IBPS clerk syllabus for prelims and mains

How the clerk recruitment moves

This syllabus of IBPS clerk recruitment is shorter than an officer exam, which is one reason it attracts lakhs of applicants each year.

1. Prelims: qualifying only. Each section has its own minimum along with an overall cut off, yet nothing from this paper is added to your final total.
2. Mains: the ranking paper. Banks allot posts state wise and category wise on these marks.
3. Local language proficiency test (LLPT): you must read, write, speak and understand the official language of the state or UT you applied for. Candidates who studied that language up to class 10 and can show a marksheet are generally exempt.

Allotment to a bank follows the vacancies reported by the banks and your preference, after the language requirement is met.

IBPS clerk pre exam pattern

The prelims has three sections, each with a 20 minute lock. The pre pattern has stayed the same for several cycles.

Every prelims item is worth a single mark, and a wrong pick costs 0.25 of a mark.

IBPS clerk prelims syllabus by section

English language

• Reading comprehension and vocabulary in context
• Cloze test, single and double fillers
• Spotting grammatical errors, improving a given sentence
• Rearranging jumbled sentences into a paragraph
• Word swap, word rearrangement, idioms and connectors

Numerical ability

• Simplification with BODMAS, squares, cubes, roots and fractions
• Approximation, plus series where you find the missing or the odd number
• Comparing roots of two quadratics, and comparing quantities
• Arithmetic: percentage, ratio, averages, ages, partnership, mixtures, simple and compound interest, work and pipes, profit and discount, speed, boats and trains, mensuration, probability
• Data interpretation: table, pie, bar, line and caselet

Reasoning ability

• Puzzles on boxes, floors, days and months
• Linear, circular and square seating
• Inequality, syllogism and coded letters or words
• Family relations, direction sense, order and ranking
• Alphanumeric series, word formation and odd one out

IBPS clerk mains syllabus and pattern

The mains has four sections with separate timers. Reports of the latest notice give this structure:

Some questions carry two marks, which is why the marks exceed the question count in three sections. The previous cycle used 35 quantitative questions in 30 minutes, for 155 questions in 120 minutes.

• General and financial awareness: banking and financial news, RBI policy and circulars, static banking terms, government schemes, budget and economic survey highlights, appointments, awards, sports, summits, books, important days and indices from the last six months or so.
• General English: longer comprehension passages, fillers with multiple blanks, phrase and sentence rearrangement, inference questions, paragraph completion, column matching, cloze and word usage.
• Reasoning: tougher puzzles and seating with three rows or inscribed shapes, coded inequality, input output, syllogism with reverse forms, data sufficiency and statement based logic. Older cycles added computer aptitude here; confirm whether your notice still lists it.
• Quantitative aptitude: variable based and statement based arithmetic, advanced number series, quadratic comparisons, mixed and caselet data interpretation including radar charts, and data sufficiency.

Where to spend effort

Reasoning carries 60 of the 200 mains marks, and awareness gives 50 marks in only 20 minutes. That makes awareness the highest marks per minute section on the paper, and it rewards steady reading more than talent. Quant and English together give the remaining 90 marks.

• Prelims: aim for speed in simplification, number series and short puzzles, because these give most of the quick marks.
• Mains: practise long puzzles under a 35 minute clock; this is where most people lose time.
• Revise banking terms weekly so they stay fresh for the awareness section.
• English rewards reading regularly; one passage a day with five new words is a practical target.

A fourteen week routine

1. Weeks 1 to 4: tables up to 30, squares and cubes, simplification, percentage and ratio. Grammar basics and one reading passage daily. Easy puzzles and inequality.
2. Weeks 5 to 8: remaining arithmetic chapters, data interpretation, seating and floor puzzles, syllogism and coding. Begin a daily current affairs habit.
3. Weeks 9 and 10: two prelims mocks a week and sectional tests on weak areas.
4. Weeks 11 to 14: mains level puzzles, caselet DI, financial awareness revision and mains mocks in the new timing.

NCERT mathematics up to class 10 is enough for the arithmetic base. For awareness, the RBI website and the Press Information Bureau are reliable primary sources. Previous papers show how question styles have moved; see IBPS clerk previous year papers.

IBPS clerk syllabus in Hindi

A brief Hindi version for readers searching ibps clerk ka syllabus kya hai:

आईबीपीएस क्लर्क यानी कस्टमर सर्विस एसोसिएट की भर्ती में दो ऑनलाइन परीक्षाएं होती हैं। प्री परीक्षा 100 अंकों की है जिसमें अंग्रेजी 30, न्यूमेरिकल एबिलिटी 35 और रीजनिंग 35 प्रश्न, हर हिस्सा बीस मिनट का। मेन्स परीक्षा 200 अंकों की है जिसमें सामान्य और वित्तीय जागरूकता, जनरल इंग्लिश, रीजनिंग और क्वांटिटेटिव एप्टीट्यूड पूछे जाते हैं। इंटरव्यू नहीं होता, पर राज्य की स्थानीय भाषा का टेस्ट पास करना जरूरी है।

Eligibility in short

You must be a graduate in any discipline by the last date of registration. IBPS generally does not accept final year students who are awaiting results. You also need computer literacy, shown through a certificate, diploma or degree in computers, or by having studied computers or IT as a subject in school or college. The general age band is 20 to 28 years, with 3 years more for OBC (non creamy layer), 5 for SC and ST and 10 for PwBD candidates. Earlier cycles' qualifying marks appear on the IBPS clerk cut off page. If you plan to write State Bank's clerical exam too, read the SBI clerk syllabus; officer aspirants can compare the SBI PO syllabus.