IBPS RRB SO Agriculture Officer 2025: Dates, Eligibility, and Syllabus

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), a division of the Ministry of Finance, was formed to staff the country’s nationalized banks and regional rural banks with competent candidates. In furtherance of its objective, IBPS conducts various exams across multiple categories to ensure staffing in eligible banks. While there are multiple categories of exams such as the Regional Rural Banks (RRB) exam, Specialist Officer exam, Clerk exam, etc. In this blog, we will be focusing on the IBPS RRB SO Agriculture Officer exam through which the IPBS recruits Specialist Officers in the field of Agriculture.

Particulars	Relevant details
Conducting body	Institute of Banking Personnel Selection
Frequency of exam	Once a year
Application process	Online
Official website	www.ibps.in
Mode of examination	Online
Selection Process	Online exam and interview

IBPS RRB SO Agriculture Officer Exam Dates 2025

The important dates for the IBPS RRB SO exam 2025 for agriculture officers are yet to be notified. However, based on the data and dates accumulated over the past few years, we have prepared the table below of tentative dates:

Event	Date
Release of Notification	Expected in May/June 2025
Start of Online Application	Expected in June 2025
Last Date to Apply	Expected in July 2025
Admit Card Release	August/September 2025 (Tentative)
Single Online Exam Date	13th September 2025
Result Declaration	October 2025 (Tentative)
Interview (if applicable)	October/November 2025 (Tentative)
Provisional Allotment	January 2026 (Tentative)

IBPS RRB SO Agriculture Officer Eligibility Criteria for 2025

The candidates planning to sit for the IBPS RRB exam or the post of Specialist Officer (Agriculture) must fulfil the following requirements:-

• You must be an Indian citizen or from Nepal, Bhutan, or a Tibetan refugee (settled in India).
• Your age should be between 21 to 32 years as on 1st June 2025.
• You must have a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture or related fields.
• Accepted degrees include Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Forestry, Veterinary Science, etc, with a minimum score of fifty (50) percent marks. 
• Your degree should be from a recognized university or institution.
• No work experience is required, but it may be helpful.
• Age relaxation is available for SC/ST (5 yrs), OBC (3 yrs), PwD (10 yrs) and other categories.
• You should have proper documents and certificates for education and category.
• Basic computer knowledge is useful, though not compulsory.
• All details must be true and verifiable during the document verification round.

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Application Process for the IBPS RRB SO Exam Agriculture Officer

The application process is completely online for the IBPS RRB SO Agriculture Officer exam, and candidates need to register for the exam on the IBPS website itself. The four-stage process is mentioned below:

• Visit the official website to create a login ID and password. 
• Upload the necessary documents.
• Fill out the application form.
• Make the requisite payment. 

IBPS RRB SO Exam Application Fee for 2025

The fee schedule for the exam is stated below:-

Category	Fee
SC/ST/PWD Candidates	INR 175
General and OBC Candidates	INR 850

Also Read: SBI Clerk Exam

IBPS RRB SO Agriculture Officer Exam Pattern

​The IBPS RRB Specialist Officer (SO) Agriculture Officer Exam 2025 is conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) to recruit Agriculture Field Officers in Regional Rural Banks (RRBs). The selection process comprises three stages: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Interview. Below is the detailed exam pattern for each stage:​

1. Preliminary Examination:

The preliminary exam consists of three sections with a total of 150 multiple-choice questions, conducted over 120 minutes. Each section has a specific time allocation of 40 minutes. The medium of the exam is bilingual (English and Hindi), except for the English Language section. There is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer.​

Section	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
Reasoning	50	50	40 minutes
English Language	50	25	40 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	50	50	40 minutes
Total	150	125	120 minutes

2. Main Examination:

The main exam focuses on Professional Knowledge relevant to the Agriculture Field Officer role. It comprises 60 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 45 minutes. The exam is conducted bilingually (English and Hindi), and a negative marking of 0.25 marks applies for each incorrect answer.​

Section	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
Professional Knowledge	60	60	45 minutes

3. Interview:

Candidates who qualify in the main examination are called for the interview, which carries 100 marks. The final selection is based on the combined scores of the main examination and the interview, with a weightage of 80:20 respectively.

