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The IBPS Clerk syllabus is the strategic foundation of every successful preparation plan. Candidates who study broadly without understanding what the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection actually tests risk wasting preparation time on irrelevant material while underweighting the topics that directly drive scores. IBPS does not publish an exhaustive topic list in its official notification but specifies broad subject areas. This page provides the most complete and accurate topic-level breakdown of the IBPS Clerk Prelims and Mains syllabus based on the official notification framework and question paper analysis from recent cycles including the 2025 CRP CSA-XV examination.
For the complete examination overview, visit the IBPS Clerk Prelims main page. Track your topic completion using the IBPS Clerk Syllabus Tracker.
| Stage Sections Total Marks Duration | |||
| Prelims | English Language, Numerical Ability, Reasoning Ability | 100 | 60 minutes |
| Mains | General/Financial Awareness, General English, Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude | 200 | 120 minutes |
Prelims marks are not counted in the final merit. Mains marks after normalisation determine the final provisional bank allotment. Both stages have sectional cutoffs in addition to overall cutoffs.
English Language in IBPS Clerk Prelims is designed to assess basic English proficiency - reading comprehension, grammar accuracy, and vocabulary. The difficulty level is moderate and well within the capability of candidates who have completed graduation in English-medium institutions.
Reading Comprehension (RC) is the highest-weightage topic, typically contributing 10 questions from 1 to 2 passages. In IBPS Clerk Prelims:
The primary skill tested in RC is active reading speed with retention. Candidates who read slowly and need to re-read passages multiple times will struggle to complete the section within 20 minutes after accounting for other question types.
Cloze Test presents a paragraph with 5 to 7 blanks that must be filled with the most contextually and grammatically appropriate word. Recent IBPS Clerk Cloze Tests have shifted from straightforward grammar fill-ins toward vocabulary-and-context-sensitive blanks. The passage topic usually connects to a banking, economic, or social theme.
Error Detection and Correction presents sentences with underlined or highlighted portions and asks the candidate to identify grammatical errors or select the correct replacement. Common error types in IBPS Clerk:
Fill in the Blanks with single or double blanks tests vocabulary knowledge. Words tested are typically at the B2 level of English proficiency - commonly used words in formal writing that may have nuanced meanings or usage restrictions.
Para Jumbles (Sentence Rearrangement) presents 4 to 6 sentences in scrambled order that must be arranged into a coherent paragraph. The skill tested is recognising logical flow - the introductory sentence sets the topic, middle sentences develop it with transitions, and the concluding sentence wraps up. Discourse markers (however, therefore, additionally, on the other hand) are key signals for sequencing.
Miscellaneous questions include word usage, sentence improvement, match the column type questions, and finding the appropriate word for a given meaning (odd one out vocabulary).
Preparation approach for English Language: Read one editorial from a quality newspaper daily. This builds reading speed, vocabulary, and grammatical intuition simultaneously. Practise grammar rules explicitly for error detection - not by intuition but by applying specific rules. For Para Jumbles, practise identifying opening sentences (those that introduce a subject without using pronouns that refer to something mentioned earlier) and closing sentences (those that use conclusive language or summarise).
Numerical Ability in IBPS Clerk Prelims requires speed, accuracy, and comfort with basic arithmetic and data interpretation. The difficulty level is moderate compared to IBPS PO - IBPS Clerk does not test advanced statistical or algebraic DI, and arithmetic questions stay within Class 10 level concepts.
Data Interpretation (DI) is the highest-weightage topic, typically contributing 10 to 15 questions from 2 to 3 sets. Common formats in IBPS Clerk Prelims:
The arithmetic involved in IBPS Clerk DI is moderate. Multi-step calculations exist but are not as complex as in SBI PO or IBPS PO Mains. Fast percentage estimation and basic multiplication speed are the core computational requirements.
