Banking | IBPS
Clerical-cadre recruitment for public sector banks through a Preliminary and a Main examination, with no interview and a local language requirement.
IBPS Common Recruitment Process for Clerical Cadre is conducted by Institute of Banking Personnel Selection. Selection runs through 2 stages: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination.
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Notification released The CRP CSA-XVI notification was published on ibps.in on 1 August 2026. IBPS now calls the clerical post Customer Service Associate (CSA). | 1 Aug 2026 | Closed |
| Online registration and fee payment Now closed. Registration and fee payment ran from 1 to 21 August 2026. Applications are state-wise; you may apply for one state only, so candidates chose the state whose language they can read, write and speak. | 1 Aug 2026 - 21 Aug 2026 | Closed |
| Preliminary examination call letter Expected in September 2026 on ibps.in, shortly before the Preliminary examination. Log in with your registration number and password to download it. | 1 Sept 2026 | Expected |
| Preliminary examination Announced for 10 and 11 October 2026 and held in multiple shifts. Your exact date, shift and centre are printed on the call letter, out shortly before the exam. | 10 Oct 2026 - 11 Oct 2026 | 16 days left |
| Main examination Announced for 27 December 2026 for candidates who clear the Preliminary examination. | 27 Dec 2026 | 93 days left |
| Provisional allotment Usually announced by the end of the financial year, around March 2027. | To be announced | Not announced |
A degree in any discipline from a university recognised by the Government of India, or an equivalent qualification recognised as such by the Central Government.
You must hold a valid mark-sheet or degree certificate on the date of registration and be able to state the percentage obtained. Computer literacy is required, evidenced by a certificate, diploma or degree in computer operations, or by having studied computers as a subject.
20 to 28 years as on the cut-off date stated in the official notification, which has been 1 August in recent cycles.
A candidate must be one of the following:
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| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| General, OBC and EWS Application fee including intimation charges, non-refundable. | ₹850 |
| SC, ST and PwBD Intimation charges only, non-refundable. | ₹175 |
Fees have been stable across recent cycles but are the kind of detail a notification can revise. Confirm on the official notification before paying.
Stage by stage structure with question counts, marks, timing and the marking scheme.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 min |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 min |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 min |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 1 hr |
Duration: 1 hr|Negative marking: 1/4 mark per wrong answer
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General and Financial Awareness | 50 | 50 | 35 min |
| General English | 40 | 40 | 35 min |
| Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude | 50 | 60 | 45 min |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 45 min |
| Total | 190 | 200 | 2 hr 40 min |
Duration: 2 hr 40 min|Negative marking: 1/4 mark per wrong answer
Every subject in the paper, topic by topic. Open a subject for its weightage in this exam, the full topic list and the mock tests, practice sets and notes that cover it.
Register on the IBPS portal
Open the CRP Clerical link on ibps.in, choose New Registration and enter your name, mobile number and email address. Save the provisional registration number and password.
Choose your state carefully
You may apply for one state only and must be proficient in its official language. Vacancies differ sharply between states and the choice cannot be changed after submission.
Upload your photograph, signature, thumb impression and declaration
IBPS specifies exact pixel dimensions and file sizes for each image as JPEG files. Check the current notification, since these specifications occasionally change.
Pay the fee online
Pay by debit card, credit card, internet banking, IMPS, cash card or UPI. Do not close the browser until the e-receipt is generated.
Save the e-receipt and application printout
Download both immediately. You will need the registration number and password again for the admit card and every later stage.
Basic pay and gross emoluments follow the bipartite settlement between the Indian Banks' Association and the unions, and vary with the city of posting. Confirm the current figures from the official notification.
What was actually asked, topic by topic, so you can see where the marks live.
How the IBPS Clerk cut-off is set and what moves it year to year, with the official source for the real figure.
IBPS Clerk cut-off — Preliminary and MainRead the trend →Written to this exam's pattern, with the same interface, sectional locking and marking scheme you will face on exam day.
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General Awareness | 8 min read
Coded inequalities: decode the symbols, then read the chain
Reasoning Ability | 6 min read
Number system: LCM, HCF, remainders and divisibility without the guesswork
Quantitative Aptitude | 9 min read
Ratio and proportion: the one skill behind partnership, mixtures and ages
Quantitative Aptitude | 8 min read
Reasoning best practices: pick the right questions and solve them fast
Reasoning Ability | 8 min read
Analogy, classification and operations: find the rule before the options
Reasoning Ability | 6 min read
Banking and economy glossary: the terms bank exams actually ask
Banking Awareness | 14 min read
Blood relations and direction sense: the diagram does the work
Reasoning Ability | 7 min read
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Free question banks with worked solutions for the topics IBPS Clerk tests. Drill one topic at a time, then sit a full mock and keep a daily habit going.
No. The merit list is built from the Main examination alone, which makes that paper unusually decisive. There is no later stage at which a weak written score can be recovered.
No. One state only. Applying for several leads to all applications being rejected, and your posting will be within the state you chose.
The clerical exam has no interview and no descriptive paper, the upper age limit is 28 rather than 30, and the Main examination is 190 questions in 160 minutes against the PO's 155 questions in 180 minutes. The clerical paper is broader and faster; the PO paper is deeper and slower.
No. The Preliminary examination only screens candidates for the Main examination.
There is no limit. You can apply in every cycle as long as you meet the age and qualification criteria.
No calculator is provided in either stage of the clerical examination, and physical calculators are not permitted. Mental calculation speed matters more here than in the officer exams.
Last verified 24 September 2026(1 day ago, by automated-watcher, pending review)
Not yet confirmed for this cycle: the vacancy count, basic pay, gross pay, in-hand pay, the application fee, the schedule and eligibility. Where we have a figure from previous cycles we show it and label it as expected; where we do not, the page says "to be announced". Check the official source below before you rely on any of it.
Official sources
Found something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it, citing the source.