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SBI Clerk (Junior Associate)

Evidence status: 🟡 secondary. Every number below is from SBI's official Junior Associates 2026 advertisement (CRPD/CR/2026-27/17), re-verified on 2026-09-30. Kept at secondary because SBI now serves recruitment from sbi.bank.in, which redirects from sbi.co.in and is pending addition to the repository's official domain allow-list. Always confirm on the SBI careers portal before applying or paying any fee.

SBI Clerk recruits Junior Associates (Customer Support and Sales) in the clerical cadre for the State Bank of India. Vacancies are allocated state-wise; candidates apply for vacancies in one State or Union Territory only, and qualifying the local language test of the opted state is mandatory.

At a glance
Conducted by State Bank of India (Central Recruitment & Promotion Department)
Advertisement CRPD/CR/2026-27/17; online registration and fee payment 11.08.2026–31.08.2026
Vacancies 7,680 regular vacancies, state-wise (SC 1,114 · ST 837 · OBC 1,716 · EWS 760 · GEN 3,253); backlog vacancies are net of the special recruitment drive CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16
Stages Phase I: Preliminary Examination (qualifying) → Phase II: Main Examination (merit) → Phase III: Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT)
Qualification Graduation in any discipline from a recognized university. Final-year students may apply provisionally, provided proof of passing graduation is produced on or before 31.12.2026
Age limit 20–28 years as on 01.04.2026 (born between 02.04.1998 and 01.04.2006, both dates inclusive; upper age relaxation: OBC 3 years, SC/ST 5 years, PwBD 10–15 years, Ex-Servicemen as per rules)
Application fee ₹750 for General/OBC/EWS candidates; nil for SC/ST/PwBD/ESM/DESM candidates
Tentative schedule Preliminary Examination tentatively September 2026; Main Examination tentatively November 2026

Official sources

Exam pattern

Phase I: Preliminary Examination: Online objective test consisting of 100 questions for 100 marks with a total duration of 1 hour. Each section has a separate individual timing of 20 minutes.

Section Questions Marks Duration
English Language 30 30 20 minutes
Numerical Ability 35 35 20 minutes
Reasoning Ability 35 35 20 minutes
Total 100 100 1 hour

Preliminary qualifying criteria: There are no minimum qualifying marks prescribed for any individual section or for the aggregate score. Section-wise marks are not maintained. Candidates numbering approximately 10 times the number of vacancies in each category are shortlisted for the Main Examination from the merit list arranged in descending order of aggregate marks scored.

Phase II: Main Examination: Online objective test consisting of 190 questions for 200 marks with a duration of 2 hours and 40 minutes. Each section is separately timed.

Section / Test Questions Marks Duration
General/Financial Awareness 50 50 35 minutes
General English 40 40 35 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude 50 50 45 minutes
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude 50 60 45 minutes
Total 190 200 2 hours 40 minutes

Main qualifying criteria: Only marks scored in the Main Examination are considered for the final selection and merit list (preliminary exam marks are not added). Candidates must secure minimum aggregate qualifying marks decided by the bank (with a 5% relaxation for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD/XS/DXS). No minimum qualifying marks are prescribed for individual subjects, and section-wise marks are not maintained.

Negative marking: In both Phase I and Phase II objective tests, 1/4th of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each incorrect answer.

Phase III: Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT): Provisionally selected candidates who did not study the specified opted local language of their applied State/UT in Class 10 or Class 12 must appear for and qualify the LLPT after the Main Examination and prior to joining. Failing the LLPT disqualifies the candidate from appointment. The test format comprises: 1. Non-Verbal Test (30 marks): Objective section (3 passages, 15 questions, 15 marks) and Subjective section (3 passages, 15 questions, 15 marks). 2. Verbal Test (20 marks). Candidates must score the minimum qualifying marks specified by the bank (5% relaxation for reserved categories).

Apprentice weightage: Trained apprentices of SBI who commenced engagement on or after 01.01.2022, completed one year of branch training satisfactorily on or before 31.08.2026, and hold the joint National Apprenticeship Certificate (issued by SBI-NSDC/BFSI-SSC) receive 5 bonus marks (2.5% of 200) added to their Main Examination aggregate score.

Syllabus

The official notification defines test areas rather than an exhaustive topic-wise syllabus. The topics align with standard banking exam domains covered in the shared modules: - English Language: Reading comprehension, cloze test, error detection, sentence rearrangement, vocabulary. - Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude: Number series, simplification, quadratic equations, arithmetic (percentages, ratio, profit & loss, simple & compound interest, time & work), data interpretation (bar graphs, line charts, pie charts, tables). - Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude: Puzzles and seating arrangement, coding-decoding, blood relations, syllogisms, inequalities, direction sense, data sufficiency, fundamental computer terminology and hardware/software basics. - General & Financial Awareness: Banking awareness, Reserve Bank of India policy rates, financial schemes, current economic events, national news, awards and static banking general knowledge.

How to prepare (free, in order)

  1. Target aggregate marks, not sectional cut-offs: SBI Clerk does not enforce sectional minimum qualifying marks. Your objective is to maximize aggregate marks across the paper while respecting the sectional timer.
  2. Train with strict 20-minute section clocks: In Prelims, you cannot switch sections or carry over unused minutes. Solve sectional test sets strictly within 20 minutes for English, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning.
  3. Build speed in arithmetic and reasoning puzzles: Core arithmetic concepts (percentages, ratios) drive data interpretation in mains. Practice daily sets of high-density seating arrangements and circular/linear puzzles.
  4. Leverage General & Financial Awareness for Mains: With 50 questions in 35 minutes, this section offers the highest score-to-time ratio in Phase II. Focus on the latest 5–6 months of banking news, monetary policy announcements, and economic schemes using official bulletins from RBI and PIB.
  5. Confirm local language eligibility early: If your matriculation or higher secondary mark sheets do not explicitly list the local language of the state you applied for, allocate dedicated practice to reading, writing, and comprehension of that language to pass the 50-mark LLPT without surprises.

Free resources