IBPS Clerk

Every topic matched to the official PDF Official notice, www.ibps.in

56 topics, each explained 5 units

IBPS Clerk (now officially called Customer Service Associate, CSA, from the 2025 cycle) is conducted by IBPS in two online stages — Prelims and Mains — with no interview. Prelims only qualifies you for Mains; your final merit is decided by Mains marks alone, so most of your preparation effort should go there. Both stages are sectionally timed and carry negative marking, so accuracy in each section matters as much as speed.

Exam Pattern

Conducting body: IBPS. From the 2025 (CRP CSA-XV) cycle the post "Clerk" is officially renamed "Customer Service Associate (CSA)". Selection = 2 online stages, NO interview; final merit is prepared from MAINS marks only (Prelims is qualifying). Candidate must also be proficient in the official/local language of the state/UT applied for (checked at joining).

PRELIMINARY (qualifying only; marks NOT counted in final merit) — 100 questions / 100 marks / 60 minutes, sectionally timed:

English Language: 30 Q / 30 marks / 20 min
Numerical Ability: 35 Q / 35 marks / 20 min
Reasoning Ability: 35 Q / 35 marks / 20 min

Negative marking: 0.25 mark deducted per wrong answer; no penalty for un-attempted. Must clear both sectional and overall cut-offs to advance.

MAINS (decides final merit) — REVISED for the 2025 CRP CSA-XV cycle to 155 questions / 200 marks / 120 minutes, sectionally timed:

Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude: 40 Q / 60 marks / 35 min
English Language: 40 Q / 40 marks / 35 min
Quantitative Aptitude: 35 Q / 50 marks / 30 min
General/Financial Awareness: 40 Q / 50 marks / 20 min

Negative marking: 0.25 mark deducted per wrong answer. (This replaces the OLDER Mains pattern of 190 Q / 200 marks / 160 min used up to CRP Clerks-XIV.) Question medium: English and Hindi (except the English Language test).

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IBPS Clerk — related updates

IBPS IBPS Clerk Syllabus 2026 27 Jul 2026

Full Syllabus

1 English Language (Prelims & Mains)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Reading Comprehension	Answering questions based on a passage — read the questions first, then scan the passage for answers; no need to memorise every word.
Cloze Test	Filling blanks in a passage with the right word — read the whole paragraph for meaning before picking a word.
Para Jumbles / sentence rearrangement	Arranging jumbled sentences into a logical paragraph — spot the opening and closing sentence first, then link the middle ones.
Error Detection/Spotting	Spotting which part of a sentence has a grammar mistake — watch tense, subject-verb agreement and preposition usage.
Sentence Improvement	Choosing the best replacement for the underlined part of a sentence — check both grammar rules and the sentence's meaning.
Fill in the Blanks (single/double fillers)	Filling one or two blanks in a sentence with the correct word — pick based on the sentence's full meaning, not grammar alone.
Phrase/Idiom replacement & word usage/word swap	Picking the correct replacement for an underlined phrase/idiom, or spotting correct word usage across two sentences — read a few new idioms and their meanings daily.
Vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms)	Identifying synonyms and antonyms of a word — note new words daily and remember them by using them in sentences.
Paragraph completion	Choosing the correct missing sentence to complete a paragraph — pick based on the paragraph's meaning and tone.

