IBPS Clerk (CSA) Syllabus, Exam Pattern — Customer Service Associate (CRP CSA-XVI) — formerly IBPS Clerk
| Conducting body | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Graduate in any discipline, with proficiency in the local language of the state applied for |
| Selection process | Prelims → Mains → Local Language Proficiency Test (qualifying). No interview — final merit is from the Mains only. |
| Negative marking | One-fourth (0.25) of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for every wrong answer in both the Preliminary and Main examinations. |
| Official website | ibps.in |
Exam Pattern
Preliminary Examination (qualifying)
Each section is separately timed, and you must clear the cut-off in EACH of the three sections.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
Total: 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes
Main Examination
| Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| General / Financial Awareness | 40 | 50 | 20 minutes |
| General English | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 40 | 60 | 35 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 40 | 50 | 35 minutes |
Total: 160 questions, 200 marks, 125 minutes. Final merit is prepared from the Main Examination marks only.
Syllabus — Topics to Prepare
Note: this body does not publish a topic-wise syllabus — the pattern above is official, and these are the standard topics asked under each section. Treat them as an indicative preparation list.
English Language / General English
- Reading Comprehension
- Cloze Test
- Para Jumbles
- Error Spotting / Sentence Correction
- Fill in the Blanks
- Synonyms & Antonyms
- Idioms & Phrases
- Sentence Improvement
Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude
- Number Series
- Simplification & Approximation
- Quadratic Equations
- Data Interpretation (tables, graphs, caselets)
- Percentage, Ratio & Proportion, Average
- Profit & Loss, Simple & Compound Interest
- Time & Work, Time Speed & Distance
- Partnership, Mixture & Alligation
Reasoning Ability
- Puzzles & Seating Arrangement
- Syllogism
- Blood Relations
- Direction Sense
- Alphanumeric Series
- Inequality
- Coding-Decoding
- Order & Ranking
General / Financial Awareness
- Banking & financial awareness
- RBI / SEBI updates and government schemes
- Current affairs — national & international
- Digital banking & payments
- Financial terms, institutions & abbreviations
Sources (official documents)
Checked: Pattern verified from the official CRP CSA-XVI notification dated 01 Aug 2026 (ibps.in). Always confirm with the latest notification before applying.
Disclaimer: NaukriHelp is not associated with any government organisation. All information is based on the official notification — candidates must verify details from the official notification/website before applying. We are never responsible for any inadvertent error.