The SBI (State Bank of India) Clerk/Junior Associate exam is conducted to recruit candidates for the position of Junior Associates (Clerk) in various SBI branches across India. The SBI Clerk exam is a great opportunity for banking aspirants as it opens doors to a promising career for aspirants in the banking sector. SBI is one of the largest public sector banks in India, and working as a Clerk/Junior Associate at SBI can provide job security, a decent salary, and opportunities for growth and development within the organization. Working as a Clerk or Junior Associate at SBI involves managing customer accounts, handling cash transactions, providing customer service, maintaining customer account information, and cross-selling banking products and services.
Here, we’ll share important aspects of the SBI CLERK 2023 exam to help you build a roadmap to grab this opportunity in 2023.
SBI Clerk Exam Overview
The State Bank of India (SBI) will soon release the official notification for the recruitment of clerks in various branches of SBI. The SBI Clerk exam will be conducted in two phases - Preliminary and Main, and the final selection will be based on the candidate’s performance in the Main examination. After qualifying the main examination, a test for knowledge of the specified opted local language will be conducted as a part of the selection process. The candidates not found proficient in the specified opted local language would be disqualified.
To help you understand the format and important aspects of the SBI clerk exam you can go through the following table:
Name of Agency |
State Bank of India (SBI) |
Online Registration |
17.11.2023 TO 07.12.2023 |
Preliminary Exam Date |
Tentatively January 2024 |
Mains Exam Date |
Tentatively February 2024 |
Name of the post |
Clerk/Junior Assistant |
Total Vacancies |
8773 |
Mode of Application |
Online |
Mode of exam |
CBT |
Selection procedure |
Prelims, Mains, LPT |
Official website |
https://sbi.co.in |
SBI Clerk 2023 Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility criteria are the requirements that candidates need to fulfill to be eligible to appear for a particular exam. It is always important to carefully read and understand the eligibility criteria before preparing for any exam so that you can determine whether you meet the requirements for the job and whether it is worth applying for. Here we will discuss the important eligibility criteria for SBI Clerk/ Junior Associate exam such as educational qualifications, age limit, nationality, work experience, and other specific requirements.
SBI CLERK 2023 Educational Qualifications
To apply for the post of SBI clerk, here are the essential education qualifications:
-
You must possess a degree (Graduation) in any discipline from a recognized University or any equivalent qualification recognized as such by Central Government.
-
Candidates having Integrated Dual Degree (IDD) certificates should ensure that the date of passing the IDD is on the date specified in the notification.
-
Those who are in the final year/ semester of their graduation may also apply provisionally subject to the condition that, if provisionally selected, they will have to produce proof of having passed the graduation examination on or before the date specified in the notification.
Note:
a) The date of passing the eligibility examination will be the date appearing on the mark sheet/certificate or provisional certificate issued by the University/Institute. In case the result of a particular examination is posted on the website of the University/ Institute, a certificate issued by the appropriate authority of the University/Institute indicating the date on which the result was posted on the website will be taken as the date of passing.
b) Matriculate Ex-servicemen, who have obtained the Indian Army Special Certificate of Education or corresponding certificate in the Navy or Air Force, after having completed not less than 15 years of service in the Armed Forces of the Union are also eligible for the post. Such certificates should be dated on or before 31.12.2023.
SBI CLERK 2023 Age Limit
The age limit is the minimum and maximum age required to appear for the exam. It is essential to note the age limit as it determines whether or not a candidate is eligible to apply for the exam. To apply for the post of SBI Clerk, an unreserved category candidate should not be below
20 years & above
28 years of age.
