Bank Exams Eligibility 2025: Age Limit and Post-wise Eligibility Criteria for PO, Clerk & SO

Author Image
By Smartkeeda
24 Sep 2025
Bank exams Eligibility

Every year, millions of students sit for bank exams with the aim of becoming a government bank employee. Before starting the preparation, the first step should be to check whether the candidate meets the eligibility criteria set by the institution conducting the exam. The Bank exams eligibility includes key criteria such as age limit, educational qualifications, and post-specific requirements for posts like Specialist Officer (SO). Knowing and understanding the eligibility for bank exams will ensure that you are investing your time in the right exam. In this blog, we will be discussing the age limit for bank exams and other crucial filters. Stay informed

Bank Exams Eligibility 2025

The eligibility for most bank exams is based on three conditions, namely, age, educational qualification, and nationality. Most bank exams that are conducted in India follow this common framework, and the posts that don’t are usually the special posts, which are domain-specific. Candidates should be between the ages of 20 and 30, hold a graduation degree, and meet the nationality requirements. Checking the Bank exams eligibility should be the priority of an aspirant because it helps them in deciding whether they should prepare for the particular exam.

Bank Exams 2025: Common Eligibility Requirements

These are the common Bank exams eligibility requirements:

1. Nationality Requirements:

  • A citizen of India, or
  • A subject of Nepal/Bhutan, or
  • A Tibetan refugee who came to India before January 1, 1962, intending to settle permanently, or
  • A person of Indian origin (PIO) who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, or East African countries with the intention of permanent settlement in India.

Candidates other than Indian citizens must have a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India

2. Essential Qualification:

A Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized university or an equivalent qualification recognized by the Government of India.

3. Age Limit:

For most bank exams, the age requirements are from 20 to 30 years. It varies from post to post. For example, for the clerical cadre, the age limit is often 20 to 28 years, while for the post of Probationary Officer, the age limit is 20 to 30 years.

Most Applied Bank Exam Posts 2025

Given below is the list of the bank exams that are popular among the aspirants:

Post Name

Conducting Body

Probationary Officer (PO)

IBPS, SBI

Clerk / Junior Associate

IBPS, SBI

Specialist Officer (SO)

IBPS, SBI, etc.

RBI Grade B Officer

Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

RRB Officer (Scale-I)

IBPS (for RRBs)

RRB Office Assistant (Multipurpose)

IBPS (for RRBs)

 

Bank Exam Syllabus 2025 

Bank Exam Age Limit 2025

The Bank exam age limit is a strict filter that ensures that the candidates who apply for the exam have the academic qualification and experience to be able to handle the responsibilities. Most exams have a low age limit of 20 years, but the upper limit varies. Given below is the age limit for bank exams:

Bank Exam Names

Age Limit

SBI PO Eligibility

21-30 years

SBI Clerk Eligibility

20-28 years

SBI CBO Eligibility

21-30 years

SBI SO Eligibility

20-50 years (as per post)

SBI Apprentice Eligibility

20-28 years

IBPS PO Eligibility

20-30 years

IBPS Clerk Eligibility

20-28 years

IBPS SO Eligibility

20-30 years

IBPS RRB PO Eligibility

18-32 years (as per post)

IBPS RRB Clerk Eligibility

18-28 years

RBI Assistant Eligibility

20-28 years

RBI Grade B Eligibility

21-30 years

RBI JE Eligibility 

20-30 years

RBI Office Attendant Eligibility

18-25 years

IPPB Assistant Manager Eligibility

20-30 years

NABARD Grade A Eligibility

21-40 years (as per post)

NABARD Grade B Eligibility

25-32 years

NABARD SO Eligibility

62 years (maximum)

IIBF Junior Executive Eligibility

28 years (maximum)

CAIIB Exam Eligibility

No age limit

JAIIB Exam Eligibility

No age limit

 

Bank Exam 2025 Age Relaxation

Age limit relaxation is also given according to government norms for the candidates coming from reserved categories. Given below is the general age limit relaxation:

Category

Relaxation

Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribe (ST)

Relaxation of up to 5 years in the upper age limit

Other Backward Classes (OBC)

Relaxation of up to 3 years in the upper age limit

Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD):

Relaxation of up to 10 years in the upper age limit

Ex-Servicemen

Relaxation of up to 5 years in the upper age limit

 

Bank Exam Educational Qualification 2025

One of the main aspects of eligibility for the bank exams is the educational qualification. The educational qualification depends on factors like the post level, the conducting body, and the recruitment process. Educational qualification for the most applied bank exams is given below:Free Study Resources for Bank Exams.

