Union Bank PO Exam Pattern 2026: Prelims and Mains

The Union Bank PO exam pattern is the IBPS PO/MT pattern, because Union Bank of India recruits Probationary Officers through the IBPS Common Recruitment Process. The 2026 cycle (CRP PO/MT-XVI) has four stages: a qualifying Prelims, a Mains with objective and descriptive papers, a Personality Test and an interview.

This page gives the marks, questions and timing for each stage, the negative marking rule, how final merit is calculated and what the numbers mean for your strategy. Mains details are as reported for this cycle, so confirm them in the official notification.

Table of Contents

• Exam pattern at a glance

• Prelims pattern

• Mains pattern

• Marking scheme and negative marking

• What the pattern means for you

• Personality Test and interview

• Final merit calculation

• Time management

• Older pages and official source

Exam pattern at a glance

Prelims pattern

The Prelims has three tests with a separate timer of 20 minutes for each. You must clear both the sectional and overall cut-offs to reach the Mains. Prelims marks are not added to your final score.

Mains pattern

The Mains objective paper reportedly has four tests with their own timers, followed by a descriptive paper of two tasks (essay and comprehension).

Together, the Mains carries 225 marks. You cannot move to the next test before the timer of the current one ends, so unfinished time in one test is not carried forward.

Marking scheme and negative marking

• Correct answer: full marks for the question.

• Wrong answer: 0.25 marks deducted in the objective tests.

• Unattempted question: no penalty.

A wrong answer costs a quarter of a mark, so a guess helps only when you can remove at least one or two options with confidence.

What the pattern means for you

• Marks per question differ: in the Mains, Reasoning and Data Analysis give 1.5 marks per question, awareness gives 1.2, and English only 0.5. Spend your best minutes on the high-value tests.

• Sectional timers: you cannot trade time between tests, so practise finishing each test inside its limit.

• Sectional cut-off risk: a strong score in two Prelims sections does not save a weak third one, so give every section a minimum standard.

• Awareness is bigger now: 50 questions and 60 marks reward steady current affairs and banking revision.

• Descriptive paper: it is a small part of the marks but counts in merit, so practise typing short, structured answers.

Personality Test and interview

The Personality Test is reported as qualifying with no marks, but you must complete it before the interview. The interview is of 100 marks. You need a minimum of 40 percent, or 35 percent for SC, ST, OBC and PwBD candidates.

Final merit calculation

Final merit is reported as 80 percent weightage for the Mains and 20 percent for the interview, with the final score out of 100. Prelims marks are not counted.

Here is an illustration with made-up numbers. Suppose you score 120 out of 225 in the Mains and 70 out of 100 in the interview. The Mains share is 120 divided by 225, times 80, which is about 42.7. The interview share is 70 divided by 100, times 20, which is 14. Your final score is about 56.7 out of 100. This example shows the method only and is not an official calculation.

Time management

• Prelims: spend about 15 minutes on first-pass questions in each test and use the last five minutes for skipped questions.

• Mains: attempt puzzles and data sets that you can solve first, then return to harder sets.

• Descriptive: plan for about 10 minutes of structure and typing time for the essay before the comprehension task, and keep a few minutes to review.

Older pages and official source

Older pages may still show a 155-question objective Mains with a combined reasoning and computer test and a letter-writing descriptive task, so follow the official notification.