Number Series presents 5 to 6 numbers where the pattern must be identified to find the missing or wrong term. Common patterns:
Candidates should be able to identify the most common series types within 30 seconds and move on. Spending more than 60 seconds per series question is a time management failure given the section's pace requirement.
Simplification and Approximation tests BODMAS-based computation. These are typically the fastest questions in Numerical Ability for prepared candidates. Key skills:
Developing approximate mental calculation techniques (rounding to nearest 5 or 10, using fraction equivalents for percentages) dramatically speeds up this topic.
Quadratic Equations present two equations in x and y. Candidates find the roots of each and compare (x > y, x < y, x = y, or cannot be determined). These are typically 5 questions and can be solved quickly if factorisation techniques are practised.
Arithmetic Topics that appear individually (not in DI sets) include:
| Topic Key Subtopics | |
| Percentage | Percentage change, percentage of percentage, reverse percentage |
| Profit and Loss | SP, CP, markup, discount, successive discounts |
| Simple and Compound Interest | SI/CI formulae, instalment problems, difference between SI and CI |
| Ratio and Proportion | Direct/inverse proportion, partnership, division of amounts |
| Average | Simple average, weighted average, changes with additions/removals |
| Time and Work | Individual and combined work, pipe and cistern problems |
| Time, Speed, and Distance | Relative speed, train problems, boat and stream |
| Mixtures and Alligations | Mixing two substances, replacement problems |
Preparation approach for Numerical Ability: Arithmetic topics should be the first area of focus in Prelims preparation - they are the stable scoring foundation. DI practice should happen daily from the second month of preparation. Simplification and Approximation should be practised in timed bursts to build calculation speed. Number series recognition should become automatic through repetition of 5 to 10 series daily over 4 to 6 weeks.
Reasoning Ability in IBPS Clerk Prelims tests logical and analytical thinking. The difficulty level is moderate - harder than basic bank clerk reasoning but significantly less complex than IBPS PO or SBI PO Mains reasoning.
Puzzles and Seating Arrangements dominate Reasoning in IBPS Clerk just as in other banking exams, typically contributing 15 to 20 questions (3 to 4 sets). Common formats:
IBPS Clerk puzzle sets are simpler than IBPS PO puzzle sets. They typically have 3 to 5 conditions with straightforward deductions. Candidates who have mastered the grid-drawing approach (creating a table or grid and filling in information systematically) can reliably solve IBPS Clerk puzzle sets in 3 to 4 minutes.
Syllogisms present 2 to 3 statements and 2 to 3 conclusions. Candidates must determine which conclusions logically follow. IBPS regularly includes possibility-type syllogism questions (Whether Conclusion I might possibly be true) alongside definite conclusions.
Inequalities present either direct mathematical inequalities or coded symbolic inequalities. Candidates evaluate whether given conclusions (A > C, A = B, etc.) follow from the chain.
Coding-Decoding in IBPS Clerk uses rule-based coding where each word is represented by a code that follows a specific transformation pattern. Recent IBPS papers use 3-word coded message formats where the code is identified by comparing common elements across sentences.
Blood Relations tests the ability to determine family relationships from a set of statements. Questions can be in direct statement format or in puzzle format (if A is the brother of B's father's daughter...).
Direction and Distance requires tracking movement through a series of turns and computing either the final direction or the straight-line distance from the starting point. Pythagoras theorem is needed for diagonal distance questions.
Alphanumeric Series presents a sequence of letters, numbers, and symbols. Questions ask about position, count of specific elements, or pattern identification within the series.
Data Sufficiency (appears occasionally in Mains-level reasoning) presents a question followed by two statements. Candidates determine whether the statements individually or together are sufficient to answer the question.
Input-Output questions in IBPS Clerk use a machine that rearranges words and numbers in a specific pattern across multiple steps. Candidates identify the pattern and predict the output at a given step.
