Union Bank PO Syllabus 2026: Prelims and Mains Topics

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

This page lists what to study for each stage, which topics are shared between Prelims and Mains, and how to plan the weeks. IBPS names the tests but does not publish a topic-wise list, so the topics below are a working checklist and not an official syllabus.

Table of Contents

• Syllabus at a glance

• Key changes to know

• Prelims syllabus

• Mains syllabus

• Overlap between Prelims and Mains

• Personality Test and interview

• How to cover the syllabus

Syllabus at a glance

The Mains figures are as reported for this cycle, so confirm them in the notification. For marking rules and sectional timing, see the Union Bank PO exam pattern page.

Key changes to know

• Reasoning is a standalone Mains test: earlier cycles combined it with computer aptitude. Reports for this cycle list Reasoning on its own.

• Awareness is larger: the General, Economy and Banking Awareness test is reported at 50 questions and 60 marks, so current affairs and banking knowledge now carry real weight.

• Descriptive test: reported as essay and comprehension. Older pages may still show letter writing, so follow the official notification.

Prelims syllabus

The Prelims is a qualifying test, but it has sectional cut-offs, so no section can be ignored. Start with the topics marked below because they appear in almost every paper.

Puzzles and seating arrangement usually carry the largest share of reasoning marks. In quantitative aptitude, calculation speed matters more than advanced theory, so build a habit of squares, cubes and fraction tables.

Mains syllabus

Reasoning

• Logical puzzles: multi-variable puzzles, floor and box arrangements, scheduling, comparison-based puzzles.

• Verbal reasoning: syllogism, inequality, statement and assumption, course of action, cause and effect, input-output.

• Data sufficiency and series: data sufficiency, alphanumeric series, coding-decoding.

• Computer awareness: earlier cycles tested basic computer knowledge here. Keep a short revision list of fundamentals, since it is low effort.

General, Economy and Banking Awareness

• Banking and finance: RBI functions, monetary policy, repo and reverse repo, banking terms, financial inclusion schemes, payment systems, recent RBI circulars.

• Economy: inflation, GDP, budget, five-year plans and NITI Aayog, international financial institutions.

• Current affairs: the last 6 to 8 months of national and international events, appointments, awards, summits, sports and government schemes.

• Static awareness: important headquarters, currencies, books and authors, and banking history.

English Language

• Comprehension: longer passages with inference and vocabulary questions.

• Grammar: error spotting, sentence correction, connectors, word usage.

• Arrangement: para jumbles and sentence rearrangement.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Descriptive paper

The descriptive paper is reported as two tasks for 25 marks in 30 minutes, covering an essay and a comprehension passage. Practise writing short, structured answers on banking, economy and technology topics, and check grammar and word limits.

Overlap between Prelims and Mains

Personality Test and interview

There is no syllabus for these stages. The Personality Test is reported as qualifying and mandatory before the interview, and the interview carries 100 marks. Prepare your academic and work background, why you want a banking career, basic banking and economic topics, and current events.

How to cover the syllabus

1. Weeks 1 to 4: concepts and basics in arithmetic, reasoning puzzles and English grammar, plus a daily reading habit.

2. Weeks 3 to 8: add 30 to 40 minutes of current affairs and banking awareness every day, with monthly notes.

3. Weeks 6 to 10: topic tests and 20-minute sectional sets to match the Prelims timer.

4. Weeks 10 onwards: advanced Mains-level sets, data interpretation and descriptive writing practice.

5. Final phase: full-length papers, same-day analysis and error-log revision.

Check the official IBPS website for the notification.