For aspirants preparing for the IBPS Clerk 2026, understanding the syllabus is essential for effective preparation. It provides a clear structure of the exam, highlighting the subjects and topics that need attention. By knowing the IBPS Clerk Syllabus 2026 in detail, candidates can plan their study schedule wisely, focus on important sections, and strengthen areas with higher weightage.
IBPS Clerk Syllabus 2026
The IBPS Clerk 2026 Prelims exam tests candidates on their basic skills in English, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning. The paper is designed to check accuracy, speed, and problem-solving ability. Aspirants should focus on practicing easy-to-moderate questions, improve time management, and strengthen areas where they can score quickly. Concentrating on high-frequency topics in each section can help maximize marks and clear the Prelims stage efficiently.
IBPS Clerk Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026: Overview
The IBPS Clerk Prelims and Mains exams cover key topics including English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, and General/Financial Awareness, making these sections the foundation of a successful preparation strategy.
| IBPS Clerk Syllabus 2026 | |
| Organization Name | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) |
| Name of the Exam | IBPS Clerk 2026 |
| Exam held for which post | Customer Service Associates (CSA)- Clerk |
| Selection Process | Prelims and Mains |
| Maximum Marks | Prelims: 100 Marks Mains: 200 Marks |
| Duration of Exam | Prelims: 1 Hour Mains: 2 Hours |
| Marking Scheme | 1 mark each for every correct answer in the Online Test |
| Negative marking | 1/4th of the marks assigned to the question in MCQs |
| Mode of Examination | Online |
| Language of examination | English, Hindi, and 13 regional languages |
| Official Website | www.ibps.in. |
IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern 2026
The IBPS Clerk Preliminary Exam 2026 consists of three core sections: Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Language. Candidates must secure the sectional as well as overall cut-off to qualify for the Mains. The Mains Exam, as per the latest update, now features four sections instead of five General/Financial Awareness, General English, Reasoning Ability, and Quantitative Aptitude with revised time limits and fewer questions & sections Both Prelims and Mains will be conducted in English and Hindi (except for the English section).
IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam Pattern 2026
This online exam includes 100 questions to be completed within 60 minutes. Each correct response awards 1 mark, while 0.25 marks are deducted for every incorrect answer. The maximum score is 100 marks, and candidates must achieve the required cut-off to become eligible for the Mains exam. The IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026 consists of three sections: English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability.
| IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern 2026 For Prelims | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. No. | Name of Tests (Objective) | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| 3 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes | |
IBPS Clerk Mains Exam Pattern 2026
The IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2026 is structured to evaluate candidates across multiple skill areas, including reasoning, quantitative ability, English proficiency, and general/financial awareness. The exam comprises a total of 155 questions carrying 200 marks, with each section allotted a specific number of questions, marks, and time. Understanding the detailed exam pattern is essential for effective time management and strategic preparation to maximize scores in each section.
| IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern 2026 For Mains | |||
| Section | No. of Qs. | Marks | Duration |
| General/ Financial Awareness Section A- 2 Marks (10 Questions) Section B- 1 Mark (30 Questions) |
40 | 50 | 20 minutes |
| English Language | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability Section A- 2 Marks (20 Questions) Section B- 1 Mark (20 Questions) |
40 | 60 | 35 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude Section A- 2 Marks (15 Questions) Section B- 1 Mark (20 Questions) |
35 | 50 | 30 minutes |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 120 minutes |
There will be negative markings for every wrong answer in both the Preliminary and Main Examination, for which there is a penalty of ¼ or 0.25 of the marks assigned to the particular question.
As the upward trend in the complexity of questions has only made the consistency of the examination pattern a question mark, keep yourself prepared for a bolt from the blue. Sink your teeth into the preparations, and you will bring it off this time.
IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern: Key Changes and Updates
Based on the previous year’s pattern, the IBPS Clerk exam changes have been outlined, and it is expected that the same structure will be followed this year. These updates cover the number of questions, time allocation for each section, and overall exam duration. Candidates can use this pattern as a reference to plan their preparation for the Prelims and Mains exams effectively.
- Total Questions Reduced: The overall number of questions has been reduced from 190 to 155.
- Total Exam Time Decreased: The total time allotted for the exam has been shortened from 160 minutes to 120 minutes.
- Remove Computer Aptitude Section : The section of “Computer Aptitude” has been remove and now simply called “Reasoning Ability”.
- Quantitative Aptitude Questions Reduced: The number of questions in Quantitative Aptitude has been decreased from 50 to 35.
- General/Financial Awareness Questions Reduced: The number of questions in General/Financial Awareness has been reduced from 50 to 40.
- Sectional Timings Implemented: The time for each section is now fixed, with a separate timer for each.
- Reduced Time for General/Financial Awareness: The time for this section has been significantly reduced from 35 minutes to 20 minutes.
- Reduced Time for Reasoning Ability: The time for the Reasoning section is now 35 minutes, down from 45 minutes for the previous “Reasoning & Computer Aptitude.”
- Reduced Time for Quantitative Aptitude: The time for this section has been cut from 45 minutes to 30 minutes.
