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IBPS Clerk (CSA) syllabus and exam pattern for 2026

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 8 Oct 2026 · 7 min read

The IBPS Clerk exam is now officially the Customer Service Associate (CSA) recruitment. The 2026 cycle (CRP CSA-XVI) has two online stages: a prelims of 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes, and a mains of 160 questions for 200 marks in 125 minutes. There is no interview. Final merit rests on your mains marks alone, and a local language test applies if you did not study the state's language at school. Mains no longer has a Computer Aptitude section, so any guide that lists 190 questions and 160 minutes is out of date.

IBPS names the sections but does not publish topic lists, so the topics below are labelled "commonly tested" rather than official.

IBPS Clerk (CSA) at a glance

The detailed notification is dated 1 August 2026, with registration from 1 to 21 August 2026. IBPS issued a corrigendum on 29 September 2026 that updated vacancies, which is one reason this page does not quote vacancy numbers: they change after release.

IBPS Clerk prelims pattern

Each test is timed separately and has a sectional cut-off. Marks match questions section by section, unlike IBPS PO prelims where the marks per section differ. Prelims only shortlists you for mains and does not count in the final merit.

IBPS Clerk mains pattern

The notification lists the sections "not by sequence", so the order on the screen may differ from this table. You must clear sectional minimum scores and a total minimum.

Why the mains timing matters

The average time per question is very different across sections.

General/Financial Awareness gets just 20 minutes, so you should answer it quickly and recognise what you do not know. Reasoning is the single largest section at 60 marks, 30% of the paper. These figures are plain averages (time or marks divided by questions) and not a claim about how each question is weighted.

IBPS Clerk syllabus: commonly tested topics

Reasoning Ability (prelims and mains)

Seating arrangement (linear, circular, box-based), puzzles, syllogism, inequalities, blood relations, direction sense, coding-decoding, order and ranking, and alphanumeric series. Mains-level papers add input-output, data sufficiency, and logical reasoning, such as assumptions, arguments, course of action and inference. See reasoning for bank exams.

Numerical Ability and Quantitative Aptitude

• Simplification and approximation.
• Number series (missing and wrong terms).
• Quadratic equations.
• Data interpretation: tables, bar, line and pie charts, and caselets.
• Arithmetic: percentage, ratio, average, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time-speed-distance, boats and streams, mixtures, ages, partnership, mensuration, probability, permutation and combination.

The quantitative aptitude page covers the chapter-wise method.

English Language

Reading comprehension, cloze test, error spotting, sentence improvement, para jumbles, fillers and vocabulary or word usage. The English section is in English only, even though other sections are available in more languages. In CSA mains, English is 40 marks, 20% of the paper. See English for bank exams.

General/Financial Awareness (mains)

Current affairs from the last four to six months, banking terms and RBI policy, financial awareness, the Union Budget and Economic Survey, government schemes and static general knowledge. The banking awareness page lists sources and revision methods.

Computer knowledge

Neither the prelims nor the mains has a computer section in 2026. Computer literacy remains an eligibility requirement (see below), but it is not marked. If you are also targeting an exam that does test computers, such as SBI's Junior Associate mains, the computer awareness for bank exams page covers the topics.

Languages and state-wise selection

The exam is conducted state-wise, and you may choose one State or UT. Questions appear in English and Hindi plus the regional language(s) for that state, except the English test, which is in English only. For Tamil Nadu the options are English, Hindi and Tamil. For Puducherry they are English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT)

You must be proficient in reading, writing, speaking and understanding the official language of the State or UT you apply for. If your Class 10 or higher mark sheet shows that you studied the language, you are exempt. Otherwise there is a test, held after mains and provisional allotment but before joining. It is marks-based and qualifying: if you fail it, you are not appointed. A Tamil Nadu applicant who studied Tamil in school should simply keep the mark sheet ready. Others should plan time to learn the language. The RRB page explains that the regional rural banks treat local language differently.

Eligibility in brief

For the 2026 cycle the age limit was 20 to 28 years as on 1 August 2026, with relaxations for SC/ST (5 years), OBC non-creamy layer (3 years), PwBD (10 years), and ex-servicemen on a service-plus-three-years rule up to a maximum age of 50. You must be a graduate in any discipline on the day you register (the last registration date was 21 August 2026). Computer literacy is mandatory: a certificate, diploma or degree in computer operations, or computers or IT studied as a subject in school or college. See bank exam eligibility for a comparison with other exams.

Do not mix IBPS CSA with the SBI Clerk pattern

SBI's Junior Associate mains is a different exam. It still has a combined Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude section and a 190-question paper, and its prelims has no sectional cut-off. The pages are separate for a reason: see SBI Clerk syllabus and pattern. If you are choosing between the two jobs, the bank PO vs clerk page compares the roles.

Practising the CSA pattern on PrepMatic

PrepMatic covers the objective stages. The free assessment shows your weakest subject among English, Numerical Ability and Reasoning. You can then take mocks, full-length or custom, setting the subjects, number of questions, duration and difficulty. A 40-question, 35-minute sectional is easy to build. Results show a subject-wise breakdown, so you can see whether Reasoning or Quant is costing you the most marks.

Frequently asked questions

Is IBPS Clerk the same as CSA?

Yes. In the recent notifications IBPS calls the clerical post Customer Service Associate. People still search for it as "IBPS Clerk", and it is the same recruitment in the same participating public sector banks.

Is there a computer aptitude section in IBPS Clerk mains?

Not in the 2026 notification. Mains has General/Financial Awareness, General English, Reasoning Ability and Quantitative Aptitude, for 160 questions and 200 marks in 125 minutes.

Is there an interview for IBPS Clerk?

No. Selection is by prelims and mains, with a Local Language Proficiency Test where needed. Final merit is based on your mains marks.

Is there negative marking in IBPS Clerk?

Yes. The notification deducts 0.25 of the marks assigned to a question for a wrong answer, in both prelims and mains.

Do I need to know the local language to apply?

You must be proficient in the official language of the State or UT you apply for. If your Class 10 or higher mark sheet shows you studied it, you are exempt from the test. Otherwise you take the LLPT before joining, and failing it means no appointment.

Can I apply in more than one state?

No. You apply for vacancies in one State or UT only.

Official sources

• IBPS CRP CSA-XVI detailed notification (1 August 2026): pattern, eligibility, LLPT and pay scale.
• IBPS CSA-XVI corrigendum (29 September 2026): updated vacancies.
• IBPS CSA-XVI cycle page: notices and call letters.
• IBPS tentative calendar 2026-27: dates, which IBPS may change.

Confirm all details in the latest notification. See the bank exams guide for every exam side by side.

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