SBI Clerk 2026: Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility & Salary

Overview

Conducting Body	State Bank of India (SBI)
Post Name	Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales)
Cadre	Clerical Cadre
Advertisement Number	CRPD/CR/2026-27/17 (2026)
Selection Stages	Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT)
Interview	None
Probation Period	Minimum 6 months
Official Portal	https://sbi.bank.in/web/careers/current-openings and https://sbi.co.in/web/careers

Eligibility

• Nationality: Must be a citizen of India, a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or a Tibetan refugee who settled in India prior to January 1, 1962.
• Educational Qualification (2026): Graduation in any discipline from a recognized University or any equivalent qualification recognized by the Central Government.
• Final Year Students (2026): Candidates in their final year or semester of graduation may apply provisionally, provided they produce proof of having passed the examination on or before December 31, 2026.
• Local Language: Candidates must be proficient in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding the specified opted local language of the applied State or Union Territory.
• Application Limit: Candidates can apply for vacancies in one State or Union Territory only and can appear only once under a given project cycle.
• Bar on Existing SBI Employees: Candidates currently serving in the clerical cadre of SBI or those who previously resigned from the clerical cadre of SBI are not eligible to apply.

Age limit

• Age Limit (as on 01.04.2026): Minimum 20 years and maximum 28 years (born not earlier than 02.04.1998 and not later than 01.04.2006, both days inclusive).
• SC / ST: 5 years upper age relaxation (up to 33 years).
• OBC (Non-Creamy Layer): 3 years upper age relaxation (up to 31 years).
• PwBD (General / EWS): 10 years upper age relaxation.
• PwBD (OBC): 13 years upper age relaxation.
• PwBD (SC / ST): 15 years upper age relaxation.
• Ex-Servicemen / Disabled Ex-Servicemen: Actual period of service rendered in defence forces plus 3 years (8 years for disabled ESM belonging to SC/ST), subject to a maximum age of 50 years.
• Widows, Divorced Women, and Legally Separated Women (not remarried): Upper age limit relaxed up to 35 years (General/EWS), 38 years (OBC), and 40 years (SC/ST).

Selection process

1. Phase-I Preliminary Examination — Online objective screening test consisting of 100 questions for 100 marks; marks are qualifying only and discarded for the final merit list.
2. Phase-II Main Examination — Online objective test comprising 190 questions for 200 marks; aggregate marks obtained in this phase determine the final merit list.
3. Phase-III Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT) — Verification of local language proficiency conducted prior to appointment; candidates providing 10th or 12th standard mark sheets showing study of the opted local language are exempt.

SBI Clerk exam pattern

Phase-I Preliminary Examination

Section	Questions	Marks	Time
English Language	30	30	20 min
Numerical Ability	35	35	20 min
Reasoning Ability	35	35	20 min

Total duration is 60 minutes (1 hour) for 100 questions and 100 marks. Each section has a strict time limit of 20 minutes, with no switching allowed during an active window. Negative marking of 1/4th (0.25) mark applies to each wrong answer. There are no sectional cutoffs; approximately 10 times the number of vacancies are shortlisted category-wise for the Main Examination based on aggregate marks

Phase-II Main Examination

Section	Questions	Marks	Time
General / Financial Awareness	50	50	35 min
General English	40	40	35 min
Quantitative Aptitude	50	50	45 min
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude	50	60	45 min

Total duration is 2 hours 40 minutes (160 minutes) for 190 questions and 200 marks. Negative marking of 1/4th of the marks assigned to the question is deducted for every incorrect response. There are no sectional cutoffs; candidates must clear an overall aggregate qualifying score fixed by the Bank, with a 5% concession for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD/ESM candidates.

SBI Clerk syllabus

General English

Reading Comprehension · Cloze Test · Error Spotting · Para Jumbles · Sentence Correction/Improvement · Fillers · Idioms & Phrases · Vocabulary

Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude

Simplification/Approximation · Number Series · Quadratic Equations · Data Interpretation (Tables, Bar, Line, Pie, Caselet) · Arithmetic (Percentages, Ratios, Profit & Loss, SI/CI, Time & Work, Speed-Time-Distance, Mixtures, Mensuration)

Reasoning Ability

Puzzles and Seating Arrangements · Syllogisms · Coded Inequalities · Direction Sense · Blood Relations · Order & Ranking · Alpha-Numeric Series · Coding-Decoding · Data Sufficiency

Computer Aptitude

Basic computer terminology · Hardware and software fundamentals · Keyboard shortcuts · Logic gates and binary conversions · Internet and networking fundamentals

General / Financial Awareness

Current Affairs (national and international) · Banking Awareness · RBI guidelines & monetary policy · Financial institutions · Union Budget · Government schemes · Static GK

Salary

• Pay Scale (2026): ₹24,050 - 1,340/3 - 28,070 - 1,650/3 - 33,020 - 2,000/4 - 41,020 - 2,340/7 - 57,400 - 4,400/1 - 61,800 - 2,680/1 - ₹64,480.
• Starting Basic Pay (2026): ₹26,730 per month (comprising ₹24,050 basic plus two advance increments admissible to graduates).
• Starting Gross Emoluments (2026): Approximately ₹46,000 per month in metro locations like Mumbai, inclusive of Dearness Allowance and other allowances.
• Probation Period: Minimum 6 months, during which candidates must complete designated e-lessons; failure to meet Bank benchmarks can lead to extension of probation.

Application fee

• General, OBC, and EWS candidates: ₹750
• SC, ST, PwBD, and Ex-Servicemen (ESM) candidates: Nil

Exam calendar

• Notification Release & Application Window: August (based on 2026 recruitment cycle)
• Preliminary Examination: Tentatively September/October (based on 2026 recruitment cycle)
• Main Examination: Tentatively November/December (based on 2026 recruitment cycle)

Preparation tips

• Manage time per section strictly: Preliminary examination sections are timed to 20 minutes each with no switching allowed, requiring dedicated pace per individual section.
• Target high overall marks rather than individual section thresholds: SBI does not impose sectional cutoffs in Prelims or Mains, so aggregate score determines your qualification.
• Avoid arbitrary guessing: Both Phase-I and Phase-II enforce a penalty of 1/4th of the question mark value for every incorrect answer.
• Focus primarily on Phase-II performance: Phase-I is only a screening phase whose scores are discarded, meaning your final selection depends solely on the Main Examination.
• Verify local language documentation: Check your 10th or 12th standard mark sheets for the opted local language to determine if you are exempt from the Phase-III Local Language Proficiency Test.
• Prepare Financial and Banking awareness thoroughly: Phase-II devotes 50 marks to General/Financial Awareness, requiring dedicated revision of RBI guidelines, monetary policy, and Union Budget data.

Previous year cut-offs: SBI Clerk cut off — prelims & mains, category-wise, state-wise

FAQs

Always confirm details in the latest official notification before applying. Spotted an error? Write to prepzen.app@gmail.com.