Bank Promotion Exam Syllabus 2026: All Scales

The bank promotion exam does not have a single fixed syllabus. What you need to study depends on which scale you are targeting — an Officer (Scale I) preparing for Manager (Scale II) faces a different exam from a Senior Manager (Scale III) preparing for Chief Manager (Scale IV). This page maps the complete syllabus for every scale transition, shows how many questions to expect from each subject, and tells you exactly what to prioritise.

Exam Format — Consistent Across All Scales

The written exam format is broadly consistent across IBA-member public sector banks regardless of the scale being targeted. The key parameters:

Topic-Wise Question Distribution by Scale

The table below shows the approximate number of questions from each subject in a 100-question paper. Figures are ranges based on patterns observed across PNB, Canara Bank, and Bank of Baroda promotion exams — your bank’s exact distribution may vary. Always verify from your bank’s promotion circular.

Scale-Wise Syllabus Breakdown

Clerk → Scale I: Officer (Banking Foundation)

What this exam tests: Breadth of banking knowledge across laws, products, customer service, and government schemes. Depth is limited — you need to know a wide range of topics at a foundational level, not advanced application.

Subjects and approximate questions:

• Banking Law & Regulations (18–22 Qs): Banking Regulation Act 1949, RBI Act 1934, NI Act 1881, Indian Contract Act, SARFAESI Act, IBC 2016, Consumer Protection Act, RTI Act 2005, Companies Act basics, Partnership Act basics
• Advances & Credit Management (18–22 Qs): Types of credit facilities (CC, OD, TL, LC, BG), documentation, charge creation, MPBF, IRAC norms, NPA classification, Lok Adalat, DRT
• RBI Guidelines & Circulars (13–17 Qs): Policy rates (repo, reverse repo, CRR, SLR, MSF, bank rate), monetary policy, selective credit control, exposure norms, MCLR, RLLR
• Deposits & Customer Service (13–17 Qs): Account types (SB, CA, FD, RD), joint accounts, minor accounts, inoperative accounts, deceased account settlement, nomination, lockers, Banking Ombudsman
• Priority Sector & Govt Schemes (8–12 Qs): PSL targets and sub-targets, CGTMSE, CGFMU, PM-Jan Dhan, MUDRA (Shishu/Kishore/Tarun), Stand-Up India, PM-SVANidhi, PMFBY, KCC
• Digital Banking & Payments (8–12 Qs): RTGS, NEFT, IMPS, UPI, NACH, CTS, BBPS, ATM, debit/credit/prepaid cards, MICR, IFSC, wallets
• General Awareness & Economy (8–12 Qs): Recent RBI circulars, Union Budget highlights, economic terms, latest monetary policy decisions
• Bank-specific products, policies & guidelines (10–15 Qs): Your bank’s deposit schemes, retail loan products, MSME schemes, digital products, loaning powers, Finacle commands

Study priority: Banking Law + Credit Management = 36–44 questions (roughly 40% of the paper). Cover these first and in full. Add RBI policy rates, PSL targets, and your bank’s deposit and loan products.

Scale I → Scale II: Officer to Manager

What this exam tests: Applied banking knowledge. Compared to Clerk → Scale I, this paper adds financial statement analysis and forex, reduces the weight on deposits, and tests credit at a higher application level — not just “what is X” but “in this situation, what applies.”

What is new at this level (not tested in Clerk → Scale I): Balance sheet analysis, ratio analysis, NPA provisioning norms, SARFAESI enforcement in depth, IBC resolution process, forex basics (NOSTRO/VOSTRO, FEMA, bill discounting, factoring), Basel III capital adequacy (CRAR, Tier 1, Tier 2), MCLR and RLLR in depth, CDR and restructured loans, large exposure framework.

