The IBPS Clerk exam is a national-level competitive examination conducted every year by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) to recruit suitable candidates for entry-level positions in public sector banks. The candidates recruited through this exam are required to handle all fundamental responsibilities in a bank and efficiently manage clients, their inquiries, and their needs. The IBPS Clerk exam offers a great opportunity for aspirants who wish to pursue a career in the banking sector as it offers a lucrative salary package, job security, and career growth opportunities in public sector banks.
Through this article, we’ll share important aspects of the IBPS CLERK 2025 exam to help you build a roadmap to grab this opportunity in 2025.
IBPS Clerk Exam Overview
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) will tentatively release the official notification for the recruitment of clerks in the public sector banks of the country in July 2025. The examination calendar for the IBPS 2025 exams has already been released and as per the calendar, the IBPS Clerk prelims exam will be conducted in August 2025. The IBPS Clerk exam will be conducted in two stages - Preliminary and Main - and the final selection will be based on the candidate's performance in the Main exam.
To help you understand the format and important aspects of the IBPS clerk exam you can go through the following table:
|
Name of Agency |
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) |
|
Online Registration |
-- |
|
Preliminary Exam Date |
August'25(Tentative) |
|
Mains Exam Date |
October, 2025 |
|
Name of the post |
Clerk |
|
Total Vacancies |
6128 |
|
Mode of Application |
Online |
|
Mode of exam |
CBT |
|
Selection procedure |
Prelims, Mains |
|
Official website |
www.ibps.in |
IBPS Clerk 2025 Eligibility Criteria
It is always important to carefully read and
understand the eligibility criteria before preparing for any exam. IBPS clerk eligibility criteria is the basic criteria for appointment to clerical posts in the Public sector Banks of the country including educational qualifications, age limit, nationality, work experience, and other specific requirements for any post. By carefully reviewing the IBPS Clerk eligibility criteria, you can determine whether you meet the requirements for the job and whether it is worth applying for.
IBPS CLERK 2025 Educational Qualifications
To apply for the post of IBPS clerk, here are the essential education qualifications:
Graduation
You must possess a degree (Graduation) in any discipline from a University recognized by the Govt. Of India or any equivalent qualification recognized as such by the Central Government.
You must possess a valid Graduation Mark-sheet / Degree Certificate and indicate the percentage of marks obtained in Graduation while registering online.
Computer Literacy
Operating and working knowledge in computer systems is mandatory i.e. candidates should have a Certificate/Diploma/Degree in computer operations/Language/ should have studied Computer / Information Technology as one of the subjects in High School/College/Institute.
Local language
Proficiency in the Official Language of the State/UT (candidates should know how to read/ write and speak the Official Language of the State/UT) for which vacancies a candidate wishes to apply is preferable.
For Ex-Servicemen
Ex-Servicemen who do not possess the above civil examination qualifications should be matriculated Ex-Servicemen who have obtained the Army Special Certificate of Education or corresponding certificate in the Navy or Air Force after having completed not less than 15 years of service in the Armed Forces of the Union
IBPS CLERK 2025 Age Limit
To apply for the post of IBPS Clerk, an unreserved category candidate should not be below 20 years & above 28 years of age.
However, there will be age relaxations in the upper age limit for different categories as follows:
|
Category |
Relaxation |
|
Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe |
5 Years |
|
Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer) |
3 Years |
|
Persons With Benchmark Disabilities |
10 Years |
|
Ex-Servicemen / Disabled Ex-Servicemen |
Actual period of service rendered in the defence forces + 3 years (8 years for Disabled ExServicemen belonging to SC/ST) subject to a maximum age limit of 50 years |
|
Persons affected by the 1984 riots |
5 Years |
|
Widows, divorced women, and women legally separated from their husbands who have not remarried |
Age concession upto the age of 35 years for General/EWS, 38 years for OBC, and 40 years for SC/ST candidates |
Nationality / Citizenship:
A candidate must be either –
I. A Citizen of India or
II. A subject of Nepal or
III. A subject of Bhutan or
IV. A Tibetan Refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India or
V. 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, provided that a candidate belonging to categories (ii), (iii), (iv) & (v) above shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.
