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Banking | SBI

SBI Clerk 2026-27 cycle

Clerical-cadre recruitment for State Bank of India through a Preliminary and a Main examination, with no interview and a local language requirement.

Awaiting notification3 stagesSectional timing

Overview

Conducting body
SBIsbi.co.in/web/careers
Age limit
20 to 28 years
Application fee
₹0 to ₹750
Vacancies
To be announced
First stage duration
1 hr
Negative marking
1/4 mark per wrong answer

State Bank of India Recruitment of Junior Associates (Customer Support and Sales) is conducted by State Bank of India. Selection runs through 3 stages: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, Local language test.

  1. Clear the Preliminary examination, which is a screening test scored out of 100 marks.
  2. Qualify the Main examination, which carries 200 marks and decides the merit list on its own.
  3. Pass the local language test if you cannot produce documentary proof of having studied the opted state language.
  4. Complete document verification and medical fitness checks.
  5. There is no interview at any point in this process.

Important dates

Important dates
EventDateStatus
Notification release

SBI has published the Junior Associate advertisement around the turn of the calendar year in recent cycles.

To be announcedNot announced
Online registration window

Usually open for about three weeks from the advertisement date.

To be announcedNot announced
Preliminary examination

Usually held around six to eight weeks after registration closes.

To be announcedNot announced
Main examination

Usually held about a month after the Preliminary result.

To be announcedNot announced
Local language test

Conducted at the document verification stage for candidates who cannot produce proof of having studied the opted state language.

To be announcedNot announced
Final resultTo be announcedNot announced

Eligibility

Educational qualification

A degree in any discipline from a recognised university, or an equivalent qualification recognised as such by the Central Government.

Candidates in the final year or semester may apply provisionally, on the condition that they produce proof of having passed by the date stated in the advertisement. Integrated dual-degree holders and those with a matriculation-level pass in the opted local language have specific provisions set out in the advertisement.

Age

20 to 28 years as on the cut-off date stated in the official advertisement, which has been 1 April in recent cycles.

Upper age relaxation

  • SC and ST+5 years
  • OBC (non-creamy layer)+3 years
  • Persons with Benchmark Disability (General and EWS)+10 years
  • Persons with Benchmark Disability (OBC)+13 years
  • Persons with Benchmark Disability (SC and ST)+15 years
  • Ex-servicemen+5 years
  • Widows and divorced women who have not remarried+7 years
  • Persons domiciled in Jammu and Kashmir between 1980 and 1989+5 years

Nationality

A candidate must be one of the following:

  • A citizen of India
  • A subject of Nepal or Bhutan
  • A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 intending to settle permanently
  • A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam intending to settle permanently in India

Application fee

CategoryFee
General, OBC and EWS

Application fee including intimation charges, non-refundable.

₹750
SC, ST and PwBD

No fee. SBI has exempted these categories entirely in recent cycles.

₹0

Fees have been stable across recent cycles but are the kind of detail a notification can revise. Confirm on the official notification before paying.

Exam pattern

Stage by stage structure with question counts, marks, timing and the marking scheme.

Stage 1: Preliminary Examination

Computer based testSectional timingQualifying only
SectionQuestionsMarksTime
English Language303020 min
Numerical Ability353520 min
Reasoning Ability353520 min
Total1001001 hr

Duration: 1 hr|Negative marking: 1/4 mark per wrong answer

  • 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes, with a separate 20-minute clock for each section.
  • Purely a screening test. Marks are not carried into the final merit list.

Stage 2: Main Examination

Computer based testSectional timing
SectionQuestionsMarksTime
General and Financial Awareness505035 min
General English404035 min
Quantitative Aptitude505045 min
Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude506045 min
Total1902002 hr 40 min

Duration: 2 hr 40 min|Negative marking: 1/4 mark per wrong answer

  • 190 questions for 200 marks in 160 minutes, with a separate clock for each section.
  • The final merit list is built from this stage alone, since there is no interview.
  • Reasoning and Computer Aptitude carries 60 marks over 50 questions, making it the heaviest section by weight.

Stage 3: Local language test

Pen and paperQualifying only

Duration: Varies|Negative marking: None

  • Only for candidates who cannot produce a matriculation or higher certificate showing they studied the opted local language.
  • Qualifying in nature. Failing it means the candidature is cancelled even after clearing the Main examination.

Syllabus

English Language

  • Reading comprehension
  • Cloze test
  • Para jumbles
  • Error spotting and sentence correction
  • Sentence improvement
  • Fill in the blanks
  • Word usage, vocabulary, synonyms and antonyms
  • Phrase replacement and idioms

Quantitative Aptitude

  • Simplification and approximation
  • Number series
  • Data interpretation: tables, bar, line and pie
  • Quadratic equations
  • Percentage, ratio and proportion
  • Average, ages and partnership
  • Profit, loss and discount
  • Simple and compound interest
  • Time, speed, distance, boats and trains
  • Time and work, pipes and cisterns
  • Mixture and alligation
  • Mensuration
  • Permutation, combination and probability

Reasoning Ability

  • Puzzles: floor, box, day and category based
  • Seating arrangement: linear and circular
  • Syllogism
  • Inequality, coded and direct
  • Blood relations and direction sense
  • Order, ranking and comparison
  • Coding and decoding
  • Alphanumeric and symbol series
  • Data sufficiency
  • Statement and assumption

