IBPS Practice Test

IBPS Exam at a Glance

What changed for IBPS in 2026

• Oct 27, 2026: Validity (CSA-XVI (Clerk)) changed to 1 year after date of Provisional Allotment (previously 1 year after provisional allotment).^[1]
• Oct 27, 2026: Score release (CSA-XVI (Clerk) Preliminary) changed to November 2026 (previously November 2026 (tentative)).^[1]
• Oct 27, 2026: Score release (PO/MT-XVI Main) changed to November 2026 (previously November 2026 (tentative)).^[2]
• Oct 27, 2026: Time limit (PO/MT-XVI Preliminary) changed to 60 minutes (previously 60 minutes (3 sections × 20 min)).^[2]
• Oct 27, 2026: Exam fee (CSA-XVI (Clerk)) changed to Rs. 850 (Rs. 175 for SC/ST/PwBD/ESM/DESM) (previously Rs. 850 (Rs. 175 SC/ST/PwBD/ESM/DESM), incl. GST).^[1]
• Oct 27, 2026: Exam fee (PO/MT-XVI) changed to Rs. 850 (Rs. 175 for SC/ST/PwBD) (previously Rs. 850 (Rs. 175 SC/ST/PwBD), incl. GST).^[2]
• Oct 27, 2026: Exam fee (RRB-XV) changed to Rs. 850 per post (Rs. 175 for SC/ST/PwBD; OA also ESM/DESM) (previously Rs. 850 per post (Rs. 175 SC/ST/PwBD; OA also ESM/DESM), incl. GST).^[4]
• Oct 27, 2026: Validity (PO/MT-XVI) changed to 1 year after date of Provisional Allotment (previously 1 year after provisional allotment).^[2]
• Oct 27, 2026: Number of questions (CSA-XVI (Clerk) Main) changed to 160 questions (200 marks) in 125 minutes (previously 160 questions in 125 minutes).^[1]
• Oct 27, 2026: Passing score (PO/MT-XVI) changed to Sectional + total cut-offs; interview min 40% (35% SC/ST/OBC/PwBD) (previously Sectional + total cut-offs; interview min 40% (35% reserved)).^[2]

What the IBPS is and how it works

According to Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, “1 English Language English 30 30 20 minutes 2 Numerical Ability * 35 35 20 minutes 3 Reasoning Ability * 35 35 20 minutes Total 100 100 60 minutes”^[1]

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection runs common recruitment processes (CRPs) for PO/MT, Clerk (CSA), and RRB Officer and Office Assistant posts. Every exam is online and computer-based, held at test centres across India.

• PO/MT-XVI: age 20–30 on 01.07.2026 and a graduate degree. The Preliminary has 100 questions (English 30, Quantitative Aptitude 35, Reasoning 35) in 60 minutes. The fee is Rs. 850 (Rs. 175 for SC/ST/PwBD).
• CSA-XVI (Clerk): age 20–28 on 01.08.2026 and a graduate degree. The Preliminary has 100 questions in 60 minutes. The Main has 160 questions (200 marks) in 125 minutes.
• RRB-XV: Officer Scale I age 18–30, Office Assistant age 18–28. The Officer Scale I Preliminary has 80 questions in 45 minutes. Its Main has 200 questions in 120 minutes.

For PO/MT, IBPS applies both sectional and total cut-offs. A weak section can rule you out even if your total is good. The interview minimum is 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD). For PO/MT and Clerk, the recruitment process expires 1 year after the date of Provisional Allotment, or earlier if a new allotment is made. Age relaxations, attempt rules and category details are different for each post. Read the official notification on ibps.in for your post before you apply.

Worked examples: how to reason through IBPS questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: A train running at a speed of 72 km/hr crosses a man standing on a platform in 12 seconds and crosses the platform completely in 30 seconds. What is the length of the platform?

