IBPS Clerk Prelims Call Letter 2026 out (CRP CSA XVI): pattern, documents to carry, scribe rules

IBPS has listed the Online Preliminary Exam Call Letter for CRP-CSA-XVI (IBPS Clerk, Customer Service Associate, vacancies of 2027-28) on its website, dated 01 October 2026, along with the Information Handout, Guidelines for Scribe and a mock test link. The notification gives the preliminary exam month as October 2026 (tentative), but the documents we could read do not give exact dates or shifts, so check your own call letter. Use only the official website www.ibps.in.

How to get the IBPS Clerk prelims call letter

The IBPS page for CRP CSA (Customer Service Associate) XVI lists the Online Preliminary Exam Call Letter (dated 01 Oct 2026). Open www.ibps.in, go to the CRP Clerical Cadre section and then the CRP CSA XVI page. The same page lists the Information Handout (English and Hindi), the Guidelines for Scribe, a mock test and the link for the online scribe declaration form.

The documents we read do not state a last date for downloading the call letter. Your call letter shows your date, time and venue address; read them carefully. The handout also advises you may visit the venue one day before the exam to confirm the location, and says late comers will not be allowed.

Exam dates, pattern and marking

The notification of 01.08.2026 gives a tentative schedule: Preliminary exam in October 2026, preliminary result in November 2026, Main exam in December 2026 and provisional allotment in March 2027. The exact preliminary dates and shifts are not given in the handout or the other documents we could read; they are on your call letter.

Test	Questions	Marks	Time
English Language	30	30	20 minutes
Numerical Ability	35	35	20 minutes
Reasoning Ability	35	35	20 minutes
Total	100	100	60 minutes

Each test is timed separately. Every question has five options with one correct answer, and 1/4 of the marks is deducted for each wrong answer. Questions appear in English and the language for the State/UT you applied for; if the versions differ, the English version prevails. You must qualify in each test and in the total as per cut-offs decided by IBPS. Plan for about 150 minutes at the venue even though the test is 60 minutes. Candidates with disability who are eligible get 20 minutes of compensatory time for every hour.

Documents to carry and reporting rules

• Call letter with your recent passport-size photograph pasted on it (the same photo as in your application form), plus one extra photograph.
• A photocopy of your photo ID stapled to the call letter, and the same valid photo ID in original.
• Accepted IDs include PAN Card, Passport, Permanent Driving License, Voter’s Card with photograph, Aadhaar or e-Aadhaar with photograph and others listed in the handout. Ration Card and Learner’s Driving License are not accepted, and a signature in CAPITAL LETTERS is not accepted.
• The name on the call letter must exactly match your photo ID, and the ID must be valid on exam day.
• Bring a ball-point pen. Rough sheets are given and must be handed back.
• Calculators, books, notes, mobile phones and other electronic devices are not allowed; the handout also bars watches, handbags, belts, caps, metallic items, eatables and water bottles.
• The prelims call letter is not collected; it is stamped at the venue. Keep it safely with the stamped ID copy, because candidates called for the Main exam must bring it.

Scribe rules

• The scribe facility is for candidates with disabilities who have a physical limitation to write and opted for it in the application.
• Fill the online scribe declaration form (the link is in the exam intimation email and on www.ibps.in), download it and bring a print-out. Upload the scribe’s Class 10, 12 or Degree (or equivalent) certificate in the form; the scribe brings the original for verification. PwBD/PwSD candidates must carry their UDID card or disability certificate.
• You arrange the scribe at your own cost. The scribe cannot be a candidate in CRP CSA XVI and can act for only one candidate.
• Candidates availing a scribe under the OM dated 10.08.2022 need a certificate from a Government healthcare institution (Appendix I of the notification) and an undertaking (Appendix II); the scribe’s qualification should be one step below the candidate’s.
• If the scribe answers independently or prompts answers, the exam session is terminated and the candidature is cancelled.

Updated vacancies and what comes next

A corrigendum dated 29.09.2026 updated the indicative vacancies for 2027-28 in Annexure I; all other terms of the 01.08.2026 notification remain unchanged. The vacancies are indicative, and provisional allotment will be based on the actual vacancies reported by the banks.

Totals across the participating banks in the annexure: Andhra Pradesh 198, Karnataka 1,458, Kerala 121, Tamil Nadu 698, Telangana 200, Puducherry 27, Lakshadweep 11. Union Bank of India is shown as Not Reported. The annexure gives no overall total; adding all state and UT totals gives 11,663.

The Main exam has 160 questions for 200 marks in 125 minutes. The preliminary result is tentatively due in November 2026.