With 745 vacancies announced for IBPS SO XVI 2026, one of the first questions candidates ask is what score is likely to clear prelims and mains. Since this year’s official cut off won’t be out until after the exam, here’s a look at last year’s numbers and what to expect this time.
Previous Year (IBPS SO XV) Prelims Cut Off
These are the category-wise prelims cut off marks out of 125 from the most recent completed cycle, for the two highest-vacancy posts:
| Category | IT Officer | Law Officer |
|---|---|---|
| UR (General) | 58.25 | 46.88 |
| EWS | 55.00 | 44.63 |
| OBC | 58.25 | 43.25 |
| SC | 58.25 | 42.63 |
| ST | 48.63 | 34.75 |
Previous Year Mains Cut Off
The mains objective test cut off (out of 60) from the last cycle was:
| Category | Cut Off |
|---|---|
| General / EWS | 17.50 |
| SC / ST / OBC / PwBD | 13.25 |
Remember that this mains cut off is only a qualifying threshold for the descriptive/interview stage — it is not the same as the final selection cut off, which depends on the combined mains and interview score for each post.
Expected Cut Off for IBPS SO XVI 2026
Based on this year’s vacancy count and historical patterns, the prelims cut off is likely to stay in a similar range to last year, possibly a little lower for IT Officer given the higher vacancy count (301 posts against 745 total this year). Law Officer and HR/Personnel Officer streams tend to stay competitive year over year since their vacancy counts are comparatively smaller relative to applicant volume.
Factors Affecting This Year’s Cut Off
- Number of vacancies: more posts generally mean a slightly lower cut off, as seen with IT Officer’s 301 vacancies this year.
- Difficulty level of the paper: a tougher prelims paper usually pulls the cut off down, and vice versa.
- Number of applicants: IBPS SO consistently draws a large applicant pool across streams, especially IT Officer and Law Officer.
Qualifying Marks vs Cut Off
Qualifying marks are the bare minimum marks IBPS sets for each category in each section, while the cut off is the actual score needed to make it to the next stage — which is usually well above the qualifying marks once competition is factored in. Clearing the qualifying marks alone does not guarantee you move ahead; you need to clear the overall cut off too.
Official 2026 cut off will be added here once IBPS declares the prelims result.
Check the IBPS SO XVI 2026 notification for full vacancy and eligibility details, or track your result status here once the prelims are conducted.
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