The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection successfully organized the IBPS RRB PO Prelims Exam on 22nd November 2025. Aspirants appearing for this prestigious banking recruitment drive look forward to accurate exam insights to gauge their performance. This detailed review specifically covers Shift 1 of the examination, breaking down the question patterns, subject-wise weightage, overall difficulty rating, and safe attempt benchmarks.
Before checking out the exam breakdown, candidates who are tracking upcoming phases or need document references can utilize resources like the IBPS RRB PO Admit Card 2025 Released- Click to Download. Additionally, you can evaluate subsequent shifts by checking the IBPS RRB PO Shift 2 Prelims Exam Analysis 2025- Click to Check and review potential qualifying scores via the IBPS RRB PO Prelims Expected Cut Off 2025- Click to Check.
IBPS RRB PO Shift 1 Overview & Difficulty Level
The prelims examination consists of 80 total questions to be completed within a tight time window of 45 minutes. For Shift 1 held on November 22, 2025, the overall difficulty level was rated as Easy to Moderate. While individual sections tested core aptitude and speed, candidates found the distribution manageable provided they maintained proper time management.
| Sections | No. of Questions | Good Attempts |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning Ability | 40 | 30-32 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 40 | 26-28 |
| Overall | 80 | 56-60 |
Section-Wise Analysis
Exam performance heavily depends on individual section dynamics. Below is the comprehensive breakdown of both sections featured in Shift 1.
1. Reasoning Ability Section
The Reasoning Ability section comprised 40 questions allotted a specific time limit of 25 minutes. The difficulty level was observed as Easy to Moderate, though candidates noted that several analytical puzzles were lengthy and time-consuming.
Reasoning Ability Topics & Number of Questions
- Puzzles & Seating Arrangements: 16 to 20
- Order & ranking: 03
- Direction & dis: 03 to 05
- Blood Relation: 03
- Syllogism: 03 to 05
- Inequality: 03 to 05
- Pair Formation: 01
- Meaningful Word: 01
- Operation Based/Odd one out: 01
- Total: 40
| Topics | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Puzzles & Seating Arrangements | 16 to 20 |
| Order & ranking | 03 |
| Direction & dis | 03 to 05 |
| Blood Relation | 03 |
| Syllogism | 03 to 05 |
| Inequality | 03 to 05 |
| Pair Formation | 01 |
| Meaningful Word | 01 |
| Operation Based/Odd one out | 01 |
| Total | 40 |
Key puzzle setups included: Linear arrangement of 9 persons facing north (4-5 questions, Easy), Circular arrangement of 8 persons facing inside/outside (4-5 questions, Easy), 7-person Designation Variable puzzle (4-5 questions, Moderate), and a Box puzzle featuring 8 stacks of boxes (4-5 questions).
2. Quantitative Aptitude Section
The Quantitative Aptitude segment also featured 40 questions with an Easy to Moderate difficulty rating. Data Interpretation sets formed a significant portion of the paper alongside calculation-friendly simplification and equations.
Quantitative Aptitude Topics & Number of Questions
- Data Interpretation- 1 (Double Pie Chart): 05
- Data Interpretation- 2 (Tabular): 04
- Approximation: 05
- Missing Number Series: 05
- Quadratic Equations: 05
- caselet DI: 05
- Arithmetic
- Total: 40
| Topics | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Data Interpretation- 1 (Double Pie Chart) | 05 |
| Data Interpretation- 2 (Tabular) | 04 |
| Approximation | 05 |
| Missing Number Series | 05 |
| Quadratic Equations | 05 |
| caselet DI | 05 |
| Arithmetic | |
| Total | 40 |
Prominent DI sets included a Tabular DI with indirect data involving 4-5 shops selling mangoes (4 questions), a Caselet DI calculating vacant and non-vacant seats of 2 buses (5 questions), and a Double Pie Chart where the first pie chart mapped a total of 800 females with variables A, B, C, D while the second pie chart detailed male+female totaling 2000 with corresponding male percentages.
Exam Schedule and Shift Timings
The overall examination window spans November 22nd and 23rd, 2025, conducted across 4 daily shifts. Candidates must adhere strictly to reporting schedules.
IBPS RRB PO Prelims Shift Timings
- Shift 1: Reporting Time 8 am, Exam Time 9 am to 9:45 am
- Shift 2: Reporting Time 10:15 am, Exam Time 11:15 am to 12 pm
- Shift 3: Reporting Time 12:30 pm, Exam Time 1:30 pm to 2:15 pm
- Shift 4: Reporting Time 2:45 pm, Exam Time 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm
| Shifts | Reporting Time | Exam Time |
|---|---|---|
| Shift 1 | 8 am | 9 am to 9:45 am |
| Shift 2 | 10:15 am | 11:15 am to 12 pm |
| Shift 3 | 12:30 pm | 1:30 pm to 2:15 pm |
| Shift 4 | 2:45 pm | 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm |
Next Steps for Candidates
After evaluating your attempts against the safe range of 56-60 questions, candidates should keep track of official scorecards and result announcements. Make sure to preserve your exam credentials, check subsequent shift analyses, and prepare proactively for the upcoming mains examination phase.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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