Niyookti
YOUR CAREER AGENT

Exam comparison · from official notices

IBPS RRB vs IBPS PO: salary, eligibility, exam pattern and syllabus

  • IBPS RRB is conducted by IBPS; IBPS PO is conducted by IBPS.
  • Qualification — IBPS RRB: Office Assistant and Officer Scale I: bachelor's degree in any discipline, plus proficiency in the local language prescribed by the RRB; working knowledge of computers is desirable. IBPS PO: Graduation in any discipline from a recognised university (or equivalent).
  • Age limit — IBPS RRB: Office Assistant 18–28 years; Officer Scale I 18–30 years; Scale II 21–32 years; Scale III 21–40 years (as on 1 September 2026). IBPS PO: 20–30 years (as on 1 July 2026).
  • IBPS RRB has 6 stages in its printed pattern; IBPS PO has 3.

IBPS RRB vs IBPS PO: side by side

Each cell is copied from the exam's latest official notice. Always confirm in the notice before applying.

FactIBPS RRBIBPS PO
Conducting body
  • IBPS
  • ibps.in
  • IBPS
  • ibps.in
Latest notice
  • CRP RRBs-XV: Common Recruitment Process for Recruitment of Officers (Scale-I, II & III) and Office Assistants (Multipurpose) in Regional Rural Banks — Detailed Notification (published 1 September 2026)
  • CRP PO/MT-XVI: Common Recruitment Process for Probationary Officers / Management Trainees (vacancies of 2027-28) — Detailed Notification (published 1 July 2026)
Application status
  • Applications closed on 27 September 2026.
  • Applications closed on 26 July 2026.
Posts
  • Office Assistant (Multipurpose) — Group 'B'
  • Officer Scale I (Assistant Manager) — Group 'A'
  • Officer Scale II (Manager): General Banking Officer, and specialists (IT, Chartered Accountant, Law, Treasury, Marketing, Agriculture)
  • Officer Scale III (Senior Manager)
  • In 28 Regional Rural Banks (one per state/UT listed in the notice)
  • Probationary Officer / Management Trainee in 11 participating public sector banks
  • Basic pay ₹48,480 – 85,920 (JMGS-I scale)
Pay (as printed)
  • Not printed in the notice data shown here
  • Basic pay ₹48,480 – 85,920 (JMGS-I scale)
Age limit
  • Office Assistant 18–28 years; Officer Scale I 18–30 years; Scale II 21–32 years; Scale III 21–40 years (as on 1 September 2026)
  • 20–30 years (as on 1 July 2026)
Qualification
  • Office Assistant and Officer Scale I: bachelor's degree in any discipline, plus proficiency in the local language prescribed by the RRB; working knowledge of computers is desirable
  • Officer Scale II (General Banking): degree with at least 50% marks plus two years as an officer in a bank or financial institution
  • Officer Scale II specialists: relevant degree/qualification (IT, CA, Law, CA or MBA Finance, MBA Marketing, Agriculture and allied) with 1–2 years' relevant experience
  • Officer Scale III: degree with at least 50% marks plus at least five years as an officer in a bank or financial institution
  • Result must be declared on or before 21 September 2026
  • Graduation in any discipline from a recognised university (or equivalent)
  • Must be a graduate on the day of online registration, with the percentage of marks declared
Selection stages
  • Preliminary — Office Assistant (45 minutes)
  • Preliminary — Officer Scale I (45 minutes)
  • Main — Office Assistant (120 minutes)
  • Main — Officer Scale I (120 minutes)
  • Single exam — Officer Scale II (General Banking) and Scale III (120 minutes)
  • Single exam — Officer Scale II Specialists (150 minutes)
  • Preliminary (60 minutes (20 minutes per section))
  • Main (objective) (160 minutes)
  • Main (descriptive) (30 minutes)
Negative marking
  • Negative marking: 0.25 of the marks of a question per wrong answer.
  • Preliminary: Negative marking: one fourth (0.25) of the marks of a question for each wrong answer.
  • Main (objective): Negative marking: 0.25 of the marks per wrong answer.
Vacancies
  • Indicative, Annexure I as updated on 25.09.2026 (no grand total printed; bank rows add up to): Office Assistants 8,222; Officer Scale I 4,256; Officer Scale II 1,059; Officer Scale III 220
  • 6,715 (indicative; Indian Bank, UCO Bank and Union Bank of India not reported)
Application fee
  • ₹850 (all others); ₹175 (SC/ST/PwBD, and ESM/DESM for Office Assistant), inclusive of GST
  • No category is fully exempt. For Officer posts SC, ST and PwBD pay ₹175; for Office Assistant SC, ST, PwBD, ESM and DESM pay ₹175. Officer and Office Assistant applications are separate, each with its own fee. Bank transaction charges are borne by the candidate.
  • ₹850 (all others); ₹175 (SC/ST/PwBD), inclusive of GST
  • No category is fully exempt; SC, ST and PwBD candidates pay the reduced ₹175 intimation charges.
Official noticeOpen official notice ↗Open official notice ↗

Read more on each exam

IBPS RRB

IBPS PO

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between IBPS RRB and IBPS PO eligibility?

IBPS RRB: age Office Assistant 18–28 years; Officer Scale I 18–30 years; Scale II 21–32 years; Scale III 21–40 years as on 1 September 2026; Office Assistant and Officer Scale I: bachelor's degree in any discipline, plus proficiency in the local language prescribed by the RRB; working knowledge of computers is desirable. Officer Scale II (General Banking): degree with at least 50% marks plus two years as an officer in a bank or financial institution. Officer Scale II specialists: relevant degree/qualification (IT, CA, Law, CA or MBA Finance, MBA Marketing, Agriculture and allied) with 1–2 years' relevant experience. Officer Scale III: degree with at least 50% marks plus at least five years as an officer in a bank or financial institution. Result must be declared on or before 21 September 2026. IBPS PO: age 20–30 years as on 1 July 2026; Graduation in any discipline from a recognised university (or equivalent). Must be a graduate on the day of online registration, with the percentage of marks declared. Both from the latest official notices.

How is the selection process of IBPS RRB different from IBPS PO?

IBPS RRB: Office Assistant: online Preliminary exam, then online Main exam; allotment on Main marks (no interview); Officer Scale I: online Preliminary exam, online Main exam, then interview; Officer Scale II and III: single online exam, then interview; Officers: final merit on exam and interview in the ratio 80:20; Provisional allotment to an RRB on merit and actual vacancies. IBPS PO: Preliminary exam: online objective test (qualifying; shortlists for Mains); Main exam: online objective test plus descriptive paper; Personality test and common interview; Provisional allotment to a participating bank.

How many vacancies are there in IBPS RRB and IBPS PO?

IBPS RRB: Indicative, Annexure I as updated on 25.09.2026 (no grand total printed; bank rows add up to): Office Assistants 8,222; Officer Scale I 4,256; Officer Scale II 1,059; Officer Scale III 220. IBPS PO: 6,715 (indicative; Indian Bank, UCO Bank and Union Bank of India not reported). As printed in each latest notice.

What is the application fee for IBPS RRB and IBPS PO?

IBPS RRB: ₹850 (all others); ₹175 (SC/ST/PwBD, and ESM/DESM for Office Assistant), inclusive of GST. IBPS PO: ₹850 (all others); ₹175 (SC/ST/PwBD), inclusive of GST. Fee exemptions are listed in each notice.

All exam comparisons