What IBPS Clerk is
IBPS runs this exam to fill clerical cadre posts across the public sector banks that participate in its Common Recruitment Process, distinct from IBPS PO, which recruits into the officer cadre through a separate, harder exam with an additional Interview stage. A clerk position is typically a candidate’s entry point into public sector banking without a postgraduate degree or a management background, and many candidates who later clear IBPS PO or SBI PO started their banking career as a clerk.
Because IBPS Clerk and IBPS PO are separate recruitment processes with separate notifications, a candidate can apply to both in the same year if they meet each exam’s eligibility criteria.
Who can apply
A Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university is the only academic requirement. The general age band is roughly 20 to 28 years as on the date specified in the notification, with standard relaxations for reserved categories and persons with disability.
How the exam runs
The Preliminary Examination is a shorter objective test covering English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability, with negative marking for wrong answers as specified in the notification. Only candidates who clear the Preliminary cutoff advance.
The Main Examination is a longer objective test covering General and Financial Awareness, General English, Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude, and Quantitative Aptitude. Unlike IBPS PO, there is no separate Interview stage for the clerical cadre: final selection is based directly on the Main Examination score, subject to the sectional and overall cutoffs IBPS sets each cycle.
Preparing the application
IBPS specifies exact photograph and signature requirements in each notification rather than a fixed year to year standard, so check the current notification’s dimensions and file size before uploading. The tools on this site can resize your photograph to whatever specific target the notification states.
On exam day
Arrive at least an hour before the reporting time on your admit card, with the printed admit card and a government photo identification matching the name and photo on the admit card. No electronic devices are permitted inside the exam centre.
The official IBPS website, linked above, carries the current participating bank list, vacancies, syllabus, and schedule for the cycle you are applying to.