The IBPS PO Prelims Exam 2026 is being conducted on 22nd and 23rd August 2026 in multiple shifts. The first two shifts on 23rd August 2026 have now been conducted. Based on candidate feedback and expert analysis, Shift 1 was moderate overall, while Shift 2 was also moderate but had a comparatively more challenging quantitative aptitude section. The good attempts ranged between 64 and 73 questions across the two shifts.
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Shift-wise Difficulty and Good Attempts, 23rd August
The first two shifts of the IBPS PO Prelims Exam 2026 held on 23rd August were overall moderate. Shift 1 had good attempts of 67–73 questions, while Shift 2 had good attempts of 64–70 questions. Quantitative Aptitude was the comparatively more challenging section in Shift 2. Candidate feedback and expert analysis indicate some variation in section-wise difficulty across the two shifts.
| Section | Shift 1: Difficulty | Shift 1: Good Attempts | Shift 2: Difficulty | Shift 2: Good Attempts |
| English Language | Easy to Moderate | 20–22 | Moderate | 23–25 |
| Reasoning Ability | Easy to Moderate | 24–26 | Moderate | 26–28 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Moderate | 23–25 | Moderate to Difficult | 15–17 |
| Overall | Moderate | 67–73 | Moderate | 64–70 |
IBPS PO Prelims Shift 1 and Shift 2: Section-wise Analysis, 23rd August
The IBPS PO Prelims exam consists of three sections: English Language, Reasoning Ability, and Quantitative Aptitude. Each section has a separate 20-minute sectional time limit.
IBPS PO Prelims Shift 1 and 2 Reasoning Ability Analysis, 23rd August
The Reasoning Ability section consisted of 35 questions in both shifts. The table below highlights the puzzles, seating arrangements, and miscellaneous reasoning topics reported in Shift 1 and Shift 2.
| Topics | Shift 1 (23 Aug) | Shift 2 (23 Aug) |
| Puzzles & Seating Arrangement | 23 Qs | 20 Qs |
| Month-Based Puzzle + Variable | – | 5 Qs |
| Year-Based Puzzle | 5 Qs | 5 Qs (8 Persons) |
| Selection-Based Puzzle | – | 5 Qs (9 Persons) |
| Parallel Row Puzzle | – | 5 Qs |
| Single Row Seating Arrangement | 5 Qs | – |
| Order & Sequence Puzzle | 5 Qs | – |
| Box-Based Puzzle | 5 Qs | – |
| Certain Number of Persons (North-Facing) | 3 Qs | – |
| Direction-Based | – | 3 Qs |
| Blood Relation | 3 Qs | 3 Qs |
| Syllogism | 3 Qs | 3 Qs |
| Inequality | 3 Qs | 3 Qs |
| Meaningful Word | 1 Q | 1 Q |
| Pair Formation | – | 1 Q |
| Word-Based | 1 Q | 1 Q |
| Total | 35 Qs | 35 Qs |
IBPS PO Prelims Shift 1 and 2 English Language Analysis, 23rd August
The English Language section carried 30 questions in both shifts. Reading Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Error Detection, Word Swap, Fillers, and Phrase Replacement were among the key topics reported by candidates. The table below presents the shift-wise distribution of questions.
| Topics | Shift 1 (23 Aug) | Shift 2 (23 Aug) |
| Reading Comprehension | 8–9 Qs | 9 Qs |
| Para Jumble | 5 Qs | 5 Qs |
| Word Swap | 4 Qs | 3 Qs |
| Double Fillers | 2 Qs | 4 Qs |
| Error Detection | 3–4 Qs | 4 Qs |
| Word Rearrangement | 3–4 Qs | – |
| Phrase Replacement | 1 Q | 4 Qs |
| Word Usage | – | 1 Q |
| Total | 30 Qs | 30 Qs |
IBPS PO Prelims Shift 1 and 2 Quantitative Aptitude Analysis, 23rd August
The Quantitative Aptitude section consisted of 35 questions in both shifts. Shift 1 was rated moderate, whereas Shift 2 was comparatively more challenging, with 15–17 good attempts. The table below shows the topic-wise distribution of questions reported in both shifts.
