State Bank of India conducts the SBI Clerk Exam every year to recruit suitable candidates for the Junior Associate posts. This year, SBI has notified 5000+ vacancies across various circles in the notification of SBI Clerk 2021. According to the notification, the SBI Clerk Prelims will be held in June 2021. In order to kickstart your preparation, it is extremely important to know the SBI Clerk Exam Pattern.
Primarily, the SBI Clerk Exam is an online computer-based test consisting of two rounds namely the Preliminary and Mains round. It is followed by the specified local language test. Only the students who are selected after the Prelims round are eligible to write the Mains Exam.
In this article, we have discussed the selection process or the SBI Clerk Exam pattern in detail. Additionally, we have also included a step-by-step preparation plan for SBI Clerk Exam Preparation.
Let’s first know about the exam pattern as well as the marking scheme for both SBI Clerk Prelims and Mains Exam.
The SBI Clerk Preliminary round is the first round in the selection process of this exam. It is a one-hour exam consisting of three sections that are separately timed. The description of each section for SBI Clerk Prelims Exam is tabulated below:
SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Pattern |
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Section |
Number of Question |
Total Marks |
Duration |
English Language |
30 |
30 |
20 minutes |
Numerical Ability |
35 |
35 |
20 minutes |
Reasoning |
35 |
35 |
20 minutes |
Total |
100 |
100 |
60 minutes |
Important Points to be noted for SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Pattern:
Each section will be separately timed. It means that you will not be allowed to traverse from one section to the next.
There is a negative marking for incorrect answers. ¼ or 0.25 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer. However, there will be no deduction for unanswered questions. Hence, be extremely careful while answering the questions.
There is no minimum cutoff for each section. In SBI Clerk 2021 Prelims Exam, there will be no sectional cutoff as well.
Hence, the candidates will be selected on the basis of an overall cut-off out of the total of 100 marks.
SBI Clerk Prelims is an elimination round. Therefore, only the candidates who are selected after the Prelims Exam will be eligible for writing the SBI Clerk Mains exam. The difficulty level of SBI Clerk Mains will be slightly higher than the Prelims. The marking scheme and SBI Clerk Mains Exam Pattern is described underneath. It’s a 160-minute exam consisting of the following sections:
SBI Clerk Mains Exam Pattern |
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Section |
Number of Questions |
Marks |
Duration |
General/Financial Awareness |
50 |
50 |
35 minutes |
General English |
40 |
40 |
35 minutes |
Quantitative Aptitude |
50 |
50 |
45 minutes |
Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude |
50 |
60 |
45 minutes |
Total |
190 |
200 |
2 hours 40 minutes |
Important points to be noted for SBI Clerk Mains Exam Pattern:
Each section is separately timed. Hence, you will not be allowed to traverse through or jump between the sections. Once the time is exhausted only then you will be moved to the next section.
There is a negative marking for incorrect answers. ¼ of the total marks allotted for the particular question will be deducted for each wrong answer.
Candidates are required to score minimum percentage marks on aggregate (For SC/ST/OBC/PWD/XS candidates, 5% relaxation available thereon). Minimum qualifying marks on aggregate will be decided by the bank.
However, there are no minimum prescribed marks for each section.
For the final selection, the final cutoff will be drawn state-wise and category-wise. It is important to note that the SBI Clerk Prelims round is only qualifying in nature. The marks obtained in the Prelims round will not be considered for the final selection. The final merit will be drawn only on the basis of your performance in the SBI Clerk Mains Exam.
The students who are qualified for the selection will have to provide the 10th and 12th mark sheet evidencing they have studied the specified opted local language. Those who haven’t studied the local language will have to pass the test of the language failing which they will be disqualified.
Now that you are completely aware of the SBI Clerk Exam Pattern, here’s the step-by-step guide on how to kickstart your SBI Clerk Preparation and complete the SBI Clerk Syllabus:
Along with the SBI Clerk Exam Pattern, you should also have a deep understanding of the section-wise syllabus of SBI Clerk Prelims and Mains. A thorough understanding of the syllabus will help you make a robust study plan for ensuring selection right in the first attempt. Hence, mind-map the topics that are a part of the syllabus.
The cutoff of the Prelims and Mains round is determined by the number of vacancies and number of students who appear for the examination. In the Prelims round, nearly ten times the total number of vacancies are selected. Hence, have a fair bit of idea about the previous year’s cutoff trend and vacancies to predict the cutoff and plan your preparation accordingly.
Glancing through the previous year’s papers of the SBI Clerk Prelims and Mains exam will help you assess the level of the exam at each round. Therefore, you’ll be able to plan and target the sections in a more efficient manner.
Sections like English Language, Maths, and Reasoning that are a part of both Prelims and Mains require a thorough understanding at the conceptual level. Only when you attain conceptual clarity can you work on improving your speed as well as accuracy. Both speed and accuracy play an important role in the overall marks since the paper also has a negative marking.
The best way to assess your preparation at regular intervals is through mock tests. Make sure you invest in good quality mock test course in order to assess your preparation adequately. The mock tests should maintain the same level of difficulty as you would expect in the exam. Try to give one or two mock tests a week. Assess your performance, find out your weak areas and constantly strive to improve them to get a higher score.
Also Read | Detailed SBI Clerk (Prelims + Mains) Syllabus & Preparation Strategy
This is a complete overview of the SBI Clerk Exam Pattern for both phases. With just about 6-weeks to SBI Clerk Prelims, it is important to understand the nitty-gritties of the exam to perform well. Tune in to our webinars and live sessions to enhance your SBI Clerk Preparation. We also have comprehensive banking courses that you can utilize to fuel your preparation and enhance your chances of selection.