Application Fee
The application fee for applying for the post of IBPS Clerk would be as given below. You can make the payment of Application Fees/Intimation Charges through the On-Line Mode only. As per the notification, you will also have to bear the Bank Transaction charges for Online Payment of application fees/intimation charges.
|
Category |
Fees (Non-refundable) |
|
GENERAL/ EWS/ OBC candidate |
850/- (inclusive of GST) |
|
SC/ST/PWD/EXSM candidates |
175/- (inclusive of GST) |
IBPS CLERK 2025 Exam Pattern
Stage I: Prelims
-
The preliminary examination for the post of IBPS Clerk 2025 will be conducted online.
-
This phase is divided into 3 sections – Reasoning Ability, Numerical Ability, and English Language.
-
You are given 100 questions to attempt in a duration of 60 minutes. However, there will be a sectional time limit of 20 minutes for each section and you cannot jump to other sections until the time for that particular section is over.
-
The prelims of IBPS clerk will be qualifying in nature, i.e, marks obtained in this phase will not be considered while preparing the final merit list.
-
You have to qualify in each of the three tests by securing cut-off marks to be decided by IBPS.
-
An adequate number of candidates in each category as decided by IBPS depending upon requirements will be shortlisted for the Online Main examination.
-
There will be a penalty of one-fourth of the marks assigned to that question for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests.
-
If the examination is held in different shifts, the corrected scores obtained by each of the candidates in different sessions will be normalized using the equi-percentile method.
You can attempt IBPS CLERK mock tests at
Smartkeeda to familiarise yourself well with the CLERK exam pattern.
IBPS CLERK Prelims Exam Pattern:
|
S.No |
Name of the Test |
Number of Questions |
Maximum Marks |
Duration |
|
1. |
English Language |
30 |
30 |
20 minutes |
|
1. |
Reasoning Ability |
35 |
35 |
20 minutes |
|
2. |
Numerical Ability |
35 |
35 |
20 minutes |
|
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
60 minutes |
Stage II: Mains
-
This is the second and the last round in the recruitment process of IBPS Clerks.
-
The mains of the IBPS Clerk would be divided into 4 sections – Reasoning Ability & Computer Knowledge, General English, General / Financial Awareness, and Quantitative Aptitude.
-
Like in prelims, a sectional time limit for each section would be there in this phase as well and you cannot jump to other sections until the time limit for that particular section is over.
-
The marks obtained in this round will solely be considered for preparing the merit and therefore to get the final selection you must score well in this round.
IBPS CLERK Mains Exam Pattern
|
S.No |
Name of the Test |
Number of Questions |
Maximum Marks |
Duration |
|
1. |
General/ Financial Awareness |
50 |
50 |
35 minutes |
|
2. |
General English |
40 |
40 |
35 minutes |
|
3. |
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude |
50 |
60 |
45 minutes |
|
4. |
Quantitative Aptitude |
50 |
50 |
45 minutes |
|
|
Total |
190 |
200 |
160 minutes |
Click here to attempt a free IBPS CLERK mock test!
Penalty For Wrong Answers
(Applicable to both – Online Preliminary and Online Main Examination)
There will be a penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests. For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate one-fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as a penalty to arrive at the corrected score. If a question is left blank, i.e. no answer is marked by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.
Therefore, if you’re unaware of an answer, it would be better to leave the response blank to save yourself from a negative marking.
Cut-off Score (Online Main examination)
Each candidate will be required to obtain a minimum score in each section of the Online Main Examination and also a minimum total score decided by IBPS to be considered for further process. Marks obtained in the online main examination only will be considered for the final merit listing.
