IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern 2023-24

The IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern is set by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection which is the conducting body for the clerical cadre examination for the various banks participating in the IBPS recruitment.

The IBPS conducts the Clerk exam which is held every year to recruit clerks for the major Public Sector Banks (PSBs) of India.

Aspirants must know that the competition in this bank exam is very high, and hence, effective preparation requires familiarity with the IBPS Clerk Exam pattern.

Every year a lot of aspirants fill in the IBPS clerk application form but only a handful of them are able to qualify the exam. It is important that before starting the exam preparation, candidates get familiar with the exam pattern and accordingly figure out a study plan.

There are various other aspects of the IBPS Clerk exam which a candidate must be well aware about. This includes eligibility, syllabus, exam dates, online application, etc.

In this article, we will discuss the IBPS Clerk exam pattern of the clerical cadre bank examination.

For details on upcoming bank exams, refer to the linked article.

Interested candidates can also know more about the Bank Clerk exam, job profile of a clerk, eligibility, exam syllabus, salary and other details at the linked article.

IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern

The IBPS Clerk selection process comprises of two stages, which includes the two online computer-based tests. The provisional allotment of candidates depends upon the marks scored in the IBPS Clerk mains examination.

The two stages of the IBPS Clerk exam pattern shall be discussed in detail below.

They are as follows:

• IBPS Clerk Preliminary Examination – The first part of the IBPS Clerk exam pattern comprising of 100 objective type questions and is only qualifying in nature
• IBPS Clerk Mains Examination – The second phase of the IBPS Clerk exam pattern comprising of 200 objective type questions. The final merit is based on the marks scored in this phase of the examination.

Both papers are conducted online, and only those candidates who clear the IBPS Clerk prelims exam are invited to appear for the mains exam.

Candidates willing to appear for the IBPS Clerk 2023 exam must refer to the IBPS Clerk Notification page to know more about the exam.

The following part of this article discusses the IBPS clerk exam pattern in detail.

IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern for Prelims

• The IBPS Clerk prelims exam pattern consists of one paper divided into three sections. These three sections are English Language, Reasoning Ability and Quantitative Aptitude.
• The total marks allotted for the exam are 100.

To know the detailed IBPS Clerk Prelims Syllabus, candidates can visit the linked article.

The table given below shows the IBPS Clerk exam pattern for the prelims examination in detail:

IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern- Salient Points

• Candidates are required to secure the IBPS cut off declared for that year in each section.
• Once the sectional time is up, candidates cannot revisit the section.
• The final merit of the candidates is based on the marks scored by them in the Mains exam and Prelims is only qualifying in nature.
• Only then are they allowed to sit for the IBPS Clerk Main exam.
• The Prelims and Mains both are completely objective tests, and there are no descriptive type questions in the IBPS Clerk exam.
• The total time allotted for the exam is 1 hour.

Candidates preparing for IBPS Clerk 2023 must go through IBPS Clerk Syllabus for a better understanding of the exam.

Candidates can refer to the bank exam syllabus for the detailed section-wise syllabus for all bank exams.

IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern for Mains

• The IBPS Clerk Mains Exam Pattern consists of one paper divided into four sections.
• The questions are of objective multiple choice type.

The IBPS Clerk Mains Exam Pattern is as follows:

To help candidates prepare the general awareness section easily, we are providing various topics on Static GK that are relevant for not just IBPS Clerk exam but other competitive exams as well.

Prepare yourself well by solving IBPS Clerk mock tests and practise papers regularly and know the standard of paper and the type of questions asked in the exam.

IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern for Mains exam- Salient Points

• The total time allotted for the Mains exam is 2 hours and 40 minutes.
• The total marks allotted are 200 and candidates scoring above the cut-off are invited to join as clerks in one of the PSBs.

IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern- Negative Marking

Both examinations making up the IBPS clerk exam pattern have negative marking for incorrect answers.

A penalty of one-fourth of the marks allotted to the question is applied for each wrong answer.

There is no penalty if a question is left unanswered.

The new pattern of Clerk examination has combined the IBPS clerk syllabus of reasoning and computer aptitude since 2016.

This is the only major change in the IBPS clerk exam pattern since inception.

In case candidates have queries about the type of questions which may be asked, important topics with respect to the exam or the standard of exam, they can check the IBPS Clerk exam analysis for the two stages at the links given below:

• IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam Analysis
• IBPS Clerk Mains Exam Analysis

Candidates looking for assistance with preparation can refer to the links given below and ace the upcoming IBPS Clerk 2022 exam:

IBPS Clerk Document Verification

Once a candidate qualifies the prelims and mains examination, he/she is called for the document verification before the final selection.

If any discrepancy is found even at this stage of the recruitment, it may result in cancellation of candidate’s application. The document verification stage may be referred to as the third and the final part of the IBPS Clerk exam pattern.

Given below are the list of documents that need to be presented at the time of document verification:

• System-generated IBPS Clerk application form
• Proof of Date of Birth
• Photo Identity Proof
• Marksheets for the Degrees mentioned in the Application form
• Caste Certificate (if applicable)
• Disability Certificate (if applicable)
• No Objection Certification for candidates already working for any Government or Quasi Government Organisation
• Experience Certificate (if applicable)

Apart from the above-mentioned list of documents, there are other relaxation documents which the candidate shall be informed about before the document verification.

It must be noted that if kind of discrepancy is found in the documents and the data entered in the application form, the candidate may be disqualified.

Candidates can explore the IBPS Clerk eligibility criteria at the linked article.

The application process also asks the aspirants to apply for the state or union territory where they would like to serve, and the merit lists are drawn up accordingly.

Candidates for the IBPS Clerk Exam should study the previous years’ papers thoroughly to get familiar with the bank clerk exam pattern and take Online Quizzes to test their learning.

This would enable faster and more accurate problem solving, leading to success in the exam.