The IBPS Clerk Prelims 2025 continues to grab attention across the country with thousands of candidates appearing in multiple shifts. If you were part of the 4th Shift held on 4 October 2025 or are preparing for upcoming shifts, this detailed IBPS Clerk 4th Shift Exam Analysis 2025 will help you knwo the paper better.
We’ll break down the difficulty level, number of good attempts, section-wise questions, and exam timings.
Overview
The IBPS Clerk Prelims is being held to recruit for 10,696 clerk posts in public sector banks. The prelims consist of three sections: English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability. The exam is for 100 marks and is conducted in a 60-minute window.
Based on feedback from candidates who appeared in the 4th Shift on 4 October 2025, the overall difficulty was Easy to Moderate. While Quant and English were easy for most, some found the Reasoning section a bit time-consuming.
Difficulty
Here’s how students rated the difficulty of each section in the 4th shift:
| Section | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | Easy |
| English Language | 30 | Easy |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | Easy to Moderate |
The majority of candidates could attempt 70+ questions with decent accuracy, which is considered a safe attempt range for clearing the cut-off.
Attempts
Based on analysis and student feedback, here’s a breakdown of good attempts:
| Section | Good Attempts |
|---|---|
| English Language | 23-26 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 23-24 |
| Reasoning Ability | 24-26 |
| Overall | 70+ |
If your attempts fall within or above this range with good accuracy, you have a strong chance to move to the mains stage.
Numerical
The Numerical Ability section leaned more on simplification and arithmetic. Here’s a topic-wise distribution:
| Topic | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Simplification | 10-12 |
| Data Interpretation (Bar) | 5 |
| Data Interpretation (Line) | 5 |
| Arithmetic | 10 |
| Caselet DI | 3 |
The section was straightforward and calculative. Candidates who practiced basic DI and arithmetic had an edge.
English
English Language in this shift focused heavily on comprehension and grammar-based questions:
| Topic | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Wrong Spelling/Inappropriate Usage | 4 |
| Reading Comprehension (Tribal Topic) | 8-9 |
| Cloze Test | 6-7 |
| Error Detection | 4-5 |
| Multiple Sentence Arrangement | 4-5 |
The RC was based on Agroforestry and Tribal Economy, with moderate-level vocabulary and inference-based questions.
Reasoning
This section had a mix of puzzles and logical reasoning questions. Some puzzles were time-consuming due to multiple conditions.
| Topic | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Comparison Puzzle (6 Persons) | 3 |
| Month-Based Puzzle (Non-Cons.) | 5 |
| Circle-Based (Facing Inside) | 5 |
| Box-Based Sequence Puzzle | 5 |
| Certain Number of People (14) | 3-4 |
| Mixed Series | 5 |
| Word Formation (CITY) | 1 |
| Pair Formation (From Numbers) | 1 |
| Odd One Out | 1 |
| Number-Based Question | 1 |
Candidates who had a good hold on puzzle-solving speed did well here. Overall, the section required time management more than difficulty-handling.
Timings
Knowing shift timing can be crucial for normalization and comparison. Below is the official shift schedule for IBPS Clerk Prelims 2025:
| Shift | Reporting Time | Handwriting Sample | Exam Start | Exam End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift 1 | 8:00 AM | 8:55 AM | 9:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| Shift 2 | 10:30 AM | 11:25 AM | 11:30 AM | 12:30 PM |
| Shift 3 | 1:00 PM | 1:55 PM | 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
| Shift 4 | 3:30 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:30 PM |
If you’re yet to appear in the upcoming shifts, reviewing this analysis can help adjust your strategy to maximize attempts.
As the IBPS Clerk Prelims is time-bound and speed-based, focus on balancing all three sections. Prioritize accuracy over guesswork, especially with the expected cut-off hovering close to 70 marks.
FAQs
What was the overall difficulty of shift 4?
Easy to Moderate as per most candidates.
How many good attempts in shift 4?
Around 70+ attempts with good accuracy.
Which section was the toughest?
Reasoning was slightly more time-consuming.
What was the RC topic in English?
The RC was based on Tribal Miniso Agroforestry.
Is there sectional timing in IBPS Clerk?
Yes, each section has 20 minutes.
