On Sunday, November 22, 2025, tens of thousands of aspirants walked out of IBPS RRB PO Prelims Shift 2 exams across India with a collective sigh of relief — Reasoning Ability was surprisingly smooth, and the overall paper felt manageable. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducted the computer-based test for Officer Scale-I positions in Regional Rural Banks as scheduled, with candidates reporting a clear shift in difficulty compared to previous years. Unlike the usual pressure-cooker reasoning section, this year’s paper felt almost approachable — a rarity in a test known for its time-crunching puzzles and tricky syllogisms.
Why This Exam Felt Different
What made Shift 2 stand out wasn’t just the difficulty level — it was the type of difficulty. Experts from Career Power, Guidely, Oliveboard, and PW Live all agreed: Reasoning was the star of the show. Puzzles were less convoluted, coding-decoding followed predictable patterns, and even the blood relation questions didn’t require three-step mental gymnastics. "It felt like someone took out the trap doors," said one candidate from Lucknow who attempted 61 questions. "I finished Reasoning with seven minutes to spare. That’s never happened before."
Meanwhile, Quantitative Aptitude held its ground. DI sets based on pie charts and bar graphs demanded careful calculation. Arithmetic-heavy questions — profit-loss, time-speed-distance, and simple interest — took longer than usual. "I knew the concepts, but the numbers were messy," shared a candidate from Patna. "I had to skip two DI sets just to stay on track."
Section-Wise Breakdown: What Actually Showed Up
According to Guidely.in’s detailed analysis, the Reasoning section included:
- Day-based puzzle (variable-based): 5 questions
- Blood Relations: 4 questions
- Order & Ranking: 3 questions
- Syllogism: 4 questions
- Chinese Coding-Decoding: 5 questions
- Word Pairing & Odd One Out: 4 questions
The rest were distributed across seating arrangements, direction sense, and inequalities — all standard, but notably less tangled. In Quantitative Aptitude, data interpretation dominated, with 15+ questions tied to charts and tables. Arithmetic questions made up another 12, leaving only 10-12 for number series and approximation.
Good Attempts: The Numbers That Matter
While sources vary slightly, the consensus on "good attempts" for Shift 2 settled firmly between 57 and 65 out of 80. PW Live put it bluntly: "Ideal attempts: 57-65. Reasoning was smoother than usual. Quant was moderately calculative."
Other analysts offered narrower ranges: Career Power suggested 59-65, recommending 29-32 in Reasoning and 27-33 in Quant. Guidely was more conservative, estimating 49-60 overall — but even they noted that the Reasoning section was "easier than any shift in the last three years."
Here’s what candidates need to know: With 0.25 negative marking per wrong answer, accuracy matters more than volume. A candidate who attempted 60 with 55 correct will likely outscore someone who attempted 68 with 50 correct. "It’s not about how many you tried — it’s how many you got right," said an IBPS exam coach in Delhi.
Historical Context: How This Compares
Looking back, the 2024 IBPS RRB PO Prelims had an average cutoff of 58 for the general category. In 2023, it dipped to 53 in some states due to a tougher paper. This year’s easier Reasoning section suggests cutoffs may creep upward — possibly to 60-65 in high-competition states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Maharashtra. Bankers Adda’s historical data shows cutoffs have never exceeded 67 in the last five years, but this shift could be the outlier.
What’s Next? Timeline and Expectations
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection typically releases Prelims results within 3-4 weeks. Based on past patterns, candidates should expect results by mid-December 2025. The Mains examination, as confirmed by multiple coaching institutes, is scheduled for late December — likely December 21 or 22, 2025. That leaves aspirants just over three weeks to shift focus from speed to depth: Mains will test data interpretation, financial awareness, and English comprehension with higher stakes.
For those who aced Reasoning but struggled with Quant, the advice is simple: Master percentage-based DI and arithmetic shortcuts. For those who bombed Reasoning? Practice puzzle variations — especially double-row seating and variable-based day puzzles. They’re back, and they’re not going away.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the 2025 IBPS RRB PO Shift 2 difficulty compare to previous years?
Shift 2 in 2025 was notably easier in Reasoning Ability than any shift since 2021. Previous years featured complex puzzles with 8+ variables and ambiguous syllogisms. This year’s puzzles were linear, coding was pattern-based, and syllogisms had clear Venn diagram solutions. Quant remained consistent with 2023-2024 levels — moderately calculative, but not unexpectedly hard.
What’s the expected cutoff for general category candidates?
With Reasoning being unusually easy and good attempts ranging 57-65, cutoffs are likely to rise. Analysts predict 60-64 for general candidates in top states like UP, Bihar, and Maharashtra. In lower-competition states, cutoffs may hover around 56-58. Historically, cutoffs have never exceeded 67 — but 2025 could break that trend.
Should I focus more on Quant or Reasoning for the Mains exam?
Focus on both — but prioritize Quant. Mains will have a 40-mark Reasoning section (easier than Prelims), but Quant jumps to 50 marks with advanced DI, caselets, and probability. Since Prelims Reasoning was easy, competition will be fierce. Your edge will come from mastering high-weightage Quant topics like profit-loss, time-work, and data sufficiency.
Is there a chance the IBPS will change the exam pattern after this shift?
Unlikely. IBPS deliberately varies difficulty to prevent coaching centers from predicting patterns — but they don’t overhaul structure annually. The 40-40 split, 45-minute total, and 0.25 negative marking are locked in until at least 2027. What changed this year was question design, not format. Expect similar structure in 2026, with possibly tougher Quant to balance out Reasoning’s ease.
How accurate are the "good attempts" ranges reported by coaching institutes?
Highly accurate. These institutes collect real-time feedback from 10,000+ candidates across 500+ centers. PW Live and Career Power use AI-based sentiment analysis of post-exam surveys. Their 57-65 range aligns with 2023-2024 cutoff trends and the 2025 paper’s solvability index. Candidates scoring below 50 in this shift likely won’t clear Prelims, even in lower-competition states.
Can I still qualify if I attempted only 52 questions?
Possibly — but only if you had 48+ correct answers. With 0.25 negative marking, 52 attempts with 5 wrong means 47 correct (47 - 1.25 = 45.75 marks). That’s below the 2024 cutoff of 58. To qualify, you’d need near-perfect accuracy: 52 attempts with only 2 wrong gives you 50 marks — still risky. Aim for 57+ attempts as the safety threshold.
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