Blood Relations Questions for IBPS CLERK

Core Family Relationships to Memorise

Before solving any question, you must have a crystal-clear mental map of standard family terms. Confusing maternal with paternal, or mixing up in-law relations, is the single biggest reason aspirants lose marks here. Think of a family tree as a building: top floors are older generations, bottom floors are younger, and left-right on the same floor means siblings or spouses.

• Parents: Father and Mother. Grandparents: Father's or Mother's parents.
• Siblings: Brother and Sister (same parents). Spouse: Husband or Wife.
• Children: Son and Daughter. Grandchildren: Son's or Daughter's children.
• Uncle or Aunt: Parent's sibling. Nephew or Niece: Sibling's child.
• Cousin: Uncle's or Aunt's child. In-laws: Spouse's family members.
• Son-in-law: Daughter's husband. Daughter-in-law: Son's wife. Brother-in-law: Spouse's brother or Sister's husband.

Solving Direct Blood Relation Questions

In direct questions, a chain of relations is given and you must find the final relationship. The golden rule is to draw a tree or chain diagram, never solve it in your head. Start from the first person mentioned and move step by step. Assign gender carefully — many questions hide the trick in a gender clue buried mid-sentence.

• Always note gender of each person as you go: M for male, F for female.
• Draw arrows from parent to child (top to bottom) and use horizontal lines for spouses.
• Do not assume gender from names — Indian exam names like Ravi, Sita can be used to mislead.
• If the question says only child, no siblings exist — this removes alternate paths.
• Re-read the question stem after drawing to confirm the start and end persons.
• Final answer must state both the relationship AND the gender correctly.

Coded Blood Relation Questions

In coded questions, symbols like plus, minus, multiply, divide or letters like P, Q, R are used to represent relationships. A legend is given at the start such as A plus B means A is father of B. You must decode each symbol, then build the family tree. This feels tricky but is fully mechanical once you practice the decoding step separately before drawing.

• Read the legend slowly and write it out before touching the main expression.
• Convert the coded expression left to right, one symbol at a time.
• Draw the tree as you decode — do not hold it all in your head.
• Watch for questions that ask you to find which expression is TRUE — test each option, do not guess.
• Gender clues are often hidden in the code, e.g., A is brother means A is male.

Puzzles with Blood Relations Mixed into Seating or Arrangement

IBPS Clerk often embeds blood relation clues inside a seating arrangement or linear puzzle. Here the family tree is one part of the solution. Solve the family tree part first on a separate corner of your rough sheet, then plug the relations into the arrangement. Never try to do both simultaneously.

• Mark family members with their gender and generation number on the arrangement diagram.
• A couple always means two people of opposite gender on the same generation level.
• If three generations are mentioned, label them Gen 1 (oldest), Gen 2, Gen 3.
• Use initials to save time — write M or F next to each name.
• These mixed puzzles take 4 to 5 minutes — attempt them after easier standalone questions.

• Assuming gender from Indian names — names like Kiran, Rajan, or Sushil are sometimes used as female characters to create a trap. Always confirm gender from the statement.
• Confusing Brother-in-law: it can mean your spouse's brother OR your sister's husband. Context decides which one applies — re-read the sentence.
• In coded questions, decoding direction matters. A + B means A is father of B is NOT the same as B is son of A in terms of who you write on top of the tree.
• Forgetting that only child means no siblings — aspirants often create an imaginary sibling path when the question says only son or only daughter.
• Rushing through the chain and losing track of the reference person. Always mark who the question is finally asking about before starting.

• GSCN Tree Levels: Grandparents, Self-generation (parents), Children, Nephews-Nieces. Use these 4 levels to place anyone quickly on your tree.
• For in-laws, remember SP rule: Spouse's family becomes your in-laws, Sibling's spouse also becomes in-law. Two sources, one suffix.
• For coded questions, think of it like a foreign language sentence. First translate every word (symbol), then read the full sentence (draw the tree). Never read and translate at the same time.
• Mnemonic for Nephew vs Niece: Nephew has N like Number (male), Niece has ie like ladies (female). N for boy, ie for girl.

• IBPS Clerk typically has 2 to 3 blood relation questions in the Reasoning section. At least one is a simple chain type and one is coded. Expect one more embedded in a puzzle set.
• Time target: Standalone direct questions should take under 60 seconds each. Coded questions should take 90 seconds. If a question crosses 2 minutes, mark and move on.
• Recent IBPS Clerk exams (2022 to 2024) prefer the coded format over simple chain format. Prioritise coded question practice.
• Gender confusion is the number one trap setter in IBPS Clerk blood relation questions. Examiners deliberately use ambiguous names or skip direct gender mentions.
• In sectional timed exams, blood relation questions offer high accuracy for moderate effort. Target 100 percent accuracy here since the logic is fully deterministic — there is always one right answer if you draw the tree correctly.