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The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) conducts the IBPS clerk (now called Customer Service Associate) examination, for selection of customer service associates. The IBPS clerk exam dates have been announced. The Mains exam will be held on February 1, 2026 and candidates qualifying the prelims will have to take this exam to achieve their goal. Here are some tips to prepare and stay on course for your coveted job profile:

Deep dive into the syllabus

Go through the detailed syllabus and identify the topics  for each section. Create a study plan accordingly, giving equal importance to all sections. There are a total of 4 sections asked in the examination – General English, Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude, Numerical Ability, and General/ Financial Awareness. The English section includes topics like Reading Comprehension, Cloze, Vocabulary, Letter Formation, and Fillers, with difficulty ranging from easy to moderate. These questions assess comprehension, grammar, and language skills.

The Reasoning section includes topics of varying difficulty. Puzzle and Para jumbles are moderately challenging, while Inequality, Coding-Decoding, and Syllogism are relatively easy. Data Sufficiency ranges from easy to moderate whereas letter formation and assumption are of moderate difficulty. Overall, the section tests logical reasoning, analytical skills, and decision-making.

The Quantitative Aptitude section covers a mix of topics with mostly easy to moderate difficulty. It includes simplification, data interpretation, speed-time-Distance, and various other topics like average, time & work, and profit & loss. This section evaluates numerical ability and problem-solving skills.

Review the marking scheme

The Mains examination would be divided into 4 sections and this exam would be conducted in online mode only. The four sections are:

• Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude
• General English
• Quantitative aptitude
• General Financial awareness.

The total marks for this examination would be 50 40 60 50= 200 and the total number of questions would be 50 40 50 50= 190. The total time allotted for this exam is 35 35 45 45= 160 minutes.

Plan ahead

It is said ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail’. Proper planning is required in order to clear the examination. You must make a plan to give time to each and every topic. There are section wise as well as overall  cutoffs so there are no chances to leave any topic. Once you have seen the syllabus it's best to create a daily study schedule; you may use AI tools like Perplexity to do so.

Consistency is the key

Once the time table is set, you need to follow it consistently. You need to study regularly as the regular study will help you to remember the topics they have covered each day and then only the best performance output could be achieved. It will allow them to cover each and every topic before time and you will be ahead of time for mock tests and other small things to be covered. Practice the calculations with accuracy and speed in order to score the maximum marks. Start with practicing mock test papers in order to understand the pattern and details of the exam and sharpen the knowledge.

Focus on accuracy

In the IBPS Mains exam, accuracy is indeed important. Each question usually carries a specific mark, and incorrect answers may lead to a negative marking scheme, where a fraction of a mark is deducted for each wrong answer. This means that accuracy directly affects your overall score. After the exam, IBPS sets a cut-off score for each section and the overall exam. You need to meet or exceed these cut-offs to qualify for the next stage of the selection process. High accuracy can help in achieving these cut-offs. You would often be ranked based on their scores. Higher accuracy can lead to a better score, which improves your chances of being selected.

Skill Assessment: The Mains exam is designed to assess not just speed but also the candidates' understanding of concepts and their ability to apply them correctly. In addition to the overall score, you must clear the sectional cut-offs for all the sections.

Guesswork would not work. The most important thing is to recognize the strongest areas. A candidate would be able to achieve the level of accuracy, marks and less time consumption would be there.

Manage time

Since in Mains examination , every section has a slotted time frame, accuracy becomes relatively more important. Although you cannot take the pleasure of solving a quantitative aptitude section which is slated to be over in 40 minutes and 50 questions have to be solved. So it is apparent that your accuracy matters and a normal solving speed is sufficient to crack each section. Quick and accurate mental calculations can save you precious time during the Quantitative Aptitude section. Practice mental math techniques such as approximation, multiplication shortcuts, and percentage calculations to perform calculations faster and with more precision.

Incorporate sample papers

By appearing for mock tests and attempting sample papers, you can not only get familiarized with the exam pattern but also boost your confidence. Therefore, incorporate full-length mock tests into the preparation routine to simulate the exam environment. Analyse your performance to identify the areas of improvement and work on those weaknesses.

Stay current with Current Affairs

Stay updated with the latest current affairs, especially related to banking, finance, and general awareness. Read newspapers, magazines, and online sources to enhance your knowledge.

Summing up

Remember, consistency and perseverance are key to success. Stay dedicated, follow your study plan diligently, and maintain a disciplined approach toward your preparation.