IBPS Clerk
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection — Clerical Cadre
IBPS Clerk Exam 2026 (CRP Clerical Cadre) — Full Guide: Pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility, Salary
The IBPS Clerk examination, officially called the Common Recruitment Process for CRP Clerical Cadre (CRP-CSA), is conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) every year to recruit Clerks (also known as General Banking Assistants / Customer Service Executives) for participating public sector banks across India. IBPS recruits clerical cadre staff on behalf of banks such as State Bank of India participating members excluding SBI itself, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, Indian Bank, Central Bank of India and others that join the process for that cycle.
The selection is a fully online, objective (MCQ) based two-stage process — Preliminary and Main examinations — with no interview for the clerical cadre. Final merit is prepared purely from the Mains score after qualifying in Prelims. The current recruitment cycle is CRP-CSA-XVI; the official notification was released on 01 August 2026 and online applications opened on the same date. Candidates who are graduates in any discipline and aged between 20 and 28 years are eligible. Facts below are based on the IBPS CRP Clerk pattern of recent cycles; cycle-specific figures are marked tentative.
Overview / Key Highlights
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Name | IBPS Clerk / Common Recruitment Process for CRP Clerical Cadre (CRP-CSA-XVI) |
| Conducting Body | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) |
| Exam Level | Graduation level (national, multi-state) |
| Mode of Exam | Online Computer Based Test (CBT) for both Prelims and Mains |
| Exam Medium | English and Hindi (except the English Language section) |
| Number of Stages | Two — Prelims (qualifying) and Mains (merit-making) |
| Interview | No interview; final selection on Mains merit only |
| Negative Marking | Yes — 0.25 marks deducted for every wrong answer in both stages |
| Mode of Application | Online at ibpsreg.ibps.in (no offline form) |
| Official Website | https://www.ibps.in |
Selection Process
The IBPS Clerk selection process consists of two successive stages. There is no interview and no separate skill test for the clerical cadre in the current structure.
- Stage 1 — Preliminary Examination: An online objective test of 100 questions carrying 100 marks. This stage is only qualifying in nature; the score obtained in Prelims is not added to the final merit.
- Stage 2 — Main Examination: An online objective test of 190 questions carrying 200 marks, covering four sections including Computer Aptitude and Financial Awareness. The final merit list is prepared on the basis of the Mains score.
- Provisional Allotment: Candidates who clear the Mains are provisionally allotted to participating banks/States based on their merit rank, category, and preference of State/bank submitted at the time of application.
- Document Verification & joining: Shortlisted candidates undergo verification of original certificates (educational, age, caste/EWS certificate, local language proof, etc.) and are then issued appointment letters by the allotted bank.
Exam Pattern — Preliminary Examination
The Prelims is a qualifying online objective test of 1 hour (60 minutes). Each section is separately timed and candidates must complete the sections in the order presented on screen.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
Important notes: Every section is allotted a fixed time; there is no sectional cut-off but the overall cut-off is category-wise. 0.25 marks are deducted for each incorrect answer. A minimum qualifying score decided by IBPS (roughly 7–9 marks out of 100, tentative) must be obtained to move to the Mains. There is no minimum qualifying mark in individual sections for the Prelims.
Exam Pattern — Main Examination
The Mains is an online objective test of 200 marks with 2 hours 40 minutes total duration. It determines the final merit.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 50 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| English Language | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 45 minutes |
| General / Financial Awareness | 50 | 50 | 35 minutes |
| Total | 190 | 200 | 2 hrs 40 min |
Important notes: In the Mains, 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer. In the English Language section of the Mains, questions are of descriptive nature in objective form (a paragraph/essay of about 150 words is asked for 15 marks in recent cycles — tentative), while the rest remain objective. The final merit is based on the total Mains score, adjusted for negative marking; candidates must also secure the category-wise cut-off in the Mains.
