Introduction
The IBPS Clerk Mains 2025 exam, conducted across multiple shifts on November 29 and December 2, has concluded. As one of the most popular banking exams, the competition is always fierce. This year, the paper was balanced but tested the endurance of candidates with lengthy questions in Reasoning and Quant.
In this analysis, we decode the difficulty level of each section and provide a realistic range of good attempts to help you gauge your performance.
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Overall Difficulty Level
The overall difficulty level was Moderate. While no section was impossibly hard, the cumulative fatigue of a 160-minute exam played a role.
| Section | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|
| General/Financial Awareness | Moderate |
| General English | Moderate |
| Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude | Moderate |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Moderate to Difficult |
| Overall | Moderate |
Section-Wise Analysis
General/Financial Awareness (50 Marks)
This section is usually the tie-breaker. The questions were a mix of current affairs (last 4-5 months) and static banking concepts.
- Current Affairs: Focus on October and November 2025.
- Banking Awareness: Questions on recent RBI guidelines and digital banking.
- Static GK: Minimal presence.
The average attempt in this section was surprisingly low, around 15-19.
Strategic Insight: Why did students struggle to cross 20 attempts? Because they relied on last-minute capsules. In contrast, aspirants who used the Scoreclever App for daily revision found the questions familiar, as the app’s spaced repetition algorithm ensures retention of such specific data points.
General English (40 Marks)
English was the highest scoring section for many. The Reading Comprehension passages were lengthy but the questions were direct.
- Reading Comprehension: 2 sets (Story-based and Economy-based).
- Cloze Test: Easy to Moderate.
- Error Spotting: Standard grammar rules.
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude (60 Marks)
This section was time-consuming. While “Computer Aptitude” is in the name, there were zero computer questions—a trend that continues from previous years.
- Puzzles: 4 sets (Circular, Linear, Month-based).
- Critical Reasoning: 5-6 questions (Assumption/Inference).
- Miscellaneous: Blood relation, Direction sense.
Quantitative Aptitude (50 Marks)
Quant was calculation-intensive. Candidates who got stuck in one difficult DI set lost valuable time.
- Data Interpretation: 3 sets (Bar graph, Caselet, Tabular).
- Arithmetic: 10-12 questions (Profit & Loss, SI/CI, Time & Work).
- Approximation: 5 questions (Easy).
Good Attempts
Given the moderate difficulty, the cutoff is expected to be competitive. Here are the good attempts based on student feedback.
| Section | Good Attempts |
|---|---|
| General/Financial Awareness | 18 - 22 |
| General English | 23 - 28 |
| Reasoning Ability | 22 - 27 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 18 - 23 |
| Total | 85 - 95 |
The Path to Selection
In clerical exams, the state-wise cutoffs vary significantly. However, one truth remains constant: Accuracy is King.
If you have attempted 90 questions with 95% accuracy, you are in a safe zone.
Note: Many candidates ignore General Awareness until the prelims result is out. This is a fatal mistake. As this exam showed, GA is not about “knowing” the news, it’s about “remembering” the details. Start your preparation for the next cycle now with Scoreclever to build a solid foundation in CA and English.
Conclusion
The IBPS Clerk Mains 2025 was a fair paper that rewarded consistent preparation over last-minute cramming. We wish all aspirants the very best for their results!