However, there will be age relaxations in the upper age limit for different categories as follows:
Category |
Relaxation |
Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe |
5 Years |
Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer) |
3 Years |
PWD (Gen/ EWS) |
10 Years |
PWD (SC/ ST) |
15 Years |
PWD (OBC) |
13 Years |
Ex-Servicemen/ Disabled ExServicemen |
Actual period of service rendered in defense services + 3 years, (8 years for Disabled Ex-Servicemen belonging to SC/ST) subject to max. age of 50 years |
Widows, Divorced women and women judicially separated from their husbands & who are not remarried |
7 years (subject to maximum age limit of 35 years for General/ EWS, 38 years for OBC & 40 years for SC/ST candidates) |
Trained Apprentices of SBI |
SC/ST - 6 years, OBC - 4 years, GEN/ EWS - 1 year, PwBD (SC/ST) – 16 years, PwBD
(OBC) – 14 years, PwBD (Gen/EWS) - 11 years
|
Nationality / Citizenship:
A candidate must be either –
I. A Citizen of India
or
II. A subject of Nepal
or
III. A subject of Bhutan
or
IV. A Tibetan Refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India or
V. A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam intending to permanently settle in India, provided that a candidate belonging to categories (ii), (iii), (iv) & (v) above shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.
Application Fee
The application fee for applying for the post of SBI Clerk would be as given below. You can make the payment of Application Fees/Intimation Charges through the
On-Line Mode only. As per the notification, you will also have to bear the Bank Transaction charges for Online Payment of application fees/intimation charges.
Category |
Fees (Non-refundable) |
GENERAL/ EWS/ OBC candidate |
750/- (inclusive of GST) |
SC/ ST/ PwBD/ ESM/DESM candidates |
Nil |
Salary and Emoluments
PAY SCALE: Rs.17900-1000/3-20900-1230/3-24590-1490/4-30550-1730/7-42600-3270/1-45930-1990/1-47920. The starting Basic Pay for the Junior Associates at SBI is Rs.19900/- (Rs.17900/- plus two advance increments admissible to graduates)
Emoluments: The total starting emoluments of a Clerical Cadre employee payable at Metro like Mumbai will be around Rs.29,000/- per month inclusive of D.A., other allowances at the current rate, and two additional increments for newly recruited graduate junior associates.
Allowances: Allowances may vary depending on the place of posting. They will be eligible for reimbursement of various perquisites, provident fund, Pension under the New Pension Scheme (Defined Contribution Benefit), Medical, Leave-Fare, and other facilities, as per instructions of the Bank as may be issued from time to time.
SBI CLERK 2023 Exam Pattern
The selection for Junior Assistants at SBI will be done through a three-phase process:
Step 1: Preliminary Examination (Objective Type) (100 Marks)
Step 2: Main Examination (Objective Type – 200 Marks)
Step 3: Language Test
Phase I: Prelims
-
Phase I will be an online preliminary exam consisting of an objective test of 100 marks.
-
The test would be of a 1-hour duration consisting of 3 Sections - Reasoning Ability, Numerical Ability, and English Language with separate timings (20 minutes) for each section.
-
You will be given 100 questions to attempt in a duration of 60 minutes. However, due to a sectional time limit of 20 minutes, you cannot jump to other sections until the time for that particular section is over.
-
The prelims of SBI Clerk will be qualifying in nature, i.e, marks obtained in this phase will not be considered while preparing the final merit list.
-
There will be no sectional cutoff for SBI Clerk Exam. You just have to qualify for the total cut-off to be eligible for the next round.
-
Candidates numbering 10 times (approx.) the number of vacancies in each category will be shortlisted for the Main Examination from the top of the above merit list.
-
There will be a penalty of one-fourth of the marks assigned to that question for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests.
-
You can attempt SBI PO mock tests at Smartkeeda to familiarise yourself well with the PO exam pattern.
SBI CLERK Prelims Exam Pattern:
S.No |
Name of the Test |
Number of Questions |
Maximum Marks |
Duration |
1. |
English Language |
30 |
30 |
20 minutes |
1. |
Reasoning Ability |
35 |
35 |
20 minutes |
2. |
Numerical Ability |
35 |
35 |
20 minutes |
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
60 minutes |
Stage II: Mains
-
SBI Clerk Main Examination will also be conducted online and will consist of Objective Tests for 200 marks.
