Last updated: September 17, 2026 at 10:19 PM
The U.P. Co-operative Institutional Service Board (UPCISB), Lucknow has published the official Information Handout for the Combined Co-operative Banking and Technical Services Examination (Special Recruitment) 2026, confirming the Main Exam pattern for all five posts under Advt. No. A-1/S.R./2026. Every post group faces a 120 question, 200 mark online paper of 120 minutes with separately timed sections and one fourth negative marking. The handout is available in both English and Hindi, and the Main Exam is scheduled on 07 and 08 September 2026.
Quick Navigation
- Syllabus and Exam Pattern Overview
- Important Dates
- Exam Pattern — Manager (Category 1) and Junior Manager (Category 2)
- Exam Pattern — Assistant Engineer, Civil (Category 2)
- Exam Pattern — Assistant/Cashier and Assistant/Typist (Category 3)
- Section-wise Coverage and Question Types
- Marking Scheme and How Scores Are Calculated
- Exam Day Rules That Affect Your Strategy
- Important Links
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Frequently Asked Questions
Syllabus and Exam Pattern Overview
| Exam Name | Combined Co-operative Banking and Technical Services Examination (Special Recruitment) 2026 — Main Exam |
| Organization | U.P. Co-operative Institutional Service Board (UPCISB), Lucknow |
| Notification / Advertisement No. | A-1/S.R./2026 dated 24.03.2026 |
| Location | Uttar Pradesh |
| Posts Covered | Manager (Category 1), Junior Manager (Category 2), Assistant Engineer — Civil (Category 2), Assistant/Cashier — Banking Assistant/Clerical Staff (Category 3), Assistant/Typist (Category 3) |
| Exam Date | 07.09.2026 and 08.09.2026 |
| Mode | Online (computer based), objective multiple choice with four options per question |
| Total Questions / Marks | 120 questions / 200 marks (same for every post group) |
| Duration | 120 minutes, with each section separately timed |
| Number of Sections | 6 |
| Negative Marking | One fourth (1/4) of the marks assigned to that question |
| Medium | Bilingual Hindi and English, except the Hindi Language and English Language tests |
| Selection Process | Preliminary Exam (if required) → Main Exam → Interview (Category 1 and 2) or Proficiency Test (Category 3) |
| Information Handout | Download English PDF | Download Hindi PDF |
| Official Website | upcisb.upsdc.gov.in |
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Advertisement issued | 24.03.2026 |
| Exam city intimation by email and SMS | 31.08.2026 |
| Information Handout published | 02.09.2026 |
| Call letter download window | 05.09.2026 to 08.09.2026 |
| Main Examination | 07.09.2026 and 08.09.2026 |
Exam Pattern — Manager (Category 1) and Junior Manager (Category 2)
| Sr. | Name of the Test | Questions | Max. Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reasoning Ability / Mental Ability | 20 | 20 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 20 | 20 minutes |
| 3 | General Knowledge / Financial Awareness | 15 | 15 | 10 minutes |
| 4 | Co-operative | 15 | 15 | 10 minutes |
| 5 | Language — Hindi (5) and English (5) | 10 | 10 | 10 minutes |
| 6 | Managerial Skill — Banking (30) and Computer Knowledge (10) | 40 | 120 | 50 minutes |
| Total | 120 | 200 | 120 minutes |
All questions within a test carry equal marks. Note how heavily the Managerial Skill section is weighted — 40 questions carrying 120 of the 200 marks, which is 60 per cent of the paper from a single section.
Exam Pattern — Assistant Engineer, Civil (Category 2)
| Sr. | Name of the Test | Questions | Max. Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reasoning Ability / Mental Ability | 20 | 20 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 20 | 20 minutes |
| 3 | General Knowledge / Financial Awareness | 15 | 15 | 10 minutes |
| 4 | Co-operative | 15 | 15 | 10 minutes |
| 5 | Language — Hindi (5) and English (5) | 10 | 10 | 10 minutes |
| 6 | Civil Engineering | 40 | 120 | 50 minutes |
| Total | 120 | 200 | 120 minutes |
The first five sections are identical to the Manager and Junior Manager paper. Only the sixth section changes, swapping Managerial Skill for Civil Engineering at the same 40 question and 120 mark weight.
Exam Pattern — Assistant/Cashier and Assistant/Typist (Category 3)
| Sr. | Name of the Test | Questions | Max. Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reasoning Ability / Mental Ability | 20 | 40 | 25 minutes |
| 2 | Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 40 | 25 minutes |
| 3 | Computer Knowledge | 20 | 40 | 15 minutes |
| 4 | Language — Hindi (10) and English (10) | 20 | 40 | 20 minutes |
| 5 | General Knowledge | 20 | 20 | 15 minutes |
| 6 | Co-operative | 20 | 20 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 120 | 200 | 120 minutes |
The Category 3 paper is spread far more evenly than the officer papers — four sections carry 40 marks each and no single section dominates. Reasoning, Numerical Ability, Computer Knowledge and Language together account for 160 of the 200 marks.
