Barclays 2026 aptitude
Quantitative, reasoning, and verbal drills with solutions
Barclays 2026 Pattern Details
Overview
This page collects Barclays placement papers from 2026 with practice questions, worked solutions, and the exam pattern students reported that cycle. Use it when you want drive history: what the first round looked like, which topics repeated, and how to approach solutions. Work the sets below under a timer, then compare with newer material so your prep matches both established Barclays patterns and recent shifts.
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Barclays 2026 coding
DSA practice aligned to Barclays online assessments
Barclays interview experience
Round structure and tips from student reports
Barclays prep guide
Study plan and weekly schedule
Barclays Aptitude Mock Quiz
Timed placement-style MCQs with score and explanations after you submit. Use it to check speed and accuracy before the real test.
Questions15
Time10 min
Quantitative
Simplify the ratio 24:36:48.
Correct answer: 2:3:4
Reasoning
A walks 3 km north, then 4 km east. Distance from start is:
3-4-5 right triangle → 5 km.
Quantitative
The following table shows the sales of a company over 5 years. If the total sales in 2020 was ₹50,000, and sales increased by 20% each year, find the sales in 2024.
Sales in 2020 = ₹50,000 Sales in 2021 = 50,000 × 1.2 = ₹60,000 Sales in 2022 = 60,000 × 1.2 = ₹72,000 Sales in 2023 = 72,000 × 1.2 = ₹86,400 Sales in 2024 = 86,400 × 1.2 = ₹103,680
Quantitative
A can complete a work in 12 days, B in 15 days, and C in 20 days. If they work together, in how many days will they complete the work?
Let total work = LCM of 12, 15, 20 = 60 units A's efficiency = 60/12 = 5 units/day B's efficiency = 60/15 = 4 units/day C's efficiency = 60/20 = 3 units/day Combined efficiency = 5 + 4 + 3 = 12 units/day Time taken = 60/12 = 5 days
Verbal
Antonym of "Optimistic":
Optimistic ↔ pessimistic.
Reasoning
Find the next number: 8, 6, 9, 7, 10, ?
−2,+3 alternating → 10-2=8 → 8.
Quantitative
Simple interest on ₹5,000 at 8% p.a. for 3 years is:
SI = PRT/100 = 5000×8×3/100 = ₹1,200.
Reasoning
If in a code, CAT = 24 and DOG = 26, then BAT = ?
Sum of positions: B+A+T = 2+1+20 = 23.
Verbal
Neither the teacher nor the students _____ present.
Verb agrees with nearer subject (students) → were.
Quantitative
The following table shows the sales of a company over 5 years. Find the average annual growth rate. | Year | Sales (in crores) | |------|-------------------| | 2020 | 100 | | 2021 | 120 | | 2022 | 150 | | 2023 | 180 | | 2024 | 200 |
Correct answer: 19.03%
Reasoning
Find next number: 2, 5, 10, 17, 26, ?
Pattern: Differences are 3, 5, 7, 9 (odd numbers) Next difference = 11 Next number = 26 + 11 = 37
Verbal
Antonym of "Transparent":
Transparent ↔ opaque.
Quantitative
If the sum of three consecutive integers is 72, what is the smallest of these integers?
Let the integers be x, x+1, and x+2. x + (x + 1) + (x + 2) = 72 3x + 3 = 72 3x = 69 x = 23 Therefore, the integers are 23, 24, and 25.
Verbal
The company's profits have been _____ steadily over the past year.
Correct answer: declining
Reasoning
If every letter is shifted +2 in the alphabet, CAT becomes:
Each letter +2 → ECV.
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Barclays exam pattern 2026
| Section | What shows up | Prep focus |
|---|---|---|
| Aptitude / logical | Quant, reasoning, sometimes verbal | Timed sectional accuracy |
| Coding / programming logic | Easy-medium DSA or output-style MCQs | Handle tricky inputs |
| Technical interview | OOPs, DBMS, OS, projects | Explain aloud |
| HR | Fit, location, intent | A few real examples ready |
First round: Barclays Online Assessment
Skills emphasized: Aptitude, coding/SQL, banking awareness
Languages: Java, Python, SQL
Sample Barclays questions with solutions
These are practice-style questions aligned to patterns students report for Barclays drives around 2026. They are not leaked live papers. Work them timed, then read the solutions only after you have an answer.
Quantitative aptitude (2026)
Q1: Pipe fill
Problem: Pipe A fills a tank in 6 hours and pipe B in 8 hours. How long do they take together to fill it?
Solution: Combined rate = 1/6 + 1/8 = 4/24 + 3/24 = 7/24. Time = 24/7 hours ≈ 3 hours 26 minutes.
Answer: 24/7 hours
Q2: Simple interest
Problem: Find the simple interest on ₹8000 at 10% per annum for 2 years.
Solution: SI = (P × R × T) / 100 = (8000 × 10 × 2) / 100 = ₹1600.
Answer: ₹1600
Q3: Percentage recover
Problem: If 30% of a number is 150, what is the number?
Solution: 0.3x = 150 → x = 150 / 0.3 = 500.
Answer: 500
Q4: Average after replace
Problem: The average of five numbers is 20. One number 30 is replaced by 10. What is the new average?
Solution: Old sum = 5 × 20 = 100. New sum = 100 − 30 + 10 = 80. New average = 80 / 5 = 16.
