The Common Written Examination (CWE) Clerks – IV, conducted by the IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection), is almost over. We at PaGaLGuY have spoken to many students who appeared for this exam. With this, we have a very good idea of the nature of the tests across various slots. In this article, we present a brief analysis of this exam.

First of all, let us look at the basic details of this exam. This exam comprised five different sections, namely English Language, Reasoning, Numerical Ability, Computer Awareness and General Knowledge (including topics related to banking). Each of the sections had 40 questions (each with five options) and each question was worth one mark. Thus, the exam had 200 questions worth 200 marks. Do note that the exam also had one-fourth negative marking for wrong answers.

The difficulty level of the exam was low. Most of the students mentioned that they were able to attempt a good number of questions without running out of time. Students also mentioned that the options were fairly straightforward and were not too close.

Let us now look at the different sections individually.

The English Language section largely revolved around basic usage. Reading Comprehension comprised around 25% of this section, i.e. 10 questions. Para Jumbles contributed around 5 questions to this section. The remaining questions were based on vocabulary and proper usage. Vocabulary and Usage questions involved Sentence completion, Paragraph completion, sentence correction, etc.

The Reasoning section was quite typical and did not contain any surprises. The questions asked were relatively straightforward and did not contain any unpleasant traps. The questions covered topics such as Sequences/Series, Coding-decoding, Arrangement, Blood relations, Directions, Data Sufficiency and Syllogisms.

The Numerical Ability section was quite basic in nature. Two topics, Arithmetic and Basic operations, alone accounted for nearly three-fourths of this section. Data Interpretation and Sequences and series rounded off this section. Arithmetic questions covered concepts involving Unitary Method, Time, Speed and Distance, Time and work, Profit and Loss, Ratios, etc. Some questions were also based on properties of numbers.

The Computer Awareness section was quite easy. These questions did not require in-depth knowledge – they only required awareness of the basics of computers. The questions revolved around input-output devices, applications, networks, basics of computer architecture, Microsoft Windows, MS Office, etc.

The General Awareness section was relatively simple. Most of the questions in this section were based on Banking, Finance, Economics, Indian Economy, etc. This section also tested students’ awareness of Current Affairs.

Overall, students could have attempted around 28 to 30 questions in each of the sections. Thus, total attempts of 140+ would be considered a good attempt. Cutoffs are likely to be in the range of 115-120 (general category).