| Topics | Shift 1 (23 Aug) | Shift 2 (23 Aug) |
| Arithmetic | 10–11 Qs | 11 Qs |
| Bar Graph DI | 5 Qs | 5 Qs |
| Line Graph DI | 5 Qs | – |
| Caselet DI | 3 Qs | 1 Q |
| Table DI | – | 6 Qs |
| Approximation | 3 Qs | 4 Qs |
| Quadratic Equation | 3 Qs | 4 Qs |
| Wrong Number Series | – | 4 Qs |
| Total | 35 Qs | 35 Qs |
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Shift-wise Key Takeaways 22nd August
The IBPS PO Prelims Exam 2026, conducted on 22nd August 2026, was overall easy to moderate across the four shifts. Shift 2 and Shift 4 were comparatively more moderate, while Shift 1 and Shift 3 were easy to moderate. Candidates can check the shift-wise difficulty, good attempts, and major topics below.
| Section | Shift 1 | Shift 2 | Shift 3 | Shift 4 |
| Overall Difficulty & Good Attempts | Easy to Moderate 65–72 | Moderate 65–72 | Easy to Moderate 64–73 | Moderate 65–70 |
| English Language | Easy to Moderate: RC, Cloze Test, Error Detection, Word Swap, Sentence Rearrangement | Easy to Moderate: RC, Word Swap, Phrase Replacement, Double Fillers, Parajumbles | Easy to Moderate: RC, Cloze Test, Error Detection, Phrase Replacement, Word Rearrangement | Moderate: RC, Cloze Test, Error Detection, Sentence Rearrangement, Phrase Replacement |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Easy: DI, Approximation, Number Series, Quadratic Equation, Arithmetic | Moderate: DI, Caselet DI, Approximation, Number Series, 11 Arithmetic Qs | Easy to Moderate: Table & Line DI, Caselet DI, Missing Number, Approximation, Arithmetic | Moderate: Double Pie DI, Bar Graph DI, Missing Number, Approximation, 13 Arithmetic Qs |
| Reasoning Ability | Easy to Moderate: Puzzles & Seating Arrangements | Easy to Moderate: Puzzles, Seating Arrangements, Chinese Coding | Easy to Moderate: Box, Floor, Circular & Selection Puzzles | Easy to Moderate: Year, Floor, Parallel Row, Designation & Seating Puzzles |
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Good Attempts
The IBPS PO Prelims Good Attempts 2026 vary slightly across shifts depending on the difficulty level of the paper. Shift 1 and Shift 2 had estimated good attempts of 65–72 questions, Shift 3 had 64–73, and Shift 4 had 65–70.
| Section | Shift 1 (22 Aug) | Shift 2 (22 Aug) | Shift 3 (22 Aug) | Shift 4 (22 Aug) |
| English Language | 23–26 | 23–27 | 22–25 | 21–25 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 18–21 | 18–20 | 19–22 | 18–22 |
| Reasoning Ability | 22–25 | 23–26 | 23–26 | 23–26 |
| Overall | 65–72 | 65–72 | 64–73 | 65–70 |
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Difficulty Level
The first four shifts have shown some variation in difficulty. Shift 1 and Shift 3 were easy to moderate overall, while Shift 2 and Shift 4 were moderate. Quantitative Aptitude was comparatively more challenging in Shift 2 and Shift 4.
| Section | Shift 1 (22 Aug) | Shift 2 (22 Aug) | Shift 3 (22 Aug) | Shift 4 (22 Aug) |
| English Language | Easy to Moderate | Easy to Moderate | Easy to Moderate | Moderate |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Easy | Moderate | Easy to Moderate | Moderate |
| Reasoning Ability | Easy to Moderate | Easy to Moderate | Easy to Moderate | Easy to Moderate |
| Overall | Easy to Moderate | Moderate | Easy to Moderate | Moderate |
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Section-wise Analysis
The IBPS PO Prelims Section-wise Analysis 2026 provides a shift-wise overview of the questions asked from English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability.
IBPS PO Prelims English Language Analysis 2026
In Shift 1, candidates reported questions from Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Error Detection, Word Swap, Sentence Rearrangement, Word Usage, Fillers, and vocabulary-based questions.
In Shift 2, questions were asked from Reading Comprehension, Word Usage, Word Swap, Error Detection, Phrase Replacement, Double Fillers, and Parajumbles.
In Shift 3, the English section included Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Error Detection, Column-Based questions, Phrase/Word Replacement, and Word Rearrangement.
