IBPS SO Reasoning Preparation: Start with the Experts Advice

 Every year IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) releases vacancies for the post of SO (Specialist Officers). This exam is conducted for the recruitment of specialist officers in public sector banks. In this post, we are going to take a closer look at IBPS SO Reasoning Preparation. Let us begin:

IBPS SO is conducted in three phases:

  1. Preliminary
  2. Mains
  3. Interview

IBPS SO tests the candidates’ knowledge in the following subjects:

    Post: Law officer & Rajbhabha Adhikari 

  • Reasoning
  • English language
  • General awareness

    Post: Agriculture Field Officer, Marketing Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, IT Officer

  • Reasoning
  • English language
  • Quantitative aptitude

As you can observe, IBPS SO Reasoning is tested in prelims for selection for all the posts. It is the most crucial section to determine the eligibility for the mains.

IBPS SO Reasoning Pattern:

It consists of 50 questions each carrying 1 mark with a time limit of 40 minutes. The total marks assigned for prelims are 150 to be completed in 120 minutes. For every wrong answer, 0.25 marks are deducted.
This gives more reason to emphasize the reasoning section. Therefore, in this article, we will focus on the IBPS SO Reasoning preparation strategy and tips:

But First let’s discuss the syllabus as before starting the preparation, the most important part for any competitive exam is a proper understanding of its syllabus.

IBPS SO Reasoning Syllabus 2020:

  • Verbal Reasoning
  • Input-Output
  • Scheduling
  • Syllogisms
  • Data Sufficiency
  • Seating Arrangement
  • Coding-Decoding
  • Blood Relations
  • Ordering and Ranking
  • Coded Inequalities
  • Directions and Distances
  • Analytical Decision Making
  • Puzzle
  • Diagram based questions
  • Analogy
  • Non-Verbal Reasoning

IBPS SO Reasoning – Topic-wise Strategy

As seen above, the reasoning section consists of different topics. Therefore a focused approach for each topic can be helpful for the preparation.
Follow daily youtube sessions of Excellence channel for thorough understanding and tricks:
1. Syllogism
Generally, we get to see 5 questions from this topic in IBPS SO Reasoning Section. This is one of the easiest concept based topics to gain full 5 marks. It requires a clear understanding of concepts with practice. 

2. Puzzle and seating arrangement

Puzzle and seating arrangement consists of the following varieties:

  • Box based
  • Date- Month based
  • Floor based
  • Linear seating
  • Circular seating
  • Different shapes (Rectangular/ Square/ Triangle/ Hexagonal, etc)The only tactic to score maximum marks in puzzles is to practice a lot of questions of each type. Don’t forget to set a timer for each set of questions. Ideally, it should take near about 3 minutes to solve a puzzle.   

3. Blood relations
Though simple, this topic can create confusion for a lot of candidates in IBPS SO Reasoning section. Try to relate yourself with the situations given in the question that can help to score well in it.
Focus more on mixed, coded blood relations and puzzles with blood relations incorporated in it.
4. Non-verbal and verbal reasoning
For verbal reasoning, the emphasis is to be put on the extraction of keywords thus making further solving the question very easy.
For solving the non-verbal questions, pattern recognition is the key.

5. Direction and distance
To correctly solve these questions always carefully follow the given instructions.
Consider yourself as the subject and make an illustrated diagram (as the image below) according to the question.
IBPS SO Reasoning direction imageRotation based questions can be a little difficult if not practiced well in advance to the main exam. So, attempt around 15-20 sets of questions to gain insights.
Always keep in mind all the eight directions(as in the given image):
IBPS SO Reasoning direction6. Data sufficiency
These questions capture the core of all the other topics from IBPS SO Reasoning section. A thorough understanding of the statements makes it easier to answer correctly.
These questions can consume more time so efficiency is the key here.
Attempt a set of 30-40 questions before the examination to reduce the time consumption in the final examination.

7. Coding decoding
Learn the alphabet with their forward and backward numbers to solve them in less time.
These questions mainly follow set patterns of ascending or descending orders (as given in the images below).
Try to first identify the correct pattern to answer the set. It is a scoring topic so attempt it before puzzles in the exam.

alphabet image                                                   Forward Numbering
alphabets image

Backward Numbering

Get Reasoning Practice Questions here

Expected Number of questions per topic

Through analysis of previous year IBPS SO exam papers, the following is the list of topic and number of expected questions:

S.No.TopicExpected Number of Questions
1Syllogisms3-5
2Double Line-Up0-5
3Verbal Reasoning5-8
4Seating Arrangement5-7
5Scheduling0-5
6Input-Output0-5
7Linear Seating Arrangement5-10
8Blood Relations2-5
9Inequality5
10Analytical Decision Making0-5
11Data Sufficiency3-5
12Direction and distance2-5
13Order and ranking2-6


This above-mentioned division can be of great help for you to plan your IBPS SO Reasoning preparation strategy.
For improving score for IBPS SO Reasoning, try daily mocks as well as topic tests from Our Website 

IBPS SO Reasoning Study Material:

  1. Study material by Excellence Expert
  2. A New Approach to Reasoning: Verbal and Non-Verbal by BS Sijwali and Indu Sijwali
  3. Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey
  4. Verbal Reasoning by RS Agarwal
  5. Magical Book on Puzzle by K.Kundan

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions):

1. How can I prepare for IBPS SO Reasoning?
Ans: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and PRACTICE!
Follow the above-mentioned methods and follow the given tips. If face any difficulty    reach out to us at 9062633354

2. Are the scores obtained in IBPS SO Reasoning section included for calculation?
Ans: 
Yes, the IBPS SO Reasoning marks are included for the calculation of scores for the cut-off.

3. How can I learn IBPS SO Reasoning quickly?
Ans: 
Thorough learning and implementing daily can lead to scoring good marks in a short period.

4. Where can I get exam specific study material?
Ans: 
Follow Our Website for mocks, topic tests, and videos specific to IBPS SO examination. You can also buy our Express video course for personalized attention by our expert faculty.

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