The Government of India owns one of India’s prestigious international banks, named Bank of Baroda (BOB). The official notification for the post of Specialist Officer has been released by the bank. It is advisable to thoroughly check the BOB SO Syllabus and Exam Pattern.The BOB SO post belongs to the Middle Management Grade/Scale-III & Middle Management Grade/Scale-II. It’s a huge opportunity for the candidates who aspire to make their career in the banking sector and they shouldn’t compromise with it.
Candidates are advised to start their preparation as soon as possible to increase their chances of their selection. A detailed explanation of the BOB SO syllabus and exam pattern is given below to help you in the preparation. The breakdown of the syllabus and exam pattern is according to the last notification for the same post. Subject to any changes introduced in the latest notification, this article will be updated accordingly.
Here’s a quick overview of how the Bank of Baroda is going to conduct the exam for the Specialist Officers position, There will be two stages of BOB SO :
For the second stage, candidates who clear the BOB SO cut off for the online written examination, will be called for the second round.
Stage 1 of the BOB SO exam consists of a Computer Based Test (CBT). Several domains like Reasoning, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Professional Knowledge will be tested in the first round.
To better understand the BOB SO syllabus and exam pattern, a structured overview of the number of questions and marks in different sections is provided in the table below.
| BOB SO Exam Pattern 2025 | |||
| Section | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| Reasoning | 25 | 25 | 150 minutes |
| English Language | 25 | 25 | |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 25 | |
| Professional Knowledge | 75 | 150 | |
| Total | 150 | 225 | |
It is an important and recommended practice to understand the BOB SO syllabus, exam pattern and the quality of questions asked, while preparing for the examination. Towards the success in completion of this preparation, your stepping stone should be to attempt BOB SO previous year question papers. The second step should be to check the detailed syllabus as mentioned below, for a better understanding.
The Reasoning section evaluates logical and analytical thinking, covering topics such as verbal and non-verbal reasoning, as well as problem-solving skills.
| Topic |
| Figure Matrix Questions |
| Coding-Decoding |
| Analogy |
| Blood Relations |
| Mirror Images |
| Test of Direction Sense |
| Grouping Identical Figures |
| Venn Diagram |
| Non-Verbal Series |
| Number Series |
| Number Ranking |
| Arguments |
| Problems on Age Calculation |
| Alphabet Series |
| Decision Making |
| Inference |
| Arithmetical Reasoning |
This section assesses English proficiency through grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension topics.
| Topic |
| Spotting Errors |
| Active and Passive Voice |
| Synonyms and Antonyms |
| Idioms and Phrases |
| Prepositions |
| Sentence Improvement |
| Passage Completion |
| Fill in the Blanks |
| One Word Substitution |
| Para Completion |
| Parts of Speech |
| Sentence Arrangement & Completion |
| Joining Sentences |
| Spelling Test |
The Quantitative Aptitude section assesses numerical ability and problem-solving skills through arithmetic and advanced mathematical concepts.
| Topic |
| Pipes and Cistern |
| Boats and Streams |
| Square Root |
| Profit, Loss and Discount |
| Problems of L.C.M and H.C.F |
| Probability |
| Mensuration |
| Logarithm |
| Partnership |
| Simplification |
| Quadratic Equation |
| Simple Interest |
| Numbers |
| Average |
| Area |
| Allegation or Mixture |
| Surds and Indices |
| Volume and Surface Area |
| Permutation and Combination |
| Time and Distance |
| Stocks and Share |
| Chain Rule |
| Races and Games |
| Decimal and Fraction |
| Square Root and Cube Root |
This section focuses on marketing principles, strategies, and techniques relevant to the banking and financial sector.
| Topic |
| Insurance Marketing |
| Marketing Overview |
| Concept, Nature, Scope, and Importance of Marketing |
| Pricing Decisions: Pricing, Pricing Decision Strategies |
| Sales Promotion and its Objectives |
| Personal Selling |
| Branding, Packaging & Labelling |
| Product Planning and Development |
| Wholesale Trade |
| Bank Marketing |
| Retail Trade |
| Services Marketing |
| Marketing Organization |
Covers software, networking, and programming concepts critical for IT-based roles.
| Topic |
| MS Office |
| Data Communication & Networking |
| Software Engineering |
| Basic Programming Concepts |
| C Programming Basics |
| DBMS Types |
| Windows OS |
| Advantages Function |
| Operating System Functions |
| Network Security |
| Web Technologies |
| Programming |
| Basic Understanding of Hardware |
This section covers topics related to banking operations, financial management, and strategic planning.
| Topic |
| Banking & Insurance Management |
| Human Resource Management |
| Operations Management |
| Managerial Economics |
| Marketing Management |
| Merchant Banking |
| Accounting and Finance for Managers |
| Corporate Communication |
| Operation Management |
| Research Method for Management |
| Strategic Management |
| Mutual Fund Management |
To cover this extensive syllabus, you can refer to the best books available for BOB SO preparation. However, more important than the books is having a well-planned strategy to complete the syllabus on time.
Depending on the bank, the BOB SO CBT qualified candidates will be called for the Personal Interview (PI)/ Group Discussion (GD)/ Psychometric Test (PT). The minimum qualifying marks for the selection of candidates is 60% for general and 55% for reserved category. Only the candidates qualifying both the rounds will be eligible for creating the final merit list. The same can be checked when the BOB SO result is declared.
We have already discussed in detail about the BOB SO syllabus and exam pattern. It is obvious to have doubts about the books and notes required to prepare for the BOB SO exam. After a thorough research, we have gathered names of some books that can help you prepare for the journey. These books can easily be found in book stores and online as well. Below is the list of books for your reference.
| BOB SO Important Books | |||
| Recommended Book or Source | Related Test Section | Publisher Details | Name of Author |
| A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal & Non-Verbal | Reasoning Ability | Arihant | B.S. Sijwali & Indu Sijwali |
| Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations | Quantitative Aptitude | S.Chand Publication | R.S. Aggarwal |
| Objective General English | English | Arihant | S.P. Bakshi |
| Professional Knowledge for Specialist Officer | Professional Knowledge | Disha | NA |
| News Papers | General Awareness | The Hindu or any other | NA |
| Lucent’s General Knowledge | General Knowledge | Lucent Publication | NA |
Proper guidance is very important for a competitive examination like this. Here are a few preparation tips you can follow to ace your exam.
Though we’ve covered almost everything about the syllabus, that’s not all. You need to stay focused, motivated and high in your spirit.
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There are two stages in the BOB SO exam.
Stage 1: Computer Based Test
Stage 2: PI/GD/PT
Candidates who clear the stage 1 exam can appear in stage 2.
As per the BOB SO syllabus and exam pattern, there are 4 sections in the online written test. These sections are Reasoning, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Professional Knowledge.
The average salary of a Bank of Baroda Specialist Officer can go up to ₹ 7.3 LPA, it is for experienced officials who have at least 3 years of experience.
A total number of 346 vacancies are released for the recruitment.
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