IBPS Clerk (Junior Associate) Exam Pattern 2026
The full IBPS Clerk (Junior Associate) exam pattern for 2026 — 2 stages, with the sections, question count, marks, duration and negative marking for each, as set by Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). Then take a free IBPS Clerk (Junior Associate) mock in the real pattern below.
Preliminary Examination (screening only)
- Mode
- Online (Computer Based Test) at IBPS-designated centres
- Sections
- English Language · Numerical Ability · Reasoning Ability
- Questions
- 100 multiple-choice questions (30 English + 35 Numerical + 35 Reasoning)
- Marks
- 100 marks (1 mark per question)
- Duration
- 60 minutes total with SECTIONAL TIMING of 20 minutes per section. Candidates cannot return to a completed section.
- Negative marking
- 0.25 mark deducted per wrong answer; no penalty for unattempted questions
Prelims is a screening test — marks do NOT carry forward to the Mains merit. Candidates must clear both an overall cutoff and a sectional cutoff for each of the three sections. Roughly 10x the state-wise vacancies are shortlisted from Prelims for Mains. Recent General-category sectional cutoffs have hovered in the 8-12 range per section.
Main Examination
- Mode
- Online (Computer Based Test)
- Sections
- General / Financial Awareness · General English · Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude · Quantitative Aptitude
- Questions
- 190 multiple-choice questions (GA 50 · English 40 · Reasoning & Computer 50 · Quant 50)
- Marks
- 200 marks (GA 50 · English 40 · Reasoning & Computer 60 · Quant 50), each section individually timed
- Duration
- 160 minutes total with SECTIONAL TIMING (GA 35 min, English 35 min, Reasoning & Computer 45 min, Quant 45 min)
- Negative marking
- 0.25 mark deducted per wrong answer; no penalty for unattempted questions
Mains is the SOLE merit-deciding stage — there is no interview for IBPS Clerk. Normalised Mains scores across shifts drive the state-wise category-wise merit list. Sectional cutoffs must be cleared in addition to overall cutoff. Computer Aptitude is now embedded within the Reasoning paper rather than being a stand-alone section.
You know the pattern — now practise in it.
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