How many IBPS SO mock tests should I take?

There is no fixed number. Take topic-wise tests while learning, a sectional test daily once you finish a section, a full Prelims mock weekly from the middle of your preparation, and more full-length mocks in the last two weeks. What matters is analysing each one.

Should IBPS SO mock tests follow the new pattern?

Yes. This cycle has a four-test Prelims of 100 questions in 80 minutes and a Main of 150 objective questions plus a descriptive paper. Tests built on the older three-test Prelims or 60-mark Main will not match your timing.

Is there negative marking in IBPS SO mock tests?

A good mock follows the real exam: 0.25 marks are deducted for a wrong answer in one-mark tests and 0.5 marks in Professional Knowledge. Blank answers carry no penalty.

When should I start taking full-length IBPS SO mocks?

Start once you have covered most of the syllabus for the general sections and a first round of your Professional Knowledge subject. Before that, topic-wise and sectional tests give better feedback.

Banking Exams

IBPS SO Mock Test 2026: Online Practice Tests

Timed IBPS SO mock tests in the current Prelims and Main pattern, with section-wise analysis to guide revision.

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Prabhat Jha, FRM

Exam: IBPS SO

English Grammar - IBPS PO Clerk RRB

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An IBPS SO mock test is the closest you can get to the real exam before the exam day. The current pattern has sectional timers, a Professional Knowledge test that carries double marks, and negative marking in every objective test. Reading about this is not enough, because speed and accuracy under a 20-minute timer only come from repeated timed attempts.

This page explains which kinds of tests to take, the pattern to practise in, how to use mocks in phases, how to analyse each attempt and the mistakes that cost candidates marks. The pattern changed this cycle, so choose tests that follow the structure below and not the older three-test Prelims.

Types of mock tests

Test type	What it covers	When to take it
Topic-wise test	One topic, such as puzzles, data interpretation or a Professional Knowledge subject	While you are learning a topic
Sectional test	One full test with its own timer, such as 25 questions in 20 minutes	Once you finish the syllabus for that section
Full-length Prelims mock	All four tests, 100 questions, 125 marks, 80 minutes	From the middle of your preparation, then weekly
Full-length Main mock	150 objective questions for 200 marks, plus a descriptive paper	In the last phase before Main
Previous year paper	Actual questions from earlier cycles	To judge difficulty, keeping in mind the older pattern

The pattern to practise in

For IT Officer, Agricultural Field Officer, HR/Personnel Officer and Marketing Officer, Prelims has English Language, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and Professional Knowledge, each with 25 questions and 20 minutes. Law Officer and Rajbhasha Adhikari candidates get General Awareness with a banking focus instead of Quantitative Aptitude. Professional Knowledge questions carry 2 marks, and a wrong answer costs 0.5 marks. Other wrong answers cost 0.25.

Main has 150 objective questions for 200 marks in 125 minutes, with Professional Knowledge worth 100 marks, and a 25-mark descriptive paper in 30 minutes. Every Main test except Professional Knowledge is qualifying. A good mock series should therefore report scores for each test separately, not only a total.

How to use mock tests

Phase 1, learning: Take one topic-wise test after each topic you finish, two or three a week.
Phase 2, speed: Add one sectional test a day in English, Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude, each against its 20-minute timer.
Phase 3, Professional Knowledge: Take a Professional Knowledge sectional test at least twice a week, and revise the topics you miss the same day.
Phase 4, full-length: Take one full Prelims mock a week and one full Main mock every two weeks. In the final two weeks, take one every other day and spend the off days on analysis.

How to analyse a mock

An unanalysed mock gives you a score and nothing else. Spend at least as long reviewing a test as you spent taking it, and sort every question into one of these groups.

Wrong answers: Find whether the cause was a concept gap, a careless slip or a rushed guess, and write the topic in an error log.
Slow questions: Mark any question that took more than a minute and a half, and learn a faster method for that type.
Skipped but solvable: These are lost marks. If you skip many, your question selection needs work, not your knowledge.
Lucky guesses: Treat right answers you were unsure about as weak topics.

Benchmarks to track

These are personal targets to track from test to test, not official cut-offs, which IBPS decides after the exam.

Measure	What to watch
Corrected score per test	Score after negative marking, tracked separately for each test
Accuracy	Correct answers out of attempted questions, aiming to keep it high enough that guesses do not cancel gains
Attempts	Number of questions attempted in the sectional time limit
Time per question	About 48 seconds in Prelims and 50 to 54 seconds in Main
Professional Knowledge trend	Your last five scores, since this test decides merit in Main

Common mistakes

Practising in the old pattern: Three-test Prelims and a 60-mark Main no longer apply, so tests built on them mislead your timing.
Ignoring the sectional timer: Taking the whole paper as one block hides how you really perform in 20 minutes.
Guessing blindly in Professional Knowledge: A wrong answer costs 0.5 marks there, so guess only when you can drop at least two options.
Skipping the descriptive paper: It is qualifying, and a blank or weak paper can end your attempt.
Treating every mock score as final: Look at the trend over five or six tests, not a single result.