In Shift 4, candidates reported questions from Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Error Detection, Sentence Rearrangement, Phrase Replacement, Word Rearrangement, and Word Usage.
| Topics | Shift 1 (22 Aug) | Shift 2 (22 Aug) | Shift 3 (22 Aug) | Shift 4 (22 Aug) |
| Reading Comprehension | 8–9 Qs | 10 Qs | 9 Qs | 9 Qs |
| Error Detection | 5 Qs | 3 Qs | 5 Qs | 4 Qs |
| Cloze Test | 5 Qs | – | 6 Qs | 5 Qs |
| Sentence Rearrangement | 3 Qs | – | – | 4 Qs |
| Word Swap | 3–4 Qs | 4 Qs | – | – |
| Word Usage | 3 Qs | 3 Qs | – | 1 Q |
| Word Replacement/Phrase Replacement | 2–3 Qs | 4 Qs | 5 Qs | 4 Qs |
| Double Fillers | – | 3 Qs | – | – |
| Parajumble | – | 5 Qs | – | – |
| Column Based | – | – | 1 Q | – |
| Word Rearrangement | – | – | 4 Qs | 3 Qs |
IBPS PO Prelims Quantitative Aptitude Analysis 2026
The Quantitative Aptitude section consisted of 35 questions in each shift. Shift 1 was rated Easy, Shift 2 Moderate, Shift 3 Easy to Moderate, and Shift 4 Moderate.
Shift 4 included Approximation, Missing Number Series, Double Pie DI, Bar Graph DI, Q1-Q2, and 13 Arithmetic questions, including topics such as Train, Time & Work, Partnership, and Profit & Loss.
| Topics | Shift 1 (22 Aug) | Shift 2 (22 Aug) | Shift 3 (22 Aug) | Shift 4 (22 Aug) |
| Approximation | 5 Qs | 4 Qs | 3 Qs | 5 Qs |
| Number Series | 5 Qs | 3 Qs (Wrong Number Series) | 4 Qs (Missing Number) | 5 Qs (Missing Number) |
| Data Interpretation – Table | 5 Qs | 6 Qs | 5 Qs | – |
| Data Interpretation – Line Graph | 5 Qs | 6 Qs (Double Line Graph) | 5 Qs | – |
| Double Pie DI | – | – | – | 5 Qs |
| Bar Graph DI | – | – | – | 5 Qs |
| Caselet DI | – | 2 Qs | 5 Qs | – |
| Quadratic Equation/Q1-Q2 | 3–4 Qs | 2 Qs (Q1-Q2) | – | 2 Qs (Q1-Q2) |
| Arithmetic | 11–12 Qs | 11 Qs | 13 Qs | 13 Qs |
IBPS PO Prelims Reasoning Ability Analysis 2026
The Reasoning Ability section consisted of 35 questions in each shift. Puzzles and seating arrangements remained the dominant areas across all four shifts. Shift 4 included Year-Based, Comparison-Based, Flat & Floor-Based, Uncertain Seating, Parallel Row, and Designation-Based puzzles.
| Topics | Shift 1 (22 Aug) | Shift 2 (22 Aug) | Shift 3 (22 Aug) | Shift 4 (22 Aug) |
| Month-Date-Based Puzzle | 5 Qs | 5 Qs | – | – |
| Year Based Puzzle | – | – | – | 5 Qs |
| Box-Based/Floor-Based Puzzle | 5 Qs | 5 Qs (Floor-Based) | 5 Qs (Box-Based) | 5 Qs (Flat & Floor-Based) |
| Parallel Row | 5 Qs | – | – | 5 Qs |
| Circular Seating Arrangement | – | 5 Qs | 5 Qs (7 Person) | – |
| Selection-Based Puzzle | 5 Qs | 5 Qs | 5 Qs | – |
| Comparison Puzzle | 3 Qs | – | – | 3 Qs |
| Uncertain Seating Arrangement | – | – | – | 3 Qs |
| Designation Based Puzzle | – | – | – | 5 Qs |
| Syllogism | – | 2 Qs | 3 Qs | – |
| Blood Relation | 3 Qs | 3 Qs | 3 Qs | – |
| Inequality | 3 Qs | 3 Qs | 4 Qs | 3 Qs |
| Direction Sense/Distance | 3 Qs | – | 3 Qs | 3 Qs |
| Chinese Coding | – | 5 Qs | – | – |
| Pair Formation | 1 Q | 1 Q | 1 Q | 1 Q |
| Word-Based Questions | – | 1 Q | 1 Q | – |
| Meaningful Word | 1 Q | 1 Q | – | 1 Q |
| Odd One Out | 1 Q | – | 1 Q | 1 Q |
| Total | 35 Qs | 35 Qs | 35 Qs | 35 Qs |
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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