IBPS RRB SO Agriculture Officer Exam Syllabus for 2025

​The IBPS RRB Specialist Officer (SO) Agriculture Officer Exam assesses candidates through a structured selection process comprising three stages: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Interview. Below is the detailed syllabus for each stage:​

1. Preliminary Exam Syllabus with Weightage

Section	Topics Covered	Approx. Weightage
Reasoning	Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, Coding-Decoding, Direction, etc.	50 marks
English Language	Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Error Detection, Fillers, etc.	25 marks
Quant Aptitude	Simplification, Data Interpretation, Profit & Loss, Time & Work, etc.	50 marks
Total		125 marks

2. Main Exam Syllabus (Professional Knowledge – Agriculture) with Weightage

Topics	Subtopics	Approx. Weightage
Agriculture in India	Major crops, cropping patterns, agri institutes	8–10 marks
Agricultural Practices	Soil preparation, sowing, manures, harvesting	5–7 marks
Horticulture	Fruits, vegetables, post-harvest management	4–5 marks
Seed Science & Technology	GM crops, hybrid seeds, seed testing	4–5 marks
Soil Science	Types of soil, soil fertility, pH, conservation	4–5 marks
Animal Husbandry & Dairy	Livestock care, poultry, dairy farming	6–8 marks
Agri. Economics & Finance	NABARD, PM-KISAN, KCC, MSP, crop insurance	8–10 marks
Agri Engineering	Farm tools, irrigation systems, greenhouse techniques	4–5 marks
Plant Pathology & Entomology	Pests, diseases, pest management techniques	5–6 marks
Agroforestry & Ecology	Environmental conservation, climate impacts	3–4 marks
Current Agri Affairs	Recent govt schemes, updates in agri sector	2–3 marks
Total		60 marks

3. Interview Stage

Stage	Weightage in Final Selection
Main Exam	80%
Interview	20%
Total	100%

Also Read: A Guide On How to Prepare for Bank Exams 

Salary and Benefits for Specialist Officer (Agriculture)

​​​The IBPS RRB Specialist Officer (Agriculture Officer) position offers a competitive salary and a range of benefits. Here’s a detailed overview:​

Component	Details
Basic Pay	₹48,170 per month
Pay Scale	₹48,170-1,740/1-₹49,910-1,990/10-₹69,810
Gross Emoluments	Approximately ₹75,000 to ₹77,000 per month
In-Hand Salary	Approximately ₹65,000 to ₹67,000 per month after deductions

Allowances and Benefits

In addition to the basic pay, Agriculture Officers are entitled to various allowances and perks, including:

• Festival Bonus: Additional pay during festive seasons.​
• Dearness Allowance (DA): A cost of living adjustment allowance.​
• House Rent Allowance (HRA): Assistance with accommodation expenses.​
• Special Allowance: Additional pay for specific duties or roles.​Bankersadda
• Transport Allowance: Support for commuting expenses.​
• Provident Fund (PF): Retirement benefit scheme.​

IBPS RRB SO Exam Agriculture Officer Vacancies for 2025

As of April 7, 2025, the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) has not yet released the official notification for the IBPS RRB Specialist Officer (Agriculture Officer) vacancies for 2025. The notification is anticipated to be published in June 2025.

For context, in the previous recruitment cycle, there were 70 vacancies for the Officer Scale-II (Agriculture Officer) position . However, the number of vacancies can vary each year based on the requirements of the participating Regional Rural Banks (RRBs).

Preparation Tips for IBPS RRB SO Agriculture Officer Exam 2025

Here are some simple and effective preparation tips for the IBPS RRB SO Agriculture Officer Exam 2025 to help you stay focused and confident:

• Understand the exam pattern – Prelims, Mains, and Interview stages.
• Go through the full syllabus and focus more on Agriculture topics.
• Make a daily study timetable and follow it regularly.
• Start with basic NCERT books and one good agriculture reference book.
• Make short notes for quick revision later.
• Practice mock tests 2–3 times a week to improve speed and accuracy.
• Solve previous year question papers to know the exam trend.
• Stay updated with recent agriculture schemes and current affairs.
• Prepare for the interview by practicing common questions.
• Stay consistent, revise regularly, and keep a positive mindset.

IBPS RRB SO Agriculture Officer Preparation Books for 2025

Given the vast yet defined syllabus, it is imperative that candidates pick the literature best suited to their needs in order to aid their preparation. The recommended books are mentioned below:-

Book Title	Author / Publisher	Why It’s Good
Agriculture at a Glance	R. K. Sharma	Covers all major agri topics in simple language
Objective Agriculture	S.R. Kantwa / Jain Brothers	Good for practice MCQs
General Agriculture	Muniraj Singh Rathore	Best for conceptual clarity
ICAR UG/PG Notes (or online PDFs)	ICAR & Online Sources	Authentic and exam-relevant material
Agriculture Question Bank	K. N. Bhatia / Arihant	For last-minute revision and practice

However, given the vast syllabus, candidates should do their research and pick additional literature best suited for their preparation.

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