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IBPS Clerk Syllabus

Explore the official examination syllabus structure for IBPS CRP-CSA-XVI for recruitment of Customer Service Associates in participating Public Sector Banks. The subjects and examination structure on this page are based on the official IBPS notification.

Preliminary Examination Syllabus

The Online Preliminary Examination is an objective test consisting of English Language, Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability. Each test is separately timed.

English Language

30 Questions • 30 Marks • 20 Minutes • English

Numerical Ability

35 Questions • 35 Marks • 20 Minutes

Reasoning Ability

35 Questions • 35 Marks • 20 Minutes

English Language — Preliminary

Official Syllabus Scope

English Language

The official CRP-CSA-XVI notification specifies English Language as a Preliminary Examination test with 30 questions, 30 marks and 20 minutes. The examination medium for this test is English. The notification does not provide a chapter-wise list of English topics. Therefore, no additional chapter names have been added here.

Numerical Ability — Preliminary

Official Syllabus Scope

Numerical Ability

The official CRP-CSA-XVI notification specifies Numerical Ability as a Preliminary Examination test with 35 questions, 35 marks and 20 minutes. The notification does not provide a chapter-wise list of Numerical Ability topics. Therefore, no additional chapter names have been added here.

Reasoning Ability — Preliminary

Official Syllabus Scope

Reasoning Ability

The official CRP-CSA-XVI notification specifies Reasoning Ability as a Preliminary Examination test with 35 questions, 35 marks and 20 minutes. The notification does not provide a chapter-wise list of Reasoning topics. Therefore, no additional chapter names have been added here.

Main Examination Syllabus

The Online Main Examination consists of four objective tests: General / Financial Awareness, General English, Reasoning Ability and Quantitative Aptitude. Each test is separately timed.

General / Financial Awareness

40 Questions • 50 Marks • 20 Minutes

General English

40 Questions • 40 Marks • 35 Minutes • English

Reasoning Ability

40 Questions • 60 Marks • 35 Minutes

Quantitative Aptitude

40 Questions • 50 Marks • 35 Minutes

General / Financial Awareness — Main Examination

Official Syllabus Scope

General Awareness
Financial Awareness

The official CRP-CSA-XVI notification specifies General / Financial Awareness as a Main Examination objective test with 40 questions, 50 marks and 20 minutes. The notification does not publish a chapter-wise list under this section. Therefore, no outside chapter list has been added.

General English — Main Examination

Official Syllabus Scope

General English

The official notification specifies General English as a Main Examination objective test with 40 questions, 40 marks and 35 minutes. The examination medium for this test is English. The official notification does not provide a chapter-wise English syllabus. Therefore, no additional chapter names have been added.

Reasoning Ability — Main Examination

Official Syllabus Scope

Reasoning Ability

The official CRP-CSA-XVI notification specifies Reasoning Ability as a Main Examination objective test with 40 questions, 60 marks and 35 minutes. The notification does not provide a chapter-wise list of Reasoning topics. Therefore, no additional chapter names have been added.

Quantitative Aptitude — Main Examination

Official Syllabus Scope

Quantitative Aptitude

The official CRP-CSA-XVI notification specifies Quantitative Aptitude as a Main Examination objective test with 40 questions, 50 marks and 35 minutes. The notification does not provide a chapter-wise list of Quantitative Aptitude topics. Therefore, no additional chapter names have been added.

IBPS Clerk Examination Pattern

The following examination structure is taken from the official CRP-CSA-XVI notification.

Stage Test Questions Marks Time Medium
Preliminary English Language 30 30 20 Minutes English
Preliminary Numerical Ability 35 35 20 Minutes State / UT applicable medium
Preliminary Reasoning Ability 35 35 20 Minutes State / UT applicable medium
Preliminary Total 100 100 60 Minutes
Main General / Financial Awareness 40 50 20 Minutes State / UT applicable medium
Main General English 40 40 35 Minutes English
Main Reasoning Ability 40 60 35 Minutes State / UT applicable medium
Main Quantitative Aptitude 40 50 35 Minutes State / UT applicable medium
Main Total 160 200 125 Minutes

Exam Pattern Highlights

Prelims — 100 Questions

The Preliminary Examination contains 100 questions for 100 marks with a total duration of 60 minutes.

Mains — 160 Questions

The Main Examination contains 160 objective questions carrying 200 marks with a total duration of 125 minutes.

Separately Timed

Each test in both the Preliminary and Main Examination is separately timed.

Main Marks for Merit

Marks obtained in the Online Main Examination only are considered for final merit listing.

Official Syllabus Scope — Important Note

Medium of Examination

English Language

The English Language test in the Preliminary Examination and General English test in the Main Examination are conducted in English.

Other Objective Tests

Numerical Ability, Reasoning Ability, General / Financial Awareness and Quantitative Aptitude are available according to the State / UT wise version of tests specified by IBPS.

State / UT Language

The available version of tests depends upon the State / UT selected by the candidate. IBPS provides the applicable language options in the official notification.

State / UT Wise Examination Medium

IBPS provides different language versions depending on the State / UT for which the candidate applies.

