Banking | PNB

PNB LBO 2026 cycle

Punjab National Bank's recruitment of Local Bank Officers in Junior Management Grade Scale-I, posted within a chosen state, decided by an online test, a local-language check and an interview.

Applications closed3 stagesSectional timing1 free mock test

Overview

Conducting body: PNBwww.pnbindia.in
Age limit: 20 to 30 years
Application fee: ₹0 to ₹850
Vacancies: 545
First stage duration: 3 hr
Negative marking: 1/4 mark per wrong answer

Punjab National Bank Local Bank Officer (JMGS-I) Recruitment is conducted by Punjab National Bank. Selection runs through 3 stages: Online Examination, Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT), Personal Interview.

Sit the online examination, whose score decides the shortlist.
Clear document screening based on the application and eligibility.
Qualify the Local Language Proficiency Test, unless exempt for having studied the local language in Class 10 or 12.
Attend the personal interview.
Final selection follows the combined online-test and interview merit, with postings within the chosen state.

Important dates

Important dates
Event	Date	Status
Notification released PNB published the Local Bank Officer 2026 notification for 545 posts on 20 July 2026, with the online application link on pnb.bank.in.	20 Jul 2026	Closed
Online application window Now closed. Applications ran from 20 July 2026; the closing date was reported around 9 to 16 August 2026 after an extension. Confirm the final date from the notice.	20 Jul 2026 - 9 Aug 2026	Closed
Online examination Announced on pnb.bank.in after applications close. The call letter carries your exact date, shift and centre.	To be announced	Not announced
Local Language Proficiency Test and interview Held for candidates shortlisted from the online test. The schedule is announced later in the cycle.	To be announced	Not announced

Eligibility

Educational qualification

Open toGraduate

A Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university, together with at least one year of post-qualification experience in the clerical or officer cadre of a Scheduled Commercial Bank or a Regional Rural Bank.

The Local Bank Officer is posted within the state applied for, so proficiency in the specified local language of that state — reading, writing and speaking — is mandatory.

Age

20 to 30 years as on 1 July 2026, as stated in the notification.

Upper age relaxation

SC and ST+5 years
OBC (non-creamy layer)+3 years
Persons with Benchmark Disability+10 years
Ex-servicemen+5 years

Nationality

A candidate must be one of the following:

A citizen of India
A subject of Nepal or Bhutan
A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 intending to settle permanently
A person of Indian origin who has migrated from specified countries intending to settle permanently in India

Application fee

Category	Fee
General, OBC and EWS Approximate application fee plus intimation charges. Confirm the exact amount in the official notice.	₹850
SC, ST and PwBD Intimation charges only or exempt, as per the notice.	₹0

Fees have been stable across recent cycles but are the kind of detail a notification can revise. Confirm on the official notification before paying.

Exam pattern

Stage by stage structure with question counts, marks, timing and the marking scheme.

Stage 1: Online Examination

Computer based testSectional timing

Section	Questions	Marks	Time
Reasoning and Computer Aptitude	25	25	35 min
Data Analysis and Interpretation	25	25	35 min
English Language	25	25	25 min
Quantitative Aptitude	25	25	35 min
General, Economy and Banking Awareness	50	50	50 min
Total	150	150	3 hr

Duration: 3 hr|Negative marking: 1/4 mark per wrong answer

150 questions for 150 marks in 180 minutes, with a separate clock on each of the five sections.
The online test score decides who is called for the language check and interview.

Stage 2: Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT)

Skill testQualifying only

Duration: Varies|Negative marking: None

Checks reading, writing and speaking ability in the specified local language of the chosen state.
Qualifying in nature. Candidates who studied the local language in Class 10 or 12 are exempt on producing the mark-sheet.

Stage 3: Personal Interview

Interview

Duration: Varies|Negative marking: None

The final merit combines the online-test score and the interview, subject to qualifying the language test.
Document verification follows for provisionally selected candidates.

Syllabus

Every subject in the paper, topic by topic. Open a subject for its weightage in this exam, the full topic list and the mock tests, practice sets and notes that cover it.

