IBPS Clerk Preparation – Subject-wise Strategies, Important Books

Institute of Banking Personnel Selection organizes IBPS Clerk exam every year to fill the vacancies at clerical levels in its associated banks. Candidates who are eligible to appear in the recruitment process will have to clear two phases of the exam – Prelims and Mains. Candidates need to cover the complete syllabus of both the IBPS Clerk exam stages to get selected as a clerk in a bank. To ensure that we provide you with the best IBPS Clerk preparation tips, we have sourced the top-most suggestions by experts and assimilated them here in this article.  

Points to note: IBPS Clerk Preliminary exam will take place in multiple shifts on December 12, 13 and 19, 2020 and the Mains exam will be held on January 24, 2021. Students still have ample time to prepare well for both the exams of IBPS Clerk recruitment if they study smartly as per the prescribed IBPS Clerk exam syllabus. Before starting the preparation, candidates should be well-versed with the IBPS Clerk exam pattern and syllabus to channelize their study plan in an ideal way.

Stay tuned to this page to get subject-wise guidelines for IBPS Clerk preparation 2020.

IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern for Prelims

In order to frame an effective IBPS Clerk exam preparation plan, candidates must pay attention to the exam pattern that contains type and number of questions, time duration, number of sections, marking scheme, etc. Important information pertaining to the exam pattern of IBPS Clerk Preliminary stage is mentioned below: 

Exam Layout for IBPS Clerk Prelims

Sections	Number of Questions	Marks	Time Duration (Minutes)
English Language	30	30	20
Quantitative Aptitude	35	35	20
Reasoning Ability	35	35	20
Total	100	100	60

IBPS Clerk Exam Pattern for Mains

While the rest of the sections are the same as in the Prelims exam, IBPS Clerk Mains has two additional sections of General Awareness and  Computer Aptitude. The exam pattern for IBPS Clerk Mains is given below:

Exam Layout for IBPS Clerk Mains

Sections	Number of Questions	Marks	Time Duration (Minutes)
General Awareness	50	50	35
General English	40	40	35
Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude	50	60	45
Quantitative Aptitude	50	50	45
Total	190	200	160

Note: Reasoning and Computer Aptitude are considered as one section in IBPS Clerk Main exam. 

IBPS Clerk Preparation – Prelims Exam Analysis of Last Year 

The exam analysis of IBPS Clerk Prelims exam 2019 will surely help the candidates in understanding the important topics in different sections. Obviously, the topics from which the most number of questions are asked automatically become the most important ones. However, knowing the difficulty level of each topic is a step further in framing a practical study plan.

IBPS Clerk Exam Analysis (Reasoning Ability) 

IBPS Clerk Exam Analysis (English Language) 

IBPS Clerk Exam Analysis (Quantitative Aptitude)

IBPS Clerk Preparation – Prelims & Mains Syllabus  

Candidates should be aware of IBPS Clerk Prelims and Mains syllabus, as mentioned below:

Sections	Topics
English Language	Reading Comprehension Fillers Sentence Improvement Cloze Test Fill in the Blanks Spotting the Errors
Reasoning Ability	Puzzles and Seating Arrangement  Syllogism Direction Sense  Alphabet Series  Alphabet  Order and Ranking
Quantitative Aptitude	Simplification/ Approximation  Data Interpretation  Number Series  Miscellaneous  Data Sufficiency  Quadratic Equations
Computer Aptitude	Introduction to Computer Organisation  Computer Languages  Basics of DBMS  History and Generation of Computers  Computer Hardware and I/O Devices  Computer Network & Security, Number System and Conversions Operating System  Internet  Computer Memory  Computer Software  MS Office Suit Shortcut keys
General Awareness	Financial Awareness  Banking and Insurance Awareness  Static Awareness  Current Affairs  Government  Schemes and Policies

General Strategies for IBPS Clerk Exam Preparation

IBPS Clerk Prelims and Mains preparation schedule should include a realistic study plan with proper execution. Candidates need to have clarity on all the fundamental concepts from the scratch if they aspire to crack this exam. Some general tips for IBPS Clerk preparation are as under:

1. Study plan of aspirants should revolve around the IBPS Clerk syllabus and exam pattern to ensure their efforts don’t go in vain
2. Solving mock tests and previous years’ sample papers will help the aspirants to understand the exam pattern, difficulty level of exam, marking scheme, time duration, etc. 
3. Don’t leave out any topic even if you find it difficult
4. Adopt the habit of making notes as this will help a lot in revision
5. Focus more on accuracy with speed to score well in IBPS Clerk exam  
6. Time management and selection of questions cannot be overlooked during IBPS Clerk preparation
7. With the help of IBPS Clerk mock tests, candidates can assess their own performance and modify their strategy if required. Click here to find the mock test for IBPS online examination.

