The IBPS PO Prelims Exam 2026 will be conducted on 22nd and 23rd August 2026 in multiple shifts. The exam will assess candidates across three sections: English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability. The IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026 will help candidates understand the difficulty level, good attempts, and topic-wise distribution of questions based on candidate feedback.
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026
The IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026 provides an overview of the questions asked in each section and the overall level of the examination. The analysis will be updated based on feedback from candidates appearing in different shifts on 22nd and 23rd August 2026.
| Section | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Difficulty Level |
| English Language | 30 | 30 | To Be Updated |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 30 | To Be Updated |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 40 | To Be Updated |
| Total | 100 | 100 | To Be Updated |
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Good Attempts
The number of good attempts depends on the difficulty level of the paper, question distribution, and accuracy maintained by candidates. The table below will provide the section-wise and overall good attempts for IBPS PO Prelims 2026 after candidates’ feedback is received.
| Section | Good Attempts |
| English Language | To Be Updated |
| Quantitative Aptitude | To Be Updated |
| Reasoning Ability | To Be Updated |
| Overall | To Be Updated |
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Difficulty Level
The difficulty level of the IBPS PO Prelims 2026 exam may vary slightly across shifts. Based on candidate feedback and expert analysis, the difficulty level for each section will be updated in the table below after the examination.
| Section | Difficulty Level |
| English Language | To Be Updated |
| Quantitative Aptitude | To Be Updated |
| Reasoning Ability | To Be Updated |
| Overall | To Be Updated |
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Sectional Wise Analysis
The sectional analysis will provide a detailed overview of the topics asked in English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability. Candidates can use these details to understand the question distribution and identify the topics that carried the highest weightage in the IBPS PO Prelims 2026 exam.
IBPS PO Prelims 2026 English Language Analysis
The English Language section consists of 30 questions and tests candidates on reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and sentence-based questions. The topic-wise distribution of questions asked in the exam will be updated based on candidate feedback.
| Topic | Number of Questions |
| Reading Comprehension | To Be Updated |
| Error Detection | To Be Updated |
| Cloze Test | To Be Updated |
| Para Jumble/Sentence Rearrangement | To Be Updated |
| Fillers | To Be Updated |
| Word Swap/Word Usage | To Be Updated |
| Phrase Replacement | To Be Updated |
| Total | 30 |
IBPS PO Prelims 2026 Quantitative Aptitude Analysis
The Quantitative Aptitude section carries 35 questions and generally includes Arithmetic, Data Interpretation, Number Series, Approximation, and other calculation-based topics. The detailed topic-wise analysis will be updated after reviewing the questions reported by candidates.
| Topic | Number of Questions |
| Approximation | To Be Updated |
| Number Series | To Be Updated |
| Quadratic Equation | To Be Updated |
| Data Interpretation | To Be Updated |
| Arithmetic | To Be Updated |
| Other Topics | To Be Updated |
| Total | 35 |
IBPS PO Prelims 2026 Reasoning Ability Analysis
The Reasoning Ability section consists of 35 questions, with a major focus generally placed on puzzles and seating arrangements. Other topics such as Syllogism, Inequality, Direction, Blood Relation, and Coding-Decoding may also be included.
| Topic | Number of Questions |
| Puzzles & Seating Arrangement | To Be Updated |
| Syllogism | To Be Updated |
| Inequality | To Be Updated |
| Direction & Distance | To Be Updated |
| Blood Relation | To Be Updated |
| Coding-Decoding | To Be Updated |
| Word/Pair Formation | To Be Updated |
| Other Topics | To Be Updated |
| Total | 35 |
IBPS PO Previous Year Prelims Trends
The IBPS PO Prelims exam pattern has remained broadly consistent over the years, with English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability carrying 30, 35, and 35 questions, respectively. However, the distribution of questions across individual topics has changed from year to year. Analysing these trends helps candidates identify frequently asked topics, understand changes in difficulty, and prioritise important areas during preparation.
IBPS PO Prelims Good Attempts Trend
Good attempts vary across shifts depending on the difficulty level and candidates’ accuracy. The previous-year data indicates that candidates generally needed to attempt around 60–75 questions with good accuracy to remain competitive. Since IBPS PO has negative marking, attempting questions accurately is more important than simply increasing the number of attempts.
| Year | English | Quantitative Aptitude | Reasoning Ability | Overall Good Attempts |
| 2025 | 20–25 | 18–24 | 23–30 | 63–76 |
| 2024 | 20–25 | 16–29 | 20–28 | 60–75 |
| 2023 | — | — | — | — |
| 2022 | — | — | — | — |
| 2021 | — | — | — | — |
Note: Good-attempt figures can differ considerably across shifts and are therefore best treated as indicative ranges rather than fixed targets.
