What is the negative marking in IBPS PO examination?

In both IBPS PO Prelims and Mains objective tests, 0.25 (1/4th) of the marks assigned to a question are deducted for every incorrect response.

What is the exam pattern for IBPS PO Prelims?

IBPS PO Prelims consists of 100 questions carrying 100 marks spanning 60 minutes (20 minutes sectional time for English, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability).

Are IBPS PO Prelims marks counted in the final selection merit list?

No. Prelims is purely a screening test. Final selection merit is prepared using a combined score of Mains Examination (80% weightage) and Interview (20% weightage).

IBPS PO Answer Key Calculator | Check Prelims & Mains Marks & Cutoff

About IBPS PO Answer Key & Score Calculator

Check your IBPS PO (Probationary Officer / Management Trainee) answer key instantly with KeyGuru.in’s free online calculator. Paste your official response sheet URL to compute your exact raw score with official 0.25 negative marking deductions, review section-wise accuracy across English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability, and estimate your qualification chances for the Mains examination and Interview rounds.

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts the national-level Common Recruitment Process for Probationary Officers (CRP PO/MT) annually to recruit officers across participating public sector banks including Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India, and Indian Bank.

IBPS PO Selection Stages & Exam Framework

The IBPS PO selection process comprises three competitive tiers:

Stage 1 — Preliminary Examination (Screening): A 1-hour online test of 100 questions (100 marks) with strictly enforced 20-minute sectional timers. Marks scored in Prelims are used solely to shortlist candidates for Mains and are not included in the final selection merit list.
Stage 2 — Main Examination (Merit Deciding): An online objective test of 200 marks followed by an English Descriptive Paper (Letter & Essay / Comprehension) of 25 marks. Performance in the Mains examination carries an 80% weightage in the final merit calculation.
Stage 3 — Common Interview: A face-to-face personality and banking aptitude interview carrying 100 marks with a 20% weightage in the final selection ranking.

IBPS PO Prelims Subject-Wise Marks & Time Distribution

Section / Subject	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks	Sectional Duration	Medium of Exam
English Language	30 Questions	30 Marks	20 Minutes	English
Quantitative Aptitude	30 Questions	30 Marks	20 Minutes	English and Hindi
Reasoning Ability	40 Questions	40 Marks	20 Minutes	English and Hindi
Total Preliminary Examination	100 Questions	100 Marks	60 Minutes (1 Hour)	Bilingual

Official Negative Marking Scheme Explained

✔ +1.00 Mark is awarded for every correct response in the Preliminary examination.
✘ -0.25 Marks (1/4th Penalty) are deducted for every incorrect objective answer.
➖ 0 Marks for unattempted or skipped questions (no penalty).
Both Sectional and Overall Cutoffs: In addition to clearing the overall aggregate cutoff score, candidates must secure minimum qualifying cutoff marks in each of the three individual sections to qualify for the Mains examination.

IBPS PO Category-Wise Qualifying & Final Merit Rules

Selection Component	General / EWS	OBC / SC / ST / PwBD	Weightage in Final Merit
Preliminary Examination	Sectional & Overall Cutoff	Relaxed Cutoff Marks	Qualifying Only (0%)
Main Examination (225 M)	Sectional & Overall Cutoff	Relaxed Cutoff Marks	80% Weightage
Interview (100 M)	Minimum 40% (40 Marks)	Minimum 35% (35 Marks)	20% Weightage

Worked Example: How an IBPS PO Prelims Score Is Calculated

The scoring rule used in every section is: net marks = correct × marks per question − wrong × (marks per question × 0.25). Here is an illustrative candidate (the numbers are an example, not real results):

Section	Questions	Correct	Wrong	Unattempted	Net marks
English Language	30	23	5	2	21.75 / 30
Quantitative Aptitude	30	17	9	4	14.75 / 30
Reasoning Ability	40	27	8	5	25.00 / 40
Total	100	67	22	11	61.50 / 100

This candidate attempts 89 of 100 questions and finishes on 61.50 out of 100. The weakest section is Quantitative Aptitude at 49% of its marks, which is the number to watch if a sectional cut-off applies. With 20-minute sectional timers, Reasoning allows only 30 seconds per question (40 questions), against 40 seconds in English and Quant, so plan your attempts section by section.

From Mains and Interview to Final Merit

Using the 80:20 split described above, a candidate with 140 of 225 in Mains (62.22 on a 100 scale) and 65 of 100 in the interview would have a final merit of 0.80 × 62.22 + 0.20 × 65 = 62.78. Prelims marks do not enter this calculation. For more on how such splits work, read our guide to shortlisting ratios and weightage.

How to Check Your IBPS PO Answer Key Online?

Visit the official Institute of Banking Personnel Selection portal at ibps.in.
Navigate to the CRP PO/MT section on the homepage.
Click on the active link titled "Candidate Response Sheet / Evaluation Link for IBPS PO Examination".
Enter your Registration Number / Roll Number and Password / Date of Birth to log in.
Copy the full URL from the top browser address bar.
Paste the URL into the KeyGuru calculator above and click Analyze IBPS PO Response Sheet.
Your total positive marks, negative penalty deductions, net score out of 100, and section-by-section breakdown will be displayed immediately with a single-click PDF export option.

Why Use Keyguru.in for IBPS PO?

✔ Instant evaluation with zero server lag.
✔ Pre-configured with official 0.25 negative marking mathematics computed to two decimal points.
✔ Accurate section-wise score generation (English, Quant, Reasoning).
✔ Itemized subject breakdowns and wrong question number listings.
✔ High-resolution, zero-margin downloadable PDF scorecard.
✔ 100% Free, privacy-safe, and mobile-friendly utility.

IBPS PO Answer Key Calculator

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