RRB PO Pre

IBPS RRB PO 2026 exam is a great opportunity for banking aspirants as it provides a prestigious entry-level job in the banking sector and a golden job opportunity for many individuals aspiring for a career in the banking sector. Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) are scheduled commercial banks in India that are controlled by the government and operate at the regional level in several Indian states. These banks are under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. They were established to provide fundamental banking and financial services to rural communities. However, RRBs also have urban branches.
 
Through this article, we’ll share important aspects of the IBPS RRB PO 2026 exam to give you a clear idea of the process of making a career in this sector.

 

 
1. You must possess a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized University or its equivalent. However, candidates having a degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Science, Agricultural Engineering, Pisciculture, Agricultural Marketing and Cooperation, Information Technology, Management, Law, Economics, or Accountancy will be preferred.
 
2. Working knowledge of Computers is a desirable qualification for the post of RRB Scale I officer.

 
As per the notification, candidates who have already studied the language of the State in standard VIII or any level above standard VIII in Government recognized Boards of Education / Schools or having any certificate to the effect for standard VIII or any level above standard VIII would be considered proficient in that local language.
 
If you do not meet the aforesaid requirement in the local language at the time of selection, you will be given a time of six months from the date of joining to acquire proficiency. This period can be extended by the Boards of RRBs but such extension should not be beyond the probation period.

To apply for the post of Scale I officer in RRB, an unreserved category candidate should not be below 18 years & above 30 years of age.
 
However, there will be age relaxations in the upper age limit for different categories as under:

 

I. A Citizen of India or
II. A subject of Nepal or
III. A subject of Bhutan or
IV. A Tibetan Refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India or
V. A  person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam intending to permanently settle in India, provided that a candidate belonging to categories (ii), (iii), (iv) & (v) above shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.

 

Stage I:  Prelims

RRB PO Prelims Exam Pattern:

 

 

RRB PO Mains Exam Pattern

 

Click here to attempt a free RRB PO mock test!

This is the last stage & an important part of the recruitment process of the RRB PO examination. Candidates who clear the written examinations for the post of RRB PO will subsequently be called for an Interview to be coordinated by the Nodal Regional Rural Bank with the help of NABARD and IBPS in consultation with the appropriate authority. RRB PO interviews will be conducted at selected centres. During the interview round of RRB PO, the officials will try to check your knowledge, opinions, communication skills, and your fitness for the job. This is also the scoring part of the examination process and the marks obtained in this round are added to the final merit.

 

 

 

IBPS RRB PO Prelims Syllabus:

IBPS RRB PO Mains Syllabus:
 

 

The vacancies for the IBPS RRB 2025 exam were announced in May 2025 along with the official IBPS RRB notification PDF. A total of 3928 vacancies for RRB PO / Scale I officers were announced by IBPS. The table below shows the overall IBPS RRB PO state-wise Vacancies for the year 2025:

The key to passing a banking exam is the right strategy. When it comes to difficulty level, bank examinations are not extremely challenging if you look at the exam format and the kind of questions that are asked. The level of competitiveness today makes them a tough nut to crack. With the right strategy and efforts put in the right direction, you can easily crack this exam on the first attempt. Here are some important tips you must follow to crack RRB PO 2026 exam:

 
1. Understand the examination pattern 
 
This is always the first and foremost step to preparing for any examination. Getting familiar with the pattern and having an overview of the syllabus for the RRB PO 2026 examination will help you tailor an effective plan of action to prepare for the examination.
 
2. Balance your speed with accuracy
 
RRB PO 2026 examination will be conducted in online mode and speed and accuracy will be the two main factors that would decide your fate in the examination. As per the examination trends, you should try to attempt 75+ questions with 95% accuracy in the prelims to get shortlisted for further rounds. To achieve this, you will be required to devise your own strategy for the RRB PO 2026 examination that will help you attempt the maximum number of questions with precision within the stipulated time. This balance of accuracy with speed for the RRB PO 2026 examination can only be maintained through consistent and deliberate practice.
 
3. Approach the questions smartly
 
Time is the biggest constraint in this examination. A smarter approach in RRB PO 2026 examination is very important to attempt the maximum number of questions within the given time. As per the previous year's trends,  puzzles/seating arrangements cover most of the reasoning section which is the most time-consuming topic of the exam. You can start with inequalities, direction-sense, syllogism, and alphanumeric series which are the scoring as a time-saving part of this section, and then move to the puzzles. It would be better to break each section into two halves. In the first half, you should attempt all the easy-to-do questions and solve them as fast as possible saving time for the tricky ones. In the second half, you should attempt the difficult questions which require the most of your saved time.
 
4. Spend time on mock tests and analysis
 
RRB PO mock tests available at Smartkeeda are the simulation of the actual exam, therefore, practicing a mock test daily will give you a good idea of the examination pattern and syllabus for the RRB PO examination and wisely decide the type of questions that should be attempted first to maximize the score in the exam.
 
However, just attempting a mock test is not enough. You should spend enough time analyzing the mock test thoroughly and drawing insights into your performance. After attempting RRB Scale I officer mock test, you should compare your performance with your competitors, who took that test, through a detailed report and understand their strategy as well.
 
RRB PO mock tests at Smartkeeda are designed in a way that gives you a reality check of your preparation and shares a clear idea of where you stand among your competitors by comparing you with your past self and with the topper’s performance.
 
Let us understand the key points to be kept in mind while analyzing a mock test:
 
• Keep track of the number of questions you were able to attempt within the given time limit in each section of each mock test. For clearing the RRB PO 2026 examination, attempting the maximum number of questions with accuracy should be your goal.
 
• Keep a track of the time spent by you on each question and compare it with the average time spent on that question. You should also compare it with the amount of time spent by the topper on that question through the comparison filter of the Testzone. This will give you a clear idea of the topics where you can save your time and invest it elsewhere to score more in the RRB PO 2026 exam.
 
• Compare your performance with the topper’s performance in SBI clerk mock tests and try to hold a candle to his performance with each test. You should also compare your performance with your past self to challenge yourself even better. The smart analysis feature of Testzone helps you through your RRB PO 2026 preparation by providing all the required comparative filters.
 
• Identify your mistakes while going through the solution. Note down the type of question where mistakes are prominent and practice those questions on a regular basis to minimize those mistakes and boost your score in the upcoming RRB PO mock tests.
 
• Determine your topic strength within Reasoning, Quantitative aptitude, English language, and General/Financial awareness where your speed and accuracy are maximum, and attempt those questions in the first go.

Here you can find the direct links to practice Topic-wise quizzes for RRB PO 2026 Exam:

 

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