IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Shift-Wise Good Attempts, Difficulty Level, Questions Asked and Section-Wise Review
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is conducting the IBPS PO Prelims Exam 2026 on August 22 and 23, 2026 for Probationary Officer recruitment. The examination is being conducted in multiple shifts at centres across India. The August 22 paper has 100 questions for 100 marks, covering English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability, with a total duration of 60 minutes.
Based on candidate feedback reported after the first shift, the overall paper was Easy to Moderate, with approximately 62–72 questions considered good attempts depending on accuracy.
Official website:
IBPS Official Website
Exam analysis:
Jagran Josh IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Highlights
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Examination | IBPS PO Prelims 2026 |
| Conducting Authority | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection |
| Post | Probationary Officer |
| Exam Dates | August 22 and 23, 2026 |
| Exam Mode | Computer-Based Test |
| Total Questions | 100 |
| Total Marks | 100 |
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| English Language | 30 Questions |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 Questions |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 Questions |
| Shift 1 Difficulty | Easy to Moderate |
| Shift 1 Good Attempts | 62–72 |
| Official Website | ibps.in |
The examination has separate sectional timing, with candidates getting 20 minutes for each section.
IBPS PO Exam Analysis 2026: August 22 Shift-Wise Good Attempts
Initial candidate feedback provides the following picture of the August 22 examination:
| Shift | Quantitative Aptitude | English Language | Reasoning Ability | Overall Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift 1 | 17–20 | 22–27 | 21–23 | Easy to Moderate |
| Shift 2 | 16–20 | 25–27 | 19–27 | Easy to Moderate |
| Shift 3 | 21–25 | 24–27 | 22–26 | Moderate |
| Shift 4 | Update awaited | Update awaited | Update awaited | Update awaited |
The later-shift figures are based on initial candidate-feedback reporting and should be treated as indicative rather than official cutoffs.
IBPS PO Shift 1 Exam Analysis 2026
The first shift on August 22 has been completed.
Jagran Josh reported the following section-wise good-attempt ranges:
Quantitative Aptitude: 17–20
English Language: 22–27
Reasoning Ability: 21–23
Overall Good Attempts: 62–72
Overall Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
These figures are based on early candidate reactions and analysis of the questions reported from examination centres.
IBPS PO Prelims Shift 1 Reasoning Analysis
The Reasoning Ability section included a substantial number of questions from puzzles and seating-arrangement-type topics.
Topics reported included:
- Month-based puzzle
- Variable-based puzzle
- Box-based puzzle
- Comparison puzzle
- Parallel-row arrangement
- Selection-based puzzle
- Blood relation
- Inequalities
- Direction sense
- Pair formation
- Meaningful word
- Odd one out
One notable feature of the first shift was that no syllogism questions were reported.
Reasoning Good Attempts: 21–23
Candidates with strong puzzle-solving speed had an advantage because several questions involved arrangement and puzzle-based reasoning.
IBPS PO Shift 1 English Analysis
The English Language section contained questions from a broad mix of grammar, vocabulary and comprehension-related areas.
Reported topics included:
- Synonyms and antonyms
- Word swap
- Fillers
- Error detection
- Cloze test
- Word replacement
- Sentence rearrangement
- Direct questions
Jagran Josh's initial analysis puts the good-attempt range for English at:
22–27 questions
English therefore appears to have offered candidates a relatively strong opportunity to maximize attempts.
IBPS PO Shift 1 Quantitative Aptitude Analysis
Quantitative Aptitude included questions from:
- Missing number series
- Approximation
- Number series
- Data Interpretation
- Arithmetic
The reported good-attempt range was:
17–20 questions
Quantitative Aptitude therefore had the lowest good-attempt range among the three sections in the initial Shift 1 analysis.
IBPS PO Shift 2 Exam Analysis 2026
The second shift on August 22 was scheduled from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
Early candidate-feedback reporting indicates:
| Section | Good Attempts |
|---|---|
| English Language | 25–27 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 16–20 |
| Reasoning Ability | 19–27 |
| Overall Difficulty | Easy to Moderate |
These numbers are indicative because good attempts can vary according to accuracy and the particular question mix candidates encountered.
IBPS PO Shift 3 Exam Analysis 2026
The third shift was scheduled from 2 PM to 3 PM.
Initial feedback suggests:
| Section | Good Attempts |
|---|---|
| English Language | 24–27 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 21–25 |
| Reasoning Ability | 22–26 |
| Overall Difficulty | Moderate |
Compared with the first two shifts, the overall assessment for Shift 3 moved toward Moderate.
IBPS PO Shift 4 Exam Analysis 2026
The fourth shift on August 22 was scheduled from:
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
The final good-attempt and difficulty analysis depends on candidate feedback after completion of the shift.
Candidates should avoid using another shift's good attempts as a direct prediction of their own performance because IBPS can vary question combinations and difficulty between shifts.
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2026
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 40 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
Candidates must manage each section within its allotted time because unused time from one section cannot simply be transferred to another. The exam analysis sources confirm the 100-question, 60-minute structure and 20-minute sectional timing.
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Section Order
According to Jagran Josh's examination analysis, the sections appeared in the following sequence:
English Language → Quantitative Aptitude → Reasoning Ability
Candidates appearing on August 23 can therefore use the August 22 experience to prepare mentally for sectional time management, while remembering that question types can change.
