IBPS Clerk Syllabus 2026 — Complete Guide for Prelims and Mains
IBPS Clerk is one of the largest clerical recruitment exams in India, conducted annually for 11 public sector banks. The exam is in two phases: Prelims and Mains. Unlike IBPS PO, there is no interview stage for Clerk — Mains score determines the final merit list.
Vacancy and Eligibility
- Age: 20–28 years (relaxation for reserved categories)
- Education: Graduate in any discipline
- Computer literacy: Basic proficiency required
- State language proficiency: Some banks require knowledge of the state language where the candidate is posted
Exam Pattern
Prelims (1 hour)
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time | |---|---|---|---| | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 min | | Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 min | | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 min |
Negative Marking: -0.25 per wrong answer
Mains (2 hours 40 minutes)
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time | |---|---|---|---| | General/Financial Awareness | 50 | 50 | 35 min | | English Language | 40 | 40 | 35 min | | Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude | 50 | 60 | 45 min | | Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 45 min |
Prelims Syllabus
Numerical Ability
Number System, Simplification, Approximation, Percentage, Ratio & Proportion, Average, Profit & Loss, Simple & Compound Interest, Time & Work, Time Speed Distance, Data Interpretation (easy level — mainly tables and bar charts)
Reasoning Ability
Puzzles (Linear, Circular, Box-based), Seating Arrangement, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations, Directions, Syllogism, Alphanumeric Series, Inequality, Machine Input-Output (basic)
English Language
Reading Comprehension (passage with 5–7 questions), Error Detection, Fill in the Blanks, Cloze Test, Para Jumbles
Mains Syllabus
General/Financial Awareness
Current Affairs (last 6 months), Banking Awareness (RBI, SEBI, NABARD, their roles and functions), Government schemes (PM Jan Dhan, Mudra Loans, Digital India), Financial terms (REPO rate, CRR, SLR, inflation), Static GK (currencies, capitals, sports, books)
Computer Aptitude
Computer Fundamentals, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint basics), Internet and Email, Networking basics, Computer security and viruses, Input/Output devices, Storage devices
45-Day Preparation Plan
Week 1: Maths Foundation Number System, Simplification, Percentage, Average — 2 hours daily
Week 2: Reasoning Foundation Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Coding-Decoding — 2 hours daily
Week 3: English + GK RC daily (2 passages), Banking Awareness (RBI, types of accounts, banking history) — 2 hours
Week 4: Practice + Mocks Mixed topic practice, 2 full Prelims mock tests this week
Week 5: Mains Topics Financial Awareness deep dive, Computer Aptitude basics, Quantitative Aptitude advanced DI
Week 6: Full Mains Mocks 2 full Mains mock tests, analysis, weak area revision, current affairs revision
Difference Between IBPS Clerk and IBPS PO
| Feature | IBPS Clerk | IBPS PO | |---|---|---| | Interview | No | Yes | | Promotion speed | Slower | Faster | | Starting salary | ~₹26,000 | ~₹36,000 | | Exam difficulty | Moderate | High | | Competition | Very high | High |
Cut-off Trend (General Category, Prelims)
| Year | Approximate Cut-off | |---|---| | 2025 | 68–72 | | 2024 | 65–70 | | 2023 | 62–67 |