IBPS Clerk Paper Analysis: The IBPS Clerk exam is a competitive examination for recruiting candidates to clerical positions in public sector banks. The selection process consists of two phases: the Preliminary exam and the Main exam. The Preliminary exam will be conducted on October 4th, 5th, and 11th, 2025. If you are interested and eligible for this exam, you can start your preparation by reviewing past year papers to understand the trends and difficulty levels. In this article, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the IBPS Clerk exam over the past four years (2021–2024). This analysis focuses on exam patterns, difficulty levels, topic-wise weightage, and key takeaways to help aspirants prepare for the 2025 exam cycle.
Overview of IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam Pattern
The IBPS Clerk Preliminary Exam is a computer-based test of 100 multiple‑choice questions (MCQs), divided into three sections, each of which contains 20 minutes.
- English Language – 30 questions (30 marks)
- Numerical Ability – 35 questions (35 marks)
- Reasoning Ability – 35 questions (35 marks)
Total duration: 60 minutes, with a negative marking of 0.25 marks per wrong answer. Candidates must clear both sectional cut‑offs as well as the overall cut‑off to qualify for the Mains exam.
IBPS Clerk Past Year Exam Trends: 2021–2024 (4 years)
The last year trends of the last 4 years (2021-24) show consistent patterns in Reasoning, Numerical Ability, and English Language topics. Key trends:
Reasoning Ability
- The Puzzles & Seating Arrangements is a most scoring topic that contains 15–20 marks each year, making it the highest-weight topic.
- Syllogism appeared in the range of 2–5 questions, recurring each year.
- Blood Relation, Inequality, Alphanumeric Series, Order & Ranking, Coding-Decoding, and Direction & Distance appeared moderately (1–5 questions each).
| Year | Download Link |
| Reasoning Question Paper 2024 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| Reasoning Question Paper 2023 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| Reasoning Question Paper 2022 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| Reasoning Question Paper 2021 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| Reasoning Question Paper 2020 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| Reasoning Question Paper 2019 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
Quantitative Ability
- Data Interpretation (DI) appeared every year with 5–10 questions.
- Simplification consistently contributed the largest share: 10–15 questions.
- Arithmetic Word Problems (e.g. profit-loss, age, mixtures) made up 8–15 questions.
- Number Series and Quadratic Equations occasionally appeared, usually low frequency.
| Year | Download Link |
| Question Paper 2024 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| Question Paper 2023 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| Question Paper 2022 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| Question Paper 2021 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| Question Paper 2020 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| Question Paper 2019 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
English Language
- Reading Comprehension dominated with 8–13 questions.
- Cloze Test appeared consistently: 4–7 questions.
- Error Detection, Phrase Replacement, Fillers, Para Jumbles, Word Usage/Spelling appeared but in fewer numbers (typically 2–6 questions each).
| Year | Download Link |
| IBPS Clerk English Section Question Paper 2024 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| IBPS Clerk English Section Question Paper 2023 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| IBPS Clerk English Section Question Paper 2022 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| IBPS Clerk English Section Question Paper 2021 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| IBPS Clerk English Section Question Paper 2020 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
| IBPS Clerk English Section Question Paper 2019 | Click & Download the PDF with a Detailed Solution |
4‑Year Trend Summary
As per the analysis, the IBPS Clerk Prelims exam has consistently maintained an Easy to Moderate difficulty level across all shifts, so we expect this year’s paper to be easy to moderate level. This trend highlights the importance of mastering recurring topics to maximise scores.
| Year | Prelims: Overall Diff. | Prelims: Good Attempts |
| 2021 | Moderate to Difficult | 70–78 |
| 2022 | Easy to Moderate | 71–77 |
| 2023 | Easy to Moderate | 72–78 |
| 2024 | Easy to Moderate (easier | 73–89 |
IBPS Clerk Topic-Wise Weightage For the last 4 Years
This table shows the topic-wise weightage from the last 4 years for Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Language sections. Candidates can check topic-wise detailed weightage in the section below.
IBPS Clerk Prelims Topic Wise Weightage – Reasoning
| Topics | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Puzzles & Seating | 15–20 | 15–20 | 15–20 | 15–20 |
| Alphabet Test | 0–1 | – | – | – |
| Direction & Distance | 0–3 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 |
| Coding-Decoding | 0–5 | 4–5 | 3 | 1–5 |
| Inequality | 2–5 | 1–5 | 3–5 | 3–4 |
| Syllogism | 2–4 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 4–5 |
| Blood Relation | 0–3 | 2–5 | 1–4 | 3–5 |
| Alphanumeric Series | 4–5 | 3–5 | 3–5 | 3–5 |
| Number/Letter Series | 4–5 | 4–5 | 5 | – |
| Order & Ranking | 3–5 | 3 | 1–3 | 1 |
| Miscellaneous | 1–4 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 2–5 |
IBPS Clerk Prelims Topic Wise Weightage – Quantitative Aptitude
| Topics | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Data Interpretation | 9–10 | 5–10 | 5 | 5 |
| Simplification | 10–15 | 12–15 | 13–15 | 12–15 |
| Number Series | 0–5 | 5 | 5 | – |
| Quadratic Equation | – | – | – | 5 |
| Arithmetic Word Problems | 10–15 | 8–12 | 10–12 | 12–13 |
IBPS Clerk Prelims Topic Wise Weightage – English Language
| Topics | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Reading Comprehension | 9–13 | 8–10 | 7–10 | 8–9 |
| Cloze Test | 5 | 6 | 4–7 | 5 |
| Error Detection | 4–6 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 5 |
| Word Swap | 0–5 | 2–5 | 5 | – |
| Fillers | 5–6 | 3–7 | 2–5 | – |
| Para Jumbles | 0–5 | 3–5 | 5 | 0–5 |
| Phrase Replacement | 3–5 | 4–5 | 3–5 | – |
| Word Usage/Spelling | 2–4 | 1–5 | 2–6 | 0–2 |
| Miscellaneous | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–3 |
Disclaimer:
The information provided is intended solely for educational and informational purposes, offering general insights into exam trends, difficulty levels, and preparation strategies. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy and relevance, the content may not fully reflect the actual examination and should be treated as a supplementary resource rather than a definitive guide. The publisher is not affiliated with IBPS or any official examination authority, and all trademarks and names mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Readers are advised to consult official notifications and resources for authoritative information, and the publisher shall not be held responsible for any decisions or outcomes based on the use of this content.
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