About IBPS SO AFO Exam 2026–27
New Pattern
The IBPS SO Agriculture Field Officer Examination is a national-level banking recruitment examination conducted for the selection of Scale I Agriculture Field Officers in Participating Public Sector Banks across India.
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducts the IBPS Specialist Officer examination for recruitment to specialised officer posts in Participating Public Sector Banks.
The Agriculture Field Officer, Scale I post is intended for graduates in Agriculture, Horticulture, Agricultural Engineering, Animal Sciences, Fisheries, Forestry and other prescribed agricultural and allied disciplines.
IBPS SO AFO 2026–27 Notification Released
IBPS has released the CRP SPL-XVI Notification for recruitment of Specialist Officers against the vacancies of 2027–28. The selection process consists of an Online Preliminary Examination, Online Main Examination and Common Interview.
01 IBPS SO AFO 2026–27 Overview
02 IBPS SO AFO 2026–27 Important Dates
The tentative recruitment schedule announced for CRP SPL-XVI is given below.
| Activity | Tentative Schedule |
|---|---|
| Online Registration, including Edit or Modification of Application | 01 July 2026 to 21 July 2026 |
| Payment of Application Fees or Intimation Charges | 01 July 2026 to 21 July 2026 |
| Edit Window for Modification or Correction | For two days after registration closes; exact dates will be notified on the official IBPS website |
| Download of Preliminary Examination Call Letter | August 2026 |
| Online Preliminary Examination | August 2026 |
| Preliminary Examination Result | September/October 2026 |
| Download of Main Examination Call Letter | October 2026 |
| Online Main Examination | November 2026 |
| Declaration of Main Examination Result | November 2026 |
| Conduct of Interview | November/December 2026 |
| Provisional Allotment | January 2027 |
03 IBPS SO AFO Selection Process
04 Participating Public Sector Banks
Recruitment will be conducted for vacancies reported by the following Participating Public Sector Banks:
05 IBPS SO AFO 2026–27 Salary
The post of Agriculture Field Officer is a Specialist Officer Scale I post.
The selected officer will also be eligible for allowances, benefits and perquisites according to the rules of the allotted Participating Bank.
06 AFO Eligibility and Agriculture Qualifications
Age Limit — As on 01 July 2026
Educational Qualification
A candidate must possess a four-year degree in any one of the following Agriculture or allied disciplines:
The qualification must be obtained from a University, Institution or Board recognised by the Government of India or approved by the appropriate Government Regulatory Body.
The final result of the prescribed educational qualification should have been declared on or before 21 July 2026.
07 IBPS SO AFO 2026–27 Exam Structure
The selection process contains three stages. Both the Preliminary and Main Examinations will be conducted online.
Online Preliminary Examination
The Preliminary Examination contains four separately timed objective tests.
| Name of Test | Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 25 | 25 | English | 20 Minutes |
| Reasoning | 25 | 25 | English & Hindi | 20 Minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 25 | English & Hindi | 20 Minutes |
| Professional Knowledge — Agriculture | 25 | 50 | English & Hindi | 20 Minutes |
| Total | 100 | 125 | — | 80 Minutes |
Online Main Examination
The revised Main Examination contains four objective tests followed by an English Descriptive Paper.
| Sr. No. | Name of Test | Questions | Maximum Marks | Medium | Duration | Nature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | English | 25 Minutes | Qualifying |
| 2 | Reasoning | 40 | 40 | English & Hindi | 35 Minutes | Qualifying |
| 3 | Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 | English & Hindi | 25 Minutes | Qualifying |
| 4 | Professional Knowledge — Objective | 50 | 100 | English & Hindi | 40 Minutes | Merit Listing |
| 5 | Descriptive Paper — English | 2 | 25 | English | 30 Minutes | Qualifying |
| — | Total | 152 | 225 | — | 155 Minutes | — |
English Language, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and the English Descriptive Paper are qualifying in nature.
Merit listing and shortlisting for Interview will be based on the candidate's score in the Professional Knowledge Objective Test, subject to qualifying the other tests.
08 Penalty for Wrong Answers
There will be a penalty for incorrect answers marked in the objective tests of both the Preliminary and Main Examinations.
For every incorrectly answered question, one-fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted.
No penalty will be imposed when a question is left unanswered.
Main Examination Cut-Off
- Candidates must obtain the minimum prescribed score in each test of the Online Main Examination.
- Candidates must secure a sufficiently high score in Professional Knowledge to be shortlisted for Interview.
- Cut-offs will be decided according to vacancies and examination performance.
- Main Examination scores will not be disclosed before completion of the Interview process.
- Main Examination marks will be considered for Interview shortlisting and final merit preparation.
09 Phase 3: Common Interview
Candidates shortlisted through the Online Main Examination will be called for an Interview conducted by the Participating Banks and coordinated by the Nodal Bank with the assistance of IBPS.
Final Selection Weightage
10 Major Changes in IBPS SO AFO 2026–27
The CRP SPL-XVI notification introduces major changes in both stages of the online examination.
- Professional Knowledge has been introduced in the Preliminary Examination with 25 questions carrying 50 marks.
- The Preliminary Examination now contains 100 questions for 125 marks with a total duration of 80 minutes.
- The Main Examination has been completely revised and contains five sections.
- Professional Knowledge Objective carries 50 questions for 100 marks and determines merit listing.
- Agriculture Professional Knowledge is tested in both Preliminary and Main Examinations.
- English Language, Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude in the Main Examination are qualifying in nature.
- A new English Descriptive Paper containing two questions for 25 marks has been added.
- The English Descriptive Paper is qualifying in nature.
- The revised Main Examination contains 152 questions for 225 marks.
- The total duration of the Main Examination is 155 minutes.
- The final selection weightage remains 80% for the Online Main Examination and 20% for the Interview .
Read the Official Notification Before Applying
Candidates should verify eligibility, category requirements, application fees, vacancy details, document specifications, examination centres and all other instructions from the official IBPS notification.
Visit Official IBPS Website
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