Approximate questions per subject: Credit Management 18–22 · Banking Law 13–17 · RBI Guidelines 13–17 · Accounts & Financial Analysis 8–12 · Deposits 8–12 · Priority Sector 8–12 · Digital Banking 8–12 · Forex 4–6 · General Awareness 4–6

Study priority: Credit + Banking Law + RBI Guidelines = approximately 44–56 questions (nearly half the paper). Accounts & Financial Analysis (8–12 Qs) is new and commonly neglected — it is a high-scoring area if prepared. Forex (4–6 Qs) takes limited time to cover but candidates who skip it consistently lose easy marks.

→ Full Scale I to Scale II syllabus — topic-wise breakdown, key Acts, study checklist

Scale II → Scale III: Manager to Senior Manager

What this exam tests: Application over recall. Risk Management and Basel III enter the syllabus as a distinct section. Deposits drop to 3–6 questions and stop being a priority. Credit is tested through interpretation of scenarios — multi-party credit decisions, NPA resolution choices — not straightforward definitions.

What is new at this level: Risk management frameworks (credit risk, market risk, operational risk, liquidity risk), Basel III in depth (LCR, NSFR, leverage ratio, Pillar 2 and 3), branch profitability metrics (RAROC, cost of funds, yield on advances, NIM), inspection and concurrent audit, corporate credit and large credit proposals, forex in depth (forward contracts, LC mechanism, trade finance instruments).

Approximate questions per subject: Credit Management 18–22 · Banking Law 13–17 · RBI Guidelines 10–14 · Accounts & Financial Analysis 8–12 · Risk Management & Basel 6–10 · Priority Sector 6–10 · Digital Banking 6–10 · Forex 6–10 · Deposits 3–6 · General Awareness 4–8

Study priority: Risk Management (6–10 Qs) is the new high-return area — candidates who treat it seriously often pull ahead on the merit list. Forex grows to 6–10 questions here — cover FEMA, trade finance, and LC mechanism properly.

→ Full Scale II to Scale III syllabus — topic-wise breakdown, key Acts, study checklist

Scale III → Scale IV: Senior Manager to Chief Manager

What this exam tests: Judgment, not just knowledge. Case study scenarios (3–5 questions) appear for the first time — multi-party credit situations, NPA resolution decisions, regulatory interpretation under real conditions. HR, Vigilance & Service Rules also enter the syllabus for the first time (3–5 questions). Deposits drop out entirely.

What is new at this level: Case studies (large credit proposals, stressed account resolution, DPC-related scenarios), HR and vigilance policy (conduct rules, disciplinary proceedings, DPC process, penalty provisions), capital planning and ICAAP, strategic management applied to banking (SWOT, balanced scorecard), bank-specific strategy and business metrics from the latest annual report.

Approximate questions per subject: Credit Management 16–20 · Banking Law 10–14 · RBI Guidelines 10–14 · Risk Management & Basel 8–12 · Accounts & Financial Analysis 8–12 · Priority Sector 6–10 · Digital Banking 6–10 · Forex 6–10 · General Awareness 4–8 · HR & Vigilance 3–5 · Case Studies 3–5

Study priority: Case Studies (3–5 Qs) require a different preparation approach — practise applying multiple topics to one scenario, not memorising definitions. HR & Vigilance (3–5 Qs) is low-volume but straightforward to score if you read your bank’s service regulations and conduct rules once properly.

→ Full Scale III to Scale IV syllabus — topic-wise breakdown, case study approach, study checklist

Scale IV → Scale V: Chief Manager to AGM

What this exam tests: Leadership-level judgment. Case studies grow to 5–7 questions and HR/Vigilance to 5–7 questions. The intellectual demand per question is higher than at Scale III → IV — questions involve portfolio-level credit decisions, Basel IV implications, and organisational policy interpretation. This is the last scale where a structured written exam is the primary selection instrument at most banks.

Approximate questions per subject: Credit Management 13–17 · Banking Law 8–12 · RBI Guidelines 10–14 · Risk Management & Basel 8–12 · Accounts & Financial Analysis 8–12 · Priority Sector 6–10 · Digital Banking 6–10 · Forex 6–10 · General Awareness 5–9 · HR & Vigilance 5–7 · Case Studies 5–7

Study priority: HR & Vigilance (5–7 Qs) and Case Studies (5–7 Qs) together account for 10–14 questions — a significant block at this level. Combined with Risk Management (8–12 Qs), these three areas differentiate candidates with similar Credit and Banking Law scores.