Banking Awareness

  • Reserve Bank of India: structure and functions
  • Banking terminology, products and services
  • Financial institutions: NABARD, SIDBI, EXIM, NHB and SEBI
  • Government financial inclusion and welfare schemes
  • Union Budget highlights
  • Inflation, GDP and basic economic terminology
  • Static awareness: bank headquarters, taglines, capitals, currencies and important days
  • Current affairs of the previous six months

Computer Aptitude

  • Computer fundamentals and generations
  • Hardware, software and memory
  • Operating systems and file management
  • MS Office and shortcut keys
  • Internet, email and networking
  • Computer security, viruses and firewalls
  • Abbreviations and number systems

How to apply

  1. Open the careers page and register

    Go to the current openings section on the SBI careers site, open the Junior Associate link and choose New Registration. Save the registration number and password.

  2. Choose your state carefully

    You may apply for one state only, and you must be proficient in its official language. The choice cannot be changed later, and vacancies differ sharply between states, so compare them before deciding.

  3. Upload your photograph, signature, handwritten declaration and thumb impression

    SBI specifies dimensions and size limits in the advertisement and rejects images that do not match.

  4. Pay the fee online

    Pay by debit card, credit card, internet banking or UPI. SC, ST and PwBD candidates pay nothing. Wait for the e-receipt before closing the browser.

  5. Save the e-receipt and the application printout

    You will need the registration number and password again for the admit card and every later stage.

Documents to keep ready

  • Valid photo identity proof such as Aadhaar, PAN, passport, driving licence or voter ID
  • Graduation mark-sheets and the degree certificate, or proof of final-year status if applying provisionally
  • Proof of having studied the opted local language at matriculation level, if available
  • Caste or EWS certificate in the prescribed format, where applicable
  • PwBD certificate issued by the competent authority, where applicable
  • Recent passport-size photograph matching the image uploaded
  • Signature, handwritten declaration and thumb impression as uploaded

Salary and job profile

Pay and allowances

Pay scale:
Clerical cadre pay scale under the bipartite settlement
Initial basic pay:
To be announced
Approximate in-hand:
To be announced

Allowances

  • Dearness Allowance revised quarterly
  • House Rent Allowance
  • City Compensatory Allowance based on place of posting
  • Special Allowance
  • Transport allowance

Perks

  • Medical insurance covering self and dependants
  • Leave Fare Concession
  • Concessional interest on staff loans
  • Pension under the National Pension System
  • Gratuity and provident fund

Basic pay and gross emoluments follow the bipartite settlement in force and vary with the city of posting. SBI states an indicative figure in the advertisement; confirm it there.

What the job involves

  • Front-desk customer service: account opening, KYC updates, passbook and cheque book issue.
  • Cash receipt and payment at the counter, and clearing operations.
  • Handling remittances, demand drafts and standing instructions.
  • Cross-selling deposit, insurance and government scheme products.
  • Attending to customer queries and grievance redressal at the branch.
  • Promotion to Trainee Officer and into the officer cadre through internal written examinations.

How to prepare for SBI Clerk

  • Because there is no interview, the Main examination is the whole contest. Build your plan around peaking there rather than merely surviving the Preliminary paper.
  • General and Financial Awareness is 50 marks that can be revised rather than solved. It is the cheapest section to improve and the one most candidates neglect.
  • Numerical Ability at clerical level rewards raw speed on simplification and series more than it rewards advanced technique. Drill calculation daily.
  • Check the vacancy count for your state before committing. A state with few vacancies can have a cut-off several marks above a neighbouring one.
  • If your local language is weak, start on it the day you apply. It is a pass or fail gate at the very end, and no amount of written score compensates for it.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an interview for SBI Clerk?

No. The merit list is built from the Main examination alone. This makes the Main examination unusually decisive compared with officer-cadre exams, where a weak written score can still be partly recovered at interview.

What happens if I do not know the local language?

You will be tested on it at the document verification stage unless you can produce a certificate showing you studied it at matriculation level or higher. Failing the test cancels your candidature even if you cleared the Main examination, so treat the state choice as a serious decision rather than a vacancy calculation.

Can I apply for more than one state?

No. One state only, and you sit the examination for that state. Applying for multiple states leads to all your applications being rejected.

Do Preliminary marks count towards the final merit?

No. The Preliminary examination only screens candidates for the Main examination.

Can final-year students apply?

Yes, provisionally, provided you can show you passed by the date the advertisement specifies.

How does SBI Clerk compare with IBPS Clerk?

The pattern is close, but SBI recruits only for itself while IBPS allots you to one of several participating banks. SBI's Main examination is 190 questions in 160 minutes against IBPS's 190 in 160 as well, and both drop the interview. The local language requirement applies in both.

Last verified 28 July 2026(today, by editorial)

Not yet confirmed for this cycle: the schedule, the vacancy count, basic pay, gross pay, in-hand pay and the application fee. Where we have a figure from previous cycles we show it and label it as expected; where we do not, the page says "to be announced". Check the official source below before you rely on any of it.

Official sources

Found something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it, citing the source.