IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern & Syllabus
Last verified 31 Jul 2026
The IBPS Clerk exam pattern is set out below. Yes — one fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer.
IBPS Clerk exam pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims — English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Prelims — Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Prelims — Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Prelims total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
| Mains — General / Financial Awareness | 40 | 50 | 20 minutes |
| Mains — General English | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| Mains — Reasoning Ability | 40 | 60 | 35 minutes |
| Mains — Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 50 | 30 minutes |
| Mains total | 155 | 200 | 120 minutes |
What counts towards the final merit
Only the Main Examination counts. There is no interview for the clerical cadre — the merit list is drawn state-wise and category-wise from the Main Examination score alone.
The Local Language Proficiency Test can undo a selection
A candidate who clears the Main Examination must still prove proficiency in the official language of the state applied for. Candidates who produce a 10th or 12th mark sheet showing they studied that language are exempt; everyone else sits the test, and failing it disqualifies you however high your written score. Choose the state you apply to on language, not only on vacancy count.
Every section is separately timed
Bank examinations lock each section to its own clock. You cannot carry unused minutes from an easy section into a hard one, and once a section closes you cannot return to it. Practising a full paper without sectional timers trains the wrong habit entirely.
Syllabus
Reasoning Ability
Puzzles and seating arrangement, syllogism, inequality, blood relations, direction sense, coding and decoding, order and ranking, input-output, data sufficiency, and statement and assumption. Puzzles and seating arrangement dominate the section.
Quantitative Aptitude / Numerical Ability
Data interpretation, number series, simplification and approximation, quadratic equations, and arithmetic — percentage, ratio and proportion, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time speed and distance, mixture and alligation, and probability.
English Language
Reading comprehension, cloze test, error spotting, sentence improvement, para jumbles, fillers, word usage and vocabulary in context.
General / Financial / Banking Awareness
Current affairs of the last six months with a banking and economic slant, RBI circulars and monetary policy, banking terminology and abbreviations, financial institutions and their headquarters, government schemes, budget and economic survey highlights, and static awareness.
Computer Aptitude
Fundamentals of computers, hardware and software, operating systems, MS Office, internet and networking basics, database basics, computer abbreviations and security.