The IBPS PO Mains Exam 2026 is conducted in a single shift on 4 October 2026 from 2:00 pm to 5:10 pm, and candidates reviewed that exam was of Moderate level. The analysis covers the overall difficulty level, section-wise difficulty, the number of attempts considered good attempts, topics asked, and the questions reported by candidates after the examination. This year’s examination follows a revised pattern, so candidates should review the paper for both difficulty and time management.
SEQUENCE of IBPS PO – Reasoning ⇒ General Awareness ⇒ English ⇒ Quantitative Aptitude
IBPS PO Mains Exam Analysis 2026 (4 October)
The IBPS PO 2026 Mains paper review helps the candidates understand the exam structure and which sections required more time and accuracy. The analysis has been prepared using candidate feedback and recalled questions. The Mains examination includes four objective sections and a descriptive English test. Each section has a different combination of questions, marks and time limits.
The detailed review covers the following aspects:
- Overall difficulty level of the question paper.
- Section-wise difficulty level.
- Number of questions that candidates could attempt with reasonable accuracy.
- Important topics covered in each section.
- Questions asked in the General, Economy and Banking Awareness section.
- Nature of the descriptive English test.
- Comparison of the paper’s difficulty across sections.
IBPS PO Mains Difficulty Level 2026
The section-wise difficulty level of the IBPS PO Mains examination has been updated after reviewing candidate responses. The overall difficulty level of IBPS PO Mains 4 October Exam was of Easy to Moderate level.
| Section | Difficulty Level |
| Reasoning and Computer Aptitude | Easy to Moderate |
| General/Economy/Banking Awareness | Easy to Moderate |
| English Language | Moderate |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | Moderate |
| Descriptive English | Moderate |
| Overall Exam | Moderate |
IBPS PO Mains Good Attempts 2026
Good attempts indicate the approximate number of questions candidates may have answered correctly with reasonable confidence. The good attempt for IBPS PO Mains 2026 has been updated below based on difficulty level and feedback from candidates.
| Sections | No. of Questions | Good Attempts |
| Reasoning and Computer Aptitude | 40 | 24-26 |
| General/Economy/Banking Awareness | 40 | 30-32 |
| English Language | 40 | 28-30 |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | 50 | 36-38 |
| Overall Exam | 170 | 118-126 |
IBPS PO Mains Exam Analysis 2026- General Awareness
The questions asked in this section were of an easy to moderate level, and the maximum number of questions were asked from the banking section. A few questions asked in today’s exam are shared below.
General Awareness (GA) Questions Asked in IBPS PO Mains 2026
- World Water Day
- NDS DM- Who owns?
- International Space Day
- 72nd Film Festival Location
- FASTag Annual Pass
- EU & India- FTA
- E-Rupee Central Bank Digital Currency
- Alluri Sitaram Airport
- ULI Who Owns
- Navratna Company related
- C-KYC related
- Digitial Arrest
- UN Women Headquarters
- LIC-9.99% stake
- Pradhan Mantri Mudra
- Number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- DEA Fund
- Trishna Project is a collab between
- Urban Cooperative Bank PSL target
- Sagar manthan- Manufactuere
IBPS PO Mains Exam Analysis 2026- Reasoning and Computer Aptitude
There were 40 questions asked from Reasoning and Computer Aptitude for 60 marks. The candidates reviewed that the exam was of “Easy to Moderate” level, and the topics asked can be checked from the table below.
Questions from critical reasoning based on strengthening, assumptions, arguments, weakening, inference, and conclusion.
| Topics | No. of Questions |
| Square-Based Puzzle (Car + Variable) |
05 |
| Selection-Based Puzzle (7 persons + 3 companies) + variable |
05 |
| Year-based puzzle (base year 2024) | 05 |
| Floor-based (5 floors) | 01 |
| Linear Seating Arrangement (5 persons, 6 seats) |
01 |
| Meaningful word | 01 |
| Reverse Syllogism | 02 |
| Data Sufficiency (Box-based puzzle, Chinese coding) |
02 |
| Word-Based Operation | 01 |
| Machine Input | 05 |
| Coded Direction Distance | 03-04 |
| Critical Reasoning | 07-08 |
IBPS PO Mains Exam Analysis 2026- Quantitative Aptitude
The questions were asked from 5 sets of Data Interpretation, Arithemetic word problems, and Miscellaneous section, which are discussed below.
| Topics | No. of Questions |
| Miscellaneous (12 questions) | |
| 182, a, 194, 206, 222, 242, b, | 02 |
| 2 Quadratic Equation given | 03 |
| Missing Number Series | 01 |
| Q1-Q2-Q | 03 |
| Data Sufficiency | 03 |
| Arithmetical word Problems (7 to 8 questions) | |
| Profit-Loss | 02 |
| SI-CI | 02 |
| Train Based | 01 |
| Age Based | 01 |
| Average | 01 |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | |
| Caselet DI | 03 |
| Table-Based DI | 05 |
| Scatters DI | 03 |
| Pie Chart | 03-04 |
| Bar + Line | 04 |
IBPS PO Mains Exam Analysis 2026- English
There were a maximum number of paragraph questions, which were time-consuming. The difficulty level was moderate as per candidates’ feedback.
| Topics | No. of Questions |
| Objective: 33 | |
| Reading Comprehension (Comm & Leadership) Meaning of Planted |
07 |
| Paragraph-Based (Highlighted) | 01 |
| Paragraph Replacement | 02 |
| Paragraph Completion (Starter) | 02 |
| Paragraph-based pair making | 01 |
| Phrase Replacement | 03 |
| Error Detection | 03 |
| Paragraph: Educational Institute Misspelt | 03 |
| Cloze Test (Vanilla Crop) 5 blanks + 1 RC style |
06 |
| Sentence Rearrangement | 02 |
| Paragraph Summary | 02 |
| Reading Comprehension (Multiple Research) | 09 |
IBPS PO Mains Descriptive Test
Essay Topic
- Online Shopping- difference between the picture and real objects
- Metro related
Comprehension
- Comparison between Germany and France (Growth/Relation) – 4 questions
What is IBPS PO Mains Marking Scheme and Pattern?
- The objective examination carries 200 marks, while the descriptive test carries 25 marks.
- There will be a penalty of 0.25 marks for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
| Reasoning and Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | 40 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| English Language | 40 | 20 | 35 minutes |
| General/Economy/Banking Awareness | 50 | 60 | 35 minutes |
| Objective Total | 170 | 200 | 160 minutes |
| Descriptive English Test | 2 | 25 | 30 minutes |
| Overall Total | 172 | 225 | 190 minutes |
What Happens After the IBPS PO Mains Exam 2026?
After the Mains examination, candidates should monitor the official IBPS website for updates regarding results and the subsequent selection stages.
The broad selection process includes:
Mains result: IBPS declares the result and identifies candidates shortlisted for the next stage.
Personality Test: Candidates shortlisted under the applicable process may be required to participate in the Personality Test.
Interview: Eligible shortlisted candidates proceed to the interview stage.
Final selection and provisional allotment: The outcome is determined under the official selection and score-weighting rules.
| Related Links | |
| IBPS PO Syllabus & Exam Pattern | IBPS PO Previous Year Cut-Off |
| IBPS PO Previous Year Question Papers | IBPS PO Revised Salary Structure |