2 Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude (Prelims & Mains)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Simplification & Approximation	Solving numerical expressions using BODMAS, or finding an approximate value — memorise squares, cubes and tables to calculate faster.
Number Series (missing/wrong term)	Spotting the pattern in a number sequence to find the missing or wrong term — practise recognising common patterns like addition, multiplication and squares.
Quadratic Equations	Solving two equations and comparing their roots — make factorisation fast and accurate, that is what really saves time here.
Data Interpretation (tables, bar/line/pie, caselet, missing DI)	Doing calculations from data given as tables, bar/line/pie charts or a case study — understand the data set correctly first, then read the question.
Data Sufficiency	Deciding whether the given statements are enough to answer the question — you don't need to solve it fully, only judge if it's sufficient.
Percentage	Percentage problems — practise converting quickly between fractions and percentages, this is the base for many other topics.
Ratio & Proportion	Finding and comparing the ratio between two or more quantities — get into the habit of reducing ratios to their simplest form.
Average	Finding the average of a set of numbers — learn the shortcut of how a changed average affects the total sum.
Profit & Loss	Calculating profit or loss from cost price, selling price and discount — remember the CP-SP formulas, this links back to percentages.
Simple & Compound Interest	Simple and compound interest problems — keep the difference between the two and their formulas clearly memorised.
Time & Work	Calculating how long a task takes to finish — solve using each person's one-day work rate.
Time-Speed-Distance	Problems linking speed, time and distance — remember distance = speed × time and how to convert between units like km/h and m/s.
Partnership	Finding how profit is shared in a partnership based on investment and time — solve using the ratio of investment × time.
Mixtures & Alligation	Finding the resulting concentration when two mixtures of different strength are combined — learn the alligation cross-method, it solves this quickly.
Ages	Problems involving present, past or future ages — set up an equation by treating the age as a variable.
Boats & Streams	Problems on a boat's speed downstream and upstream — remember the formula to find the boat's and stream's actual speed from these two.
Mensuration	Calculating the area, perimeter and volume of shapes — keep the formulas for all basic shapes (square, circle, cylinder etc.) memorised in one place.
Probability	Finding the likelihood of an event occurring — understand the basic formula of favourable outcomes ÷ total outcomes.
Permutation & Combination	Counting the ways to arrange things in order (permutation) or select a group (combination) — understand when order matters and when it doesn't.

3 Reasoning Ability (Prelims & Mains)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Puzzles & Seating Arrangement (linear/circular/floor-based)	Placing people correctly in a line, round table or floor set-up based on given clues — plot each clue one by one into a table or diagram.
Syllogism	Drawing conclusions from given statements — solve with a Venn diagram, not in your head.
Blood Relations	Puzzles about family relationships — solve by drawing a family tree using short symbols for each relation.
Direction & Distance	Working out the final position from a series of directions and distances walked — sketch each step on paper, don't track direction mentally.
Order & Ranking	Arranging people or things in order by height, age or rank — draw a straight line and mark each clue on it.
Coding-Decoding	Converting letters or words into code by some rule, and decoding it back — practise spotting the underlying pattern, as the rule differs in each question.
Inequality (mathematical/coded)	Drawing conclusions from comparisons using symbols (>, <, =) or coded symbols — combine the symbols into one straight chain.
Alphanumeric/Alphabet/Number Series	Spotting the pattern in a series made of letters, numbers, or a mix of both — knowing each letter's position number (A=1, B=2...) helps.
Machine Input-Output	Understanding how words/numbers get rearranged step by step by a hidden rule — compare the first and last step to spot the rule, then write out the remaining steps yourself.
Data Sufficiency	Deciding whether the given statements are enough to answer the question — use the same approach here as in the quantitative version.
Logical Reasoning (statement-argument, statement-assumption, cause-effect)	Identifying the argument, assumption or cause-effect link in a given statement — don't go beyond what's directly stated, assume only what's said.
Analogy & Classification	Spotting the relationship between two items and picking the odd one out from a similar group — state the relationship of the first pair in words, then apply it to the rest.

4 Computer Aptitude (Mains only — combined within the Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude section)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Computer fundamentals	The basic parts of a computer and what they do — get a clear grip on the difference between hardware and software.
hardware & software	A computer's physical parts (hardware) versus the programs that run on it (software) — keep a list of examples of each memorised.
operating systems	The program (like Windows, Linux) that works between the computer's hardware and the user — understand its basic role, don't just memorise names.
MS Office	Everyday office software like Word, Excel, PowerPoint — remember what each one is mainly used for, along with some common shortcuts and menu options.
Internet & networking	How the internet connects and basic networking terms (like LAN, WAN, IP address) — memorise the full forms of commonly used terms.
database basics	A system for storing data in an organised way — understand basic terms like table, record and field.
computer abbreviations	The full forms of computer-related abbreviations (like CPU, RAM, USB) — make a list and revise it daily.
input/output devices	Devices used to enter data into a computer (keyboard, mouse) versus devices that show results (monitor, printer) — remember these as two separate lists.
memory & storage	The difference between a computer's temporary memory (RAM) and permanent storage (hard disk, SSD) — understand which one loses data when the power goes off.
basic security terms (virus/antivirus)	The program that can damage a computer (virus) and the program that protects against it (antivirus) — build an understanding of basic security terms, not just their names.

