SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) 2026 exam pattern — sections, marks, negative marking
SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) (SBI Clerk — Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales), Clerical Cadre) is conducted by State Bank of India (SBI). The stages are: Prelims CBT → Mains CBT → local language test → provisional selection. This page sets out each stage with its sections, questions, marks, duration and negative marking, explains how the final selection is made, and shows how to approach each subject. For dates and the current status of the 2026 cycle, see the SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) guide.
✓ Data verified 6 Oct 2026
Stage-wise exam pattern
Phase I — Preliminary Examination (screening) Screening (shortlists for Mains)
Online CBT · 60 min · 1 mark per correct answer, 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 30 | 30 |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
Strict 20-minute sectional timing for each of the three sections; you cannot move between sections. No minimum qualifying marks are prescribed for any individual test or for the aggregate, and section-wise marks are not maintained. About 10 times the vacancies in each category (as decided by the Bank, subject to availability) are shortlisted for Mains in descending order of aggregate prelims marks. Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability papers are available bilingually (English and the state's medium); English Language is in English only. Prelims marks are not counted in the final merit.
Phase II — Main Examination (merit-deciding) Merit-deciding
Online CBT · 160 min · 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General/Financial Awareness | 50 | 50 |
| General English | 40 | 40 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 |
| Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude | 50 | 60 |
| Total | 190 | 200 |
Each section carries its own timing (35 + 35 + 45 + 45 minutes) and cannot be swapped. Notice that Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude carries 60 marks for 50 questions, so the site's computer subject is tested inside this section rather than as a separate paper. You must score a minimum percentage on aggregate (as decided by the Bank, with 5% relaxation for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD/XS/DXS candidates); no minimum for individual subjects. The final merit list is drawn from the Mains aggregate only, state-wise and category-wise. Trained Apprentices of SBI (engagement start date on or after 1 January 2022, one year of branch experience completed by 31 August 2026) get a bonus of 5 marks out of 200 (2.5% of maximum marks) added to the aggregate.
Phase III — Local Language Proficiency Test (qualifying) Qualifying (before appointment)
Written test at a centre of the State applied for
Provisionally selected candidates who did not study the specified opted local language in Class 10 or 12 must take this test; those who can produce a 10th or 12th standard marksheet or certificate showing they studied the language are exempt. The test has a non-verbal part (objective, 15 questions, 15 marks, and subjective, 15 questions, 15 marks) and a verbal part (20 marks). You must score minimum qualifying marks decided by the Bank (5% relaxation for reserved categories). Candidates who fail are not offered appointment. The test is held at a centre of the State applied for, at the candidate's own expense.
Selection process
Preliminary exam (screening) → Main exam (merit) → Local Language Proficiency Test (where applicable) → provisional selection → verification of eligibility → appointment. Prelims marks are not added to the merit. The final merit list is drawn from the Mains aggregate, state-wise and category-wise, and selected candidates are posted in the State they applied for. There is no interview. A wait list of up to 50% of vacancies (state-category wise) is maintained for one year from the final result and is released quarterly against non-joining and resignation from the current batch only.
Normalisation: why your raw score is not your final score
The advertisement does not mention any normalisation of scores across shifts. SBI prescribes no minimum qualifying marks for individual prelims sections; shortlisting for Mains (about 10 times the vacancies, category-wise) is done on the aggregate prelims score, and the merit list uses the Mains aggregate with a Bank-decided minimum on aggregate (5% relaxation for reserved categories). Do not compare raw scores with candidates of other shifts or states; the exact evaluation method, if any, is described only in the 'Acquaint Yourself' booklet issued with the call letter. Check the official notice for the final word.
How to read this pattern
Each stage carries a tag that tells you what it is for. In this exam: Phase I — Preliminary Examination (screening) is “Screening (shortlists for Mains)”; Phase II — Main Examination (merit-deciding) is “Merit-deciding”; Phase III — Local Language Proficiency Test (qualifying) is “Qualifying (before appointment)”. Read each stage's tag and notes to see whether its marks count towards the final merit or only decide who moves to the next stage, because that changes how much risk is worth taking on a single question.
