IBPS Clerk Prelims Quant Mock Test: 35 Questions in 20 Minutes — Quick Answer

IBPS Clerk Prelims Quantitative Aptitude Mock Test: 35 Questions in 20 Minutes

The Quantitative Aptitude section of the IBPS Clerk Prelims exam consists of 35 questions carrying 1 mark each, to be solved in a 20-minute sectional time limit, with 0.25 marks deducted for every wrong answer. To clear the sectional cutoff comfortably, you should attempt 25–30 questions with 85–90% accuracy. This free IBPS Clerk Prelims Quantitative Aptitude mock test replicates the exact exam pattern — Simplification, Arithmetic, and Data Interpretation — and includes a full answer key, detailed shortcuts, and a timing strategy you can apply in the real exam.

Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme for IBPS Clerk Prelims Quant

Before taking this mock, understand exactly what you are preparing for. According to the official IBPS website, the Prelims Quant section follows this structure:

• Total questions: 35 (Multiple Choice Questions)
• Maximum marks: 35 (1 mark per question)
• Sectional time: 20 minutes (separately timed, cannot be moved to other sections)
• Negative marking: 0.25 marks per incorrect answer
• Medium: English and Hindi (bilingual)

Because the 20 minutes are locked to this section, speed management matters as much as accuracy. A blank answer costs you nothing; a wrong answer costs you a quarter of a mark. That single rule should shape your entire attempt strategy.

Instructions: How to Take This Mock Test

To get an accurate score simulation, follow these rules strictly:

1. Set a timer for exactly 20 minutes before you start. Do not pause it.
2. No calculator. The real exam does not allow calculators, and neither should this mock. On-screen calculators are disabled in the actual IBPS exam interface.
3. Keep a rough sheet and pen/pencil ready for calculations, just as a rough worksheet is provided in the exam centre.
4. Scoring: +1 for each correct answer, −0.25 for each wrong answer, 0 for unattempted questions.
5. Do not look at the answer key until the timer ends. Attempt all 35 questions in one sitting.

Section A: Simplification & Approximation (10 Questions)

These questions test BODMAS, squares, cubes, and mental math. Target: 30–40 seconds each.

Q1. 24 × 15 ÷ 6 + 18 − 12 = ?
(a) 60 (b) 66 (c) 72 (d) 78 (e) 54

Q2. √1296 + √625 − √441 = ?
(a) 30 (b) 40 (c) 45 (d) 35 (e) 25

Q3. 35% of 480 + 45% of 260 = ?
(a) 275 (b) 285 (c) 295 (d) 305 (e) 265

Q4. (18)² − (12)² + (7)³ = ?
(a) 503 (b) 513 (c) 523 (d) 533 (e) 543

Q5. 4/7 of 392 + 3/5 of 450 = ?
(a) 464 (b) 474 (c) 484 (d) 494 (e) 504

Q6. 1248 ÷ 16 ÷ 4 = ?
(a) 19.5 (b) 21.5 (c) 23.5 (d) 25.5 (e) 17.5

Q7. ?% of 800 = 256
(a) 28 (b) 30 (c) 32 (d) 34 (e) 36

Q8. 17 × 23 − 144 ÷ 12 = ?
(a) 369 (b) 379 (c) 389 (d) 359 (e) 399

Q9. (1.5)² × 48 ÷ 0.9 = ?
(a) 110 (b) 120 (c) 130 (d) 140 (e) 100

Q10. 3/8 of 4/9 of 25% of 720 = ?
(a) 27 (b) 30 (c) 33 (d) 36 (e) 24

Section B: Arithmetic Word Problems (15 Questions)

These cover percentage, SI/CI, profit & loss, ratio, time & work, ages, and boats & streams. Target: 45–60 seconds each, and skip any question that crosses 90 seconds.