Depending on the number of State/UT-wise vacancies available, cut-offs will be decided by IBPS and candidates will be considered for the provisional allotment. However, IBPS will not share the scores obtained in the Online Main Examination before the completion of the provisional allotment process
IBPS CLERK Previous Year Cutoff
Having a fair idea of the previous year's cutoff can help you set realistic goals for your own performance in the IBPS Clerk exam. It also provides you with an idea of the level of competition you might be facing in the upcoming exam. In the IBPS clerk exam, the cutoff is quite high as the difficulty level of the paper is generally easy. By comparing the previous year's cutoff of different states, you can make informed decisions about your target score and the state from which you should apply.
However, the cutoff largely depends on the available vacancies and the difficulty level of the examination and can differ based on the given factors. Here is the previous year’s IBPS Clerk prelims cutoff (out of 100) and IBPS Clerk mains cutoff (out of 200):
IBPS CLERK Prelims Cutoff 2024
|
States/ UT |
General |
EWS/SC/OBC/ST |
|
Andhra Pradesh |
77.5 |
|
|
Arunachal Pradesh |
71 |
|
|
Assam |
83.75 |
OBC- 82.25
SC- 81.25 |
|
Bihar |
79.5 |
OBC- 79.5 |
|
Chhattisgarh |
77 |
OBC-77 |
|
Chandigarh |
81.50 |
|
|
Delhi |
80.75 |
SC-75.25
OBC- 78.25 |
|
Gujarat |
77.25 |
ST- 67.75 |
|
Goa |
|
OBC- 68 |
|
Himachal Pradesh |
|
ST- 83 |
|
Haryana |
83 |
|
|
J & K |
86.25 |
|
|
Jharkhand |
83.5 |
|
|
Kerala |
|
OBC- 81 |
|
Madhya Pradesh |
73 |
SC- 74.5 |
|
Maharashtra |
73 |
ST- 69.50 |
|
Manipur |
|
OBC-70.25 |
|
Meghalaya |
|
ST- 73.50 |
|
Odisha |
86.75 |
|
|
Punjab |
81.25 |
SC- 70
OBC-79.75 |
|
Rajasthan |
83.25 |
EWS- 83.25 |
|
Karnataka |
64.75 |
|
|
Telangana |
68.25 |
|
|
Uttar Pradesh |
79 |
OBC- 79
SC- 70.75
ESM- 56 |
|
Uttarakhand |
|
|
|
West Bengal |
87.75 |
SC- 80.25 |
|
Tamil Nadu |
|
OBC- 63.25 |
|
Tripura |
80.25 |
ST- 71 |
|
Sikkim |
41 |
|
|
Lakshadweep |
|
|
IBPS CLERK Prelims Cutoff 2023
|
States/ UT |
General |
EWS/SC/OBC/ST |
|
Andhra Pradesh |
81.25 |
|
|
Assam |
79 |
|
|
Bihar |
|
EWS- 78 |
|
Chhattisgarh |
77 |
OBC- 77 |
|
Chandigarh |
|
|
|
Delhi |
78.25 |
EWS-78.5
OBC- 76 |
|
Gujarat |
75.25 |
|
|
Goa |
48.25 |
|
|
Himachal Pradesh |
84 |
|
|
Haryana |
80.25 |
OBC (NCL)- 78.25 |
|
J & K |
85.25 |
|
|
Jharkhand |
82.5 |
|
|
Kerala |
|
|
|
Madhya Pradesh |
78 |
SC- 70 |
|
Maharashtra |
72.75 |
|
|
Manipur |
|
|
|
Odisha |
86.5 |
|
|
Punjab |
81 |
SC- 69 |
|
Rajasthan |
82 |
|
|
Karnataka |
75.75 |
OBC- 75.75 |
|
Telangana |
78.50 |
|
|
Uttar Pradesh |
79.25 |
|
|
Uttarakhand |
|
|
|
West Bengal |
85.5 |
SC- 76.50
EWS 79.5
OBC 80 |
|
Tamil Nadu |
|
OBC (NCL)- 65 |
|
Tripura |
80 |
|
|
Sikkim |
|
|
|
Lakshadweep |
|
|
IBPS CLERK Prelims Cutoff 2022
|
States/ UT |
General (Out of 100) |
|
Andhra Pradesh |
30-35 |
|
Assam |
47-52 |
|
Bihar |
34-39 |
|
Chhattisgarh |
42-47 |
|
Delhi |
43-48 |
|
Gujarat |
50-55 |
|
Himachal Pradesh |
41-46 |
|
Haryana |
46-51 |
|
Jharkhand |
47-52 |
|
Kerala |
50-55 |
|
Madhya Pradesh |