5 General / Financial Awareness (Mains only)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Current Affairs (national & international, approx. last 6 months)	Recent national and international news — build a daily habit of reading a newspaper or a reliable current affairs source; cramming in the last few weeks won't be enough.
Banking & Financial Awareness (RBI functions, monetary policy, SEBI/IRDA, types of accounts, negotiable instruments, NPAs, banking terms & abbreviations)	Banking-related knowledge — understand RBI's functions, monetary policy, SEBI/IRDA, types of accounts, negotiable instruments, NPAs and their abbreviations; it's easier if you think of it from a bank customer's point of view.
Financial Awareness (money & capital markets, financial institutions, budget & economic terms)	Knowledge of the wider world of money — build a basic understanding of money and capital markets, financial institutions, the budget, and economic terms.
Indian Economy	Basics of the Indian economy — build a foundational understanding of terms like GDP, inflation and five-year plans.
Government/Financial-inclusion schemes	Government schemes that bring people into banking/financial services (like PMJDY) — remember each scheme's name, purpose and year it was launched.
Static GK (countries-capitals-currencies, important days, awards, sports, books & authors)	Static general knowledge — build lists of country capitals-currencies, important days, awards, sports and books-authors, and revise them repeatedly.

Not covered in this pack — where to find it

Vacancy count	Not stated in this pack — check the current IBPS notification.
Exam date	Not stated in this pack — check the current IBPS notification.
Age limit	Not stated in this pack — check the current IBPS notification.
Application fee	Not stated in this pack — check the current IBPS notification.
Exact cut-off marks/percentage	The pack says sectional and overall cut-offs must be cleared, but does not state the actual cut-off values.
Educational eligibility (qualification)	Only language proficiency (checked at joining) is mentioned; the formal educational qualification required is not stated in this pack.

Free practice — 22 questions

Work out the answer yourself first, then tap “Show answer”. Every answer shows the method, not just the letter.

In the Preliminary exam, how many total questions are there?
- A 80
- B 100
- C 120
- D 155
Show answer

B — 100

This pack states the Preliminary exam has 100 questions for 100 marks, in 60 minutes.

Exam Pattern
How many total marks does the Preliminary exam carry?
- A 100
- B 80
- C 90
- D 120
Show answer

A — 100

This pack states the Preliminary exam is out of 100 marks.

Exam Pattern
How much total time is given for the Preliminary exam?
- A 45 minutes
- B 60 minutes
- C 90 minutes
- D 120 minutes
Show answer

B — 60 minutes

This pack states the Preliminary exam duration is 60 minutes, sectionally timed.

Exam Pattern
Under the revised (CRP CSA-XV) pattern, how many total questions does the Mains exam have?
- A 155
- B 100
- C 145
- D 190
Show answer

A — 155

This pack states the revised Mains pattern has 155 questions for 200 marks in 120 minutes.

Exam Pattern
How many total marks does the Mains exam carry?
- A 155
- B 175
- C 190
- D 200
Show answer

D — 200

This pack states the Mains exam is out of 200 marks.

Exam Pattern
How much total time is given for the Mains exam?
- A 120 minutes
- B 90 minutes
- C 100 minutes
- D 160 minutes
Show answer

A — 120 minutes

This pack states the revised Mains exam duration is 120 minutes.

Exam Pattern
How many marks are deducted for each wrong answer, in both Prelims and Mains?
- A 0.20 mark
- B 0.25 mark
- C 0.33 mark
- D 0.50 mark
Show answer

B — 0.25 mark

This pack states 0.25 mark is deducted per wrong answer in both stages, with no penalty for unattempted questions.

Exam Pattern
In the Preliminary exam, how many questions are in the English Language section?
- A 25
- B 30
- C 35
- D 40
Show answer

B — 30

This pack lists English Language in Prelims as 30 questions for 30 marks in 20 minutes.

Exam Pattern
In the Mains exam, which section carries the highest marks?
- A English Language
- B Quantitative Aptitude
- C General/Financial Awareness
- D Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude
Show answer

D — Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude

This pack lists Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude at 60 marks, higher than English Language (40), Quantitative Aptitude (50) and General/Financial Awareness (50).

Exam Pattern
Do marks scored in the Preliminary exam count towards the final merit list?
- A Yes, fully
- B Yes, but only 50%
- C No, marks from neither stage are counted
- D No, Prelims is qualifying only; final merit is decided by Mains marks alone
Show answer

D — No, Prelims is qualifying only; final merit is decided by Mains marks alone

This pack states final merit is prepared from Mains marks only; Prelims is qualifying and its marks are not counted in the final merit.

