Canara Bank PO Syllabus 2026: Prelims and Mains Topics

The Canara Bank PO syllabus follows the IBPS Probationary Officer exam, because Canara Bank recruits its POs through the IBPS Common Recruitment Process. The latest cycle is CRP PO/MT-XVI. This page gives a section-wise checklist for the Prelims, the Mains and the descriptive paper so you can plan what to study first.

IBPS names the tests in its notification but does not publish a topic-wise syllabus. The topic lists below are built from the official exam pattern and from the kind of questions asked in earlier years. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list.

Table of Contents

• Syllabus at a glance

• Key changes to know

• Prelims syllabus

• Mains syllabus

• Overlap between stages

• Interview and Personality Test

• How to cover the syllabus

Syllabus at a Glance

These figures come from summaries of the CRP PO/MT-XVI notification, so confirm them in the official PDF. The marking details are on the Canara Bank PO exam pattern page.

Key Changes to Know

• Marks differ by section in the Prelims: Quant carries 30 marks and Reasoning carries 40 marks, so the old equal-marks idea no longer applies.

• The Mains objective paper is longer: It is reported as 170 questions in 160 minutes, with each section separately timed.

• The descriptive paper is essay and comprehension: Older pages show letter writing, which you should not rely on.

• Older Canara Bank pages are outdated: Pages that describe a separate Canara Bank exam or a diploma route relate to earlier notifications.

Prelims Syllabus

The Prelims is a qualifying test. You must clear the sectional and overall cut-offs, but the marks are not added to your final merit.

Reasoning carries the highest marks in the Prelims, so puzzles and seating arrangements deserve the largest share of practice time. Quant questions in the Prelims are usually quicker to solve than the Mains versions, which makes speed more important than depth here.

Mains Syllabus

Reasoning

• Puzzles and arrangements: Multi-variable puzzles, floor and box puzzles, circular and linear seating.

• Logical reasoning: Syllogism, statement and conclusion, assumptions, strengthening and weakening of arguments.

• Input-output and data sufficiency: Machine input patterns and questions asking whether the given data is enough.

• Computer aptitude: Basic computer awareness, which has appeared in the reasoning paper in earlier cycles. Keep the basics ready.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

• Charts and tables: Bar, line, pie, table and radar charts with calculation-heavy questions.

• Caselets and missing data: Paragraph-based data with an unknown value to be found.

• Arithmetic applied to data: Percentage change, ratio, average, mixture, time and work, and probability.

General, Economy, Banking, Digital and Financial Awareness

• Current affairs: National and international events, appointments, awards, summits and government schemes from the last 6 to 9 months.

• Banking and economy: RBI policy and circulars, repo rate and monetary tools, financial inclusion, payment systems, budget and economic survey basics.

• Static awareness: Banking terms, regulators, headquarters and important institutions.

• Digital and financial awareness: UPI and digital payments, cyber security basics, fintech and financial literacy.

English Language

• Reading and vocabulary: Comprehension passages, synonyms and antonyms, phrase and idiom use.

• Grammar and sentence skills: Error spotting, sentence improvement, connectors, para jumbles and cloze tests.

Descriptive paper

The descriptive paper is reported to be typed on the computer. Practise typing in English at a steady speed, and keep the 30-minute limit in mind.

Overlap Between Stages

Interview and Personality Test

There is no syllabus for the interview. The bank panel asks about your background, your reasons for choosing banking, current affairs and basic banking knowledge. A Personality Test has been reported as part of this cycle, and it is described as mandatory but non-qualifying. Confirm the details in the official notification.

How to Cover the Syllabus

1. Weeks 1 to 8: Cover the Prelims topics in Quant, Reasoning and English, and read one newspaper daily.

2. From week 3: Add 30 to 40 minutes of current affairs and banking awareness every day, with monthly notes.

3. From week 6: Take topic-wise tests and 20-minute sectional tests.

4. From week 10: Move to Mains-level puzzles and data analysis, and start typed essay practice.

5. Final phase: Take full-length mocks, analyse them on the same day and revise your error log.

For the full picture of dates, vacancies and selection stages, go back to the Canara Bank PO exam overview. Check the official IBPS website for the notification and any corrigendum.