-
The mains of the SBI Clerk would be divided into 4 sections – Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude, General English, General / Financial Awareness, and Quantitative Aptitude.
-
Like in prelims, a sectional time limit for each section would be there in this phase as well and you cannot jump to other sections until the time limit for that particular section is over.
-
There will be no sectional cutoff in this phase of the exam as well.
-
The marks obtained in this round will solely be considered for preparing the merit and therefore to get the final selection you must score well in this round.
SBI CLERK Mains Exam Pattern
The structure of the main examination would be as follows:
S.No |
Name of the Test |
Number of Questions |
Maximum Marks |
Duration |
1. |
General/ Financial Awareness |
50 |
50 |
35 minutes |
2. |
General English |
40 |
40 |
35 minutes |
3. |
Quantitative Aptitude |
50 |
50 |
45 minutes |
4. |
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude |
50 |
60 |
45 minutes |
|
Total |
190 |
200 |
2 hours 40 minutes |
Click here to attempt a free
SBI CLERK Mains mock test!
Penalty For Wrong Answers
(Applicable to both – Online Preliminary and Online Main Examination)
There will be a penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests. For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate
one-fourth or
0.25 of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as a penalty to arrive at the corrected score. If a question is left blank, i.e. no answer is marked by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.
Therefore, if you’re unaware of an answer, it would be better to leave the response blank instead of guessing answers to save yourself from a negative marking.
Cut-off Score (Online Main examination)
You will be required to score a minimum percentage mark (cutoff) on aggregate to appear in the final merit list of SBI Clerk / Junior Associate. Depending on the number of State/UT-wise vacancies available, cut-offs will be decided by SBI and candidates will be considered for the provisional allotment. The merit list will be drawn State-wise, and category-wise. Candidates qualified in the test (main examination) will be placed according to their aggregate marks in descending order in respective States and Categories.
The reserved category candidates including SC/ST/OBC/PwBD/ESM/DESM candidates will get a 5% relaxation in the cutoff. There will be no minimum qualifying marks for individual subjects. It means section-wise cutoff will not be maintained.
Language Proficiency Test (LPT)
Before applying for vacancies in a particular State/UT, you must ensure that you are proficient (reading, writing, speaking, and understanding) in the specified opted local language of that State/UT (mentioned in the under given vacancy table against each state/UT). The test for knowledge of the specified opted local language will be conducted as a part of the selection process. It will be conducted after qualifying the online main examination but before joining the Bank.
It is important to qualify this round as the candidates who fail to qualify for this round will not be offered an appointment. Candidates who produce 10th or 12th standard mark sheet/ certificate evidencing having studied the specified opted local language will not be required to undergo the language test. Also, the candidates not found proficient in the specified opted local language would be disqualified.
Provisional Selection
The marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination (Phase-I) will not be added for the selection and only the aggregate marks obtained in Main Examination (Phase II) will be considered for the preparation of the final merit list. Provisional selection will be made on the basis of your performance in the Main Examination (Subject to qualifying specified opted local language).
Final Selection
The final selection in the SBI Clerk examination will be subject to:
I. Verification of eligibility for the post and information furnished in the online application.
II. Qualifying in the test of the specified opted local language, where applicable, as detailed above.
Results of the candidates who have provisionally qualified for selection will be made available on the Bank's website.
SBI Clerk WaitList
The State Bank of India will also maintain a waitlist of up to 50% of vacancies (State-category wise). Candidates will be released from this waitlist on a quarterly basis against non-joining and resignations out of the current batch only, subject to the candidates securing minimum qualifying marks as may be stipulated by the Bank for selection. This waitlist will be valid for a period of one year from the date of declaration of the final result.
