What is the IBPS Clerk exam?
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) runs a Common Recruitment Process (CRP) every year to fill clerical posts in participating public sector banks. IBPS has renamed the clerical cadre post as Customer Service Associate, so the recent process is called CRP CSA; the 2025-26 edition was CRP CSA-XV. Most people still call it IBPS Clerk.
You apply for the vacancies of one state or union territory. Final selection leads to provisional allotment to a participating bank, based on your mains score, your bank preferences and the vacancies reported by banks.
Eligibility basics
- Education: a degree in any discipline from a recognised university, by the date set in the notice.
- Computer literacy: working knowledge of computers is required.
- Local language: you should be able to read, write and speak the official language of the state or UT you apply for.
- Age: the band is set in each notice; in recent cycles it has been 20 to 28 years for general candidates, with relaxation for reserved categories.
Stages of selection
- Preliminary exam: qualifying. You must clear the cut-off to be called for the mains.
- Main exam: the score that decides provisional allotment. It covers general and financial awareness, English, reasoning ability and computer aptitude, and quantitative aptitude.
- Language Proficiency Test: a qualifying test of the state's official language, for candidates who did not study that language in Class 10 or 12, as the notice explains.
| Prelims section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
Each section has its own timer. Wrong answers carry a penalty of one-fourth of the marks for that question. The section-wise pattern of the mains has been revised in recent cycles, so take it from the notice or the information handout for your year.
How to apply
The notification and online form appear on ibps.in under the CRP CSA section. You register, fill the form for one state or UT, upload your photo, signature, left thumb impression and a handwritten declaration in the format asked, and pay the fee online. Keep the registration number and password safe; you need them for every call letter.
How allotment works
IBPS does not appoint candidates itself. After the mains, it prepares a merit list by state and category based on mains marks. Candidates are then provisionally allotted to participating banks according to merit, the preferences they gave and the vacancies banks have reported. The bank then completes document checks, medical tests and joining formalities under its own rules.
Prepare for prelims and mains together. The mains adds general and financial awareness and computer aptitude, which take time to build, so start reading banking news early.
IBPS Clerk guides on HindiScope
- Prelims and mains call letter download steps, the documents to carry and login fixes are in our IBPS Clerk admit card guide .
- Admit card explainers for SSC, railway and other exams are listed on the admit card hub .
Related exams
The reasoning, English and maths you study here also help in SSC CHSL and SSC CGL . For a railway clerical career, the graduate level of the RRB NTPC exam tests similar maths and reasoning.
HindiScope is not an official site; confirm every detail on ibps.in.