→ Full Scale IV to Scale V syllabus — topic-wise breakdown, case study approach, study checklist

Topics Common to All Scales

The following topics appear in every bank promotion exam from Clerk → Scale I through Scale IV → Scale V. Mastering them once gives you a permanent base that compounds across every future promotion attempt:

Bank-Specific Syllabus — 10 to 15 Questions You Cannot Ignore

Every bank promotion exam includes questions specific to that bank’s products, policies, and internal guidelines. This section is bank-dependent and not covered by any generic study material — it must be prepared from your bank’s own sources. Typical weight: 10–15 questions across all scales.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the syllabus for the bank promotion exam?

The bank promotion exam syllabus covers Banking Law & Regulations (Banking Regulation Act 1949, RBI Act 1934, NI Act 1881), Advances & Credit Management (MPBF, IRAC norms, NPA, SARFAESI, IBC), RBI Guidelines (policy rates, monetary policy, exposure norms), Priority Sector Lending, KYC/AML, Digital Banking & Payments, and bank-specific products, policies and guidelines. At Scale II → Scale III and above, Financial Analysis, Forex, and Risk Management (Basel III) are added. Case Studies and HR/Vigilance enter from Scale III → Scale IV onwards. The exact syllabus is set by each bank’s Board-approved promotion policy.

Is the bank promotion exam syllabus the same for all banks?

No. The core subjects — banking laws, RBI guidelines, credit management, PSL, KYC — are common across public sector banks. But each bank adds questions on its own products, services, internal policies, loaning powers, and financial metrics. These bank-specific questions typically account for 10–15 marks. Always cross-reference the common syllabus with your bank’s official promotion circular and website content.

How many questions come from Credit Management in the promotion exam?

Advances & Credit Management is the largest single section in every bank promotion exam — approximately 18–22 questions at Clerk → Scale III, declining to 13–17 at Scale IV → Scale V. Topics include credit assessment methods (MPBF, Turnover), documentation, IRAC norms, NPA classification and provisioning, SARFAESI, IBC, and recovery through Lok Adalat and DRT.

At which scale does Risk Management enter the bank promotion exam syllabus?

Risk Management and Basel III enter the syllabus at the Scale II → Scale III (Manager to Senior Manager) level, carrying approximately 6–10 questions. Topics include credit risk, market risk, operational risk, liquidity risk frameworks, CRAR, Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital, LCR, and NSFR. Risk Management is not tested at Clerk → Scale I or Scale I → Scale II levels.

At which scale do case studies appear in the bank promotion exam?

Case study scenarios first appear at the Scale III → Scale IV (Senior Manager to Chief Manager) level, carrying approximately 3–5 questions. At Scale IV → Scale V (Chief Manager to AGM), this increases to 5–7 questions. The answers are still in MCQ format — scenarios add context requiring multi-topic application but do not require descriptive answers.

What bank-specific topics are covered in the promotion exam?

Bank-specific topics typically include: deposit product variants and current interest rates, retail and MSME loan products (eligibility, margin, ROI), digital banking products and mobile app features, scale-wise loaning powers, key financial metrics (GNPA%, CRAR, NIM from the latest annual report), internal policies (credit policy, customer grievance policy), and Finacle commands (primarily at Clerk → Scale II levels). These questions are worth 10–15 marks and must be prepared from your bank’s own official sources — no generic study material covers them.

Is there a fixed syllabus document issued by IBA for the bank promotion exam?

No. There is no single IBA-issued syllabus document that applies universally across all public sector banks. Each bank’s Board of Directors approves its own promotion policy, which specifies the syllabus and exam pattern for that bank’s internal promotion exams. The IBA Model Promotion Policy for Officers provides a framework, but implementation — including syllabus specifics — varies by bank. Candidates should download the official promotion circular from their bank’s HRMS portal or HR department.