What Should You Know About IBPS Clerk Mains Exam Pattern?

The conducting body sets the pattern for the IBPS Clerk exam for the clerical cadre examination. It is in charge of the banks participating in the IBPS recruitment.

Candidates who wish to make a career in banking must know that the competition in this exam is very tough and requires adequate planning and strategies. Furthermore, to clear the new IBPS clerk mains exam, staying updated with the new IBPS Clerk Mains exam pattern is essential.

Many candidates fill out the form and apply for the IBPS clerk examination every year, but very few get to clear the preliminary exam and reach the IBPS main exam. You must familiarize yourself with the exam patterns before studying to easily plan accordingly.

Here is what you need to know about the IBPS clerk mains examination.

IBPS Clerk Exam Patterns

The official notification for the recruitment process was announced in September 2020. The selection process consists of two stages, which include two computer-based tests. The candidate allotment depends on the marks obtained in the exam.

The two stages of the examination include:

IBPS Clerk Preliminary Examination:

The preliminary exam is conducted online, and the exam pattern comprises 100 objective-type questions.

IBPS Clerk Mains Examination:

The second phase of the selection process includes the main exam, which comprises 190 objective-type questions, and the final merit is counted based on this exam.

Both exams are conducted online, and only those candidates who have successfully cleared the IBPS clerk preliminary exam are invited.

IBPS Clerk Exam Patterns: Mains Exam

In the latest announcement by IBPS, the IBPS Clerk Mains exam pattern will consist of 190 questions, which have to be completed in a timeframe of 160 minutes.

There will be four sections in the IBPS Clerk Mains Exam at different times. The reasoning ability and computer aptitude sections were conducted separately in the past. However, in the recent announcement, it was said to be grouped and consist of 50 questions that must be solved in 45 minutes.

IBPS Clerk preliminary and main exams will be conducted in Hindi and English. Here's the format:

Sections	No. of Questions	Maximum Marks	Selection Duration
General/Financial Awareness	50	50	35 minutes
General English	40	40	35 minutes
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude	50	60	45 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	50	50	45 minutes
Total	190	200	160 minutes

Negative Marking

There will be a penalty for a wrong answer marked in the objective tests. For each incorrect answer you give, one-fourth or 0.25 of marks will be assigned to that question, and it will be deducted as a penalty from the final score. 

If you leave the answer blank, that question is not penalized. 

IBPS Clerk Syllabus for Mains Exam

The IBPS Clerk mains exam will have an additional General awareness section, mainly covering questions that check your financial awareness. Here's the entire syllabus for the IBPS clerk mains exam:

Reasoning Ability	English Language	Quantitative Aptitude	General Awareness
Puzzles –Seating Arrangements, Directions, Box-based, month-based, days-based, row-based Distance and directions Blood relations Syllogism Order and Ranking Coding-decoding Input-Output Inequalities Alphanumeric series Figure series Verbal reasoning	Reading Comprehension Cloze Test Para/Sentence Completion Spotting Errors Sentence Correction Para Jumbles Fill in the Blanks Sentence Improvement	Number Series Work, Time, and Energy Quadratic Equation Data Sufficiency Data Interpretation Simplification/ Approximation Average Profit and Loss Probability Ratio and  Proportion Mensuration Time and Distance Relations Simple and Compound Interest Permutation and Combination	GK Updates Current Affairs Currencies Important Days Banking Awareness Books and Authors Important Places Schemes Awards Headquarters Prime Minister

The candidate must review the complete details and examination pattern before applying for the IBPS Clerk mains exam. It will help you plan your study accordingly.