IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern 2025, Check Prelims and Mains Exam Pattern

The IBPS Clerk exam has two stages – Prelims and Mains. Prelims has three sections: English, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning, lasting 60 minutes. Mains has four sections: General/Financial Awareness, General English, Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude, and Quantitative Aptitude. Mains duration is 160 minutes with sectional time limits. Prelims are qualifying, and Mains marks decide the final selection. Both are online tests with objective-type questions in multiple-choice format.

The syllabus matches the exam pattern for both Prelims and Mains. Prelims covers English language basics, simple math problems, and logical reasoning questions. Mains expands to include advanced reasoning, data interpretation, computer knowledge, and financial awareness. Understanding the pattern helps decide what subjects to focus on more. It also guides time management by knowing the section weightage, total questions, and marks distribution for each part of the exam.

The Prelims exam has three sections – English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability. Each section has a fixed time limit of 20 minutes, adding up to 60 minutes total. Questions are multiple-choice, and wrong answers have a penalty of 0.25 marks. Scoring well in Prelims is essential to reach the Mains stage. The marks from Prelims are not counted in the final merit, but minimum cut-off marks must be achieved in each section.

The Mains exam consists of four sections: General/Financial Awareness, General English, Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude, and Quantitative Aptitude. Sectional timing applies to each part, making up a total duration of 160 minutes. There are 190 questions overall, worth 200 marks. General Awareness tests knowledge of banking and economy, English checks language skills, Reasoning assesses logic and problem-solving, and Quantitative Aptitude covers advanced math topics, including data interpretation.

The Prelims exam lasts 60 minutes in total. It is divided into three sections with 20 minutes each – English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability. Sectional timing means you cannot skip ahead; you must finish one section before moving to the next. This makes time management critical during preparation and the real test. The pace must be steady, ensuring accuracy while answering as many questions as possible in each fixed time slot.

The Mains exam is 160 minutes long, with sectional timing for all four parts: General/Financial Awareness (35 minutes), General English (35 minutes), Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (45 minutes), and Quantitative Aptitude (45 minutes). You cannot switch between sections before time is up. Understanding these limits helps plan pacing in practice. The total marks are 200, and each section has a specific number of questions, making careful preparation important to balance speed and accuracy.

Prelims contains 100 questions in total – English Language (30), Numerical Ability (35), and Reasoning Ability (35). Each question is worth 1 mark, making the maximum score 100. Wrong answers result in a negative marking of 0.25 marks. The questions are objective-type and online, requiring quick thinking and accuracy. Understanding question distribution helps focus your study on weaker sections while still practicing the stronger areas thoroughly before the actual examination day.

Mains includes 190 questions across four sections: General/Financial Awareness (50), General English (40), Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude (50), and Quantitative Aptitude (50). Total marks are 200, so some questions are worth more than 1 mark. Negative marking applies – 0.25 marks are deducted for wrong answers. Sectional timing restricts movement between parts. This setup tests speed, accuracy, and knowledge depth across varied topics, from banking awareness to complex logical and numerical problems.

Sectional timing means each section of the exam has its own fixed time limit. In Prelims, each of the three sections gets 20 minutes. In Mains, times vary by section: 35 to 45 minutes. You cannot attempt another section until the time for the current one ends. Sectional timing forces balanced preparation across all sections, as you cannot use extra time from one to improve another. Practicing under timed conditions is key.

Yes, both Prelims and Mains have negative marking. For each wrong answer, 0.25 marks are deducted from your score. Leaving a question unanswered does not reduce marks. This rule means accuracy is just as important as speed. Guessing without elimination can hurt your score. Being careful and ruling out wrong options before answering can improve your performance, keeping penalties low. Strategizing when to skip questions can help maximize overall marks.

The Mains exam has 200 marks distributed over 190 questions. General/Financial Awareness: 50 questions, 50 marks; General English: 40 questions, 40 marks; Reasoning & Computer Aptitude: 50 questions worth 60 marks; Quantitative Aptitude: 50 questions worth 50 marks. Each section has its own difficulty, and marks per question may vary slightly. Knowing the distribution helps in targeting high-scoring areas and identifying sections that need more practice before the exam.

In IBPS Clerk Mains, Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude have the highest weight with 50 questions worth 60 marks. This means each question carries 1.2 marks. It tests logical thinking, puzzles, and basic computer knowledge like shortcuts, MS Office, and internet terms. Scoring well here boosts the total significantly. Practicing varied reasoning problems and revising computer basics improves familiarity and confidence, making this section a strong scoring opportunity if prepared thoroughly.