IBPS PO Prelims 2026: The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducted the IBPS PO Prelims examination on August 22 and August 23, 2026, for 7,365 announced vacancies across Probationary Officer and Management Trainee posts. With the exam concluded, aspirants are now turning their attention to the expected cut off, a crucial benchmark that determines who advances to Phase II.

Analysts estimate the General category cut off will fall between 52.00 and 58.00 marks out of 100, based on shift-wise difficulty and historical trends from the past two years.

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IBPS PO Prelims 2026 Exam Analysis (Aug 22 & 23): Overall Difficulty Level- Moderate to Difficult

The IBPS PO Prelims exam was conducted on August 22 and August 23, 2026, across four shifts each day. Based on candidate feedback and the expected cut off trends, the overall difficulty level of the paper is being rated Moderate to Difficult.

Overall Level (Both Days Combined)

Section

Difficulty Level

Good Attempts

English Language

Moderate

20–23

Quantitative Aptitude

Moderate to Difficult

17–20

Reasoning Ability

Difficult

22–25

Overall (100 Qs)

Moderate to Difficult

60–68

IBPS PO Prelims 2026: Day-Wise Analysis

August 22, 2026

-Reasoning Ability featured lengthy puzzles and seating arrangements, pushing difficulty up

-Quant carried heavier Data Interpretation sets, slowing candidates down

-English stayed relatively steady, close to a moderate level across shifts

August 23, 2026

-Slightly tougher puzzle-based questions in Reasoning compared to Day 1

-Quant saw a mix of calculation-heavy and application-based questions

-English Language leaned moderate, with Cloze Test and Reading Comprehension as key time-consumers

What's Next?

Candidates who clear the prelims cut-off will move to the Mains examination, scheduled for October 4, 2026, followed by a personal interview in Phase III. IBPS follows a three-stage selection process, and each phase carries its own qualifying threshold, making consistent performance essential rather than a one-time strong score.

Category-wise Marks (Expected IBPS PO Prelims 2026 Cut Off)

Category 2023 Cut Off 2024 Cut Off Expected 2026 Cut Off
General (UR) 54.25 48.50 52.00 – 58.00
EWS 54.25 48.50 51.00 – 57.00
OBC 54.25 48.50 51.00 – 57.00
SC 49.50 48.00 46.00 – 52.00
ST 43.00 41.00 40.00 – 45.00
PwBD (all sub-categories) 20.25 – 42.50 15.50 – 35.00 18.00 – 40.00

Note: This year's expected range is higher than 2024's actuals, reflecting a comparatively easier paper than last year's unusually low cut-off.

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Sectional Cut Off Rules:

Section Max Marks     General / EWS    SC / ST / OBC / PwBD
Reasoning Ability 40 9.25 – 10.0 5.00 – 6.00
English Language 30 13.00 – 14.00 9.50 – 10.50
Quantitative Aptitude 30 6.00 – 7.00 4.00 – 5.00

Note: Candidates must clear both the sectional minimum and the overall aggregate cut-off; falling short in even one section disqualifies a candidate regardless of total score.