Subject-wise Strategies for IBPS Clerk Exam Preparation

Candidates need to pay heed to both the stages of IBPS Clerk exam. Knowing the fact that the applicants have to clear IBPS Clerk Prelims cut off to get qualified for Mains exam and then the Mains cut off for final selection, a holistic strategy is required for IBPS Clerk preparation. How about creating a section-wise study plan and preparation strategy? Let’s discuss the same: 

IBPS Clerk Exam Preparation Tips for English Language

This section will assess the skill and proficiency of the candidates in English language. The major topics included in this subject are vocabulary, comprehension, spotting the errors, fill in the blanks, grammar, etc. Tips to prepare for this section are as under:

• Read articles and editorials on a regular basis
• Reading newspapers like ‘The Hindu’ and ‘Deccan Chronicle’ will be of great help
• Note down the difficult words and try to use them in general conversation
• Refer to books or online applications to improve vocabulary and grammar
• Keep on revising grammar rules to avoid mistakes
• Enhance your English reading and writing skills 
• Solve sample papers to get a fair idea of the type of questions

IBPS Clerk Preparation Tips for Quantitative Aptitude

Since this section is quite tough as compared to other subjects, candidates need to be highly focused and dedicated. The below-mentioned tips will definitely help the candidates to pass this section with flying colors:

• Develop the habit of learning formulas as it forms the basis of the Quantitative Aptitudesection
• Also, learning formulas is just not enough as candidates must also know how to apply the same
• Time management is the biggest hurdle that most of the test-takers face. To break this barrier, solve sample and practice papers and improve your speed
• Revision is the key and candidates must follow it regularly
• Learn shortcuts and tricks to solve the problems to enhance your question-solving speed 
• Some important topics of Numerical Ability includes Simplification, Ratio and Proportion, Profit and Loss, Time and Work, Average, Number Series, Data Interpretation, Percentage, Time, Speed and Distance etc.

IBPS Clerk Preparation Tips for Reasoning Ability

Reasoning Ability is quite a high scoring section if candidates have a good logical ability. Experts suggest that candidates must solve at least 20 to 30 questions regularly from the topics like Puzzles, Syllogisms, Blood Relations, Coding-Decoding, Linear and Circular Seating Arrangements to get a hang of Reasoning Ability. Aspirants must be very cautious about time management. While giving mock tests, try solving the Reasoning Ability section within the assigned time duration. 

IBPS Clerk Preparation Tips for Computer Aptitude 

Computer Aptitude along with Reasoning is an additional section in IBPS Clerk Mains exam. Candidates will be assessed on the basis of their computer skills in both software and hardware. No need to choke your bandwidth focusing on this section for long hours. Invest one to two hour daily on various important topics like Networking, Microsoft applications, Internet and Email, Keyboard shortcuts, Operating system, etc.

IBPS Clerk Preparation Tips for General Awareness 

General Awareness is also the part of IBPS Clerk Mains exam. Though General Awareness is a vast subject and 100% preparation is not possible, candidates must keep abreast with certain important topics like current economic plans and policies, banking related news, rules and regulations, current rates, KYC, finance, current affairs, budget, etc. Make your nose sensitive to national and international business, sports, and political news by reading good newspapers and watching primetime shows on news channels.

Helpful Books for IBPS Clerk Exam Preparation 

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” – Charles W. Eliot

Picking up the right set of books for IBPS Clerk exam preparation is the wisest move that can take you closer to success. Below are the most recommended books for IBPS Clerk preparation:

Sections	Important Books
English	High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin Objective General English by Arihant Publications Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
Reasoning Ability	Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S Agarwal Analytical Reasoning by M.K.Pandey A New Approach to Reasoning: Verbal and Non Verbal by B.S.Sijwali and Indu Sijwali
Numerical Ability	Quantitative Aptitude by R.S Agarwal Data Interpretation by Arun Sharma Objective Mathematics for Competitive Exams by Tarun Goyal
General Awareness	India Year Book by Publications Division Manorama Yearbook Banking Awareness by Arihant Publications
Computer Aptitude	Objective Computer Knowledge by Kiran Prakashan

IBPS Clerk Previous Years’ Question Papers 

To enable the candidates in channelizing their preparation for highly competitive IBPS Clerk recruitment exam, we have provided below the direct PDF download links of IBPS Clerk question papers:

Year	General English	Quantitative Ability	Reasoning Ability	Computer Aptitude	General Knowledge
2014	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here
2015	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here

IBPS Clerk Preparation – FAQs 

✔️ How can I prepare well for the Reasoning Ability section of IBPS Clerk exam?

To prepare for the Reasoning Ability section of IBPS Clerk exam, candidates must solve a minimum of 20 to 30 questions regularly from topics like puzzle, syllogism, coding decoding, seat arrangement, etc.

✔️ How to improve speed for IBPS Clerk Preliminary exam?

As IBPS Clerk Prelims has a time restriction of 60 minutes, candidates need to be agile and practice more to gain perfect speed. They must solve sample papers and online mock test series while keeping a self time check to increase accuracy and focus in IBPS Clerk exam.

✔️ What are the expert tips for IBPS Clerk preparation 2020 to master Quantitative Aptitude?

To prepare for the Quantitative Aptitude section, candidates need to start from the scratch and clear their fundamental concepts first. They should focus on practicing quiz, DI, percentage, average, cubes, etc. on a regular basis. Also, they should gain command on the application of mathematical formulas to ace the Quantitative Aptitude section in IBPS Clerk exam.

✔️ What are the general strategies for IBPS Clerk preparation 2020?

Candidates must get a grasp of the syllabus and exam pattern of both IBPS Clerk Prelims and Mains, solve previous years’ papers and mock test series, learn time management tricks, focus on every single topic and section, revise the topics on a frequent basis, etc. to nail this highly competitive exam.

✔️ How beneficial is it to solve mock test series for IBPS Clerk preparation 2020?

Solving mock test series online is quite helpful in terms of time management, understanding difficulty level of exam, analyzing important topics, etc. for the candidates preparing for IBPS Clerk recruitment exam.