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IBPS Clerk Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026 (Revised), Prelims & Mains Syllabus PDF

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IBPS has released the updated IBPS Clerk syllabus and exam pattern along with its official notification. This year, 11403 vacancies are released by IBPS for clerical cadre posts to be filled in 11 participating banks. If you are preparing for the IBPS Clerk 2026 exam, then you must be looking for the latest exam pattern and syllabus. Then, you can check the updated IBPS Clerk syllabus and exam pattern in the post below. The IBPS Clerk Syllabus 2026 is very much the same as any other bank exam. 

IBPS Clerk Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026

A candidate must look into the IBPS Clerk Syllabus and Exam Pattern and practice with IBPS Clerk Previous Years’ Papers to know the weightage of the sub-topics asked in each section of both the preliminary and mains exams of IBPS Clerk Exam 2026. A slight change in the number of questions in the mains exam has been notified through official notification. Now there will be 160 questions in the mains. 

IBPS Clerk Syllabus 2026- Overview
Exam Conducting BodyInstitute of Banking Personnel Selection 
Exam NameIBPS Clerk 2026
IBPS Clerk Exam Date 2026Prelims- 10th & 11th October 2026
Mains- 27th December 2026
No. of QuestionsPrelims- 100
Mains- 160
Maximum MarksPrelims- 100
Mains- 200
DurationPrelims- 60 minutes
Mains- 160 minutes
Negative Marking0.25 marks
Selection ProcessPrelims & Mains
Official websitewww.ibps.in

IBPS Clerk 2026 Notification Out for 11403 Vacancies- Click to Check

IBPS Clerk Selection Process 2026

The selection criteria for IBPS Clerk posts will be 2 tier i.e. the online examination will be held in two phases, Online Preliminary and Online Main. The prelims marks are not included in the IBPS PO final merit list and selection is solely based on marks scored in the mains exam.

StagesDetails
IBPS Clerk PrelimsNo. of Questions- 100
Type of Questions- Multiple Choice Questions
Duration- 60 minutes
Qualifying in nature
Subjects- English Language, Reasoning Ability, Numerical Ability 
Negative Marking- 0.25/ ¼th
IBPS Clerk MainsNo. of Questions- 160
Duration- 160 minutes
Scoring in nature
Subjects- Quantitative Aptitude, English Language, Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude, General/ Financial Awareness
Negative Marking- 0.25/ ¼th
Language Proficiency Test (LPT) [NEW]Conducted by the allotted bank | Tests reading, writing, and comprehension in the regional language of the state applied for

IBPS Clerk Apply Online 2026 Starts- Click to Apply

Important: The number of questions of Quantitative Aptitude section in IBPS Clerk Mains has been revised from 155 to 160. 

IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern 2026 

The preliminary exam of IBPS Clerk CRP XVI is an online exam testing a candidate based on their aptitude, intellect and English. Both the Preliminary Exam and Mains Exam will be conducted bilingually, i.e. both in English and in Hindi.

IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam Pattern 2026

The IBPS Clerk preliminary examination is conducted online and candidates are allocated total duration of 1 hour (20 minutes for each section) to complete the preliminary exam.

Sno.Name of Tests (Objective)No. of QuestionsMaximum MarksDuration
1English Language303020 minutes
2Numerical Ability353520 minutes
3Reasoning Ability353520 minutes
Total10010060 minutes/1 Hour

IBPS Clerk Mains Exam Pattern 2026 (Revised)

  • IBPS Clerk Mains Exam will now consist of 160 questions for 200 marks that need to be completed in a time frame of 120 minutes.
  • Negative marking: 0.25 marks per wrong answer.
  • Exam is bilingual (English + Hindi) except the English Language section.
Name of Tests (Objective)No. of QuestionsMaximum MarksDuration
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude406035 minutes
English Language404035 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude405030 minutes
General/Financial Awareness405020 minutes
Total160200120 minutes

IBPS Clerk Syllabus 2026 (Prelims & Mains)

The syllabus for Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude and English Language is the same for mains and preliminary exams. In addition to these two, the other subjects are general / financial awareness and reasoning & computer knowledge. General awareness is based on banking sector awareness.