45-50 |
|
Maharashtra |
53-58 |
|
Odisha |
33-38 |
|
Punjab |
50-55 |
|
Rajasthan |
48-53 |
|
Karnataka |
40-45 |
|
Uttar Pradesh |
37-52 |
|
Uttarakhand |
33-38 |
|
West Bengal |
34-39 |
|
Tamil Nadu |
50-55 |
IBPS Clerk Mains Cut off 2021-22
|
States/ UT |
UR |
|
Andaman & Nicobar |
30.75 |
|
Andhra Pradesh |
35.63 |
|
Arunachal Pradesh |
30.75 |
|
Assam |
32.00 |
|
Bihar |
37.63 |
|
Chandigarh |
38.63 |
|
Chattisgarh |
33.50 |
|
Dadar & Nagar Haveli |
30.00 |
|
Delhi |
38.88 |
|
Daman & Diu |
30.00 |
|
Goa |
32.13 |
|
Gujarat |
35.00 |
|
Haryana |
39.00 |
|
Himachal Pradesh |
40.00 |
|
Jammu & Kashmir |
32.00 |
|
Jharkhand |
35.88 |
|
Karnataka |
33.50 |
|
Kerala |
37.50 |
|
Ladakh |
24.50 |
|
Lakshadweep |
23.50 |
|
Madhya Pradesh |
35.63 |
|
Maharashtra |
34.38 |
|
Manipur |
35.25 |
|
Meghalaya |
30.38 |
|
Mizoram |
19.50 |
|
Nagaland |
29.38 |
|
Odisha |
36.88 |
|
Puducherry |
30.75 |
|
Punjab |
38.50 |
|
Rajasthan |
40.00 |
|
Sikkim |
31.00 |
|
Tamil Nadu |
36.00 |
|
Telangana |
34.88 |
|
Tripura |
32.38 |
|
Uttar Pradesh |
36.63 |
|
Uttarakhand |
39.25 |
|
West Bengal |
37.75 |
CLERK Prelims Syllabus:
IBPS CLERK 2022 Vacancies
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) releases state-wise and category-wise vacancies along with the official notification every year on their official website. For the year 2022-23, 6035 vacancies were declared by IBPS for the clerical positions in the banks. The table below shows the overall IBPS CLERK state-wise Vacancies for the year 2022-23:
|
State Name |
SC |
ST |
OBC |
EWS |
UR |
Total |
|
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
|
ANDHRA PRADESH |
11 |
7 |
32 |
19 |
140 |
209 |
|
ARUNACHAL PRADESH |
0 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
14 |
|
ASSAM |
11 |
17 |
42 |
15 |
72 |
157 |
|
BIHAR |
43 |
3 |
73 |
26 |
136 |
281 |
|
CHANDIGARH |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
9 |
12 |
|
CHHATTISGARH |
10 |
29 |
5 |
9 |
51 |
104 |
|
DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI DAMAN & DIU |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
DELHI (NCR) |
45 |
17 |
87 |
27 |
119 |
295 |
|
GOA |
1 |
12 |
11 |
4 |
43 |
71 |
|
GUJARAT |
15 |
35 |
100 |
25 |
129 |
304 |
|
HARYANA |
21 |
0 |
38 |
10 |
69 |
138 |
|
HIMACHAL PRADESH |
22 |
2 |
17 |
7 |
43 |
91 |
|
JAMMU & KASHMIR |
1 |
1 |
9 |
1 |
23 |
35 |
|
JHARKHAND |
6 |
17 |
6 |
5 |
35 |
69 |
|
KARNATAKA |
50 |
22 |
89 |
32 |
165 |
358 |
|
KERALA |
5 |
0 |
11 |
6 |
48 |
70 |
|
LADAKH |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
LAKSHADWEEP |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
|
MADHYA PRADESH |
46 |
71 |
38 |
28 |
126 |
309 |
|
MAHARASHTRA |
81 |
72 |
215 |
73 |
334 |
775 |
|
MANIPUR |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
|
MEGHALAYA |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
|
MIZORAM |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
|
NAGALAND |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
|
ODISHA |
23 |
26 |
11 |
10 |
56 |
126 |
|
PUDUCHERRY |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
|
PUNJAB |
