Syllabus
IBPS Clerk Prelims Syllabus 2026
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection: Customer Service Associate (Clerk)
CRP CSA-XVI Prelims contains 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes. English Language has 30 questions, while Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability have 35 each. All three sections are separately timed for 20 minutes.
The IBPS notification specifies the official section pattern but does not provide an exhaustive chapter-by-chapter syllabus. The topic bullets below are a TakeMockTest preparation map, not an IBPS-prescribed subtopic list.
English Language
30 questions · 30 marks · 20 minutes- • Reading comprehension and contextual vocabulary
- • Cloze tests and fillers
- • Error detection and sentence correction
- • Para jumbles and sentence arrangement
- • Word usage, phrase replacement and grammar in context
Numerical Ability
35 questions · 35 marks · 20 minutes- • Simplification and approximation
- • Number series and basic numerical relationships
- • Data interpretation
- • Percentage, ratio, average and partnership
- • Profit and loss, interest and mixture
- • Time and work, pipes, speed and distance
Reasoning Ability
35 questions · 35 marks · 20 minutes- • Seating arrangement and logic puzzles
- • Syllogism and inequalities
- • Coding-decoding and alphanumeric patterns
- • Blood relations and direction sense
- • Ranking, ordering and comparison
- • Logical conditions and data sufficiency
Negative marking
The notification deducts 0.25 mark for each wrong answer in the Preliminary and Main examinations. There is no penalty for an unattempted question.
Official source
Official source: Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, CRP CSA-XVI notification for vacancies of 2027-28, verified by direct text extraction on 11 August 2026. View the official IBPS CRP CSA-XVI notification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the IBPS Clerk syllabus?
It runs to 3 sections: English Language, Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability. 17 named topics are listed beneath them. Those bullets are a preparation map built here from the question families this exam keeps returning to, not a subtopic list the exam body publishes: the section names, counts, marks and timing are official, the topics under them are not.
How many questions are there in the IBPS Clerk paper, and how long is it?
The Prelims stage is 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes. Negative marking: one-fourth of the marks assigned to the question. Knowing that alongside the syllabus is what turns a topic list into a plan: it tells you how many marks each section is actually worth and how many minutes you can afford per question.
How do I practise the whole IBPS Clerk syllabus?
Sit a full mock first, before working through the topic list. A syllabus tells you what can be asked; it does not tell you which parts of it are costing you marks, and most candidates find that is not where they expected. There are 19 free tests for IBPS Clerk here, and the sectional ones let you rebuild a single section once the full paper has shown you which one to rebuild.
Is this IBPS Clerk syllabus current?
It is taken from the official IBPS CRP CSA-XVI notification, cited and linked at the foot of this page, rather than from another preparation site, so you can check it against the source yourself. Syllabuses do change between cycles, usually through a corrigendum to the notification rather than a fresh document, so confirm against the current notice before planning a whole revision cycle around any topic list, including this one.