IBPS Clerk prelims 2026 exam is on October 10 and 11. Candidates can prepare for IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026 with key topics, exam pattern breakdown and expert section wise revision tips for English, Quant, and Reasoning.
IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026 Exam
IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026: Institute of Banking Personnel Selection will conduct IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026 exam on October 10 and 11 for recruitment of Customer Service Associates. Admit card was released on October 1, 2026 and candidates can download it from ibps.in.
Exam will be held in multiple shifts each day and exact shift, reporting time and centre are printed on each candidate's admit card. With exam just a day away, most useful thing candidates can do is revise topics that carry most marks. IBPS Clerk Prelims has three sections: English Language, Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability.
Each section has its own set of topics that are asked again and again. Check below important topics for each section, based on IBPS Clerk Prelims 2025 exam analysis and recent trends, along with simple tips to use them well.
Also Read: IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026: Last 5 Days Preparation and Revision Plan
- IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026 Exam Pattern
- IBPS Clerk Prelims Important Topics: Reasoning Ability
- IBPS Clerk Prelims Important Topics: Numerical Ability
- IBPS Clerk Prelims Important Topics: English Language
- IBPS Clerk Prelims 2025 Analysis
- Tips for IBPS Clerk Last-Minute Revision
IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026 Exam Pattern
Before going into topics, candidates can check IBPS Clerk exam pattern below
| Section |
Questions |
Marks |
Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language |
30 |
30 |
20 minutes |
| Numerical Ability |
35 |
35 |
20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability |
35 |
35 |
20 minutes |
| Total |
100 |
100 |
60 minutes |
There is negative marking of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer.
Commonly asked questions
To stay updated with current events, read newspapers and magazines. Important topics for General Awareness are Current Affairs Monetary Plans, Indian Financial System, Introduction to National Institutions, Indian Banking System, Banking Terms, etc.
To crack IBPS Clerk 2023 in three months candidates must Segregate & set targets, Self analysis based on the subject, Learn shortcut and tricks, Enhance speed & \accuracy, focusing on English and General Knowledge Practice regularly
IBPS Clerk syllabus is same for all other Clerical level exams. Candidates preparing for other banking exams can use IBPS Clerk syllabus to clear topics and concepts covered in syllabus. Candidates should always check specific syllabus for exam they are preparing for to ensure that they are focusing on most relevant topics.
Candidates can check below few tips and tricks.
- Go through the syllabus
- Memorise the formulas and concepts
- Practice mock tests and analyse the strengths and weaknesses
- Focus on revision
IBPS Clerk Prelims Important Topics: Reasoning Ability
Reasoning has 35 questions, and it is usually most important section of exam. Candidates can check IBPS Clerk Prelims important topics below
| Topic |
Priority |
What to Revise |
|---|---|---|
| Seating Arrangement |
Very High |
Linear (8 persons), circular, square (inward/outward facing), parallel rows, uncertain number of persons |
| Puzzles |
Very High |
Box-based (8 boxes), floor-based, month/date-based, day-based, sequence-based |
| Syllogism |
High |
Possibility cases, "all/some/no" statements and conclusions |
| Inequality |
High |
Direct and coded inequalities |
| Coding-Decoding |
Medium |
Letter, number and word coding |
| Blood Relations |
Medium |
Family trees and coded relations |
| Direction Sense |
Medium |
Distance and direction, ‘certain number of persons' type questions |
| Order and Ranking |
Medium |
Rank from left/right, top/bottom |
| Alphanumeric/Number Series |
Low to Medium |
Pattern-based series |
Tip: In exam, start with shorter topics to collect quick marks and then attempt puzzle sets.
IBPS Clerk Prelims Important Topics: Numerical Ability
Numerical Ability has 35 questions. This section is mostly about speed and calculation. Candidates can check Numerical ability topics
| Topic |
Priority |
What to Revise |
|---|---|---|
| Simplification/Approximation |
Very High |
BODMAS, squares, cubes, fractions and percentage tables |
| Data Interpretation |
Very High |
Table, bar graph, line graph, pie chart (calculation-based questions) |
| Number Series |
High |
Missing number and wrong number series |
| Quadratic Equations |
High |
Comparing two variables (x and y) |
| Arithmetic Word Problems |
High |
Percentage, ratio and proportion, profit and loss, simple and compound interest |
| Time, Speed, Distance and Work |
Medium |
Trains, boats and streams, pipes and cisterns, time and work |
| Average, Ages, Mixtures |
Medium |
Basic formulas and shortcuts |
| Data Sufficiency |
Low |
Basic questions with two statements |
Tip: Learn squares up to 30, cubes up to 15 and common fraction percentage values.
IBPS Clerk Prelims Important Topics: English Language
English has 30 questions. Candidates can check English important topics
| Topic |
Priority |
What to Revise |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension |
Very High |
Practice passages on banking, economy, social and general topics, with inference and vocabulary questions |
| Cloze Test |
High |
Passage with blanks, grammar and context clues |
| Error Spotting |
High |
Subject-verb agreement, tenses, prepositions, articles |
| Sentence Improvement/Fillers |
Medium |
Single and double fillers, phrase replacement |
| Para Jumbles/Sentence Rearrangement |
Medium |
Finding opening sentence and connectors |
| Vocabulary |
Medium |
Synonyms, antonyms, word usage |
| Word Swap/Misspelt Words |
Low |
Basic rule-based questions |
Tip: Do not spend more than 6 to 7 minutes on reading passage. Attempt grammar-based questions first.
IBPS Clerk Prelims 2025 Analysis
Candidates can check IBPS Clerk Prelims 2025 analysis below
| Subjects |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|
| Maths |
Moderate |
| Reasoning |
Moderate |
| English |
Easy |
Tips for IBPS Clerk Last-Minute Revision
- Revise, don't learn new topics.
- Revise formulas and shortcuts once.
- Do one or two puzzle sets.
- Plan your section order.
- Do not take heavy mock tests on last day.
Also Read: IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026 on October 10 and 11: Admit Card Out, Check Shift Timings and Reporting Time
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