IBPS Clerk Syllabus for English Language

The English Language section of the IBPS Clerk exam assesses your understanding and proficiency in English. The updated syllabus for the English Language section is as follows:

SubjectsTopics Covered
Reading Comprehnesion

Based on 

  • Banking
  • Economics
  • Society
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Business
  • Enviornment & Current Eevnets
Grammar Topics
  • Tenses: Present, past and future forms
  • Subject-verb agreement: Agreement according to number and person
  • Articles: Correct use of a, an and the
  • Prepositions: Time, place, direction and relationship
  • Pronouns: Reference, agreement and correct case
  • Conjunctions: Coordinating, subordinating and correlative conjunctions
  • Modifiers: Correct placement of adjectives and adverbs
  • Voice: Active and passive voice
  • Narration: Direct and indirect speech
  • Parallelism: Consistency in grammatical structure
Cloze Test
  • Grammar
  • Sentence flow
  • Vocabulary
  • Contextual word selection
Fill in the Blanks
  • Single fillers
  • Double fillers
  • Grammar and contextual vocabulary
Error Detection
  • Prepositions
  • Tenses
  • Articles
  • Pronouns
  • Conjunctions
  • Modifiers
  • Subject-verb agreement
Sentence Improvement
  • Sentence clarity
  • Grammatical correction
  • Appropriate expression
Vocabulary
  • Synonyms
  • Antonyms
  • Idioms and Phrases
  • Phrasal verbs
  • One-word substitutions
Para Jumbles
  • Opening sentence
  • Logical order
  • Connectors
  • Mandatory pairs
  • Conclusion
Phrase Replacement
  • Grammar correction
  • Contextually appropriate phrases
Word Usage
  • Correct use of words in different sentences
Word Swap
  • Identification
  • Rearrangement of incorrectly positioned words
Sentence Rearrangement
  • Logical arrangement of sentence parts or complete sentences

IBPS Clerk Syllabus for Reasoning 

The Reasoning Ability section of the IBPS Clerk exam tests your logical and analytical thinking skills. Check the important topics for verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning from the tabulated data. 

IBPS Clerk  Reasoning Ability Syllabus
Verbal ReasoningNon-Verbal Reasoning
  1. Analogy
  2. Classification
  3. Word formation
  4. Statement and conclusions Syllogism
  5. Statement and assumptions
  6. Statement and arguments
  7. Coding-Decoding
  8. Blood Relations
  9. Passage and conclusions
  10. Alphabet test
  11. Series Test
  12. Number, Ranking and time sequence
  13. Direction sense Test
  14. Decision-making test
  15. Figure series
  16. Input/output
  17. Assertion and reasoning
  18. Sitting Arrangement
  1. Series test
  2. Odd figure Out
  3. Analogy
  4. Miscellaneous Test
Computer
  1. Basics of Hardware and software
  2. Windows operating system basics
  3. Internet terms and services
  4. Basic Functionalities of MS-Office( MS-word, MS-Excel, MS-PowerPoint)
  5. History of computers
  6. Networking and communication
  7. Database basics
  8. Basics of Hacking
  9. Security Tools
  10. Viruses

IBPS Clerk Syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus

The Quantitative Aptitude section of the IBPS Clerk exam tests your numerical ability and problem-solving skills. Here's a detailed syllabus for the Quantitative Aptitude section:

IBPS Clerk Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus
  1. Ratio and proportion
  2. Averages
  3. Time and work
  4. Speed
  5. Distance and time
  6. Mixture and allegation
  7. Stocks and shares
  8. Percentages
  9. Partnership
  10. Clocks
  11. Volume and surface Area
  12. Bar & Graphs
  13. Line charts
  14. Tables
  15. Height and Distances
  16. Logarithms
  17. Permutation and combinations
  18. Simple and compound interest
  19. Equations, Probability
  20. Trigonometry
  21. Profit
  22. Loss and Discount
  23. Mensuration
  24. Elements of Algebra
  25. Data Interpretation
  26. Pie charts

IBPS Clerk Syllabus for Computer 

The Computers section of the IBPS Clerk exam is designed to test your basic knowledge of computer hardware, software, and related concepts. Here's a detailed syllabus for the Computers section:

