IBPS is holding the Clerk Prelims in four shifts on 10 October 2026. Shift 1 was Easy to Moderate with 77–86 good attempts; this page is updated as each later shift ends.
| Shift | Exam Time | Overall Difficulty | Good Attempts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shift 1 | 9:00–10:00 AM | Easy to Moderate | 77–86 |
| Shift 2 | 11:30 AM–12:30 PM | Easy to Moderate | 75-85 |
| Shift 3 | 2:00–3:00 PM | Moderate | 73-80 |
| Shift 4 | 4:30–5:30 PM | To be updated | To be updated |
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is conducting the Prelims for CRP CSA XVI on 10 and 11 October 2026 to fill 11,663 Customer Service Associate (Clerk) vacancies across 11 public sector banks.
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This IBPS Clerk Exam Analysis 2026 is built from feedback shared by candidates after each shift. For every shift, it covers the section-wise difficulty level, good attempts and the topic-wise questions asked in English, Numerical Ability and Reasoning.
If you are appearing in a later shift, use the completed analyses to plan your time and pick your strongest topics first.
IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026: Exam Overview
The Prelims is a 60-minute online test of 100 questions, with a separate 20-minute timer for each section. Each wrong answer costs 0.25 marks, so accuracy matters as much as speed.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam name | IBPS Clerk Prelims (CRP CSA XVI) 2026 |
| Conducting body | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) |
| Total vacancies | 11,663 |
| Prelims dates | 10 and 11 October 2026 |
| Mains date | 27 December 2026 |
| Exam mode | Online, Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
| Total questions / marks | 100 questions / 100 marks |
| Duration | 60 minutes (20 minutes per section) |
| Negative marking | 0.25 marks per wrong answer |
| Official website | ibps.in |
IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam Pattern 2026
In Shift 1, the sections appeared in this order: English Language, then Numerical Ability, then Reasoning Ability.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
IBPS Clerk Shift 1 Exam Analysis 2026 (10 October)
All three sections of the 10 October Shift 1 paper were rated Easy to Moderate, and an overall attempt of 77–86 questions is considered good. Reasoning was the most scoring section, while Numerical Ability needed the fastest calculation.
| Section | Questions | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | Easy to Moderate | 25–27 |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | Easy to Moderate | 26–27 |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | Easy to Moderate | 28–30 |
| Overall | 100 | Easy to Moderate | 80+ |
These good attempts assume about 90% accuracy. With 0.25 marks lost per wrong answer, 80 attempts at 90% accuracy score roughly 70, while 85 attempts at 80% accuracy score only about 64. The final figures can still shift with later shifts, state-wise vacancies and normalisation.
Shift 1: Topic-wise Questions Asked
In Shift 1, the sections appeared in the order English, Numerical Ability, Reasoning. The topic-wise breakdown of each section follows.
Shift 1 Reasoning Ability Analysis
Reasoning was Easy to Moderate, with 15 of its 35 questions coming from three puzzle and arrangement sets. Candidates who solved the 7-floor puzzle and the parallel row arrangement quickly had ample time for the shorter topics. A good attempt here is 27–30.
| Topic | Questions | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Floor Based Puzzle (7 floors) | 5-6 | Moderate |
| Parallel Row Seating Arrangement | 4-5 | Easy to Moderate |
| Sequence Based Puzzle (8 persons) | 5-6 | Moderate |
| Chinese Coding | 5-6 | Easy |
| Digit + Symbol Series | 5-6 | Easy to Moderate |
| Inequality (non-comma) | 4 | Easy |
| Direction and Distance | 3-4 | Easy to Moderate |
| Pair Formation | 1 | Easy |
| Meaningful Word | 1-2 | Easy |
| Odd One Out | 1-2 | Easy |
| Total | 35 | Easy to Moderate |
Scoring tip: Start with inequality, coding and the one-mark miscellaneous questions to secure about 12 marks in the first five minutes, then move to the puzzles.
Shift 1 Numerical Ability Analysis
Numerical Ability was Easy to Moderate in level but the most time-consuming section, because 15 of its 35 questions were Data Interpretation and caselets. Simplification and arithmetic made up the other 20 and were largely direct. A good attempt here is 26–28.
| Topic | Questions | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Simplification / Approximation | 8-10 | Easy |
| Arithmetic Word Problems | 8-10 | Easy to Moderate |
| Bar Graph DI | 6 | Moderate |
| Table DI | 4-6 | Easy to Moderate |
| Caselet DI (two sets: 3 + 2) | 6-7 | Moderate |
| Total | 35 | Easy to Moderate |
Arithmetic questions came from the usual Clerk-level areas such as percentage, profit and loss, ratio, ages, simple and compound interest, time and work, and speed and distance.