IBPS PO Prelims Overall Difficulty Trend
The overall difficulty of the IBPS PO Prelims exam has generally remained around the Easy to Moderate to Moderate range, although the difficulty can vary between shifts. Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude are usually more time-consuming because of puzzles and lengthy calculations, while English is comparatively manageable for candidates with good reading and grammar skills.
| Year | English Language | Quantitative Aptitude | Reasoning Ability | Overall Difficulty |
| 2025 | Easy to Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| 2024 | Easy to Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| 2023 | Easy to Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| 2022 | Easy to Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| 2021 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
IBPS PO Prelims English Language Trend 2025–2021
The English Language section has consistently focused on Reading Comprehension, grammar, sentence arrangement, fillers, and vocabulary-based questions. Reading Comprehension has remained one of the most regular topics, while newer patterns such as Word Swap and Phrase Replacement have appeared in recent years. The table below consolidates the major topic-wise trends from 2025 to 2021.
| Topic | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Reading Comprehension | 8–10 | 8–11 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Error Detection | 4–5 | 3–5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Cloze Test | 5–6 | 6 | – | 6 | – |
| Sentence Rearrangement | 3–5 | 5 | – | 4 | – |
| Para Jumble | 5–6 | 5 | 5 | – | 5 |
| Word Swap | 3–5 | – | 3 | 2 | – |
| Fillers | 2–5 | 4–5 | – | – | – |
| Phrase Replacement | 1–2 | 2–3 | 3 | 4 | – |
| Word Usage | 1–3 | 2–3 | 3 | – | – |
| Word Arrangement | – | 5 | – | – | 5 |
| Match the Column | 1–3 | 3 | – | – | – |
| Double Fillers | – | – | 3 | – | – |
| Total Questions | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Trend: Reading Comprehension, Error Detection, Para Jumbles/Sentence Rearrangement, and vocabulary-based questions have remained important. The 2025 paper showed greater variation through Word Swap, Phrase Replacement, Fillers, and Word Usage.
IBPS PO Prelims Quantitative Aptitude Trend 2025–2021
The Quantitative Aptitude section has consistently given considerable weightage to Data Interpretation and Arithmetic. Approximation, Number Series, and Quadratic Equations have also appeared regularly, although their presence and weightage vary across years. Recent papers have included multiple DI formats such as Line Graph, Table, Bar Graph, Caselet, and Pie Chart.
| Topic | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Approximation | 5 | 5 | – | – | – |
| Quadratic Equation | 3–5 | 5 | – | 5 | 5 |
| Missing/Wrong Number Series | 2–5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Arithmetic | 10–15 | 10–11 | 13 | 10 | 10 |
| Table DI | 5 | 4–6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Line Graph DI | 5 | 5 | – | – | – |
| Bar Graph DI | 5–6 | – | – | 5 | – |
| Pie Chart DI | – | 5 | 6 | – | 5 |
| Caselet DI | 4–5 | 4–5 | – | 5 | 5 |
| Data Sufficiency | – | 3 | – | – | – |
| Total Questions | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
Trend: Arithmetic and Data Interpretation have remained the most important areas in Quantitative Aptitude. Number Series and Quadratic Equations have also appeared consistently in earlier years, while recent papers have shown greater variation in DI formats.
IBPS PO Prelims Reasoning Ability Trend 2025–2021
Reasoning Ability has increasingly become a puzzle- and seating arrangement-oriented section, with several questions often grouped into individual sets. Variable-based puzzles, floor and flat arrangements, circular seating, box-based puzzles, and selection-based puzzles have appeared frequently. At the same time, Syllogism, Inequality, Direction, and Word Formation remain useful scoring topics.
| Topic | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Seating Arrangement & Puzzles | 20–25 | 24–25 | 17–20 | 18–20 | 20–25 |
| Month & Date Puzzle | 5 | 5 | 5 | – | 10 |
| Year-Based Puzzle | 5 | 5 | – | – | – |
| Box-Based Puzzle | 5 | 4–6 | 5 | – | – |
| Floor/Flat-Based Puzzle | 5 | 5 | – | – | 5 |
| Selection-Based Puzzle | 5 | 4–5 | 4 | – | – |
| Circular Seating | 5 | 5 | – | 5 | 5 |
| Uncertain Seating Arrangement | 3 | 3–4 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Syllogism | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Inequality | 3–4 | 3–4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Direction & Distance | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – |
| Blood Relation | 3 | 3 | – | 3 | – |
| Pair Formation | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
| Meaningful Word/Word Formation | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Odd One Out | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | 1 |
| Chinese Coding-Decoding | 4–5 | 5 | – | – | 1 |
| Number-Based Questions | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| Total Questions | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
Trend: Puzzle and seating arrangement questions have consistently formed the largest portion of the Reasoning section. Recent papers have introduced more combinations of variables and puzzle types, while Syllogism, Inequality, Direction, and other short questions continue to provide relatively quick scoring opportunities.
Key Takeaways from IBPS PO Previous Year Trends
- Reasoning: Focus heavily on puzzles, seating arrangements, Syllogism, Inequality, and Direction.
- Quant: Prioritise Arithmetic, Data Interpretation, Number Series, Approximation, and Quadratic Equations.
- English: Give consistent attention to Reading Comprehension, Error Detection, Para Jumbles, Cloze Test, and vocabulary-based questions.
- Overall: The core syllabus has remained stable, but question formats and puzzle/DI combinations continue to change.
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