122 |
0 |
83 |
39 |
163 |
407 |
|
RAJASTHAN |
24 |
13 |
20 |
9 |
63 |
129 |
|
SIKKIM |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
11 |
|
TAMIL NADU |
56 |
3 |
53 |
26 |
150 |
288 |
|
TELANGANA |
17 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
76 |
99 |
|
TRIPURA |
3 |
5 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
17 |
|
UTTAR PRADESH |
218 |
11 |
315 |
106 |
439 |
1089 |
|
UTTRAKHAND |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
13 |
19 |
|
WEST BENGAL |
117 |
23 |
118 |
50 |
220 |
528 |
|
Total |
951 |
400 |
1379 |
538 |
2767 |
6035 |
IBPS Clerk Participating Banks
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) collects vacancies from various participating public sector banks in India. The following 11 banks participated in the IBPS Clerk recruitment in the year 2022:
1. Bank of Baroda
2. Bank of India
3. Bank of Maharashtra
4. Canara Bank
5. Central Bank of India
6. Indian Bank
7. Indian Overseas Bank
8. Punjab National Bank
9. Punjab & Sind Bank
10. UCO Bank
11. Union Bank of India
Tips to Crack IBPS CLERK 2025 Exam:
Since the IBPS clerk exam is highly competitive because of the number of applicants, you need to have a strong foundation in basic concepts and a thorough understanding of the IBPS Clerk exam pattern and IBPS clerk syllabus to crack it.
· You have to develop a strategic study plan and adhere to a disciplined study routine to cover all the topics and regularly practice through
IBPS Clerk mock tests. This will help you to identify your weaknesses and help you work on them at the right time. IBPS clerk mock tests at Smartkeeda are the simulation of the actual exam which will give you a good idea of the IBPS Clerk exam pattern and the level of difficulty of the questions asked in this exam.
· After taking the test you should analyze it thoroughly to point out your strengths and weaknesses and the areas of improvement where you need to alter your approach to boost your score. You can also attempt “
Topic Tests” available at Testzone to strengthen your concepts on a particular topic.
· To stay ahead of the competition, it is crucial to keep oneself updated with current affairs and general knowledge to excel in the general awareness section which is one of the scoring sections of IBPS Clerk mains. You can attempt monthly
mockdrills at Smartkeeda and boost your score in the
General Awareness Section.
· If you’re having an examination in later shifts, get an idea about the number of questions being attempted by other aspirants of the previous shifts. To get an idea of the difficulty level of the exam and your target attempts, you can also attempt the
memory-based paper of the IBPS clerk exam at Smartkeeda.
The IBPS clerk exam offers a great opportunity to kick-start your career in the banking sector and achieve your dreams. With dedication, hard work, and perseverance, you can easily crack the IBPS clerk exam and secure a promising career in the banking sector.
Here you can find the direct links to practice
Topic-wise quizzes for IBPS CLERK 2025 Exam
:
Thanks & Regards
(Team Smartkeeda)