IBPS Clerk 2026 exam pattern — sections, marks, negative marking
IBPS Clerk (IBPS Customer Service Associate / Clerk Recruitment (CRP CSA)) is conducted by Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). The stages are: Prelims CBT → Mains CBT → provisional allotment (no interview). This page sets out each stage with its sections, questions, marks, duration and negative marking, explains how the final selection is made, and shows how to approach each subject. For dates and the current status of the 2026 cycle, see the IBPS Clerk guide.
Preliminary Examination (Qualifying): 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes, One-fourth of the marks assigned to the question (−0.25) per wrong answer. Main Examination (Objective, merit-deciding): 160 questions, 200 marks, 125 minutes, One-fourth of the marks assigned to the question per wrong answer.
✓ Data verified 4 Oct 2026
Stage-wise exam pattern
Preliminary Examination (Qualifying) Qualifying — shortlists candidates for the Mains
Online CBT · 60 min · One-fourth of the marks assigned to the question (−0.25) per wrong answer
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
Flat +1 per correct answer, −0.25 per wrong answer, with a separate 20-minute timer on each section — you cannot move between sections or bank time. You must clear the sectional cut-off in each of the three tests and land inside the shortlist; IBPS shortlists an adequate number of candidates per category per state, depending on that state's vacancies. The prelims score is discarded after shortlisting — only the mains counts in the final merit. Available in English and Hindi plus the regional languages notified for your state.
Main Examination (Objective, merit-deciding) Merit-deciding — mains marks alone form the final merit (no interview)
Online CBT, separately-timed sections · 125 min · One-fourth of the marks assigned to the question per wrong answer
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General / Financial Awareness | 40 | 50 |
| General English | 40 | 40 |
| Reasoning Ability | 40 | 60 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 40 | 50 |
| Total | 160 | 200 |
This is the revised mains structure — 160 questions for 200 marks in 125 minutes, replacing the older 190-question scheme — with weighted marking: Reasoning carries 1.5 marks per question, General/Financial Awareness and Quantitative Aptitude 1.25, General English 1.0. Section order is not fixed on screen and each section is separately timed (20 + 35 + 35 + 35 minutes). You need a minimum score in each test and a minimum total, decided state-wise and category-wise against vacancies, to be considered for provisional allotment. Candidates should expect to be at the venue for about 3 hours including formalities. Marks obtained in the mains only are considered for the final merit listing.
Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT) and Provisional Allotment Qualifying language test — then merit-based allotment to a bank
Conducted after the mains, by an independent body or the bank · Marks-based but **qualifying only** — failing it removes you from the process
You pick one local language at application time from the list for your state/UT. Candidates who have studied that language in Class 10 or above (with a mark-sheet/certificate as proof) are exempt from the test. Since there is no interview, the mains merit list flows directly into provisional allotment across the 11 participating banks, honouring state-wise vacancies and reservation norms. Allotment validity runs one year from the date of provisional allotment or until a fresh allotment, whichever is earlier.
Selection process
Prelims (qualifying) → Mains (final merit) → Local Language Proficiency Test (qualifying) → Provisional Allotment. The prelims filters candidates per state and category through sectional cut-offs plus a shortlist. The mains — 160 questions, 200 marks, 125 minutes — alone decides the merit; there is no interview. Mains-qualified candidates then clear the local-language test (unless exempt with Class-10 proof) and IBPS allots them to a participating bank against the vacancies of the applied state/UT. Since marks are normalised across shifts with the equi-percentile method, your state's cut-off — not your raw score — is the number to beat.
Normalisation: why your raw score is not your final score
Because the exam runs in many shifts with different papers, IBPS normalises corrected scores across sessions using the equi-percentile method, carrying scores to two decimals, before declaring results and cut-offs. Practical reading: (1) never compare raw marks across shifts, years or states; (2) a tough shift is not a penalty — the normalised score is what counts; (3) target scores should come from your state's recent cut-offs, which vary enormously (recent prelims cut-offs ranged from the mid-40s to the high-80s out of 100 across states).
How to read this pattern
Each stage carries a tag that tells you what it is for. In this exam: Preliminary Examination (Qualifying) is “Qualifying — shortlists candidates for the Mains”; Main Examination (Objective, merit-deciding) is “Merit-deciding — mains marks alone form the final merit (no interview)”; Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT) and Provisional Allotment is “Qualifying language test — then merit-based allotment to a bank”. Read each stage's tag and notes to see whether its marks count towards the final merit or only decide who moves to the next stage, because that changes how much risk is worth taking on a single question.
Always check the negative marking line before you decide how freely to guess. Where there is a penalty, a wrong answer costs marks; where the data says there is none, leaving a question blank only loses the chance to score.