1. 240 metres
2. 300 metres
3. 360 metres
4. 400 metres

Answer: C. 360 metres

Explanation:

C. 360 metres is correct. The times are in seconds, so first convert 72 km/hr into metres per second. When the train passes a man, it only has to cover its own length. Speed × 12 seconds gives a train length of 240 metres. When it passes the platform, it covers its own length plus the platform. Speed × 30 seconds gives that combined distance. Subtract the train's 240 metres and the platform is 360 metres.

A. 240 metres is the train's length, not the platform's, and is the most common trap. B. 300 metres and D. 400 metres don't match either distance equation. Rule to remember: a person or a pole adds no length, but a platform or a bridge adds its full length to the train's.

Example 2

Question: Statements: I. All chairs are tables. II. No table is a sofa. III. Some sofas are wooden. Conclusions: I. No chair is a sofa. II. Some tables are wooden.

1. If only conclusion II follows.
2. If neither conclusion I nor II follows.
3. If both conclusions I and II follow.
4. If only conclusion I follows.

Answer: D. If only conclusion I follows.

Explanation:

D is correct. "All chairs are tables" places every chair inside the tables group. "No table is a sofa" keeps tables and sofas completely apart. Since every chair is a table, no chair can be a sofa, so Conclusion I follows. The only link to wooden things is "Some sofas are wooden", and sofas share nothing with tables. That means nothing definite connects tables to wooden items. Some tables might be wooden, but the statements don't require it, so Conclusion II does not follow. This rules out A and C, which accept II, and B, which rejects I. Rule to remember: a conclusion follows only if it is true in every diagram you can draw. Being merely possible is not enough.

Example 3

Question: Which data structure follows the Last In, First Out (LIFO) principle?

1. Queue
2. Stack
3. Linked list
4. Tree

Answer: B. Stack

Explanation:

B. Stack is correct. A stack adds and removes items at the same end, the top. The last item pushed on is the first one taken off, which is Last In, First Out. A queue works the opposite way: items join at the rear and leave from the front, so it is First In, First Out. A linked list is a chain of nodes that can be used to build either a stack or a queue, but it has no fixed removal order of its own. A tree is a hierarchy of parent and child nodes, not an ordering rule. Rule to remember: a stack is LIFO, like a pile of plates, and a queue is FIFO, like a line at a bank counter.

How to use these practice tests

Download the notification for your post and write down your exam dates. For example, the RRB Officer Scale I Preliminary is on 21–22 November 2026 and the CSA (Clerk) Main is on 27 December 2026.

1. Find your weak section. Take the full practice test without a timer and note which section loses you the most marks.
2. Drill that section. For quant, use Arithmetic Word Problems and Data Interpretation and Analysis. For reasoning, use Puzzles & Seating Arrangements, Syllogism and Logical Reasoning and Coding-Decoding. For English, use Reading Comprehension Passages.
3. Read every explanation, including for questions you got right, and keep a short notebook of the rules.
4. Add timing. Once your accuracy is steady, practise against the clock. The PO/MT and Clerk Preliminary each give you 100 questions in 60 minutes.
5. Widen your coverage for Main papers. If your notification lists these areas, use Banking & Financial Awareness and Computer Knowledge. Check the official syllabus for anything not covered here.

In the last few days, retry only the questions you missed before, and confirm your admit card and centre details on the official site.

Sources & last verified

1. Institute of Banking Personnel Selection — number of questions, exam fee, validity, eligibility (official source). “Total 160 200 125 minutes” Verified Oct 27, 2026.
2. Institute of Banking Personnel Selection — time limit, passing score, exam fee, validity (official source). “Total 100 100 60 Minutes” Verified Oct 27, 2026.
3. Institute of Banking Personnel Selection — testing window, next exam date (official source). “Officer Scale I Officer Scale II and III Office Assistants Preliminary Examination 21 st and 22 nd November 2026” Verified Oct 27, 2026.
4. Institute of Banking Personnel Selection — number of questions, exam fee, eligibility (official source). “Total 200 200 120 minutes” Verified Oct 27, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.