IBPS Clerk Exam Analysis 2026 For Prelims Starts For 1st Shift 10th Oct, Check Difficulty Level of Questions

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is conducting the IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam 2026 (CRP CSA XVI) on 10th and 11th October 2026. This year, total vacancies to be filled through this examination are 11663. Those who appear and qualify in Prelims will be called for the Mains exam.

The Prelims exam is being conducted in multiple shifts, and 1st shift of 10th October 2026 is now. Through feedback received from students who appeared for the exam, we have discussed the IBPS Clerk Today’s Exam Analysis here.

IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam Analysis 2026 Shift 1

The first shift of IBPS Clerk Prelims runs from 9 to 10 am, and the duration of the exam is 60 minutes. It consists of 3 sections, namely Reasoning, English, and Quantitative Aptitude, and each section has 20 minutes to complete the test. The overall exam difficulty level of Shift 1 was easy to moderate and the section-wise difficulty level is given below.

The sequence of the exam is: English⇒ Quantitative Aptitude⇒ Reasoning

IBPS Clerk Shift 1 Difficulty Level 2026

Section	Difficulty Level
English Language	Easy
Reasoning Ability	Easy To Moderate
Numerical Ability	Easy To Moderate
Total	Easy to Moderate

IBPS Clerk 1st Shift Good Attempts 2026

Section	No. of Questions	Good Attempts
English Language	30	25-27
Numerical Ability	35	26-28
Reasoning Ability	35	28-20
Total	100	79-86

IBPS Clerk Prelims Section-wise Analysis 2026

The Prelims exam consists of 3 section as mentioned in the table below. Number of questions are distributed equally in Reasoning and Quants section, whereas English has only 30 questions. Candidates have to complete the test in 60 minutes but sectional timing is applicable. Check the exam pattern and section-wise analysis below.

IBPS Clerk Exam Structure

Section	No. of Questions	Maximum 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

IBPS Clerk Admit Card 2026 Out

IBPS Clerk Question Paper 2026

Prelims Shift 1 Reasoning Analysis

The section was easy to moderate, and the Floor-based Puzzle (7 floors) was the main time-consuming set. The 2 Parallel Rows puzzle (5 on each row) was manageable.

Topic	Number of Questions
Floor-based puzzle (7)	5 Qs
Inequalities (Non-comma)	4 Qs
2 Parallel Rows (Horizontal) (5 on each)	5 Qs
Direction and Distance	3 Qs
Sequence Based (8 person)	1 Q
Chinese Coding	5 Qs
Meaningful word (THIN, HINT)	1 Q
Pair Formation (Letter-based)	1 Q
Digit+Symbol	5 Q
Word based	1 Q
Total	35 Qs

Prelims Shift 1 Quantitative Aptitude Analysis

The section was easy to moderate, and Simplification/Approximation (10 Qs) was the quickest scoring area. Two Caselets (Tubs & Buckets, Table-based) were reported in the exam along with DIs.

Topic	Number of Questions
Simplification/Approximation	10 Qs
Data Interpretation (Table)	5 Qs
Data Interpretation (Bar Graph)	5 Qs
Caselet (Tubs & Buckets)	3 Qs
Caselet (Table-based)	4 Qs
Arithmetic	8 Qs
Total	35 Qs

Prelims Shift 1 English Analysis

The English section was easy and the most scoring part of the paper. Reading Comprehension was a story-based passage; Sentence Rearrangement, Cloze Test and Error Detection were direct, and most students finished them quickly.

Topic	Number of Questions
Reading Comprehension (Fictional Store, Martha age old) Moral of the Story Direct & Indirect questions Vocab (Vital & Move)	8-10 Qs
Sentence Rearrangement	5 Qs
Cloze Test (A to F) (Exhibition related)	6 Qs
Sentence-Based Error Detection	4 Qs
Word Usage (lesson, lose)	2 Qs
Word Swap	4-5 Qs
Total	30

Candidates who clear the Prelims cut-off will be called for the Mains exam. The Prelims score is not added to the final merit. The cut-off will be released after all shifts are completed, and the result will be announced on the official IBPS website in November 2026.

IBPS Clerk Shift Timings

Shift	Timing	Difficulty Level
Shift 1	9:00 AM – 10:00 AM	Easy To Moderate
Shift 2	11:30 AM – 12:30 PM	Will be updated soon
Shift 3	2:00 PM – 3:00 PM	Will be updated soon
Shift 4	4:30 PM – 5:30 PM	Will be updated soon

IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026: Exam Day Tips

Attempt RC first, since it is easy and builds confidence.
In Quant, finish Simplification before moving to DI and Caselets.
Skip long puzzles if they take more than 6-7 minutes, and come back if time remains.
Keep a close watch on the clock, because each section has its own 20-minute limit.

Watch Video For Detailed Shift 1 Analysis

FAQs

When is the IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam 2026 being conducted?

The IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam 2026 (CRP CSA XVI) is being conducted on 10th and 11th October 2026 in multiple shifts.

What was the difficulty level of IBPS Clerk Shift 1 on 10th October 2026?

The overall difficulty level of IBPS Clerk Prelims Shift 1 was easy to moderate. The English Language section was easy, while Reasoning Ability and Numerical Ability were easy to moderate.

What is the exam pattern for IBPS Clerk Prelims 2026?

The IBPS Clerk Prelims exam consists of 100 questions carrying 100 marks. English Language has 30 questions, while Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability have 35 questions each. Candidates get 60 minutes to complete the exam, with 20 minutes allotted to each section.

What is the sequence of sections in IBPS Clerk Prelims Shift 1?

The sequence of sections in IBPS Clerk Prelims Shift 1 on 10th October 2026 was English Language, followed by Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability.

Which topics were asked in IBPS Clerk Prelims Shift 1 Reasoning Ability?

The Reasoning Ability section included floor-based puzzles, parallel-row puzzles, inequalities, direction and distance, Chinese coding, digit-symbol questions, meaningful words, and pair formation.