Section-wise Coverage and Question Types
| Section | Question types shown in the official handout |
|---|---|
| Reasoning Ability / Mental Ability | Direction and relative position puzzles, ranking and row arrangement problems, letter rearrangement and word formation logic |
| Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude | Simple arithmetic and pricing, multiples and divisibility, missing number series, decimal and fraction multiplication, and data interpretation from percentage tables and graphs — the handout states the section measures speed and accuracy with numbers |
| General Knowledge / Financial Awareness | Static and state general knowledge, plus banking and accounting concepts such as tangible net worth, deferred revenue expenditure, the matching concept and evergreening of sticky loans |
| Co-operative | Dual control of co-operative credit institutions by State Government and RBI or NABARD, the Banking Regulation Act, non-credit co-operatives, restrictions on use of society property under the Co-operative Societies Act, and definitions such as apex society |
| English Language | Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate word, and spotting the grammatical error in one part of a sentence with a No error option |
| Hindi Language | व्याकरण, शब्द भंडार, वाक्य रचना, विपरीतार्थक, समानार्थी, अनेक शब्दों के लिए एक शब्द, मुहावरे and त्रुटि पहचान |
| Computer Knowledge | Hardware versus software identification, full forms such as LAN and RAM, and input versus output devices |
| Managerial Skill / Civil Engineering | Based on the syllabus given in the advertisement — see Appendix 3 of the official advertisement for the full topic list |
The handout states plainly that its sample questions are illustrative and not exhaustive, and that the actual exam will carry questions of a higher difficulty level as well as types not shown there. The complete topic-wise syllabus for the Managerial Skill and Civil Engineering sections is given in Appendix 3 of the official advertisement (pages 44 to 50), which you can download here.
Marking Scheme and How Scores Are Calculated
| Negative marking | One fourth (1/4) of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for every wrong answer. Unattempted questions carry no penalty. |
| Corrected Score | The number of correct answers in each objective test after the penalty for wrong answers has been applied. |
| Equated Score | Corrected Scores are equated to a base form across all forms, to absorb minor differences in difficulty between sessions. |
| Reporting | Test-wise scores and the total are reported to two decimal places. |
| Cut-offs | Applied in two stages — first on scores in individual tests, then on the total score. |
| Minimum Efficiency Standard | 35 per cent for SC candidates and 40 per cent for all other categories, as stated in Appendix 2 of the advertisement. |
Exam Day Rules That Affect Your Strategy
| Sections are separately timed | You can attempt a question only during the time allotted to that section. Time saved in one section does not carry over to another. |
| Answers must be saved | An answer counts only if you click “Save and Next” or “Mark for Review and Next”. Clicking a question number in the palette does not save your current answer. |
| Marked for Review still counts | If a question is answered and also marked for review, that answer is included in the evaluation. |
| No early submission | You cannot finally submit until the full test time has elapsed. The system saves your answers automatically when the clock runs out. |
| Keyboard locks the exam | Pressing any keyboard key once the exam has started locks the exam. The entire paper is answered with mouse clicks. |
| Time at the venue | Around 180 minutes in total, including login, admit card checking and instructions on top of the 120 minute test. |
Important Links
| Information Handout (English) | Download PDF |
| Information Handout (Hindi) | Download PDF |
| Official Advertisement with full syllabus | Download PDF |
| Download Call Letter | Download Admit Card |
| Official Website | upcisb.upsdc.gov.in |
| Join Telegram Channel | Join Telegram Channel |
| Join WhatsApp Channel | Join WhatsApp Channel |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating the 120 minutes as one pool — every section has its own clock and unused time is simply lost.
- Under-preparing the Managerial Skill or Civil Engineering section, which alone carries 120 of the 200 marks in the officer papers.
- Guessing on questions you have no idea about, since a wrong answer costs a quarter of that question’s marks.
- Clicking a question number in the palette to move on, which does not save the answer you just selected.
- Preparing only for the total cut-off and ignoring that cut-offs are applied on individual sections first.
- Studying only the handout — it is explicit that its sample questions are illustrative, and the full topic list sits in Appendix 3 of the advertisement.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When is the UPCISB Co-operative Bank Main Exam 2026?
The online Main Exam is scheduled on 07 and 08 September 2026.
2. How many questions and marks does the Main Exam carry?
120 objective questions for 200 marks in 120 minutes, and this is the same for every post group.
3. Is there negative marking in the UPCISB Main Exam?
Yes, one fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for every wrong answer.
4. Which section carries the most weight for Manager and Junior Manager?
Managerial Skill, covering Banking with 30 questions and Computer Knowledge with 10, carries 120 of the 200 marks.
5. How does the Assistant Engineer paper differ?
Only the sixth section changes — Civil Engineering replaces Managerial Skill at the same 40 questions and 120 marks, and the first five sections are identical.
6. What is the minimum qualifying percentage?
The minimum efficiency standard is 35 per cent for SC candidates and 40 per cent for all other categories.
7. In which language will the paper be set?
All tests are bilingual in Hindi and English, except the Hindi Language and English Language tests themselves.
8. Where can I find the detailed topic-wise syllabus?
Appendix 3 of the official advertisement, pages 44 to 50, carries the full topic list for the Managerial Skill and Civil Engineering sections.
Disclaimer: The information above has been compiled from the official notification for the convenience of job seekers. Candidates are advised to verify all details from the official website before applying.