Bank Exams Qualification

SBI PO Eligibility

Graduation

SBI Clerk Eligibility

Graduation

SBI CBO Eligibility

Graduation

SBI SO Eligibility

Varies for each post

SBI Apprentice Eligibility

Graduation

IBPS PO Eligibility

Graduation

IBPS Clerk Eligibility

Graduation

IBPS SO Eligibility

Varies for each post

IBPS RRB PO Eligibility

Graduation

IBPS RRB Clerk Eligibility

Graduation

RBI Assistant Eligibility

Graduation

RBI Grade B Eligibility

Graduate / Post Graduation

RBI JE Eligibility

B.Tech (Civil / Mechanical)

RBI Office Attendant Eligibility

10th Pass / SSC

IPPB Assistant Manager Eligibility

Graduation

NABARD Grade A Eligibility

Graduation

NABARD Grade B Eligibility

Post Graduation

NABARD SO Eligibility

BE/B. Tech or MCA

IIBF Junior Executive Eligibility

Graduation

CAIIB Exam Eligibility

12th Pass & JAIIB exam (only banking employees)

JAIIB Exam Eligibility

12th Pass

 

Post-wise Bank Exam Eligibility 2025

 For an aspirant, it is important to be aware of the eligibility for bank exams. Bank aspirants should go through the tables given below for detailed information on the eligibility criteria of the  government bank exams, like the age limit, educational qualification, work experience required, and the number of attempts allowed for each post.

Bank Exams Eligibility for the post of Probationary Officer

The post of PO in government banks is an entry-level managerial position, responsible for customer relations and administration. To ensure that candidates will be able to handle the responsibilities of the job, the conducting bodies have set the following eligibility criteria.

Probationary Officer

Bank PO Post

Educational Qualification

Age Limit

Work Experience

Number of Attempts

SBI PO

Graduate or Final year Applicant

Minimum: 21 years
Maximum: 30 years

NA

4 (General or EWS)

IBPS PO

Graduate or Final Year/Semester applicant

Minimum: 20 years
Maximum: 30 years

NA

Till the upper age limit

IBPS RRB PO

Officer Scale- I – Graduation or equivalent degree

18 – 30 years

NA

Till the upper age limit

Officer Scale- II – Graduation with 50% aggregate marks

21 – 32 years

2 years as an Officer in a Bank or Financial Institution

Officer Scale- III – Graduation with 50% aggregate marks

21 – 40 years

5 years as an Officer in a Bank or Financial Institution

Bank Exams Eligibility 2025 for the post of Clerk 

A bank clerk is an entry-level post and is responsible for opening accounts, processing transactions, managing cash, and resolving customer queries. The following table gives the detailed information on the eligibility criteria for the post of clerk:

Clerk

Bank Clerk Post

Educational Qualification

Age Limit

Work Experience

Number of Attempts

SBI Clerk

Graduate

20 – 28 years

NA

Till the upper age limit

IBPS Clerk

Graduation with a degree/diploma in Computer Operations or IT

 

NA

Till the upper age limit

IBPS RRB Clerk

Graduate with a local language proficiency

18 – 28 years

NA

Till the upper age limit

Bank Exams Eligibility for the Post of Specialist Officer

The Specialist Officer posts are specialized positions belonging to different areas like IT, HR, Marketing, Law, and Agriculture. Unlike the PO and Clerk posts, this post requires the candidates to have specific academic and professional expertise. The following table shows the detailed eligibility requirements for the post of Specialist Officer.

Specialist Officer

Bank SO Post

Educational Qualification

Age Limit

Work Experience

Number of Attempts

SBI SO

Graduate / Post-graduate OR MBA/PGDM
(as per post)

20 – 50 years
(as per post)

2 – 10 years in the respective domain
(as per post)

Till the upper age limit

IBPS SO

I.T. Officer (Scale I): 4-year B.E./B.Tech or PG in Electronics/ Electronics & Communication/ Computer Science/ IT/ Electronics & Instrumentation.
Agricultural Field Officer (Scale I): 4-year graduation in Agriculture/ Veterinary Science/ Dairy Science/ Horticulture/ Animal Husbandry/ Agricultural Biotechnology/ Food Science/ Agriculture Business Management/ Food Technology/ Dairy Technology/ Sericulture/ Agro-Forestry/ Forestry.
Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I): PG in Hindi/Sanskrit with English/Hindi & English at degree level.
Law Officer (Scale I): LLB with enrollment as an Advocate in the Bar Council.
HR/Personnel Officer (Scale I): 2-year PG degree or 2-year full-time PG Diploma in Personnel Management/ Industrial Relations/ HR/ HRD/ Labour Law.
Marketing Officer (Scale I): MMS (Marketing) / 2-year MBA (Marketing) / 2-year PGDBA/PGDBM/PGPM/PGDM with specialization in Marketing.

20 – 30 years

NA

Till upper age limit

NABARD SO

B.Sc or BE/B.Tech in IT/ Computer Science/ Engineering or MCA (as per post)

Up to 62 years

NA

Till upper age limit