Preparation approach for Reasoning Ability: Puzzles first. Any candidate preparing for IBPS Clerk should be able to reliably solve 2 to 3 puzzle sets in 12 to 14 minutes within the 20-minute Reasoning window. This leaves 6 to 8 minutes for the 15 to 20 remaining questions covering Syllogisms, Inequalities, Blood Relations, and Directions - which are manageable in that timeframe for candidates who have practised these topics individually.
This section is not tested in Prelims and is the single biggest differentiator between candidates at the Mains stage who have similar aptitude scores.
| Sub-topic Coverage | |
| Current Affairs (Last 6 months) | National and international events, government schemes, appointments, summits |
| Banking Awareness | RBI functions and policies, types of banks, financial inclusion schemes |
| Financial Terms | GDP, fiscal deficit, NPA, SARFAESI Act, Basel norms, types of accounts |
| Indian Financial System | Regulatory bodies (SEBI, IRDAI, PFRDA, NABARD), financial markets |
| Banking History | Nationalisation of banks, SBI formation, merger history |
| Static Banking | Types of cheques, negotiable instruments, banking Acts |
| Government Schemes | PM Jan Dhan Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima, PM Jeevan Jyoti, Atal Pension Yojana |
| International Banking | IMF, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, SWIFT, IBAN |
Candidates who read a quality financial newspaper (Economic Times or Business Standard) regularly and maintain a monthly current affairs compilation score significantly higher in this section than those who attempt last-minute cramming.
At the Mains level, QA includes all Prelims topics at higher difficulty, plus:
Computer Aptitude has been removed from Mains Reasoning (as of the 2025 revision). The section now focuses entirely on advanced Reasoning. Puzzle complexity increases significantly at Mains level compared to Prelims.
General English at Mains level follows the same topic structure as Prelims but with longer, more complex RC passages, more nuanced error detection, and advanced vocabulary questions.
The IBPS Clerk Prelims Test Series on Aspirant Mitraa provides topic-wise tests for individual topics (covering everything from Basic Puzzles through DI formats to Error Detection question types), section-wise timed tests replicating the 20-minute sectional windows, and full-length mock tests matching the revised 100-question, 60-minute pattern. Topic-wise tests should be attempted immediately after completing each topic from the preparation source, ensuring active assessment rather than passive reading.
Is the IBPS Clerk Prelims syllabus the same as IBPS PO Prelims? The broad subject areas are the same - English Language, Numerical/Quantitative Ability, and Reasoning Ability. However, the difficulty level is lower in IBPS Clerk. IBPS PO questions require deeper analytical ability; IBPS Clerk questions test fundamental concepts at a moderate difficulty level with greater emphasis on speed.
Is Computer Knowledge tested in IBPS Clerk Mains 2026? No. From the 2025 revision onwards, Computer Aptitude has been removed from the IBPS Clerk Mains exam. The Reasoning section in Mains is now purely Reasoning Ability without the Computer Aptitude component.
How important is General Awareness for IBPS Clerk Mains? Very important. The General/Financial Awareness section carries 50 marks in Mains and covers both static banking knowledge and the last 6 months of current affairs. This section is the primary differentiator between candidates with otherwise similar aptitude scores.
Is the Mains syllabus the same as Prelims? The Prelims topics (English, Numerical Ability, Reasoning) continue in Mains at higher difficulty. Mains adds a General/Financial Awareness section that does not appear in Prelims. The absence of GK in Prelims means Banking Awareness preparation must be specifically tracked as a Mains-focused activity from the beginning of preparation.
How many topics should I cover before attempting the first mock test? Begin topic-wise tests as soon as each topic is studied. Begin full-length sectional practice after completing all topics within a section. Begin full-length Prelims mock tests after approximately 70% of the Prelims syllabus is covered. This prevents mock tests from being demoralising due to preparation gaps rather than performance gaps.
Stay updated with the latest news and notifications about IBPS Clerk Prelims Syllabus 2026 - Topic-wise Breakdown for Prelims and Mains and other exams.
ExamUpdateAspirantMitraa
20 May 2026
ExamResultAspirantMitraa
20 May 2026