Q11. A shopkeeper marks an item 40% above cost and gives a 25% discount. His profit percentage is:
(a) 5% (b) 10% (c) 12% (d) 15% (e) 8%

Q12. The ratio of ages of A and B is 4:5. After 8 years, the ratio becomes 6:7. A’s present age is:
(a) 14 years (b) 16 years (c) 18 years (d) 20 years (e) 12 years

Q13. Simple interest on ₹8,000 at 12% per annum for 9 months is:
(a) ₹680 (b) ₹720 (c) ₹760 (d) ₹800 (e) ₹840

Q14. A can do a piece of work in 12 days, B in 18 days. Working together, they finish it in:
(a) 7.2 days (b) 7.5 days (c) 8 days (d) 6.8 days (e) 9 days

Q15. The compound interest on ₹10,000 at 10% per annum for 2 years, compounded annually, is:
(a) ₹2,000 (b) ₹2,100 (c) ₹2,200 (d) ₹2,310 (e) ₹1,900

Q16. A boat travels 24 km downstream in 3 hours and returns in 4 hours. The speed of the stream is:
(a) 1 km/h (b) 1.5 km/h (c) 2 km/h (d) 2.5 km/h (e) 3 km/h

Q17. In a class of 60 students, 40% are girls. The number of boys is:
(a) 24 (b) 30 (c) 36 (d) 32 (e) 28

Q18. Two numbers are in the ratio 3:5. If 9 is added to each, the ratio becomes 3:4. The smaller number is:
(a) 9 (b) 12 (c) 15 (d) 18 (e) 21

Q19. A sum doubles itself in 8 years at simple interest. The rate of interest per annum is:
(a) 10% (b) 11.5% (c) 12.5% (d) 15% (e) 8%

Q20. An article is sold for ₹960 at a profit of 20%. Its cost price is:
(a) ₹760 (b) ₹780 (c) ₹800 (d) ₹820 (e) ₹840

Q21. 12 men can complete a work in 16 days. How many days will 24 men take?
(a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 8 (d) 9 (e) 10

Q22. The average of 5 consecutive even numbers is 32. The largest number is:
(a) 34 (b) 36 (c) 38 (d) 40 (e) 32

Q23. A train 150 m long crosses a pole in 9 seconds. Its speed in km/h is:
(a) 54 (b) 60 (c) 66 (d) 72 (e) 48

Q24. If the price of sugar increases by 25%, by what percentage must consumption be reduced to keep expenditure the same?
(a) 20% (b) 25% (c) 22.5% (d) 18% (e) 16%

Q25. The respective ratio of milk and water in a 60-litre mixture is 7:3. The quantity of milk is:
(a) 36 litres (b) 40 litres (c) 42 litres (d) 44 litres (e) 45 litres

Section C: Data Interpretation Sets (10 Questions)

Directions (Q26–Q30): Study the table showing the number of laptops sold by a store across five months.

Q26. What is the average number of laptops sold per month?
(a) 145 (b) 150 (c) 155 (d) 160 (e) 140

Q27. The sales in March are what percentage of the total sales across all five months?
(a) 18% (b) 20% (c) 22% (d) 24% (e) 25%

Q28. What is the ratio of sales in February to sales in April?
(a) 14:15 (b) 15:14 (c) 3:4 (d) 4:3 (e) 7:8

Q29. The sales in May are approximately what percent more than in January?
(a) 25% (b) 30% (c) 33.3% (d) 35% (e) 28%

Q30. What is the difference between the highest and lowest monthly sales?
(a) 40 (b) 50 (c) 60 (d) 70 (e) 30

Directions (Q31–Q35): The bar graph below shows the number of students in four schools.

• School A: 400 students
• School B: 600 students
• School C: 500 students
• School D: 300 students

Q31. What is the total number of students in all four schools?
(a) 1,700 (b) 1,800 (c) 1,900 (d) 2,000 (e) 1,600

Q32. The students in School B are what percentage of the students in School D?
(a) 150% (b) 180% (c) 200% (d) 220% (e) 160%

Q33. What is the average number of students per school?
(a) 400 (b) 450 (c) 500 (d) 550 (e) 475

Q34. What is the ratio of students in School A to School C?
(a) 4:5 (b) 5:4 (c) 3:4 (d) 2:3 (e) 5:6

Q35. If 20% of the students in School C are girls, the number of boys in School C is:
(a) 380 (b) 400 (c) 420 (d) 440 (e) 360

