Banking · Government Exams

SBI Clerk Exam Pattern

Every figure here is from the Junior Associates advertisement of August 2026 and the preliminary handout — what each paper asks, how the timers run, what a wrong answer costs and how selection is made without an interview.

Take a Free SBI Clerk Mock SBI Clerk Syllabus

SBI Clerk · checked 19 September 2026

The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.

Free SBI Clerk mock test SBI Clerk syllabus Today’s current affairs

19September 2026

Checked 19 September 2026

SBI Clerk: the facts that matter now

01
Advertisement 11 August 2026; registration 11–31 August; prelims tentatively September 2026; mains to follow
2026 cycle
02
State Bank of India, Central Recruitment and Promotion Department — advertisement CRPD/CR/2026-27/17, with a special backlog drive…
Conducted by
03
Junior Associate (Customer Support and Sales), the clerical cadre, state-wise
Post
04
7,680 regular and 287 backlog under the main advertisement, plus 1,538 SC, ST and OBC backlog vacancies under the special drive
Vacancies

Pattern

SBI Clerk — SBI Clerk exam pattern 2026: Junior Associate prelims, mains, negative marking and the language test

SBI Clerk has two online papers and a language test, and no interview. Phase I shortlists about ten times the vacancies on aggregate marks; Phase II alone builds the merit list, by state and category, on aggregate marks with no sectional cut-off; the local language test then confirms appointment for candidates without the language on a school certificate. Both papers run on separate section timers with a 0.25 deduction per wrong answer.

SBI Clerk Phase I — preliminary examination 2026. Objective; sections separately timed; no sectional or aggregate minimum; 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer.
Section	Questions	Marks	Medium	Time
English Language	30	30	English	20 minutes
Numerical Ability	35	35	English, Hindi and the state’s regional language	20 minutes
Reasoning Ability	35	35	English, Hindi and the state’s regional language	20 minutes
Total	100	100		60 minutes

The advertisement is explicit that no minimum qualifying marks are prescribed for any individual test or for the aggregate in Phase I, and that section-wise marks are not maintained. A category-wise merit list on aggregate marks is drawn for each state, and adequate candidates — approximately ten times the vacancies — are shortlisted for the main examination in descending order of marks. Preliminary marks are not carried forward.

SBI Clerk Phase II — main examination 2026. Sections separately timed; aggregate minimum only, with 5 per cent relaxation for SC, ST, OBC, PwBD, ESM and DESM; 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer.
Section	Questions	Marks	Medium	Time
General and Financial Awareness	50	50	English, Hindi and regional language	35 minutes
General English	40	40	English	35 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	50	50	English, Hindi and regional language	45 minutes
Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude	50	60	English, Hindi and regional language	45 minutes
Total	190	200		2 hours 40 minutes

How Phase II is scored

Aggregate only — No minimum for individual tests; the bank fixes an aggregate minimum with 5 per cent relaxation for reserved categories, and the merit list is on aggregate marks by state and category.
Marks per question — Reasoning and Computer Aptitude 1.2 marks a question (0.3 off per error); the other three sections 1 mark (0.25 off).
Merit is state-wise — You compete only with candidates who applied for the same state or UT, against its vacancies.
Wait list — Up to 50 per cent of vacancies, state- and category-wise, valid for one year and released quarterly.

After the main examination.
Stage	Detail
Local language proficiency test	For provisionally selected candidates without the specified language on a class 10 or 12 mark sheet; conducted by the bank before joining; failure means no appointment
Interview	None
Final selection	Subject to verification of eligibility and the language test; result on the careers page with roll numbers

What the pattern means for how you attempt the paper

No sectional cut-off in either paper — Score heavily where you are strong; a weak section is not fatal as it is in IBPS Clerk.
Prelims: 20 minutes a section — Attempt what you can finish in under 40 seconds; never guess across five options at 0.25 off.
Mains Reasoning and Computer Aptitude: 60 marks — The heaviest section; clean puzzle sets beat rushed ones.
General and Financial Awareness: 50 questions in 35 minutes — Recall; six months of daily banking news is the preparation.

SBI Clerk syllabus, section by section Free SBI Clerk mock tests on the 2026 pattern SBI Clerk previous year papers

Exam resources