State / UT Version of Tests / Medium
Andaman & Nicobar English and Hindi
Andhra Pradesh English, Hindi and Telugu
Assam English, Hindi and Assamese
Bihar English and Hindi
Delhi (NCT) English and Hindi
Gujarat English, Hindi and Gujarati
Jharkhand English and Hindi
Karnataka English, Hindi, Kannada and Konkani
Kerala English, Hindi and Malayalam
Madhya Pradesh English and Hindi
Maharashtra English, Hindi, Marathi and Konkani
Odisha English, Hindi and Odia
Punjab English, Hindi and Punjabi
Rajasthan English and Hindi
Tamil Nadu English, Hindi and Tamil
Telangana English, Hindi, Telugu and Urdu
Uttar Pradesh English, Hindi and Urdu
Uttarakhand English and Hindi
West Bengal English, Hindi and Bengali

The official notification contains the complete State / UT-wise language list. In case of discrepancy between the English version and translated version, the English version will prevail.

Preliminary Examination — Official Conditions

Main Examination — Official Conditions

Negative Marking

Scoring & Normalization

Corrected Score

Scores are corrected after applying the prescribed penalty for wrong answers.

Normalization

Where applicable, corrected scores obtained in different sessions are normalized using the equi-percentile method.

Two Decimal Places

Scores up to two decimal points are taken for calculation purposes.

Final Merit

Only marks obtained in the Online Main Examination are considered for final merit listing.

Local Language Proficiency Test

The Local Language Proficiency Test is part of the selection process before joining the participating bank.

Local Language

Candidates applying for a particular State / UT should be proficient in reading, writing, speaking and understanding the specified / opted local language.

One Language Option

Candidates have to opt for one language for the Local Language Test from the list provided for the relevant State / UT.

10th Language Certificate

Candidates who produce a 10th standard or above marksheet / certificate showing that they studied the specified / opted local language are not required to undergo the language test.

Qualifying Nature

The Local Language Proficiency Test is marks based and qualifying in nature.

Failure in LLPT

Candidates who fail to qualify the required Local Language Proficiency Test will not be offered appointment and will be disqualified from the process.

Before Joining

The Local Language Proficiency Test is conducted after qualifying the Online Main Examination / Provisional Allotment but before joining the Bank.

IBPS Clerk Selection Process

The official CRP-CSA-XVI recruitment process consists of the Online Preliminary Examination, Online Main Examination, Local Language Proficiency Test and provisional allotment.

Stage 1 — Preliminary

Candidates appear for the Online Preliminary Examination. Candidates who qualify and are shortlisted proceed to the Main Examination.

Stage 2 — Main

Shortlisted candidates appear for the Online Main Examination consisting of four objective tests.

Stage 3 — LLPT

Candidates are required to qualify the applicable Local Language Proficiency Test before joining, unless exempted through accepted language-study proof.

Stage 4 — Provisional Allotment

Candidates sufficiently high in merit are provisionally allotted to participating banks based on merit-cum-preference and actual vacancies.

Important Syllabus Notes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the official IBPS Clerk Preliminary syllabus?

The official notification specifies three Preliminary tests: English Language, Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability.

How many questions are there in IBPS Clerk Prelims?

The Preliminary Examination contains 100 questions for 100 marks: 30 English Language, 35 Numerical Ability and 35 Reasoning Ability questions.

What is the official IBPS Clerk Main syllabus?

The Main Examination consists of General / Financial Awareness, General English, Reasoning Ability and Quantitative Aptitude.

How many questions are there in IBPS Clerk Mains?

The Main Examination contains 160 questions for 200 marks with a total duration of 125 minutes.

Does IBPS provide chapter-wise syllabus?

The CRP-CSA-XVI notification specifies the examination tests but does not provide a detailed chapter-wise list of topics.

Is there negative marking in IBPS Clerk?

Yes. One-fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to the question is deducted for every wrong answer in the objective tests.

Is there negative marking in both Prelims and Mains?

Yes. The penalty for wrong answers applies to the objective tests of both the Online Preliminary and Online Main Examination.

Is IBPS Clerk Prelims separately timed?

Yes. English Language, Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability are each separately timed for 20 minutes.

Is IBPS Clerk Mains separately timed?

Yes. Each of the four Main Examination tests is separately timed.

What is the total time for IBPS Clerk Prelims?

The total duration is 60 minutes.

What is the total time for IBPS Clerk Mains?

The total duration of the Main Examination is 125 minutes.

Which subjects are in IBPS Clerk Mains?

General / Financial Awareness, General English, Reasoning Ability and Quantitative Aptitude.

Is there a Local Language Proficiency Test?

Yes. Candidates applying for a particular State / UT must satisfy the local-language requirement. The LLPT is qualifying in nature where applicable.

Can I be exempted from the Local Language Test?

Candidates who produce a 10th standard or above marksheet / certificate showing study of the specified / opted local language are not required to undergo the language test.

What happens if I fail the Local Language Test?

A candidate who fails to qualify the required Local Language Proficiency Test will not be offered appointment and will be disqualified from the process.

Which marks are considered for final merit?

Marks obtained in the Online Main Examination only are considered for final merit listing.

Disclaimer

The information provided on this page has been prepared for educational purposes based on the official IBPS CRP-CSA-XVI Notification for vacancies of 2027-28. The examination structure and syllabus scope follow the official notification. The notification specifies the names of the examination tests but does not provide a detailed chapter-wise syllabus for the individual subjects. Candidates should always verify subsequent changes and updates through the latest official IBPS notification and website.