Where the process stands
Applications for CRP PO/MT-XVI closed on July 26, 2026, after being extended from the original July 21 deadline. IBPS has reported that approximately 11 lakh applications were received for the 7,365 available Probationary Officer/Management Trainee posts — a vacancy count that itself grew from an initial 6,715 to 7,365 after a corrigendum issued on July 20 added 650 more posts.

Confirmed exam dates
The Preliminary Examination will be held on August 22 and 23, 2026. Candidates who clear the Prelims will move on to the Main Examination, scheduled for October 4, 2026. Following the Mains result, shortlisted candidates will need to appear for a newly introduced Personality Test — mandatory, but non-qualifying — before proceeding to interviews conducted by the participating banks and coordinated by the Nodal Bank, expected in November 2026.

Admit card timeline
The Prelims admit card is expected roughly 10-15 days before the exam, likely in the first week of August 2026, downloadable via the official IBPS website using registration number/roll number and password or date of birth.

A reminder on eligibility and process
As covered previously, the recruitment spans 11 participating public sector banks — including Bank of Baroda, PNB, Canara Bank, Bank of India and others — for the 2027-28 vacancy year. Candidates need a bachelor's degree in any discipline and must fall between 20 and 30 years of age as on July 1, 2026, with standard category-wise relaxations applying. This year's Mains exam pattern has also been revised, with total questions increased from 145 to 170 and marks distribution adjusted across sections, while the descriptive paper remains unchanged.

What candidates should do now
With roughly three weeks left before the Prelims, candidates should shift fully into exam-mode preparation — practising under timed conditions, reviewing the revised Mains pattern even at this early stage, and watching the official IBPS website closely for the admit card release in early August. Given close to 11 lakh applicants are competing for 7,365 posts, sectional accuracy and speed in the Prelims will matter as much as raw preparation this cycle.