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Banking & Insurance

IBPS Clerk preparation

Customer Service Associates for public sector banks.

24 free guides·Conducted by Institute of Banking Personnel SelectionOfficial website

About the IBPS Clerk exam

IBPS Clerk is how public sector banks recruit Customer Service Associates, the staff who open accounts, handle deposits and withdrawals and keep a branch’s everyday work moving. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection runs it for graduates who want a steady bank job without a long selection. You apply for vacancies in one state or union territory, and you must know its official language.

Selection has two online exams and no interview. The prelims is a speed test in English, numerical ability and reasoning, with a 20-minute clock on each section. It only shortlists, and its marks are not carried forward. The mains adds general and financial awareness and computer knowledge. Your mains score, ranked state-wise and category-wise, decides who is selected. If your Class 10 or 12 mark sheet does not show the state language, you take a language proficiency test. It adds no marks, but failing it can cost you the job.

Read the Start here guides in order: the pattern, eligibility and syllabus, then the prelims and mains strategies, a three-month plan and how to choose your state. After that, work subject by subject. Each subject opens with a plan, followed by topic guides with worked examples. Start awareness reading early. It builds slowly, and in the mains it gives the most marks per minute.

IBPS Clerk exam pattern at a glance
StagesPrelims → Mains; no interview
PrelimsEnglish 30, Numerical Ability 35, Reasoning 35 = 100 marks in 60 min (20 min per section)
Mains200 marks across four timed sections; 2026 reported as 160 questions in 125 min. Check the latest notification
Negative marking¼ of the question’s marks, in both stages
Final selectionMains marks, state-wise and category-wise, subject to the language test

Patterns change. Confirm details in the latest notification on the official website.

Start here

New to IBPS Clerk? Read these first, in this order.

  1. 1The IBPS Clerk exam pattern explainedTwo online exams, no interview, and a state-wise merit list. The IBPS Clerk pattern rewards speed in the prelims and all-round accuracy in the mains. Each stage explained, with sections, marks, timers, negative marking and what the numbers mean for your preparation.
  2. 2IBPS Clerk eligibility: age, education and languageA degree in any subject, an age between 20 and 28 (with relaxations), basic computer skills and the language of the state you apply for. The IBPS Clerk eligibility rules explained, with worked age calculations and the details that most often trip candidates up.
  3. 3The IBPS Clerk syllabus, analysedThe official syllabus is a list of section names. What actually appears is a fairly stable set of question types. The topics section by section, which to learn first, a sample question of each major type solved, and a checklist to track your coverage.
  4. 4IBPS Clerk prelims strategySixty minutes, three sections, three separate 20-minute timers. The IBPS Clerk prelims is won by picking the right questions in each section. How to plan each section, what to attempt first, how to read your mock scores, and how to use the last four weeks.
  5. 5IBPS Clerk mains strategyThe mains decides your selection. It is longer and deeper than the prelims, and adds general awareness and computer knowledge. How each section works, where marks come fastest, a worked example of where extra marks really come from, and a plan for the weeks after the prelims.
  6. 6A three-month IBPS Clerk planThree months is enough to be competitive in IBPS Clerk if you use them well. A week-by-week plan (basics first, then speed, then mocks), with an hours budget, daily timetables for full-time and working candidates, and checkpoints to know whether you are on track.
  7. 7Choosing your state: vacancies, cut-offs and meritIn IBPS Clerk you apply for one state or union territory, and you compete only with others who chose it. Cut-offs can differ widely between states. How state-wise selection works, how to read vacancy tables and past cut-offs without fooling yourself, and why the language requirement comes first.

Subject by subject

Strategy

Guides on the pattern, eligibility, state choice, the language test, study plans and mock analysis. They explain how the two stages differ, how state-wise merit works and how to split your hours between prelims speed and mains depth.

All 16 Strategy guides

Numerical Ability

Tested in both stages: 35 questions in the prelims and a quantitative aptitude section in the mains. Expect simplification, approximation, number series, data interpretation and arithmetic word problems. The mains section is harder, and its size has changed between recent cycles.

All 8 Numerical Ability guides

Latest IBPS Clerk guides

IBPS ClerkNumerical AbilityProfit, loss and discount for IBPS ClerkCost price, selling price, marked price and discount. Four terms and a handful of formulas cover most profit and loss questions. The formulas and why they work, the CP = 100 method, mark-up with discount, false weights, six worked examples and eight practice questions. 5 min read·29 Sept 2026IBPS ClerkNumerical AbilityPercentage for IBPS ClerkPercentage is the base of profit and loss, interest, DI and approximation. Fraction equivalents, percentage change, successive changes, "more than or less than", reverse percentages and consumption questions, each with the reason it works, six worked examples and eight practice questions. 6 min read·28 Sept 2026IBPS ClerkNumerical AbilityQuadratic equations for IBPS ClerkTwo equations, one in x and one in y, and you decide the relation between x and y. Quadratic comparison is fast marks once you factorise quickly. The splitting method and why it works, the sign rule, the comparison rule, five worked examples and seven practice questions. 7 min read·26 Sept 2026IBPS ClerkNumerical AbilityData interpretation for IBPS ClerkA table or chart and five questions built on it. Clerk-level DI mostly tests percentages, ratios and averages on the data given. How to read a set fast, the calculation shortcuts and why they work, a fully worked table set and a pie-chart practice set with answers. 7 min read·25 Sept 2026IBPS ClerkNumerical AbilityNumber series for IBPS ClerkA row of numbers with one missing or one wrong. Clerk-level series follow a handful of patterns: differences, multiplication, squares and cubes, mixed operations and alternate terms. A checking routine and why it works, seven worked examples, and eight practice questions with answers. 6 min read·25 Sept 2026IBPS ClerkNumerical AbilityApproximation for IBPS Clerk24.98% of 399.7? Call it 25% of 400. Approximation questions reward confident rounding, not exact arithmetic. How to round and why it works, when to be careful, how to use the options, six worked examples including a trap, and eight practice questions. 6 min read·25 Sept 2026