IBPS Clerk Exam: An Overview

IBPS Clerk Exam: An Overview

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) organizes the exam for clerical cadre in Public Sector Banks (PSBs), except State Bank of India (SBI). The vacancies depend on the business volume, branch expansion, structural changes, and health of the participating organizations, including Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Central Bank of India, Canara Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Indian Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Punjab National Bank, UCO Bank, and Union Bank of India, in the respective States and Union Territories. As recruitment in PSBs is done at State/UT level, applicants can apply for vacancies in any one of the Sate/UT only. 

Eligibility Criteria

1) Applicant must be:

1. Citizen of India; or
2. Subject of Bhutan; or
3. Subject of Nepal; or
4. Tibetan Refugee who came to India before 1^st January 1962 with the intent of permanently residing in India; or
5. POI who has migrated from Burma, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Zambia, Zaire, Uganda, Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania, Malawi, and Ethiopia to India with an intend to permanently settle in the country.

2) Age limit:

1. General: Minimum– 20 years; Maximum– 28 years
2. Relaxation of upper age limit for

• SC/ST: 5 years
• OBC Non-Creamy Layer: 3 years
• PWDs: 10 years
• Women/Divorced Women: 9 years
• Persons affected by 1984 riots: 5 years
• Regular employees of the Union Carbide Factory Bhopal (for Madhya Pradesh only): 5 years
• Ex-Servicemen/Disabled Ex-Servicemen: If rendered more than 3 years of service in defense, then subject to a maximum age limit of 50 years.

3) Educational Qualification: Appearing Candidates must possess a Graduation degree or have completed an equivalent exam from an UGC recognized university/institute

Exam Pattern

1) IBPS Clerk Exam or Common Recruitment Process (CRP) Clerks-X is a computer based test.

2) It is conducted in two phases– Preliminary and Main 

3)  Preliminary Examination: The paper is classified into three tests:

English Language

Numerical Ability

Reasoning Ability

Time duration: 1 hour/60 minutes

Total number of questions: 100

Maximum marks: 100

Candidates need to qualify each of the three tests to appear for Main. The cut off is decided by IBPS. The total number of qualifying candidates is also determined by IBPS every year

4)  Main Examination: The paper consists of four tests:

1. General/Financial Awareness
2. General English
3. Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude
4. Quantitative Aptitude

• Time duration: 2 hours 40 minutes/160 minutes
• Total number of questions: 190
• Maximum marks: 200

5)  Marking scheme: Candidates will be awarded the respective allotted marks for each correct answer; One-fourth of the allotted marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer.