SBI SO vs IBPS SO | Complete details on Salary, Job Profile, Exam Pattern and More

SBI SO vs IBPS SO: SBI conduct online examination for the recruitment of Specialist Officer. Apart from this, the other most important exam for every bank SO aspirant is IBPS SO. Likewise, every year, the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts its online common written examination for the recruitment of Specialist Officers into various public sector banks.

If you are thinking about which exam should you take up, then here you go. Read the blog to know the comparison of SBI SO vs IBPS SO.

SBI SO vs IBPS SO: Job Profile

After you clear SO Exam and Interview, you will be deployed as a Specialist Officer (SO). But as a bank SO, you will be designated to a particular post under SO. Each department in a Bank has its own set of functions. The job description as a Bank SO depends on the department you are assigned with.

The job description remains the same for both SBI SO and IBPS SO. The various departments and duties assigned to a Bank SO in them are as follows:

1. Bank SO – IT Officer

A Bank SO in the IT Department holds the key to managing, controlling and optimizing numerous tasks of the banking system. The responsibilities of an IT officer includes

• Data Center Maintenance and Support
• Queries related to ATM
• Maintenance of Computer Systems in the Bank
• Software and MIS Maintenance
• Network Security Maintenance and Query Processing

2. Bank SO – Marketing Officer

The primary responsibility of Marketing Officers is usually around bringing more business to the bank and increase profit. This profile is quite hectic. Some of the important tasks performed by the Marketing Officer are as follows:

• Prepare a cost-effective budget for advertising. In addition to this, they also might be a part of the negotiation team.
• Manage various marketing channels such as posters, televised commercials, newspaper ads etc. It is also necessary to check and cross-check content shared through these channels.
• Most importantly, handle certain aspects of Bank PR Department in order to foster a positive image of the Bank in form of customers and possible clients.

3. Bank SO – HR Officer

The Human Resource (HR) officer looks into the activities of the HR department which includes

• Analyzing existing HR policies.
• Implement new policies fostering a positive attitude among the people working in the Bank.
• Handle all cases of misconduct which require attention from the HR department.
• At times, be a part of the Selection and Recruitment Committee.

4. Bank SO – Law Officer

The Law Officer handles all the legal work of the Bank. A set of tasks assigned a Bank SO in IT Section are:

• Look into the current policies and detect errors, if any.
• Draft legal notice and documents for various processes in a Bank.
• Provide Legal Assistance in issues related to bank frauds, accusations, etc.
• Safeguard the integrity and reputation of the Bank.

5. Bank SO – Agricultural Field Officer

The tasks of an Agricultural Field Officer can be quite challenging. The tasks and duties done by AFO are:

• Providing detailed information to all the customers about various banking processes and schemes.
• Explaining government related schemes and benefits plan to the people.
• Promoting loans of all the people who fulfill the criteria and norms of the bank.

6. Bank SO – Rajbhasha Adhikari

In order to promote Hindi in a Bank, a highly qualified candidate gets assigned to the position of Bank SO Rajbhasha Adhikari. Important tasks under the post are.

• Translate and Proofread all the important documents that are circulated in the Bank. These documents can be internal or outbound. It is the duty of Rajbhasha Adhikari to complete this task efficiently.
• Organize workshops for training bank personnel in the language that is spoken by most of the customers.
• Rajbhasha Adhikari officers also have to ensure that the official notifications and directives send between the banking government organizations must be in both Hindi and English Language.

SBI SO vs IBPS SO: Salary Package

Below is the table consisting of the pay scale for SBI SO vs IBPS SO. Check out the below table to know in detail.

SBI SO Salary 

Grade	SBI SO Salary
Junior Management Grade Scale I (JMGS I)	Rs. 11.63 lakhs per annum   23700-980/7-30560-1145/2-32850-1310/7-42020
Middle Management Grade Scale II (MMGS II)	Rs. 15.09 lakhs per annum   31705-1145/1-32850-1310/10-45950
Middle Management Grade Scale III (MMGS III)	Rs. 18.32 lakhs per annum   42020-1310/5-48570-1460/2-51490
Senior Management Grade Scale IV (SMGS-IV)	50030-1460/4-55870-1650/2-59170

