IBPS SO Agricultural Field Officer (AFO) | Syllabus

Introduction

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts various recruitment examinations every year to select officers for public sector banks in India. One of the most important recruitment drives is the IBPS Specialist Officer (SO) exam, which is conducted for six specialist posts, namely IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, Law Officer, HR/Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer.

Among these posts, the Agriculture Field Officer (AFO) role is specially designed for candidates with an agriculture and allied background, offering a prestigious officer-level career in banking along with involvement in rural and agricultural development.

If you are preparing for the IBPS SO Agriculture Field Officer (AFO) Exam, understanding the latest syllabus, exam pattern, marks distribution, and selection process is the first and most important step. A clear understanding of prelims, mains, and interview stages will help you plan your preparation smartly and improve your chances of success.

This blog explains the IBPS SO AFO syllabus, exam pattern, selection criteria, and salary structure in a simple, clear, and structured manner, making it useful for both beginners and repeat aspirants.

Selection Process

The IBPS AFO selection process consists of three stages:

1. Preliminary Examination

This is the first screening stage. Candidates must clear both sectional cut-offs and overall cut-off to qualify for the mains exam. Marks obtained in prelims are qualifying in nature.

2. Main Examination

The mains exam tests professional knowledge in agriculture. Marks scored in this stage play a major role in final selection.

3. Interview

Candidates shortlisted from the mains exam are called for an interview. The final merit list is prepared based on mains + interview marks.

IBPS SO AFO Exam Pattern

 
 
	 
Stage
 
	 
Subject
 
	 
Questions
 
	 
Marks
 
	 
Time
 
	 
Negative Marking
 
 
 
	 
Prelims
 
	 
Reasoning
 
	 
50
 
	 
50
 
	 
40 min
 
	 
0.25
 
 
 
	 
 
	 
English Language
 
	 
50
 
	 
25
 
	 
40 min
 
	 
0.25
 
 
 
	 
 
	 
Quantitative Aptitude
 
	 
50
 
	 
50
 
	 
40 min
 
	 
0.25
 
 
 
	 
Mains
 
	 
Professional Knowledge
 
	 
60
 
	 
60
 
	 
45 min
 
	 
0.25
 
 
 
	 
Interview
 
	 
—
 
	 
—
 
	 
100
 
	 
10–20 min
 
	 
—
 
 

Final Selection Criteria – IBPS AFO

• Final selection is based on the combined performance in the mains examination and interview

• Mains exam marks (60) are converted to 80 marks, carrying 80% weightage

• Interview marks (100) are converted to 20 marks, carrying 20% weightage

• The final merit score is calculated out of 100

Final Merit Formula:
Final Merit = (Mains Marks × 80 ÷ 60) + (Interview Marks × 20 ÷ 100)

👉 This clearly shows that mains examination is the most crucial stage in IBPS AFO selection.

IBPS SO AFO Prelims Syllabus

 
 
	 
Quantitative Aptitude
 
	 
Reasoning Ability
 
	 
English Language
 
 
 
	 
Simplification & Approximation
Profit & Loss
Mixtures & Allegations
Simple & Compound Interest
Surds & Indices
Time & Work
Time, Speed & Distance
Mensuration (Cylinder, Cone, Sphere)
Data Interpretation (Table, Pie, Bar, Line)
Ratio & Proportion
Quadratic Equation
Percentage
Number Series
Sequence & Series
Permutation & Combination
Probability
 
	 
Logical Reasoning
Alphanumeric Series
Ranking, Direction & Alphabet Tests
Data Sufficiency
Inequalities
Seating Arrangement
Puzzles
Tabulation
Syllogism
Critical Reasoning
Blood Relations
Input-Output
Coding-Decoding

Reading Comprehension
Cloze Test
Para Jumbles
Word Usage & Word-Swap
Fill in the Blanks
Error Detection / Error Spotting
Paragraph Completion
One-Word Substitution
Miscellaneous vocabulary-based questions
 
 

IBPS SO AFO Mains Syllabus

 
 
	 
Component
 
	 
Amount (₹)
 
 
 
	 
Basic Pay
 
	 
48,480.00
 
 
 
	 
Special Allowance
 
	 
12,847.20
 
 
 
	 
City Compensatory Allowance (CCA)
 
	 
2,300.00
 
 
 
	 
Learning Allowance
 
	 
850.00
 
 
 
	 
Dearness Allowance (DA)
 
	 
8,338.56
 
 
 
	 
Special Allowance DA
 
	 
2,209.72
 
 
 
	 
Learning Allowance DA
 
	 
146.20
 
 
 
	 
Total Monthly Earnings
 
	 
₹75,171.68
 
 

 
 
	 
Allowance
 
	 
Amount (₹)
 
 
 
	 
Petrol (30 litres)
 
	 
3,000
 
 
 
	 
Newspaper
 
	 
250
 
 
 
	 
Outfit
 
	 
500
 
 
 
	 
Entertainment
 
	 
500
 
 
 
	 
Canteen
 
	 
400
 
 
 
	 
Total Monthly Allowances
 
	 
₹4,650
 
 

 
 
	 
Allowance
 
	 
Amount (₹)
 
 
 
	 
Quarter Closing
 
	 
1,200
 
 
 
	 
Quarter Performance
 
	 
5,000
 
 
 
	 
Total per Quarter
 
	 
₹6,200
 
 
 
	 
Total per Year (×4)
 
	 
₹24,800
 
 

 
 
	 
Allowance
 
	 
Amount (₹)
 
 
 
	 
Medical Aid
 
	 
13,000
 
 
 
	 
Eye Check-up
 
	 
500
 
 
 
	 
Annual Performance (20 days salary)
 
	 
35,000
 
 
 
	 
Total Yearly Allowances
 
	 
₹48,500