IBPS Clerk/SO Syllabus

IBPS exam is a common bank exam. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducts it every year. It aims to recruit Clerks and Specialist Officers (SO) in one or more public sector banks. IBPS is one of the most sought-after competitive exams in India. It includes IBPS Clerk and IBPS SO, which have a huge number of applicants.

For a detailed analysis of the IBPS Clerk/SO syllabus, refer to this article. It includes topics, preparation tips, and exam success strategies.

 

Exam Pattern and Syllabus for IBPS Clerk

There are two stages of the IBPS Clerk exam:

1. Preliminary Examination
2. Mains Examination

The tests are computer-based and comprise multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Now, let us go through the detailed syllabus for each stage.

 

Preliminary Exam Syllabus for IBPS Clerk 

The Preliminary Exam for IBPS Clerk is conducted in mainly three stages:

1. English Language
2. Numerical Ability
3. Reasoning Ability

The total duration of the exam of 60 minutes. 

Each section consists of 20 minutes each. 

1. English Language

• Reading Comprehension
• Cloze Test
• Fill in the Blanks
• Error Detection
• Rearrangement of Sentence
• Synonyms
• Antonyms
• Sentence Improvement
• Idioms and Phrases
• Para Jumbles
• One Word Substitution

2. Numerical Ability

• Simplification
• Approximation
• Number Series
• Quadratic Equations
• Data Interpretation
• Ratio and Proportion
• Percentage
• Profit & Loss
• Time & Work
• Time, Speed & Distance
• Simple & Compound Interest
• Probability
• Permutation & Combination

3. Reasoning Ability

• Puzzle and Seating Arrangement
• Syllogism
• Blood Relations
• Direction Sense
• Alphanumeric Series
• Coding-Decoding
• Inequalities
• Logical Reasoning
• Input-Output
• Data Sufficiency

 

 

IBPS Clerk Mains Exam Syllabus

The Mains Exam consists of four sections:

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

The total duration of the exam is 160 minutes.

1. General/Financial Awareness

• Current Affairs (Last 6 months)
• Banking Awareness
• Financial Institutions
• Government Schemes
• Static General Knowledge
• National and International News
• Important Days & Events

2. General English

• Advanced Reading Comprehension
• Sentence Completion
• Word Association
• Error Detection & Sentence Correction
• Active-Passive Voice
• Direct-Indirect Speech

3. Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude

• Advanced Puzzle and Seating Arrangement
• Logical Deduction
• Syllogisms (Advanced Level)
• Input-Output
• Coding-Decoding (Advanced Level)
• Computer Fundamentals
• MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Internet & Networking
• Computer Security & Cyber Awareness

4. Quantitative Aptitude

• Number Series (Complex Level)
• Arithmetic Problems (Advanced)
• Caselet DI
• Data Sufficiency
• Probability & Statistics
• Mensuration
• Geometry & Trigonometry
• Algebra (Linear & Quadratic Equations)

 

Mains Exam Pattern for IBPS Clerk
S.No.	Objective based Questions	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
1	Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude	50	60	45 minutes
2	English Language	40	40	35 minutes
3	Quantitative Aptitude	50	50	45 minutes
4	General/ Financial Awareness	50	50	35 minutes
Total		190	200	160 minutes

 

Exam	Details
IBPS Clerk Prelims	No. of Questions: 100 Type of Questions:  Multiple Choice Questions Duration:  60 minutes Qualifying in nature Subjects:  English Language Reasoning Ability Numerical Ability  Negative Marking: 0.25 for the wrong answer
IBPS Clerk Mains	No. of Questions: 190 Duration: 160 minutes Subjects:  Quantitative Aptitude English Language Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude General/ Financial Awareness Negative Marking: 0.25 for the wrong answer

 

Exam Pattern and Syllabus for IBPS Specialist Officer

The IBPS SO exam consists of majorly of three stages:

1. Preliminary Examination
2. Mains Examination
3. Interview Round

 

Preliminary Exam Syllabus for IBPS SO 

The Preliminary Exam for the post of IBPS SO is conducted in three stages: 

1. English Language
2. Reasoning Ability
3. General Awareness/Quantitative Aptitude (With special reference to the banking industry)

For the IT Officer and Agriculture Officer roles, the third section will be Quantitative Aptitude. It replaces General Awareness.

1. English Language

• Reading Comprehension
• Cloze Test
• Error Detection
• Phrase Replacement
• Vocabulary
• Rearrangement of Sentence

2. Reasoning Ability

• Logical and Analytical Reasoning
• Seating Arrangements & Puzzles
• Syllogism
• Blood Relations
• Coding-Decoding
• Input-Output
• Data Sufficiency

3. General Awareness (With Banking Focus)

• Current Affairs (Last 6 months)
• Banking and Financial Awareness
• Government Schemes
• RBI and Monetary Policies
• Economic Trends
• Important Banking Terms

3. Quantitative Aptitude (For IT & Agriculture Officers)

• Number Systems
• Simplification & Approximation
• Percentage & Ratio-Proportion
• Profit & Loss
• Time & Distance
• Data Interpretation
• Probability & Statistics

 

IBPS SO Mains Exam Syllabus

The Mains Exam consists of one subject-specific professional knowledge test based on the post applied for:

1. IT Officer – Programming, Networking, DBMS, Software Engineering
2. Law Officer – Banking Laws, Regulations, Constitution
3. HR/Personnel Officer – HR Management, Organizational Behavior
4. Marketing Officer – Branding, Advertising, Sales Management
5. Agriculture Officer – Agronomy, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry

 

 

Conclusion

IBPS Clerk/ SO exams need procedural preparation with regular practice. Correct preparation while keeping the syllabus into consideration helps to prepare with a proper strategy and plan.  Staying updated on current affairs and daily practice is important for success as well.