Detailed Syllabus (Subject-wise)
English Language (Prelims & Mains)
- Reading Comprehension (factual and inferential passages)
- Cloze Test and sentence-level fill in the blanks
- Spotting grammatical errors and sentence correction
- Para Jumbles — rearranging sentences to form a coherent paragraph
- Para/Sentence Completion and word replacement
- Vocabulary-based questions: synonyms, antonyms, idioms & phrases
- Active/Passive voice and Direct/Indirect narration
- Prepositions, conjunctions, articles, tenses and subject-verb agreement
- Descriptive writing — short essay / paragraph of about 150 words (Mains only)
Quantitative Aptitude (Prelims & Mains)
- Number Series — missing and wrong number series
- Simplification, approximation and surds & indices
- Data Interpretation — tabular, bar, line and pie chart, and caselet DI
- Percentages, profit & loss and discounts
- Ratio and proportion, partnership and mixture & alligation
- Time and work, pipes and cisterns, time-speed-distance and boats & streams
- Averages and ages
- Simple and compound interest
- Permutation, combination and probability
- Quadratic equations and inequalities
- Data Sufficiency
- Mensuration (area, volume and surface area)
Reasoning Ability (Prelims)
- Seating arrangement — linear and circular (both facing and mixed)
- Puzzle-based reasoning (floor, day, month, comparison puzzles)
- Inequalities — coded inequalities and direct inequalities
- Syllogism (conventional and reverse)
- Blood relations and family trees
- Direction and distance sense test
- Coding-decoding (including word and symbol coding)
- Order and ranking / sequence problems
- Alphanumeric series
- Data sufficiency
- Analogy and classification (odd one out)
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (Mains)
- High-level seating arrangements and puzzles (floor, scheduling, box, month-day)
- Coded and reverse syllogism
- Data sufficiency and logical reasoning
- Input-Output (machine arrangement)
- Inequalities and coded inequalities
- Computer fundamentals — hardware, software and operating systems
- Computer networks, internet and e-mail basics
- MS Office basics (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and shortcuts
- Database concepts and data communication basics
- Keyboard shortcuts and computer terminology
General / Financial Awareness (Mains only)
- Current affairs of the last 5–6 months (national and international)
- Banking awareness — Reserve Bank of India, monetary policy and banking structure
- Financial awareness — capital markets, SEBI, mutual funds and insurance
- Government schemes on banking and finance (PMJDY, DBT, UPI, etc.)
- Economy — GDP, inflation, fiscal policy and budget basics
- Important appointments, awards and sports news
- Flagship schemes and programs of the Government of India
- International organizations (IMF, World Bank, WTO) and headquarters
- Business news and corporate announcements
- Static financial GK — acronyms in banking and finance
Marking Scheme
| Aspect | Prelims | Mains |
|---|---|---|
| Marks per question | 1 mark each | 1 to 1.5 marks depending on section |
| Negative marking | 0.25 marks per wrong answer | 0.25 marks per wrong answer |
| Unattempted questions | No penalty | No penalty |
| Qualifying cut-off | Category-wise minimum set by IBPS | Category-wise minimum plus final merit cut-off |
| Weightage | Qualifying only; score not added | 100% weightage for final merit |
| Normalization | Not normally applied | Score may be equated for multi-session tests |
Since the Mains is held in multiple shifts/sessions, IBPS may apply a score normalization method for fairness. The final cut-offs vary every year by category, State and number of vacancies, and therefore previous-year cut-off figures should be treated as indicative only.
Eligibility Criteria
Educational Qualification
A candidate must hold a degree (Graduation) in any discipline from a university recognized by the Government of India or an equivalent qualification. Candidates in their final year of graduation are also eligible to apply on a provisional basis, provided they produce proof of passing before the date fixed by IBPS.
Age Limit
Candidates must be between 20 and 28 years of age as of the cut-off date notified by IBPS (age relaxation as applicable).
| Category | Upper Age Relaxation |
|---|---|
| SC / ST | 5 years (up to 33 years) |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | 3 years (up to 31 years) |
| PwD (Persons with Benchmark Disability) | 10 years (up to 38 years) |
| Ex-Servicemen / Displaced / Victims of riots (specified) | As per Government norms |
Local Language Proficiency
Every candidate must have studied a local language of the State he/she applies for (i.e., one of the official languages of the State), either at the 10th or 12th standard, or have studied the language as an elective subject. Proof of proficiency may be required at the time of joining/document verification.
Number of Attempts
There is no limit on the number of attempts for IBPS Clerk, subject to the age limit. Candidates may appear in every cycle until they cross the upper age bound for their category.
Application Process & Fees
- Visit the official IBPS website or the registration portal and click on the CRP-CSA-XVI apply link.
- Click on "New Registration", enter your basic details and generate a provisional registration number and password.
- Upload scanned photographs, signature, left thumb impression and hand-writing declaration in the specified format and dimensions.
- Fill in the detailed application form including educational qualification, category, State of domicile/preference of banks and exam city.
- Preview the form, confirm the declaration and pay the application fee online.