Exam Pattern
40% of a number is 68. What is the number?
- A 170
- B 150
- C 160
- D 180
Show answer

A — 170

40% × x = 68, so x = 68 ÷ 0.40 = 170.

Percentage
The ratio of two numbers is 3:5 and their sum is 96. What is the smaller number?
- A 30
- B 36
- C 40
- D 48
Show answer

B — 36

3 + 5 = 8 parts; each part = 96 ÷ 8 = 12; the smaller number = 3 × 12 = 36.

Ratio & Proportion
The average of 5 numbers is 42. If one number is removed, the average of the remaining 4 numbers becomes 40. What is the removed number?
- A 50
- B 40
- C 45
- D 55
Show answer

A — 50

Sum of 5 numbers = 5 × 42 = 210; sum of remaining 4 = 4 × 40 = 160; removed number = 210 − 160 = 50.

Average
A shopkeeper buys an item for ₹800 and sells it for ₹920. What is his profit percentage?
- A 10%
- B 12.5%
- C 15%
- D 20%
Show answer

C — 15%

Profit = 920 − 800 = 120; profit% = (120 / 800) × 100 = 15%.

Profit & Loss
Find the simple interest on ₹5,000 at 8% per annum for 3 years.
- A ₹1,000
- B ₹1,400
- C ₹1,500
- D ₹1,200
Show answer

D — ₹1,200

SI = (P × R × T) / 100 = (5000 × 8 × 3) / 100 = ₹1,200.

Simple & Compound Interest
Find the compound interest on ₹2,000 at 10% per annum for 2 years, compounded annually.
- A ₹400
- B ₹410
- C ₹420
- D ₹440
Show answer

C — ₹420

Amount = 2000 × (1.10)² = 2000 × 1.21 = ₹2,420; CI = 2420 − 2000 = ₹420.

Simple & Compound Interest
A can finish a task in 12 days and B can finish it in 24 days. Working together, how many days will they take?
- A 6 days
- B 7 days
- C 8 days
- D 9 days
Show answer

C — 8 days

A's rate = 1/12, B's rate = 1/24; combined rate = 1/12 + 1/24 = 3/24 = 1/8, so together they finish in 8 days.

Time & Work
A train covers 300 km in 5 hours. What is its speed?
- A 50 km/h
- B 55 km/h
- C 60 km/h
- D 65 km/h
Show answer

C — 60 km/h

Speed = Distance ÷ Time = 300 ÷ 5 = 60 km/h.

Time-Speed-Distance
Find the missing number in the series: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
- A 36
- B 40
- C 42
- D 44
Show answer

C — 42

The differences between terms rise by 2 each time (4, 6, 8, 10, 12); each term equals n × (n+1), so the next term is 30 + 12 = 42.

Number Series (missing/wrong term)
In a certain code, CAT is written as DBU. How will DOG be written in the same code?
- A EPH
- B EPG
- C FPH
- D EQH
Show answer

A — EPH

Each letter is shifted forward by one place in the alphabet (C→D, A→B, T→U). Applying the same rule to DOG: D→E, O→P, G→H, giving EPH.

Coding-Decoding
Pointing to a man, a woman said, 'His mother is the only daughter of my mother.' How is the woman related to the man?
- A Sister
- B Aunt
- C Mother
- D Daughter
Show answer

C — Mother

The only daughter of the woman's mother is the woman herself. So the man's mother is the woman — she is his mother.

Blood Relations
Rahul walks 5 km North, then turns right and walks 3 km, then turns right again and walks 5 km. How far is he from his starting point?
- A 3 km
- B 5 km
- C 8 km
- D 13 km
Show answer

A — 3 km

The 5 km walked North and the 5 km walked South (after the two right turns) cancel each other out, leaving only the 3 km walked East — so he is 3 km from the start.

Direction & Distance

These questions are built from the official pattern and syllabus on this page. Every answer was independently re-solved before it was published.

This exam recruits at these levels: Graduate

Note — Always confirm the syllabus and pattern against that year's official notification — changes are possible.

Start PractisingPlay a free quiz in Meri Taiyari

IBPS Clerk — related updates

IBPS IBPS Clerk Syllabus 2026 27 Jul 2026

Official source: https://www.ibps.in/index.php/clerical-cadre-xv/