Bank clerk computer and typing checks: format and free practice

Bank clerk is one of the most searched government-style jobs in India, and candidates often ask whether they need a typing certificate for it. For the big national exams the answer is usually no. For some state, cooperative and regional banks the answer is yes. This page sorts out which is which. Rules change every cycle, so verify everything in the notification for the bank you are applying to.

Format

IBPS Clerk and SBI Clerk: there is no separate typing speed test in the widely published selection process. Selection is through online preliminary and main exams, and computer knowledge is tested as a section of the written paper rather than as a practical. Candidates do, however, commonly need to prove proficiency in the local language of the state they apply for, either through school certificates or a language test after selection.

State cooperative banks, district central cooperative banks and some regional rural banks: a number of these publish a practical computer test, a typing test, or both. Where a typing test is published, the speed commonly falls between 25 and 35 WPM over 10 minutes, in English or the state language.

RBI Assistant, NABARD and similar: rules vary by post and cycle. Some include a language proficiency test; a few include a computer-based skill check.

How it is scored

Where a typing test exists for a bank clerk post, it is commonly qualifying only. Net speed is compared with the published figure after errors are deducted. Computer practical tests are commonly marked on completing set tasks in a word processor and spreadsheet within the time. The written exam's computer-aptitude section is scored like any other section, with negative marking for wrong answers in most banks.

Common mistakes

• Spending weeks on typing practice for IBPS or SBI Clerk when the published process has no typing test, at the expense of the written sections that do decide selection.
• The reverse: assuming a cooperative bank follows IBPS rules and arriving unprepared for a practical test.
• Overlooking the local language requirement, which can disqualify a candidate after the written exam.
• Relying on an old notification; several banks have added or dropped practical tests between cycles.

Two-week practice plan

Use this plan only if your bank's notification includes a typing or computer practical test. Our government-exam typing format runs a 10-minute test on formal passages and reports net WPM and error percentage.

1. Days 1 to 3: confirm from the notification whether a typing test exists, in which language, at what speed, and whether there is a computer practical. Take one 10-minute baseline test.
2. Days 4 to 7: two 10-minute tests a day in the required language. Bring errors under 3 percent.
3. Days 8 to 11: one typing test a day, plus practice on basic word processing and spreadsheet tasks if a practical is listed. Our Excel and Google Sheets skill tests cover the common operations.
4. Days 12 to 14: one test a day under exam conditions. Target 5 WPM above the published speed.

If your bank has no typing test, put the time into quantitative aptitude, reasoning and English instead, which decide the written merit.

Note: the figures on this page are the widely published rules; verify every one of them in the current official notification before you sit the test.