Scoring tip: Finish all 10 simplification questions in about 5 minutes, then pick the DI set with the cleaner numbers before attempting arithmetic.
Shift 1 English Language Analysis
English was Easy to Moderate, and a third of the section came from a single 10-question Reading Comprehension. The cloze test and word swap together added 11 more questions, so strong reading speed decided most of the score. A good attempt here is 24–27.
| Topic | Questions | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 9-10 | Easy to Moderate |
| Cloze Test | 6-5-6 | Easy |
| Word Swap | 5-6 | Moderate |
| Error Detection | 3-5 | Easy to Moderate |
| Sentence Rearrangement | 3-5 | Easy to Moderate |
| Word Usage | 2-4 | Moderate |
| Total | 30 | Easy to Moderate |
Scoring tip: Attempt the cloze test and error detection first, then give the Reading Comprehension a focused 7–8 minutes.
IBPS Clerk Shift 2 Exam Analysis 2026 (10 October)
Early feedback says Shift 2 had moderate, calculation-heavy Data Interpretation, along with standard syllogism and cloze test questions. The full section-wise analysis will be added here shortly.
| Section | Questions | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | Easy | 25-27 |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | Moderate | 23-27 |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | Easy to Moderate | 25-30 |
| Overall | 100 | Easy to Moderate | 75-85 |
IBPS Clerk Shift 3 Exam Analysis 2026 (10 October)
Shift 3 runs from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Its difficulty level, good attempts and questions asked will be added once candidates leave the exam hall.
| Section | Questions | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | Moderate | 24-27 |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | Moderate | 27-30 |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | Easy to Moderate | 25-30 |
| Overall | 100 | To be updated | 75-80 |
Also Read: LIC HFL Management Trainee Recruitment 2026: Apply Online, Eligibility & Official Details
IBPS Clerk Shift 4 Exam Analysis 2026 (10 October)
Shift 4 runs from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Its difficulty level, good attempts and questions asked will be added once candidates leave the exam hall.
| Section | Questions | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | To be updated | To be updated |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | To be updated | To be updated |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | To be updated | To be updated |
| Overall | 100 | To be updated | To be updated |
Shift 4: Topic-wise Questions Asked
| Section | Topic | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning Ability | To be updated | – |
| Numerical Ability | To be updated | – |
| English Language | To be updated | – |
IBPS Clerk Exam Timings 2026
The Prelims runs in four shifts a day; report an hour before your start time to clear verification.
| Shift | Reporting Time | Exam Starts | Exam Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shift 1 (Morning) | 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| Shift 2 (Mid-day) | 10:30 AM | 11:30 AM | 12:30 PM |
| Shift 3 (Afternoon) | 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
| Shift 4 (Evening) | 3:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:30 PM |
Tips for Candidates in Upcoming Shifts
- Revise floor and sequence puzzles; they made up 10 of the 35 Reasoning questions in Shift 1.
- Practise 10 simplification questions in 5 minutes daily until exam day.
- Solve one full-length Reading Comprehension and one cloze test every day.
- Aim for about 90% accuracy rather than maximum attempts, given the 0.25 negative marking.
- Carry your admit card, a valid photo ID and a passport-size photograph, and reach the centre before reporting time.
IBPS Clerk Exam Analysis 2026: FAQs
How many shifts are there in IBPS Clerk Prelims on 10 October 2026? There are four shifts: 9:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM, each lasting 60 minutes.
When will the IBPS Clerk Shift 2, 3 and 4 analysis be available? Each shift’s analysis is added here shortly after that shift ends, once candidate feedback comes in.
What was the difficulty level of IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026 Shift 1 on 10 October?
The overall paper was Easy to Moderate, with all three sections at the same level.
What are good attempts for IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026 Shift 1?
An overall attempt of 77–86 questions with high accuracy is considered good: 24–27 in English, 26–28 in Numerical Ability and 27–30 in Reasoning.
Which section was the toughest in IBPS Clerk 10 October Shift 1?
Numerical Ability was the most time-consuming, because 15 questions came from bar graph, table and caselet DI.
How many questions were asked from Reading Comprehension?
The English section had 10 Reading Comprehension questions out of 30.
Is there negative marking in IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026?
Yes. A quarter of the question’s marks (0.25) is deducted for each wrong answer.
When is the IBPS Clerk Mains 2026 exam?
The Mains is scheduled for 27 December 2026.