- Keep the submitted application printout and reference number for future reference.
| Category | Application Fee (intimation charges) |
|---|---|
| SC / ST / PwBD / Ex-Servicemen | Rs. 175 (intimation charges only, tentative) |
| All other categories (GEN / OBC / EWS) | Rs. 850 (tentative) |
Payment is accepted online through debit/credit cards, net banking and UPI. The exact fee and important dates are announced in the official notification; the current cycle opened applications on 01 August 2026.
Salary / Pay Scale
IBPS Clerk selected candidates are appointed as Clerk / General Banking Assistant in public sector banks. The pay is fixed under the industry-wide bipartite settlement (10th Bipartite Settlement, tentative). The approximate emoluments are:
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Pay Scale | Rs. 17900 – 1000/3 – 20900 – 1230/3 – 24590 – 1490/4 – 30550 – 1730/7 – 42660 – 3270/1 – 45930 – 1990/1 – 47920 (tentative) |
| Gross Monthly Pay | Approximately Rs. 30,000 – 35,000 including DA, HRA and other allowances (tentative) |
| Allowances | Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance, city compensatory allowance, special allowance and other perks per bank policy |
| In-hand Salary | Approximately Rs. 26,000 – 30,000 depending on the city of posting (tentative) |
| Increments | Annual increments as per the applicable pay scale with career progression to Officer cadres |
Official Links
- Official IBPS website: https://www.ibps.in
- IBPS CRP Clerk (Clerical Cadre) page: https://www.ibps.in/index.php/clerical-cadre/
- CRP-CSA-XVI official notification PDF: Download Notification PDF
- Apply Online (CRP-CSA-XVI): https://ibpsreg.ibps.in/csaxvijul26/
- CRP Clerks XV (previous cycle) page: https://www.ibps.in/index.php/clerical-cadre-xv/
Candidates should download the detailed syllabus and exam pattern PDF attached to the notification. The complete notification contains the State-wise vacancies, reservation details and exam calendar.
Preparation Tips & Strategy
- Speed with accuracy first: Since every wrong answer costs 0.25 marks, never guess blindly.
- Master time management by sections: Practice each Prelims section within its fixed 20-minute slot using sectional mocks.
- Prioritize high-weightage topics: In Quant, master Data Interpretation and Simplification; in Reasoning, master puzzles and seating arrangements.
- Read daily current affairs and banking news: Revise the last 5–6 months of banking, economy and national current affairs.
- Give full-length mock tests: Simulate the actual 2-hour-40-minute Mains environment and analyze sectional accuracy and negative-marking loss.
- Prepare the descriptive answer in Mains: Practice writing a clean 150-word paragraph/essay on banking and social topics.
- Strengthen speed math: Learn short-cuts and approximation techniques for simplification and arithmetic.
- Revise Computer Aptitude basics: Focus on MS Office, shortcuts and networking basics — easy scoring marks in the Mains.
- Keep the last month for mocks and revision: Focus on mock tests, error log revision and previous-year cut-off analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is there an interview in the IBPS Clerk selection process?
No. The IBPS Clerk selection consists only of the Preliminary and Main examinations. There is no interview or personal interview for the clerical cadre; final allotment is based on the Mains score and category-wise merit.
Q: Is IBPS Clerk the same as IBPS PO?
No. IBPS PO (CRP PO/MT) recruits Probationary Officers/Management Trainees into the officer cadre and includes an interview, whereas IBPS Clerk (CRP Clerical Cadre) recruits Clerks/General Banking Assistants with no interview. The exam pattern and syllabus of the two are similar but not identical.
Q: What is the negative marking in IBPS Clerk?
In both the Prelims and Mains, 0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong answer. Unattempted questions carry no penalty.
Q: Can final-year graduates apply for IBPS Clerk?
Yes. Candidates who are in their final year of graduation can apply provisionally, provided they pass and produce proof of the degree within the time stipulated in the notification.
Q: How many attempts are allowed for IBPS Clerk?
There is no fixed limit. Candidates can apply in every cycle as long as they satisfy the age limit (20–28 years, with category relaxation).
Q: Do I need to know the local language of the State?
Yes. Proficiency in the local/official language of the State you apply for is mandatory. Candidates who studied the language at matriculation or higher level are generally eligible.
Closing Note
The exact dates, vacancies, application window, fee and exam schedule for each IBPS Clerk cycle are notified officially by IBPS and may differ from one cycle to another. Always rely on the official notification and the IBPS website for authoritative information, and keep checking https://www.ibps.in for the latest updates.