20-Minute Timing Strategy: Order of Attempt

The best order to attempt Quant questions in IBPS Clerk Prelims is Simplification first, DI second, Arithmetic last. This is the strategy recommended by most successful candidates and coaching analysts, and it works because it banks easy marks early and builds momentum:

1. Simplification & Approximation (Q1–Q10): 5–6 minutes. These are formula-free and purely calculation-based. With good mental math, most can be solved in under 40 seconds.
2. Data Interpretation (Q26–Q35): 7–8 minutes. DI questions carry a high marks-to-time ratio because one table or graph feeds five questions. Do the calculations once and answer multiple questions. Budget roughly 80–90 seconds per DI question.
3. Arithmetic Word Problems (Q11–Q25): 6–7 minutes. Attempt these last, and be ruthless about skipping. Attempt only topics you are strong in — typically percentage, profit & loss, ratio, and ages are faster than time & work or boats & streams.

Accuracy vs. attempts: Because of the 0.25 negative marking, 27 attempts with 90% accuracy (score ≈ 24.7) beats 35 attempts with 70% accuracy (score ≈ 23.6). Never make wild guesses.

Answer Key (All 35 Questions)

Detailed Solutions & Shortcuts

Section A Shortcuts (Simplification)

Q1: 24 × 15 = 360; 360 ÷ 6 = 60; 60 + 18 − 12 = 66.

Q2: Memorise squares: √1296 = 36, √625 = 25, √441 = 21 → 36 + 25 − 21 = 40.

Q3: 10% of 480 = 48, so 35% = 168; 45% of 260 = 117 → 168 + 117 = 285. Trick: build percentages from 10% chunks.

Q4: 324 − 144 + 343 = 523. Know squares up to 20 and cubes up to 10 by heart.

Q5: 392 ÷ 7 = 56, × 4 = 224; 450 ÷ 5 = 90, × 3 = 270 → 224 + 270 = 494. Always recompute the full expression before picking an option — misread fractions produce tempting wrong answers.

Q6: Divide stepwise: 1248 ÷ 16 = 78; 78 ÷ 4 = 19.5.

Q7: 256/800 = 0.32 → 32%. Shortcut: 256/800 = 32/100 directly.

Q8: 17 × 23 = 391 (use (20−3)(20+3) = 400 − 9); 391 − 12 = 379.

Q9: 2.25 × 48 = 108; 108 ÷ 0.9 = 120. Trick: dividing by 0.9 = multiplying by 10/9.

Q10: 25% of 720 = 180; 4/9 of 180 = 80; 3/8 of 80 = 30. Work backwards from 25% for speed.

Section B Shortcuts (Arithmetic)

Q11: CP = 100 → MP = 140 → SP = 140 × 0.75 = 105 → 5% profit.

Q12: 4x+8 / 5x+8 = 6/7 → 28x + 56 = 30x + 48 → x = 4 → A = 16 years.

Q13: SI = P × R × T/100 = 8000 × 12 × 0.75/100 = ₹720. 9 months = 0.75 years.

Q14: 1/12 + 1/18 = 5/36 → 36/5 = 7.2 days.

Q15: Effective 2-year CI factor at 10% = 1.21 → CI = ₹2,100… precisely 10,000 × 0.21 = ₹2,100. Memorise successive percentages: 10 + 10 + 1 = 21%.

Q16: Downstream = 8 km/h, upstream = 6 km/h → stream = (8−6)/2 = 1 km/h.

Q17: Boys = 60% of 60 = 36.

Q18: (3x+9)/(5x+9) = 3/4 → 12x + 36 = 15x + 27 → x = 3 → smaller = 9.

Q19: Doubling means SI = 100% of P → 100 = R × 8 → R = 12.5%.

Q20: CP = 960/1.2 = ₹800.

Q21: Men doubled → time halved → 8 days. Inverse proportion.

Q22: Average = middle number → numbers 28, 30, 32, 34, 36 → largest = 36.

Q23: 150/9 m/s × 18/5 = 60 km/h. Multiply m/s by 3.6 directly.

Q24: Reduction = 25/125 = 20%. Formula: r/(100+r) × 100.