SBI CLERK Previous Year Cutoff
Having a fair idea of the previous year's cutoff can help you set realistic goals for your own performance in the SBI Clerk exam. It also provides you with an idea of the level of competition you might be facing in the upcoming exam. In the SBI clerk exam, the cutoff is quite high as the difficulty level of the paper is generally easy. By comparing the previous year's cutoff of different states, you can make informed decisions about your target score and the state from which you should apply.
However, the cutoff largely depends on the available vacancies and the difficulty level of the examination and can differ based on the given factors. Here is the previous year’s
SBI Clerk prelims cutoff (out of 100) and
SBI Clerk mains cutoff (out of 200):
SBI CLERK Prelims Cutoff 2022
State |
Cutoff (UR) |
Daman & Diu |
55.5 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
48 |
Goa |
45 |
Assam |
69.25 |
Bihar |
|
Chhattisgarh |
72.75 |
Delhi |
82.75 |
Gujarat |
72.25 |
Haryana |
82.5 |
Jammu & Kashmir |
77.25 |
Karnataka |
64.5 |
Kerala |
68 |
Madhya Pradesh |
74.75 |
Maharashtra |
65.5 |
Manipur |
49 |
Meghalaya |
64.75 |
Odisha |
77 |
Punjab |
80.75 |
Rajasthan |
75 |
Tamil Nadu |
62.25 |
Telangana |
69 |
Sikkim |
66.5 |
Uttar Pradesh |
77.5 |
Uttarakhand |
78.75 |
West Bengal |
78.5 |
SBI Clerk Mains Cut off 2022
State/UT |
Cutoff (UR) |
Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
|
Andhra Pradesh |
|
Arunachal Pradesh |
70 |
Assam |
72 |
Bihar |
|
Chhattisgarh |
77.25 |
Goa |
70 |
Gujarat |
74.5 |
Haryana |
85.5 |
Himachal Pradesh |
85.75 |
Jammu & Kashmir |
77 |
Delhi |
89.75 |
Karnataka |
70.75 |
Kerala |
|
Madhya Pradesh |
78.25 |
Maharashtra |
76 |
Manipur |
70 |
Meghalaya |
|
Mizoram |
|
Nagaland |
|
Odisha |
78.75 |
Puducherry |
72 |
Punjab |
84.25 |
Rajasthan |
80.5 |
Tamil Nadu |
78 |
Telangana |
78.25 |
Tripura |
|
Uttar Pradesh |
82.75 |
Uttarakhand |
83 |
West Bengal |
80.5 |
CLERK Prelims Syllabus:
SBI CLERK 2022 Vacancies
The State Bank of India (SBI) releases state-wise and category-wise vacancies along with the official notification every year on their official website. For the year 2022-23, 5008 vacancies were declared by SBI for the clerical positions for regular posts, and 478 positions were declared for the backlog posts. The table below shows the overall SBI CLERK state-wise & category-wise vacancies for the year 2022-23:
State |
Language |
SC |
ST |
OBC |
EWS |
GEN |
Total |
Gujarat |
Gujarati |
25 |
53 |
95 |
35 |
145 |
353 |
Daman & Diu |
Gujarati |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
Andhra Pradesh |
Telugu/ Urdu |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Karnataka |
Kannada |
51 |
22 |
85 |
31 |
127 |
316 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Hindi |
58 |
78 |
58 |
38 |
157 |
389 |
Chhattisgarh |
Hindi |
11 |
29 |
6 |
9 |
37 |
92 |
West Bengal |
Bengali/ Nepali |
78 |
17 |
75 |
34 |
136 |
340 |
A&N Islands |
Hindi/ English |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
5 |
10 |
Sikkim |
Nepali/ English |
1 |
5 |
6 |
2 |
12 |
26 |
Odisha |
Odia |
27 |
37 |
20 |
17 |
69 |
170 |
Jammu & Kashmir |
Urdu/ Hindi |
3 |
4 |
9 |
3 |
16 |
35 |
Haryana |
Hindi/Punjabi |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
Himachal Pradesh |
Hindi |
14 |
2 |
11 |
5 |
23 |
55 |
Chandigarh |
Punjabi/ Hindi |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Punjab |
Punjabi/ Hindi |
38 |
0 |
27 |
13 |
52 |
130 |
Tamil Nadu |
Tamil |
67 |
4 |
96 |
35 |
153 |
355 |
Pondicherry |
Tamil |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
7 |
Delhi |
Hindi |
5 |
2 |
9 |
3 |
13 |
32 |