Reasoning Ability

Puzzles and seating arrangement
Syllogism and inequality
Coding-decoding and series
Blood relations and directions
Order and ranking, data sufficiency
Computer aptitude: fundamentals, MS Office, internet and security

Reasoning Ability guide & weightage →

Quantitative Aptitude

Data interpretation: tables, bar, line, pie and caselets
Simplification and approximation
Number series
Quadratic equations and comparison
Arithmetic: percentage, ratio, profit and loss, interest, time and work, time-speed-distance
Mensuration and probability

Quantitative Aptitude guide & weightage →

English Language

Reading comprehension
Cloze test and para jumbles
Error spotting and sentence improvement
Fill in the blanks and word usage
Para completion and connectors

English Language guide & weightage →

Banking Awareness

Banking and financial awareness
RBI, monetary policy and regulators
Government schemes and the Union Budget
Indian economy and current affairs
Static general knowledge

Banking Awareness guide & weightage →

How to apply

Register on the PNB recruitment portal
Open the Local Bank Officer link on pnb.bank.in, register with your name, date of birth and contact details, and keep the registration number and password.
Fill the application and choose your state
Complete the form with your education, banking experience and the single state you are applying for, then upload the photograph and signature to the stated specifications.
Pay the fee and submit
Pay the fee online where applicable or claim the exemption, submit, and save the printout and payment receipt.

Documents to keep ready

Valid photo identity proof such as Aadhaar, PAN, passport, driving licence or voter ID
Matriculation certificate for date of birth
Graduation mark-sheets and degree certificate
Experience certificate for at least one year in a Scheduled Commercial Bank or RRB
Class 10 or 12 mark-sheet showing the local language, to claim LLPT exemption
Category certificate (SC, ST, OBC, EWS) and PwBD certificate, where applicable
Recent passport-size photograph and signature matching the uploads

Salary and job profile

Pay and allowances

Pay scale:: JMGS-I: Rs 48,480 - 85,920 (12th Bipartite Settlement)
Initial basic pay:: Rs 48,480
Approximate in-hand:: Around Rs 74,000 to Rs 76,500 per month

Allowances

Dearness Allowance revised periodically
House Rent Allowance based on city class
Special Allowance and other officer allowances

Perks

Pension under the National Pension System
Medical benefits and leave
Officer facilities as per bank rules

The Local Bank Officer joins in Junior Management Grade Scale-I. Basic pay starts at Rs 48,480; the in-hand figure depends on the city of posting. Confirm the exact terms from the notification.

What the job involves

A Local Bank Officer handles branch banking, customer relationships and business development within a single state.
Duties include deposits and retail lending, cross-selling, and day-to-day branch operations.
Because postings stay within the chosen state, local-language ability is central to the role.
Career growth is to Middle Management Grade Scale-II and higher through departmental promotion.

Free mock tests

Written to this exam's pattern, with the same interface, sectional locking and marking scheme you will face on exam day.

PNB LBO: 28-question practice mock
28 questions | 28 min
Start

How to prepare for PNB LBO

The online test is a standard bank-officer paper, so IBPS/SBI PO material for reasoning, data interpretation, English and quantitative aptitude fits well.
Banking and economy awareness carries 50 of the 150 marks, so build a strong current-affairs and banking-awareness note and revise it weekly.
Sectional timing means you cannot return to a section, so rehearse a fixed per-section attempt plan under the exact clock.
If the local language was not your Class 10 or 12 subject, prepare for the LLPT early; it is qualifying and can end an otherwise strong candidature.
Use full-length mocks and review each for the questions you should have skipped, since 0.25 negative marking punishes over-attempting.

Practise PNB LBO by topic

Free question banks with worked solutions for the topics PNB LBO tests. Drill one topic at a time, then sit a full mock and keep a daily habit going.

Daily quiz

A fresh mixed set every day to keep every section warm.

Untimed practice drills

Learn a topic with the method shown after every question.

Current affairs

Daily, sourced digests for the general-awareness section.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Local Bank Officer?

A Local Bank Officer (LBO) is a Scale-I officer recruited for a specific state and generally posted within that state, which is why local-language proficiency is compulsory.

Do I need work experience to apply?

Yes. PNB's 2026 notice requires at least one year of post-qualification experience in the clerical or officer cadre of a Scheduled Commercial Bank or a Regional Rural Bank, in addition to a graduation degree.

Is the Local Language Proficiency Test compulsory for everyone?

No. Candidates who studied the specified local language as a subject in Class 10 or Class 12 are exempt on producing the mark-sheet. Others must pass the qualifying LLPT.

Is there negative marking?

Yes. One fourth of a mark is deducted for each wrong answer in the online examination. Unanswered questions carry no penalty.

Will I be transferred out of my state?

The LBO cadre is designed for postings within the chosen state, so inter-state transfer is generally not expected, unlike a normal all-India officer post.

Last verified 19 August 2026(37 days ago, by editorial)

Not yet confirmed for this cycle: the application fee and the schedule. Where we have a figure from previous cycles we show it and label it as expected; where we do not, the page says "to be announced". Check the official source below before you rely on any of it.

Official sources

Punjab National Bank official website (official portal)
PNB LBO Recruitment 2026 for 545 posts, selection process (Times of India) (other)
PNB LBO 2026 notification, exam pattern and syllabus (Careerpower) (other)

Found something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it, citing the source.