IBPS SO Prelims Exam Analysis 2025: A Detailed Review of Shift-Wise Difficulty, Good Attempts, and Expected Cutoff
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) has successfully conducted the Specialist Officer (SO) Prelims exam 2025 across multiple shifts. Here’s a comprehensive, shift-wise analysis of the question paper, difficulty level, and what aspirants can expect next.
The much-anticipated IBPS SO Prelims exam 2025 for various specialist officer posts, including IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer, was held on [Insert Exam Date]. Thousands of candidates appeared for the examination across the country, taking the first crucial step towards a coveted banking career. Initial reactions from test-takers and feedback from coaching experts provide a clear picture of the exam's temperament, offering valuable insights for those who appeared and those preparing for future shifts or the upcoming mains examination.
This IBPS SO Prelims exam analysis 2025 breaks down the overall and section-wise difficulty, calculates good attempts, and predicts the expected cutoff marks based on the first-hand accounts from today's shifts.
IBPS SO Prelims 2025: Overall Exam Pattern & Difficulty
The preliminary examination was conducted online and consisted of three sections for all posts except Rajbhasha Adhikari:
* English Language (50 marks)
* Reasoning (50 marks)
* General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry (50 marks)
For the post of Rajbhasha Adhikari, the Professional Knowledge (Professional Knowledge) section was tested in the prelims stage itself alongside Reasoning and English.
The overall difficulty level of the exam is being reported as Moderate, similar to the previous year. While no section was overwhelmingly tough, the balanced difficulty required consistent speed and accuracy across all areas to secure a high score.
Section-Wise IBPS SO Prelims Exam Analysis 2025
A detailed, section-by-section breakdown provides a clearer understanding of the paper:
1. English Language (Moderate)
This section was standard and manageable for those with a good command of grammar and vocabulary.
* Topics Asked: Reading Comprehension (based on a banking/economy theme), Cloze Test, Error Detection, Phrase Replacement, Para Jumbles.
* Difficulty: Moderate. The RC was lengthy but direct. Other topics were straightforward.
* Good Attempts: 22-28 questions.
2. Reasoning Ability (Moderate to Difficult)
This section was the deciding factor for many, with a mix of easy and tricky questions.
* Topics Asked: Puzzles (Floor-Based, Box-Based, Month-Based), Seating Arrangement (Circular and Linear), Syllogism, Inequality, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations.
* Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult. The puzzles and seating arrangements were time-consuming.
* Good Attempts: 20-26 questions.
3. General Awareness with Special Reference to Banking Industry (Moderate)
This section was highly scoring for candidates who followed current affairs diligently.
* Topics Asked: Questions related to recent banking news (repo rate, new schemes), appointments (RBI Governor, Bank MDs), national and international events, static GK related to banking terms, and government policies.
* Difficulty: Moderate. Most questions were from the last 4-6 months.
* Good Attempts: 28-35 questions.
4. Professional Knowledge (Varies by Post)
The difficulty of this section entirely depended on the candidate's post and core subject knowledge.
* IT Officer: Questions from Networking, DBMS, Software Engineering, Security. Difficulty: Moderate.
* Agriculture Field Officer: Questions on Crops, Schemes, Horticulture. Difficulty: Easy to Moderate.
* Rajbhasha Adhikari: Questions on Grammar, Vocabulary, Official Language Rules. Difficulty: Moderate.
* Law Officer, HR, Marketing: Difficulty ranged from Moderate to Difficult based on technical depth.
Expected Good Attempts and Overall Score
Based on the IBPS SO Prelims exam analysis 2025, the number of good attempts to safely clear the prelims is estimated as follows:
| Post | Good Attempts (Out of 150) | Expected Overall Score (Approx.)
| IT Officer 78 - 88 72+
| Agriculture Officer 82 - 92 75+
| Rajbhasha Adhikari 85 - 95 78+
| Law Officer 75 - 85 70+
| HR/Personnel Officer 80 - 90 74+
| Marketing Officer 82 - 92 76+
Expected Cutoff and What's Next?
The cutoff is expected to remain similar to or slightly higher than last year due to the moderate paper and high competition. Candidates must wait for the official notification from IBPS for the final answer key and result declaration.
The new news currently is that the results for the prelims are expected to be announced within 4-5 weeks. Candidates who clear this stage will be eligible to appear for the IBPS SO Mains exam, which will be heavily focused on Professional Knowledge.
Key Takeaways for Mains Preparation:-
* Focus intensely on your core professional subject.
* Continue revising current affairs, especially banking news.
* Practice descriptive answers, as the Mains exam may include them.
This IBPS SO Prelims exam analysis 2025l indicates that a well-prepared candidate has a strong chance of qualifying. Aspirants should now shift their focus to the mains examination while cautiously awaiting their prelims results.

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