Answer: 16
Q5: Series n(n+1)
Problem: Find the next term: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
Solution: Pattern: 1×2, 2×3, 3×4, 4×5, 5×6, 6×7. Next = 6 × 7 = 42.
Answer: 42
Q6: Deck probability
Problem: What is the probability of drawing an ace from a standard 52-card deck?
Solution: There are 4 aces in 52 cards. Probability = 4/52 = 1/13.
Answer: 1/13
Q7: Net percent change
Problem: A number is increased by 20% and then decreased by 20%. What is the net percentage change?
Solution: Start with 100 → 120 → 96. Net change = 4% decrease. Formula: successive +a then −a gives −(a²/100)% = −4%.
Answer: 4% decrease
Q8: Consumption cut
Problem: If the price of an item rises by 25%, by what percent should consumption fall so that expenditure stays the same?
Solution: Required reduction = r/(100+r) × 100 with r = 25. = 25/125 × 100 = 20%.
Answer: 20%
Logical reasoning (2026)
Q1: Odd one out
Problem: Find the odd one out: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
Solution: 3, 5, 7, and 11 are prime. 9 = 3×3 is composite, so it is the odd one out.
Answer: 9
Q2: Coding letter shift
Problem: If CAT is coded as DBU, how is DOG coded in the same way?
Solution: Each letter moves +1 in the alphabet: C→D, A→B, T→U. D→E, O→P, G→H → EPH.
Answer: EPH
Q3: Blood relation
Problem: Pointing to a photograph, Ravi says, ‘She is the daughter of my mother’s only son.’ How is the girl related to Ravi?
Solution: Ravi’s mother’s only son is Ravi himself (assuming one son). The girl is therefore Ravi’s daughter.
Answer: Daughter
Q4: Syllogism
Problem: Statements: All engineers are graduates. Some graduates are managers. Conclusion: Some engineers are managers. Does it follow?
Solution: The ‘some graduates’ who are managers need not overlap with the engineers. The conclusion does not follow necessarily.
Answer: Does not follow
Coding practice (2026)
Coding Q1: Move zeros
Problem: Move all zeros in an array to the end while keeping the relative order of non-zero elements.
Approach: Two pointers: write non-zeros toward the front, then fill the remainder with zeros. Or swap zeros as you scan.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) space
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q2: Rotate array
Problem: Rotate an array to the right by k steps. Example: [1,2,3,4,5,6,7], k = 3 → [5,6,7,1,2,3,4].
Approach: Normalize k %= n. Reverse the whole array, reverse the first k elements, then reverse the rest. That yields the rotation in place.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) space
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q3: First unique character
Problem: Find the first non-repeating character in a string and return its index, or -1 if none exists.
Approach: Count frequencies in one pass (hash map or array of 26 for lowercase). Second pass returns the first index with count 1.
Complexity: O(n) time
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q4: Stack with min
Problem: Design a stack that supports push, pop, top, and getMin in average O(1) time.
Approach: Keep a parallel min-stack (or store pairs). When pushing, also push the new minimum. When popping, pop both stacks.
Complexity: O(1) per operation amortized
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q5: Maximum subarray sum (Kadane)
Problem: Given an integer array, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum and return that sum. Example: [-2,1,-3,4,-1,2,1,-5,4] → 6 (from [4,-1,2,1]).
Approach: Keep a running sum. If the running sum drops below 0, reset it to 0 before taking the next element (or track the best ending-here value). Track the global maximum as you scan once from left to right.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) extra space
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q6: Reverse a string in place
Problem: Given a mutable character array representing a string, reverse it in place without allocating another array of the same size.
Approach: Use two pointers at the start and end. Swap characters, then move inward until the pointers meet. Watch empty and single-character inputs.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) extra space
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q7: Check prime
Problem: Write a function that returns true if n is prime and false otherwise. Handle n < 2 correctly.
Approach: Return false for n < 2. Trial-divide from 2 to floor(sqrt(n)). If any divisor divides n evenly, it is composite; otherwise prime.
Complexity: O(√n) time
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q8: Valid parentheses
Problem: Given a string containing only ‘()[]’, decide whether the brackets are balanced and correctly nested.
Approach: Scan left to right with a stack. Push opening brackets. On a closing bracket, the stack top must be the matching opener. At the end the stack must be empty.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(n) space
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Deep prep notes for Barclays
How the Barclays Online Assessment usually feels
Students usually say the first round is time-tight - easy marks vanish if you sit too long on one hard question. For Barclays, skim the paper in a couple of minutes, mark what you can finish cleanly, and protect accuracy. Languages people commonly use: Java, Python, SQL.
Topic weight hints
| Area | Why it matters at Barclays |
|---|---|
| Aptitude | What usually helps you clear the first round |
| Core CS (OOPs / DBMS / OS) | Technical interview depth |
| Banking, Financial Services awareness | Helps in managerial / HR conversations |
| Communication | Explain your approach clearly; keep a few real examples ready for HR |
14-Day sprint
- Days 1-3: Learn the 2026 pattern and take two sectional mocks
- Days 4-7: Closed practice on weak topics from your error log
- Days 8-10: Full mocks every other day; review the same day
- Days 11-14: Practice explaining projects out loud, light revision, sleep and IDs ready
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