Q25: Milk = 7/10 × 60 = 42 litres.

Section C Shortcuts (DI)

Q26: Total = 750 → 750/5 = 150.

Q27: 180/750 = 24% — do fractions first (18/75 = 6/25 = 24%).

Q28: 150:140 = 15:14.

Q29: (160−120)/120 = 40/120 = 33.3%.

Q30: 180 − 120 = 60.

Q31–Q34: Total = 400+600+500+300 = 1,800; B/D = 600/300 = 200%; average = 450; A:C = 4:5.

Q35: Boys = 80% of 500 = 400.

For deeper error-analysis technique, follow a structured root-cause method: for every mistake, note the concept tested, the exact slip and the fix — review patterns, not just wrong answers.

Score Analysis: What Your Mock Score Means

Calculate: Score = Correct − 0.25 × Wrong.

• 25+ marks: Safe zone. You are comfortably above the typical sectional cutoff (historically in the 8–15 range, but aim higher for final merit). Maintain speed with daily mocks.
• 20–24 marks: Decent, but you need speed work. You’re likely spending too long on arithmetic — drill simplification and mental calculation daily.
• Below 20 marks: Go back to basics. Revise percentage-fraction conversions (1/8 = 12.5%, 1/6 ≈ 16.66%), tables up to 30, squares up to 40, and cubes up to 15 before attempting more mocks.

How many questions should you attempt? A good rule: 25–30 attempts with high accuracy clears the cutoff and builds a strong overall score. Anything beyond 32 attempts usually invites negative-marking leakage unless your accuracy is exceptional.

Topic-Wise Weightage & Preparation Tips

Based on recent IBPS Clerk Prelims papers, the expected Quant distribution is:

• Simplification/Approximation: 10–15 questions (highest priority — this is your fastest source of marks)
• Data Interpretation: 10–15 questions (usually 2–3 sets: table, bar graph, caselet, or line graph)
• Arithmetic word problems: 8–12 questions (percentage, profit & loss, SI/CI, ratio, time & work, ages, boats, averages, number series)

Study plan: 45 minutes daily — 15 minutes of calculation drills (tables, squares, fraction-percentage conversions), 15 minutes of topic practice, and 15 minutes of sectional tests. Increase full 20-minute sectional mocks to 3–4 per week in the final month. Cross-check the latest official notification on ibps.in for any pattern changes.

Download / Practice More Mock Tests

This 35-question sectional mock is a starting point. To complete your preparation:

• Full-length Prelims mocks: Practice all three sections (English, Quant, Reasoning) in the exact 1-hour composite format with sectional timers.
• Previous year papers: Solve the last 4–5 years’ IBPS Clerk Prelims memory-based papers to understand recurring DI set types and arithmetic topics.
• Speed tests: Daily 10-minute simplification sprints (15 questions) to sharpen mental math under pressure.

Retake this mock after two weeks and compare scores — improvement in time-per-question is the metric that matters, not just the raw score.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions come from Quantitative Aptitude in IBPS Clerk Prelims?

The Quantitative Aptitude section has 35 questions worth 1 mark each, with a dedicated 20-minute sectional time limit. Each wrong answer attracts a penalty of 0.25 marks.

What is the ideal attempt strategy for the 20-minute Quant section?

Attempt Simplification and Approximation first (5–6 minutes), then Data Interpretation sets (7–8 minutes), and finish with Arithmetic word problems (6–7 minutes). Skip any question that takes more than 90 seconds — you can revisit it if time remains.

Is there negative marking in IBPS Clerk Prelims Quant?

Yes. For every wrong answer, 0.25 marks are deducted from your total. Unattempted questions carry no penalty, so avoid blind guessing.

What is a safe score in Quant for IBPS Clerk Prelims?

Generally, 22–25+ marks in Quant is considered safe, depending on the difficulty level and cutoff trends of that year. Aim for 25+ attempts at 85–90% accuracy.

Can I use a calculator in the IBPS Clerk exam?

No, calculators are not allowed in any IBPS exam. Mental math, tables, squares, cubes, and shortcut techniques are essential — which is exactly what this mock test trains.

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