Check all details about the IBPS Clerk exam

The first step to cracking the IBPS exam is to equip yourself with all the necessary details. So, in this article, we bring you all the information related to the IBPS Clerk exam. Now, before we proceed, let’s first learn a little about IBPS. IBPS or the Institute of Banking Personnel Selections comes up with a recruitment drive every year for 11 posts across the country. The selection is based on the scores of the prelims and then the mains exam.

Qualification and Eligibility 

The age limit to be eligible for the IBPS clerk exam is 20 to 28. The person must be a graduate in any stream and must be familiar with the languages English and Hindi. The prelims paper is for 60 minutes and the main one is 160 minutes. The entry fees are 850 for general and OBC candidates, while it is 175 for SC/ST/PWD candidates. The age limit is relaxed in the upper limit if the candidate belongs to the reserved category.

Important Dates 

In June 2021, the exam notification will be released on the official website, i.e., www.ibps.in. In the same month, the application form will also be available online on the website. Once you have successfully applied for the exam, you will get your admit card by the August first week. The prelims are generally conducted from the last week of August to the first week of September across 200 cities of the country. The exam dates are said to be 28-Aug-2021, 29-Aug-2021 and 04-Sept-2021, 05-Sept-2021. Once you give the exams, expect the prelims results online by the end of September. The mains will be held by the end of October for students who qualify and in April next year, the results will be announced. Check out https://www.oliveboard.in/ if you need information related to exam dates, admit card and syllabus, etc.

New Exam Guidelines 

  • Due to the ongoing pandemic, social distancing must be maintained in the exam centre 
  • The reporting time will be printed on the admit card to avoid crowing and the same must be maintained by the candidates without fail 
  • It is suggested to be at least 15 minutes prior to the reporting time 
  • A clean and proper mask is compulsory
  • Candidates must carry a personal hand sanitiser of 50 ml
  • Along with your admit card, it is also necessary that you carry photo identity proof 
  • If you are carrying mobile phones, downloading the Aarogya Setu app is compulsory. Therefore, to save time, download the app beforehand
  • Your registration will be done through photo capture 
  • The number of rough sheets will already be placed on the candidate’s desk. You cannot ask for more
  • Once you are done with the exam, you must exit the premises in a systematic manner
  • Your admit cards will not be collected but they will be signed or stamped and candidates must retain their stamped admit cards without fail 
  • You must also carry a photograph with you and follow all the other instructions mentioned on the website or the admit card 
  • For the photograph that you submit during the exams, you must have at least eight copies of the same photograph for future use

The syllabus

English: Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Fillers, Spotting Errors, Sentence Improvement, Fill in the blanks

Number Ability: Number series, simplification, approximation, quadratic equations, data interpretation, data sufficiency, miscellaneous 

Reasoning ability: Puzzles and arrangements, inequality, syllogism, coding and decoding, blood relations, direction sense, and order and ranking

Computer: History and generation of computers, Introduction to computers, Computer hardware, and I/O devices, computer languages, operating system, internet, Microsoft office, software, number and conversations

General awareness: Static GK, current affairs, banking GK, financial awareness, government schemes, and policies.

Nationality and Citizenship 

Take a look at the eligibility based on citizenship:

  • Indian citizen or
  • a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam intending to permanently settle in India.
  • a Tibetan Refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India or
  • a subject of Nepal or
  • a subject of Bhutan

IBPS Clerk Pre-Exam Training Centres 

There are pre-examination training centres for SC/ST/ and other minorities. They must bear the costs and can choose the training centres while applying online. The training centres are located in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Varanasi, Vadodara, Tirupati, Tiruchirapalli, Thiruvananthapuram, Siliguri, Shillong, Shimla, Sambalpur, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Panaji (Goa), Agartala, Agra, Allahabad, Amritsar, Balasore, Bareilly, Behrampur (Ganjam), Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Dhanbad, Gulbarga, Guwahati, Hubli, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Jodhpur, Karnal, Kavaratti, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Madurai, Mangalore, Muzaffarpur, Mysore, New Delhi, Patiala, Patna, Port Blair, Puducherry, Pune, Raipur, Rajkot, Ranchi and Rohtak. 

Tips To Help You Prepare For The Exam 

Have a Study Plan 

Studying without a plan is not the right way to tackle any examination. Create a study plan, which is realistic and easy for you. Now, you can allot the time as per your convenience. Either start from the easiest subjects and then proceed to the most difficult ones or you can start with the most difficult ones and keep the easiest at last. Also remember, allot time for revision too.

Be Confident 

Make sure you are confident that you will crack it. Remember, nothing is impossible. All you need to do is work hard. Even if the time you have left for preparation isn’t too much, you can still do it because the subjects that you will get in the question paper will be something you have already studied through your schooling and graduation. It is not something you are completely unfamiliar with. Therefore, with a bit of patience, you will be able to crack it.