bachelor's degree (Graduation) in any discipline, AND
(b) A Two-Year Full-time Post Graduate degree OR Two-Year Full-time Post Graduate Diploma in any one of the following six streams:
Important eligibility rules on specialisations:
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, HR 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 HR/Personnel Officer, IT Officer, Agricultural Field 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 · HR | 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: HR 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 HR 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. HR Professional Knowledge is the decisive section.
The decisive paper. Expect 4–6 questions from each of the areas below, with heavy weightage on Labour Laws (new codes), Industrial Relations, Compensation Management, and HR in banking. 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 HRM basics, Recruitment, T&D, Performance Management. Read Aswathappa or Rao for concepts. Parallel: 30 min/day Quant arithmetic.
Deep-dive the 4 new Labour Codes (2020) and key statutes (EPF, ESI, Gratuity, POSH). Add IR & OB theories. Ramp Reasoning puzzles (2 sets/day) and English RC. Start sectional tests — aim 70%+ accuracy.
Finish Compensation, OB, HR analytics, HR-in-banking current affairs. Switch to daily Prelims full mocks (80-min simulation). Revise the four new Labour Codes and IBA Bipartite Settlement.
Deep-dive Mains PK. Daily descriptive practice — 1 essay + 1 letter/day on HR/workplace themes. Full Mains mocks with descriptive evaluation. PYQ analysis from last 5 years.
Recommended sources for HR PK: Human Resource Management by K. Aswathappa or T.V. Rao, Industrial Relations by C.B. Mamoria, Personnel & HRM by P. Subba Rao, bare acts of the 4 new Labour Codes (2020) plus EPF/ESI/Gratuity/POSH acts, Ministry of Labour & Employment website, IBA Bipartite Settlement documents, and Harvard Business Review India for HR case studies. For descriptive practice, follow The Hindu and Economic Times editorials on workplace, labour, and PSU banking themes.
An HR/Personnel Officer (Scale-I) is a Junior Management Grade officer typically posted at Zonal Offices, Regional Offices, HR Colleges, or Head Office HR verticals. Unlike branch officers, HR officers usually stay in metros and Tier-1/Tier-2 cities where PSU banks concentrate their administrative functions. Your typical responsibilities include:
IBPS SO HR Officer 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) → Scale-VI (Deputy General Manager) → Scale-VII (General Manager). HR officers often become General Manager (HR) or Chief HR Officer (CHRO) at PSU banks, or move laterally to NABARD, SIDBI, RBI (HR division), IBA, LIC, or PSU insurance companies. Many senior HR bankers also transition into private sector HR leadership or consulting roles after 10–12 years.
The pattern has changed. 60 HR Officer vacancies are up for grabs — largely at Bank of Baroda. Prelims is tentatively 4–6 weeks away. If you have an MBA-HR, MSW, or PG diploma in Personnel Management, this is your window. Download the official notification and begin your preparation now.