Question counts per section are the best guide to how much time and practice each subject deserves. Use the tables above to split your preparation in proportion to the marks on offer, and revisit the split after each mock or topic test.
How to approach each section
Each subject below links to the full notes on ExamShortcut. Topics are listed as high importance where our topic data flags them; the question counts come from the pattern above.
English Comprehension
All 14 topics →Preliminary Examination (Qualifying): 30 questions, 30 marks · Main Examination (Objective, merit-deciding): 40 questions, 40 marks
Build the basics in grammar (error spotting, fill in the blanks, sentence improvement) and add a little vocabulary every day: idioms, one-word substitutions, synonyms and spellings. For comprehension, read the questions before the passage and answer from the text, not from outside knowledge.
High-importance topics: Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Error Spotting, Sentence Improvement, Fill in the Blanks, Grammar Essentials (Handbook)
Quantitative Aptitude
All 23 topics →Preliminary Examination (Qualifying): 35 questions, 35 marks · Main Examination (Objective, merit-deciding): 40 questions, 50 marks
Learn the formula and the shortcut for each topic first, then drill timed sets so that routine calculation questions take seconds. In the exam, take the questions you can do quickly and leave the long, multi-step ones for the end. Topic tests after every chapter show which topics still cost you time.
High-importance topics: Number System, Percentage, Ratio, Proportion, Partnership & Ages, Average, Interest (SI & CI), Profit, Loss & Discount
General Intelligence & Reasoning
All 20 topics →Preliminary Examination (Qualifying): 35 questions, 35 marks · Main Examination (Objective, merit-deciding): 40 questions, 60 marks
Reasoning rewards pattern recognition, so practise each question type until you recognise it on sight: series, coding-decoding, analogy, classification, syllogism, direction and blood-relation questions, and non-verbal figures. Work in rough on paper rather than in your head, and skip any puzzle that is not settling within a minute or so.
High-importance topics: Analogy, Classification (Odd One Out), Series (Number & Letter), Coding - Decoding, Blood Relations, Seating Arrangement
General Awareness
All 14 topics →Main Examination (Objective, merit-deciding): 40 questions, 50 marks
General awareness is memory work, so revise in short, regular rounds instead of cramming. Combine static GK tables with the last several months of current affairs, and use the daily quiz to keep facts fresh. Decide in advance how much time you will give it.
High-importance topics: Modern Indian History, Indian Polity & Constitution, Indian Geography, Indian Economy, Biology, Static GK
Next, check who can apply on the IBPS Clerk eligibility page and compare posts and pay on the IBPS Clerk salary and posts page.
IBPS Clerk exam pattern — FAQs
What is the selection process for IBPS Clerk?
Prelims CBT → Mains CBT → provisional allotment (no interview).
What is the Preliminary Examination (Qualifying) pattern in IBPS Clerk?
100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes, One-fourth of the marks assigned to the question (−0.25) per wrong answer. Sections: English Language (30 questions, 30 marks); Numerical Ability (35 questions, 35 marks); Reasoning Ability (35 questions, 35 marks).
What is the Main Examination (Objective, merit-deciding) pattern in IBPS Clerk?
160 questions, 200 marks, 125 minutes, One-fourth of the marks assigned to the question per wrong answer. Sections: General / Financial Awareness (40 questions, 50 marks); General English (40 questions, 40 marks); Reasoning Ability (40 questions, 60 marks); Quantitative Aptitude (40 questions, 50 marks).
Is there an interview in IBPS Clerk?
No. Selection is mains-only: marks obtained in the Main examination alone form the final merit, followed by the qualifying local-language test and provisional allotment. This makes mains accuracy worth more than in PO, where an interview can still rescue a marginal score.
What is the negative marking in IBPS Clerk?
One-fourth (0.25) of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer in both stages. Unanswered questions cost nothing. In the mains, where questions are worth up to 1.5 marks, a wrong guess costs proportionally more.
Is there sectional timing and a sectional cut-off?
Yes, in both stages. Prelims: 20 minutes each for English, Numerical Ability and Reasoning, with a sectional qualifying cut-off in each test plus a state-wise shortlist. Mains: separately-timed sections (20 minutes General/Financial Awareness, then 35 minutes each for English, Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude) with minimum marks per test and a minimum total for the merit consideration.
What is the Local Language Proficiency Test?
A qualifying, marks-based test of your chosen state's local language (reading, writing, speaking, understanding), conducted after the mains and before joining. Candidates who studied that language in Class 10 or above and can show the mark-sheet/certificate are exempt. Failing it removes you from the process even with a merit-list rank.
How does normalisation work?
IBPS normalises corrected scores across exam shifts using the equi-percentile method (to two decimals), so candidates facing harder papers are not disadvantaged. Published cut-offs are always on normalised scores — comparing raw marks across shifts or years is meaningless.