Always check the negative marking line before you decide how freely to guess. Where there is a penalty, a wrong answer costs marks; where the data says there is none, leaving a question blank only loses the chance to score.
Question counts per section are the best guide to how much time and practice each subject deserves. Use the tables above to split your preparation in proportion to the marks on offer, and revisit the split after each mock or topic test.
How to approach each section
Each subject below links to the full notes on ExamShortcut. Key topics are the high-importance ones where our topic data flags them (or the ones that matter most for this exam); the question counts come from the pattern above.
English Comprehension
All 14 topics →Phase I — Preliminary Examination (screening): 30 questions, 30 marks · Phase II — Main Examination (merit-deciding): 40 questions, 40 marks
Build the basics in grammar (error spotting, fill in the blanks, sentence improvement) and add a little vocabulary every day: idioms, one-word substitutions, synonyms and spellings. For comprehension, read the questions before the passage and answer from the text, not from outside knowledge.
High-importance topics: Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Error Spotting, Sentence Improvement, Fill in the Blanks, Grammar Essentials (Handbook)
Quantitative Aptitude
All 23 topics →Phase I — Preliminary Examination (screening): 35 questions, 35 marks · Phase II — Main Examination (merit-deciding): 50 questions, 50 marks
Learn the formula and the shortcut for each topic first, then drill timed sets so that routine calculation questions take seconds. In the exam, take the questions you can do quickly and leave the long, multi-step ones for the end. Topic tests after every chapter show which topics still cost you time.
High-importance topics: Number System, Percentage, Ratio, Proportion, Partnership & Ages, Average, Interest (SI & CI), Profit, Loss & Discount
General Intelligence & Reasoning
All 20 topics →Phase I — Preliminary Examination (screening): 35 questions, 35 marks · Phase II — Main Examination (merit-deciding): 50 questions, 60 marks
Reasoning rewards pattern recognition, so practise each question type until you recognise it on sight: series, coding-decoding, analogy, classification, syllogism, direction and blood-relation questions, and non-verbal figures. Work in rough on paper rather than in your head, and skip any puzzle that is not settling within a minute or so.
High-importance topics: Analogy, Classification (Odd One Out), Series (Number & Letter), Coding - Decoding, Blood Relations, Seating Arrangement
Next, check who can apply on the SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) eligibility page and compare posts and pay on the SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) salary and posts page.
SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) exam pattern — overview
Phase I — Preliminary Examination (screening): 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes, 1 mark per correct answer, 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer. Phase II — Main Examination (merit-deciding): 190 questions, 200 marks, 160 minutes, 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer.
SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) exam pattern — FAQs
What is the selection process for SBI Clerk (Junior Associate)?
Prelims CBT → Mains CBT → local language test → provisional selection.
What is the Phase I — Preliminary Examination (screening) pattern in SBI Clerk (Junior Associate)?
100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes, 1 mark per correct answer, 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer. Sections: English Language (30 questions, 30 marks); Numerical Ability (35 questions, 35 marks); Reasoning Ability (35 questions, 35 marks).
What is the Phase II — Main Examination (merit-deciding) pattern in SBI Clerk (Junior Associate)?
190 questions, 200 marks, 160 minutes, 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer. Sections: General/Financial Awareness (50 questions, 50 marks); General English (40 questions, 40 marks); Quantitative Aptitude (50 questions, 50 marks); Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude (50 questions, 60 marks).
Is there negative marking in SBI Clerk?
Yes. In both the Preliminary and Main exams, 1/4 of the mark assigned to a question is deducted for every wrong answer. Unattempted questions carry no penalty.
Do prelims marks count in the final merit?
No. The preliminary exam only screens: about 10 times the vacancies in each category are shortlisted on prelims aggregate. The final merit list is built from the Mains aggregate only, state-wise and category-wise.
Is there any interview in SBI Clerk?
No. The selection process is the online prelims, the online mains and the test of the specified opted local language, followed by verification of eligibility. There is no interview or group discussion.
Who has to take the local language test?
Only provisionally selected candidates who did not study the specified opted local language in Class 10 or 12. If your 10th or 12th marksheet or certificate shows that you studied the language of the State you applied for, you are exempt. Candidates who fail the test are not offered appointment.