- General English Time Remains Unchanged: The time allotted for the General English section remains at 35 minutes.
IBPS Clerk Syllabus 2026
The IBPS Clerk Exam 2026 is designed to assess a candidate’s speed, accuracy, and understanding of core banking-related subjects. It is conducted in two stages, Prelims and Mains, each focusing on different sections to evaluate overall aptitude.
In the Prelims, candidates are tested on three subjects:
- English Language
- Numerical Ability
- Reasoning Ability
The total marks for Prelims are 100, and qualifying in each section is necessary.
IBPS Clerk Prelims Syllabus 2026
With the IBPS Clerk 2026 exam confirmed, it’s important for candidates to understand the Prelims syllabus and exam pattern. The Prelims exam is objective and includes three sections: English Language, Reasoning Ability, and Numerical Ability. Below is the detailed syllabus to help you start your preparation in the right direction.
| IBPS Clerk Syllabus For Prelims | ||
| English Language | Reasoning Ability | Numerical Ability |
| Reading Comprehension | Puzzles(Box based puzzle, Designation based puzzle, Category based puzzle, Floor / Flat-floor based puzzle, Day / Month / Year based puzzle) | Simplification: BODMAS, Square & Cube, Square & cube root, Indices, fraction, percentage etc. |
| Fillers |
Seating Arrangement(Circular Seating Arrangement (Uncertain), Square / Rectangle / Triangular seating Arrangement, Linear seating arrangement, Single row, Double row, Uncertain) |
Approximation: BODMAS, Square & Cube, Square & cube root, Indices, fraction, percentage etc. |
| Sentence Based Error | Inequality (Direct and Indirect Statement) | Number Series: Missing Number series, Wrong number series |
| Vocabulary | Distance and Direction (Normal) | Inequality:Linear equation, Quadratic equation, Quantity comparison |
| Cloze Test | Coding-Decoding (General) | Ratio and Proportion |
| Error Detection | Blood Relation (Normal) | Percentage |
| Sentence Improvement | Syllogism (2/3 statement + 2 conclusion) | Number System and HCF & LCM |
| Word Swap(3 words, 4 words) | Series(Alpha-numeric-symbol based, Alpha-numeric based, Word-based, Number based, Digit based series, Letter based series) | Average |
| Word Rearrangement(3 Words, 4 Words) | Order – Ranking (Comparison) | Age |
| Sentence Rearrangement | Word Pair / Number Pair | Partnership |
| Parajumble | Word formation (Meaningful word) | Mixture and Alligation |
| Column Based | Odd one out | Simple Interest |
| Idioms & Phrases | Word / Number based (Multiple operations) | Compound Interest |
| Word Usage | Time and Work | |
| Connectors/Starters | Pipe and Cistern | |
| Profit & Loss and Discount | ||
| Speed Time Distance | ||
| Boat And Stream | ||
| Mensuration 2D and 3d | ||
| Probability | ||
| Permutation & combination | ||
| Data Interpretation: Table DI, Missing Table DI, Single Pie chart DI and Multiple pie chart DI, Line chart DI, Bar chart DI, Mixed DI, Caselet | ||
| Data Sufficiency: Two Statement | ||
IBPS Clerk Mains Syllabus 2026
More or less, the syllabus for IBPS Clerk Prelims and mains are similar but some topics are added in all the sections with the level of difficulty. General/Financial awareness is the add-on to the subject in the main exam. Students need to prepare banking awareness, static awareness, and current affairs of at least the last 6 months to cover the GA part. Reroute all your attention to the DI and Puzzle and Seating arrangement in the mains exam. The level of the main exam is comparatively difficult. Check the detailed IBPS Clerk mains syllabus below:
| IBPS Clerk Syllabus For Mains | ||
|---|---|---|
| S. No. | Subject | Syllabus |
| 1. | General English |
|
| 2. | Reasoning Ability |
|
| 3. | Quantitative Aptitude |
|
| 4. | General/ Financial Awareness | National Current Affairs, International Current Affairs, State Current Affairs, Sports News, Central Government Schemes, Agreements/MoU, Books & Authors, Summits & Conferences, Defense News, Science & Technology News, Banking and Financial Awareness, Static Awareness, Recent RBI Circulars Based Questions, Business & Economy related News, Important Days, Obituaries, Important Appointments, Important Awards & Honours, Union Budget 2026, Economic Survey 2026, Ranks/Reports/Indexes |
IBPS Clerk Syllabus For Language Proficiency Test
The Language Proficiency Test (LPT) for IBPS Clerk is conducted after the Mains exam to assess a candidate’s command over the official language of the state they’ve applied for. The test checks skills like reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, writing ability, and basic conversation. Candidates may be asked to write essays, letters, or respond to questions based on a given passage. Clearing the LPT is mandatory to qualify for final selection in the IBPS Clerk recruitment process.
| Related Posts | |
| IBPS Clerk Salary | IBPS Clerk Previous Year Papers |
| IBPS Clerk Selection Process | IBPS Clerk Preparation Strategy |
| IBPS Clerk Mock Test |
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