SBI JA (Clerk) Mains

February 2025

SBI CLERK 2024 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.

   

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.

   
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.
   
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

 
   

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

 
   

Sections	Syllabus
English language	× Reading Comprehension × Cloze Test × Para jumbles × Miscellaneous × Fill in the blanks × Multiple Meaning /Error Spotting × Paragraph Completion
Reasoning ability	× Logical Reasoning × Alphanumeric Series × Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test × Data Sufficiency × Coded Inequalities × Seating Arrangement × Puzzle × Tabulation × Syllogism × Blood Relations × Input-Output × Coding-Decoding
Quantitative aptitude	× Simplification × Profit & Loss × Mixtures & Allegations × Simple Interest ×  Compound Interest  × Surds & Indices × Work & Time × Time & Distance × Mensuration × Data Interpretation × Ratio & Proportion, Percentage × Sequence & Series × Permutation, Combination & Probability

 
 

Sections	Syllabus
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude	× Analogy × Statement/Assumption/Conclusion × Direction Sense × Seating Arrangement × Puzzle × Syllogism × Machine Input-Output × Coding-Decoding × Logical Reasoning
Quantitative aptitude	× Wrong/New Pattern Number Series × High-level Data Sufficiency × Data Interpretation × Caselet DI × Time & Distance, Work × Boat and Streams × Partnership × Profit & Loss × Simple and Compound Interest × Mixture and Allegations × Ratio & Proportion × Percentage
General / Financial Awareness	× Current Affairs × Awards and honors × Books and authors × Latest appointments,  × Monetary Policies × Economic Terms × Current Affairs × Financial & Economics News × Static GK × Government Schemes, Agreements & Deals × Banking & Financial Awareness × Banking terms, rates, processes
English Language	× Reading Comprehension × Sentence Rearrangement × Cloze Test × Miscellaneous × Fill in the blanks × Multiple Meaning /Error Spotting × Paragraph Completion × Sentence Connection

 

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 2024 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 2024 Exam:
 

English Language	Quantitative Aptitude	Reasoning Aptitude
Reading Comprehension	Simplification	Inequality
Find the Error	Number Series	Syllogism
Sentence Correction	Approximation	Blood Relation
Misspelled Words	Data Interpretation	Coding Decoding
Sentence Rearrangement	Problems on Ages	Direction Sense

 
 
Thanks & Regards
(Team Smartkeeda)