Uttarakhand |
Hindi |
22 |
4 |
16 |
12 |
66 |
120 |
Telangana |
Telugu/ Urdu |
36 |
16 |
60 |
22 |
91 |
225 |
Rajasthan |
Hindi |
48 |
37 |
57 |
28 |
114 |
284 |
Kerala |
Malayalam |
27 |
3 |
73 |
27 |
140 |
270 |
Lakshadweep |
Malayalam |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
Uttar Pradesh |
Hindi/ Urdu |
133 |
7 |
170 |
63 |
258 |
631 |
Maharashtra |
Marathi |
75 |
67 |
201 |
74 |
330 |
747 |
Goa |
Konkani |
1 |
6 |
9 |
5 |
29 |
50 |
Assam |
Assamese /Bengali/ Bodo |
18 |
31 |
70 |
25 |
114 |
258 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
English |
0 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
15 |
Manipur |
Manipuri |
1 |
9 |
4 |
2 |
12 |
28 |
Meghalaya |
English/Garo/ Khasi |
0 |
10 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
23 |
Mizoram |
Mizo |
0 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
10 |
Nagaland |
English |
0 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
15 |
Tripura |
Bengali/ Kokboro |
2 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
10 |
Total |
|
743 |
467 |
1165 |
490 |
2143 |
5008 |
Tips to Crack SBI CLERK 2023 Exam:
Cracking the SBI Clerk exam requires a well-planned and structured approach. If you are a beginner, first you need to have a thorough understanding of the examination pattern, syllabus, and the type of questions asked in this exam. You must remember that the prelims of the banking exams check your speed and accuracy. So you must be able to solve a maximum number of questions accurately within the given time frame.
As per the past cutoff trends for the SBI Clerk examination, you constantly try to score 80+ marks in the preliminary examination (for the unreserved category) to get qualified for the next phase. To achieve this score you can divide your attempts as per your strength and conclude what works best for you.
It is also important to pay attention to your solving speed and accuracy, as it can significantly affect your score in the exam. Regular practice using exam-oriented mock tests will help you in understanding the types of questions that can be expected in the exam. Regularly attempting
SBI Clerk mock tests will also help you in building a strategy for attempting the questions within the given time limit, which is crucial during the actual exam.
Solving SBI Clerk mock tests on a regular basis can be an excellent way to prepare. Regularly attempting SBI Clerk mock tests during your preparation can help you in SBI Clerk exam preparation in several ways.
-
After taking the test you should analyze it thoroughly to point out your strengths and weaknesses and the areas of improvement where you need to alter your approach to boost your score. You can also attempt “Topic Tests” available at Testzone to strengthen your concepts on a particular topic.
-
To stay ahead of the competition, it is crucial to keep oneself updated with current affairs and general knowledge to excel in the general awareness section which is one of the scoring sections of SBI Clerk mains. You can attempt monthly mockdrills at Smartkeeda and boost your score in the General Awareness Section.
-
If you’re having an examination in later shifts, get an idea about the number of questions being attempted by other aspirants of the previous shifts. To get an idea of the difficulty level of the exam and your target attempts, you can also attempt the memory-based paper of the SBI clerk exam at Smartkeeda.
Regular practice and understanding of the basic concepts can help you crack this exam with ease. Here you can find the direct links to practice
Topic-wise quizzes for SBI CLERK 2023 Exam
:
Thanks & Regards
(Team Smartkeeda)