What Are Good Attempts in IBPS PO 2026?
"Good attempts" refers to an estimated number of questions a candidate could attempt with strong accuracy given the difficulty of a particular shift.
It does not mean that attempting 62–72 questions guarantees qualification.
Actual qualification depends on factors such as:
Number of Attempts + Accuracy + Negative Marking + Shift Difficulty + Normalization + Category + Official Cutoff
Therefore, a candidate with 65 highly accurate attempts may perform better than someone who attempted substantially more questions with poor accuracy.
Is 65 Attempts Good for IBPS PO Prelims 2026?
Based solely on the Shift 1 candidate-feedback range of 62–72, 65 attempts would fall within the reported good-attempt zone.
However, accuracy is crucial.
For example:
65 attempts with high accuracy can represent a strong performance.
65 attempts with many incorrect answers can produce a substantially lower effective score because of negative marking.
Candidates should therefore avoid judging performance only by total attempts.
IBPS PO Prelims 2026 Difficulty Level
The initial August 22 assessment can broadly be summarized as:
Shift 1 – Easy to Moderate
Shift 2 – Easy to Moderate
Shift 3 – Moderate
This variation is normal in a multi-shift examination.
IBPS uses its prescribed scoring and normalization methodology when required, so candidates should not assume that appearing in a somewhat harder shift automatically places them at a disadvantage.
Questions Asked in IBPS PO Prelims 2026
The first-day analysis suggests candidates should pay particular attention to:
Reasoning: Puzzles, arrangements, inequality, blood relations and direction sense.
Quantitative Aptitude: Data Interpretation, arithmetic, approximation and number series.
English: Vocabulary, fillers, error detection, cloze test, word replacement and sentence rearrangement.
Candidates appearing on August 23 should not expect an identical paper, but these topics provide a useful indication of the current examination trend.
IBPS PO August 23 Exam Analysis 2026
IBPS PO Prelims will continue on August 23, 2026, with multiple shifts.
Candidates appearing on the second day should focus on:
- Maintaining accuracy rather than chasing excessive attempts
- Practicing puzzles and seating arrangements
- Revising arithmetic and Data Interpretation
- Reviewing approximation and number series
- Practicing English error detection and fillers
- Managing each 20-minute sectional window carefully
Question patterns can change between days, so the August 22 analysis should be used as a trend indicator rather than a prediction of exact questions.
IBPS PO Prelims Expected Cutoff 2026
Candidates should distinguish between good attempts and the official cutoff.
The official IBPS PO Prelims cutoff has not yet been released.
The cutoff will depend on the final examination data and other recruitment factors. Any cutoff figure published immediately after the examination is therefore only an estimate.
Candidates should wait for IBPS to release the official scorecard and cutoff.
What Happens After IBPS PO Prelims?
Candidates who qualify in the preliminary examination become eligible for the subsequent stage of the recruitment process.
The broad progression is:
IBPS PO Prelims → Prelims Result → IBPS PO Mains → Subsequent Selection Requirements → Provisional Allotment
Candidates should monitor the official IBPS portal for result and mains-related announcements.
IBPS PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Key Points
- IBPS PO Prelims 2026 is being conducted on August 22 and 23.
- The examination is being conducted in multiple shifts.
- There are 100 questions for 100 marks.
- Total examination duration is 60 minutes.
- English contains 30 questions.
- Quantitative Aptitude contains 35 questions.
- Reasoning Ability contains 35 questions.
- Each section has 20 minutes.
- Shift 1 was assessed as Easy to Moderate.
- Shift 1 overall good attempts were approximately 62–72.
- Shift 1 English good attempts were 22–27.
- Shift 1 Quantitative Aptitude good attempts were 17–20.
- Shift 1 Reasoning good attempts were 21–23.
- No syllogism questions were reported in Shift 1.
- Reasoning included several puzzle-based questions.
- Quant included Data Interpretation, arithmetic and number-series questions.
- English included fillers, error detection, word replacement and sentence rearrangement.
- Good attempts are not equivalent to the official cutoff.
- The official cutoff will be available only after IBPS releases the relevant result/score information.
FAQs
What was the IBPS PO Prelims Shift 1 difficulty level?
The August 22 Shift 1 paper was assessed as Easy to Moderate based on initial candidate feedback.
What are the good attempts for IBPS PO Shift 1?
The overall reported range is approximately 62–72 attempts.
What are the good attempts for English?
For Shift 1, the reported range is 22–27 questions.
What are the good attempts for Quantitative Aptitude?
For Shift 1, the reported range is 17–20 questions.
What are the good attempts for Reasoning Ability?
For Shift 1, the reported range is 21–23 questions.
Was syllogism asked in IBPS PO Shift 1?
According to the initial Jagran Josh analysis, no syllogism question was reported in Shift 1.
How many questions are there in IBPS PO Prelims?
There are 100 questions across English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability.
How long is the IBPS PO Prelims examination?
The examination lasts 60 minutes, with 20 minutes allotted to each section.
Are good attempts the same as the cutoff?
No. Good attempts are only an estimate based on candidate feedback and difficulty. The official cutoff will be determined by IBPS.
Where can candidates check official IBPS PO updates?
Candidates should use:
