PrepMaticExam questions answered · Bank exams
Which bank exam is the easiest?
No bank exam is officially "easy", and difficulty depends on your strengths. What you can compare is structure: clerk-level exams have fewer stages and no interview, and the RRB Office Assistant Prelims is the shortest paper. Officer exams add more stages, a descriptive test and an interview.
Compare the structure
| Exam (2026 cycle) | Stages | Interview | Prelims | Sectional cut-off in Prelims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBPS RRB Office Assistant | Prelims, Mains | No | 80 questions, 80 marks, 45 minutes (Reasoning, Numerical Ability) | Yes |
| IBPS Clerk (CSA) | Prelims, Mains, language test if needed | No | 100 questions, 60 minutes | Yes |
| SBI Junior Associate | Prelims, Mains, language test if needed | No | 100 questions, 60 minutes | No |
| IBPS RRB Officer Scale I | Prelims, Mains, Interview | Yes | 80 questions, 45 minutes | Yes |
| IBPS PO | Prelims, Mains with descriptive, Personality Test, Interview | Yes | 100 questions, 60 minutes | Yes |
| SBI PO | Prelims, Mains with descriptive, psychometric test, group exercise and interview | Yes | 100 questions, 60 minutes | No |
What to read into this
- Fewest hurdles: the clerk-level exams. You are selected on Mains marks and there is no interview.
- No English in the Prelims: the RRB Prelims has only Reasoning and Numerical Ability. In the RRB Mains you choose English or Hindi as the language paper.
- No sectional cut-off: SBI's Prelims (PO and Junior Associate) ranks you on the total score. IBPS uses sectional cut-offs, so a very weak section can cost you the attempt.
- Hardest to plan: PO exams, because the Mains descriptive paper and the later stages need separate preparation.
What we cannot tell you
We do not rank the exams by difficulty of the questions, and we do not quote cut-off marks. They change every year and every cycle, and the number of applicants per vacancy is not a stable measure either. Treat any "easiest exam" list that names cut-offs as unverified.
How to choose
- Check eligibility first: age, degree timing and, for clerks, language. The bank exam eligibility guide covers it.
- Match the paper to your strengths. If English is your weak area, the RRB route shortens your Prelims exposure to it. If speed with numbers is your weakness, none of them removes Quant.
- Decide on the career you want, not just the exam: bank PO vs clerk compares roles.
A free PrepMatic assessment (about 15 questions, no timer) shows which of Quant, Reasoning and English is your weakest, which helps you pick. The list of bank exams and the beginner roadmap are the next steps.
Source
- IBPS CRP RRBs-XV notification
- IBPS CRP CSA-XVI notification
- SBI current openings: PO and Junior Associate advertisements.
Check the latest notifications before choosing.
Know which section is costing you the cut-off
Take a free bank-exam assessment on PrepMatic. It shows where you stand in Quant, Reasoning and English, then builds a daily study plan and mock tests focused on your weak subjects.
Start free assessment →Free forever plan · No credit card · 2-minute setupRelated
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More in Bank exams
- Do Prelims marks count?In IBPS PO, SBI PO and RBI Grade B, Prelims only qualifies you; the final merit comes from Mains and interview. See the weightage for each exam.
- Computer knowledge in IBPS PO MainsIBPS PO Mains 2026 has no separate Computer Aptitude section. See where computer questions still appear across SBI PO, SBI JA, IBPS RRB and RBI exams.
- Final year students and IBPS PONo. IBPS PO needs you to be a graduate on the day you register, with the result declared by the last date. See how SBI PO and clerk exams differ.
- Final year students and SBI POFinal-year and final-semester students can apply for SBI PO provisionally if they show proof of passing by the date in the advertisement. 2026 rules.
- CIBIL score and SBI POSBI removed the credit-history clause from its 2026 PO advertisement by corrigendum on 1 July 2026. Here is what changed and what to check next cycle.
- Banks in IBPS POThe 2026 IBPS PO/MT-XVI recruits for 11 public sector banks, from Bank of Baroda to Union Bank of India. SBI, RBI and NABARD recruit separately.
- Bank PO probation periodSBI PO probation is 2 years, with a ₹2 lakh bond for 3 years of service, per the 2026 advertisement. IBPS PO terms are set by the allotted bank.
- Are IBPS past papers official?IBPS, SBI, RBI and NABARD do not publish past question papers. Only sample question types in handouts are official. Learn how to use unofficial papers well.