IBPS Clerk  Computer Syllabus
  1. Basics of Hardware and software
  2. Windows operating system basics
  3. Internet terms and services
  4. Basic Functionalities of MS-Office( MS-word, MS-Excel, MS-PowerPoint)
  5. History of computers
  6. Networking and communication
  7. Database basics
  8. Basics of Hacking
  9. Security Tools
  10. Viruses

IBPS Clerk Syllabus for General/ Financial Awareness

The General Awareness section of the IBPS Clerk exam primarily focuses on current events and general knowledge. The topics included in this section are as follows- 

IBPS Clerk General Awareness Syllabus
Current AffairsBanking 
  1. Current affairs related to national and international issues of last 6 months,
  2. Overview of Indian Financial System,
  3. History of the Indian banking system
  4. Recent credit and monetary policies
  1. Introduction to National financial institutions like RBI, SEBI, IRDA, FSDC etc and of International organizations like IMF, World Bank, ADB, UN etc,
  2. Abbreviations and Economic terminologies
  3. Banking Terms,
  4. Important Government Schemes on capital & money market

Topic-wise Weightage – Prelims & Mains

Based on the analysis of IBPS Clerk previous year question papers, here is the expected number of questions from each topic. Use this to prioritise your study time smartly.

Reasoning Ability – Expected Weightage 

TopicsExpected Questions (Prelims)Expected Questions (Mains)
Puzzles & Seating Arrangement10-1515-20
Syllogism3-53-5
Inequalities3-53-5
Coding–Decoding3-53-5
Blood Relations2-32-3
Direction Sense1-31-2
Alphanumeric Series / Order & Ranking2-32-3
Input–Output0-33-5
Data Sufficiency0-22-3
Computer Aptitude--5-10

Numerical Ability – Expected Weightage

TopicsExpected Questions (Prelims)Expected Questions (Mains)
Simplification & Approximation10-155-8
Number Series55
Data Interpretation (DI)5-1015-20
Quadratic Equations55
Arithmetic (SI, CI, P&L, Time-Work, etc.)5-108-12
Data Sufficiency0-33-5
Miscellaneous (Probability, Mensuration, etc.)2-53-5

English Language – Expected Weightage

TopicsExpected Questions (Prelims)Expected Questions (Mains)
Reading Comprehension1010-15
Cloze Test5-75-10
Error Detection / Spotting55
Para Jumbles / Sentence Rearrangement3-55
Fill in the Blanks3-53-5
Vocabulary (Synonyms, Antonyms, etc.)2-53-5

General Awareness – Expected Weightage

TopicsExpected Questions (Mains)
Banking & Financial Awareness20-25
Current Affairs (last 6 months)10-15
Static GK5-8
Government Schemes & Policies3-5
RBI, SEBI, IRDAI – Regulatory Bodies3-8
Budget & Economic Survey2-4
International Organizations (IMF, World Bank)2-3
Books, Awards, Sports2-3
Related Links
IBPS Clerk Salary, Promotion, Perks & AllowancesIBPS Clerk Previous Year Question Paper
IBPS Clerk Cut OffIBPS Calendar 2026
Upcoming Bank ExamsIBPS Clerk Exam Centre List 2026
FAQs

Check the detailed IBPS Clerk Prelims & Mains Syllabus from the article.

Ans. There are 2 stages- Prelims & Mains in IBPS Clerk 2026.

There will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer in Prelims and Mains.

Yes, if prepared properly with updated IBPS Clerk Syllabus and Exam Pattern, a candidate can appear in IBPS Clerk exam and crack it with good marks.

No, the selection of the candidates will be done through Prelims and Mains Exam only.

Each of the three Prelims sections has a fixed sectional time limit of 20 minutes.

LPT is the final stage of IBPS Clerk selection.

There are 3 stages: (1) Prelims – qualifying in nature, (2) Mains – 100% merit-based, and (3) Language Proficiency Test (LPT) – qualifying test in the regional language of the applied state.

No. There is no interview in IBPS Clerk. The final selection is based 100% on Mains marks, followed by the Language Proficiency Test (LPT).

IBPS Clerk Prelims is generally of easy to moderate difficulty. Simplification, Number Series, and basic Reasoning topics are easy. A well-prepared candidate can attempt 80–90 questions with 90%+ accuracy.