IBPS SO Salary

Grade	IBPS SO Salary
Officer Scale I	Monthly salary Approx. Rs. 36400   Pay Scale– Rs. 23700-980/7-30560-1145/2-32850-1310/7-42020
Officer Scale-II	Monthly salary Approx.Rs. 48800   Pay Scale- Rs. 31705-1145/1-32850-1310/10-45950
Officer Scale III	Monthly salary Approx.Rs. 64600   Pay Scale- Rs. 42020-1310/5-48570-1460/2-51490

SBI SO vs IBPS SO: Exam pattern

To crack SBI SO or IBPS SO, it is important to be aware of the exam pattern. Go through the tables below showing the exam patterns separately for SBI SO and IBPS SO.

SBI SO Exam Pattern

Law Officers

Exam Tests	Questions/ Maximum marks	Time
Reasoning Ability	70/ 70	90 mins
English language	50/ 50
Professional Knowledge	50/ 100	45 mins
Total	170/ 220	135 mins

Systems, CA and Engineering Officers

Exam Tests	Questions/ Maximum marks	Time
Reasoning Ability	50/ 50	90 mins
English language	35/ 35
Quantitative Aptitude	35/ 35
Professional Knowledge	50/ 100	45 mins
Total	170/ 220	135 mins

Official Language Officers

Exam Tests	Questions/ Maximum marks	Time
Language (Hindi & English)	70/ 70	90 mins
Reasoning Ability	50/ 50
Professional Knowledge	50/ 100	45 mins
Total	170/ 220	135 mins

Economist

Test	Questions/ Maximum marks	Time
Reasoning Ability	50/ 50	90 mins
English language	35/ 35
Quantitative Aptitude	35/ 35
Professional Knowledge	50/ 100	45 mins
Total	170/ 220	135 mins

IBPS SO Exam Pattern

IBPS So Exam Pattern: Law Officer-Scale I & Rajbhasha Adhikari Scale I

Name of the Section	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
Reasoning	50	50 (*)	30 minutes
English Language	50	50 (*)	25 minutes
General Awareness (with special reference to Banking)	50	50 (*)	30 minutes
Professional Knowledge	50	80	35 minutes
Total	200	80	120 minutes

IBPS SO Exam Pattern: IT Officer Scale I, Agricultural Field Officer Scale I, HR/ Personnel Officer Scale I &Marketing Officer Scale I

Name of the Section	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
Reasoning	50	50 (*)	30 minutes
English Language	50	50 (*)	25 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	50	50 (*)	30 minutes
Professional Knowledge	50	80	35 minutes
Total	200	80	120 minutes

Note:  * (star) mark means that the above-listed sections will be only qualifying.

IBPS SO Mains Exam Pattern 

IBPS SO 2021 Exam Sections	Total Marks	Questions
Post- Rajbhasha Adhikar
Professional Knowledge(Objective)	60	45
Professional Knowledge(Descriptive)		2
Post- Law Officer, IT Officer, Agriculture Field Officer, HR or Personnel Officer, and Marketing Officer
Professional Knowledge	60	60

SBI SO vs IBPS SO: Work Environment

SBI SO Work Pressure and Environment	IBPS SO Work Pressure and Environment
SBI is one of the largest and oldest banks in India with 24,000 branches across the country. The bank constitutes around 50% of the banking services of India after the merger. Thus, customer engagement is more and eventually the work pressure increases	As far as IBPS is concerned, most of the banks are not accessible in rural areas. Hence, the number of customers in these banks are less compared to SBI, which results in less work pressure.

SBI SO vs IBPS SO: Career Growth

SBI SO vs IBPS SO: The career path for both organizations is almost the same which is shown as follows:

• Junior Management – Scale I: Specialist Officer or Assistant Manager
• Middle Management – Scale-II: Manager
• Middle Management – Scale III: Senior Manager
• Senior Management – Scale IV: Chief Manager
• Senior Management – Scale V: Assistant General Manager
• Top Management – Scale VI: Deputy General Manager
• Top Management – Scale VII: General Manager

Thus, choose the best among the two banking sectors based on your interest.

Hope this blog was useful and solved the knots of lots of confusions inside your mind about the comparison of SBI SO vs IBPS SO. If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comment section. 

FAQ: SBI SO vs IBPS SO