Everything you need to know about IBPS-AFO Exam!

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) administers a range of exams for positions within public and rural banks in India. One such exam is the IBPS Agriculture Field Officer (AFO) exam, conducted to offer the position of Agriculture Field Officer (Scale-1). Typically, registration for these exams commences in August, with examinations usually scheduled for December each year. However, it's important to note that these months may vary in the future and are not set in stone.

In 2023, IBPS announced 500 openings for AFO posts (scale 1).

IBPS Official Website	www.ibps.in
Post Name	AFO
Total Vacancy	~500
Mode of Exam	Online (CBT)
IBPS AFO Notification Release	To be announced
IBPS AFO Online Application Starts	To be announced
Last Date to apply	To be announced
Last date to pay the application fee	To be announced
The last date to print the application form	To be announced
IBPS AFO Prelims Exam	To be announced
IBPS AFO Main Exam	To be announced

IBPS AFO Eligibility Criteria 2024

Age Criteria

The candidates must be of age between 20-30

Age relaxation is given to students of the following categories:

Category	Age Relaxation
SC/ST	5 years
OBC (OBC Non-Creamy Layer)	3 years
PWD	10 years
Army Personnel	5 years
Candidate affected by 1984 riots	5 years

Educational Qualification

4-year Degree (graduation) in Agriculture/ Horticulture/Animal Husbandry/ Veterinary Science/ Dairy Science/ Fishery Science/ Pisciculture/ Agri. Marketing & Cooperation/ Co-operation & Banking/ Agro-Forestry/Forestry/ Agricultural Biotechnology/ Food Science/ Agriculture Business Management/ Food Technology/ Dairy Technology/ Agricultural Engineering/ Sericulture.

IBPS AFO Selection Process 2024

The exams are conducted in three stages. The stages are as follows:

Stage I: Preliminary Exam

This is the qualifying exam and scores secured in this exam are not counted in the Final Merit List. The cut-off for this exam is released by IBPS.

Stage II: Main Exam

This is the main exam and test of your Professional Knowledge related to the field you are pursuing. The candidates who qualify Prelim Exam are eligible to take this exam. The main exams are a total of 60 marks.

Stage III: Interview

The candidates who qualify Main exam are qualified for the Interview Stage. The Interview stage constitutes a total of 100 Marks. The minimum qualifying marks in the interview will not be less than 40% for UR and 35% for SC/ ST/ OBC/ PWD candidates.

The weightage given to the online exam for the Interview will be 80:20.

IBPS AFO Exam Pattern 2024

Preliminary Exam

S.No.	Name of test	Exam Medium	No. of Questions	Max. Marks	Duration
1.	English Language	English	50	25	40 min.
2.	Reasoning	Eng & Hindi	50	50	40 min.
3.	Quantitative Aptitude	Eng & Hindi	50	50	40 min.
	Total		150	125	2 Hours

Main Exam

Name of Test	Exam Medium	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
Professional Knowledge	English & Hindi	60	60	45 Minutes

IBPS AFO Syllabus 2024

Preliminary Exam Syllabus

English Language Syllabus:

Reading Comprehension,
Cloze Test,
Detection of Errors,
Improving Sentences and paragraphs,
Completion of paragraphs,
Para jumbling,
Fill in the blanks,
Parts of speech,
Modes of narration,
Prepositions.
Voice Change

Reasoning Syllabus:

Puzzles,
Inequalities,
Seating Arrangement,
Syllogism,
Blood Relations,
Order and Ranking,
Alphanumeric Series,
Input-Output,
Coding-Decoding,
Data Sufficiency,
Distance and Direction,
Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning

Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus:

Number Series
Data Interpretation
Simplification
Quadratic Equations
Data Sufficiency
Ratio and Proportion
Discounts
Averages
Mixtures
Percentages
Profit and Loss
Time Work and Distance
Rate of Interest
Probability
Permutation and Combination

General Knowledge Syllabus:

Current Affairs and Static G.K.
Banking Awareness
International and National Awareness
Countries, Currencies, and Capitals
Books, Authors, and Awards
Headquarters
Prime Minister Schemes
Government Policies
Important Dates and Events

Main Exam Syllabus

Introduction to Agriculture & Crop: Seed Technology, Agriculture Economics, Agricultural Practices, Seasonal Crops (Rabi and Kharif)

Soil & Fertility: Soil Resources, Types of Soils in India, Physical Properties of these Soils

Manures & Fertilizers: Green Manures, Fertilizer – types, chemical composition

Cropping Scheme: Crop Rotation, Cropping System, Soil and Crop suitability, Climate and Crops

Irrigation: Sources and Methods of Irrigation, Problems related to Irrigation, Advanced Irrigational Facilities, Important Dams and Rivers that have played a major role in shaping Irrigational Activities

Rural Credit: Agriculture Insurance Schemes, Woman & Child Development Schemes, Role of RRBs, Agricultural Loans and Financing

Vegetable & Fruit Science: Crop Horticulture – Sowing Time & Spacing, Seed Rate, Important Varieties, Herbicides & Pesticides, Plant Diseases, Preservation and Types of Cropping Systems Fruits & Vegetables Preservation Methods

Weeds: Classification of weeds, Merits and Demerits, Weed Control

Surveying: Introduction to Surveying, Classification of Surveying, Benefits and Recent Surveys and Committees

Animal Husbandry: Classifications, Small Industries, Diseases and Causes, Breeding Dairy, Cattle Management, Small Scale Industries and Threats to them

Dairy: Cattle Management, Rearing

Botany: Plant Biotechnology, Agricultural Microbiology, Plant Physiology & Biochemistry, Soil Microbiology

Agriculture Engineering: Farm Machinery & Power, Food Processing, Agricultural Structure, Post Harvest Technology

Miscellaneous: Latest Developments, Recent Discoveries, Latest Bt Crops and related Research, Hybrid

IBPS AFO Salary 2024

Any Post on Scale 1 of IBPS SO gets the Basic pay of ₹36,400. Apart from basic pay, Scale 1 post is also eligible for like House Rent Allowance, Dearness Allowance, Special Allowance, Travel Allowance, Medical expenses and newspaper reimbursements.

An AFO gets a gross income of approximately ₹58,240/- Per month