The SBI Clerk exam is conducted to select eligible candidates for the post of Junior Associates in different branches of the State Bank of India. The banking aspirants who are planning to appear for the upcoming SBI Clerk exam must be aware of the latest exam pattern and syllabus to secure good marks in the examination. The detailed Syllabus for the SBI Clerk 2026 prelims and mains exam is given below.
SBI Clerk Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026
The SBI Clerk syllabus is similar to that of any other bank exam. The SBI Clerk syllabus for both the Preliminary and Mains exams includes Reasoning Ability, Numerical Ability, and English Language. The General Awareness and Computer Aptitude are additionally added to the mains exam. It is recommended that candidates have a look at the SBI Clerk Syllabus, Exam Pattern and Selection Proces.
| SBI Clerk Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026- Overview | |
|---|---|
| Mode of Exam | Online |
| No. of Questions | Prelims- 100 Mains- 190 |
| Exam Duration | Prelims- 1 hour Mains- 2 hours 40 minutes |
| Negative Marking | ¼th mark (0.25 marks) |
| Selection Process | Prelims > Mains > Local Language Proficiency Test |
SBI Clerk Selection Process 2026
The State Bank of India conducts a two-stage selection process for SBI Clerk recruitment. To get selected for the SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) post, the candidates need to qualify in both stages of the recruitment process i.e. Prelims and Mains. After both stages, a test of the specified opted local language will be conducted, which is qualifying in nature. The marks scored in the mains exam will be counted for the final selection process.
Stage 1- Preliminary Examination: 100 Questions of 100 Marks to be solved in 60 minutes
Stage 2- Mains Examination: 190 Questions of 200 marks to be solved in 2 hours 40 minutes
SBI Clerk Exam Pattern 2026
Candidates have to check the exam pattern before going through the detailed syllabus. The SBI Clerk Exam Pattern 2026 for both prelims and mains rounds has been discussed below.
SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Pattern
The prelims exam consists of 3 sections of 100 questions (English- 30, Numerical Ability- 35, and Reasoning- 35). Each correct question gives 1 mark and each incorrect answer deducts 0.25 marks.
| SNo. | Section | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| 3 | Reasoning | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes | |
SBI Clerk Mains Exam Pattern
For the mains exam, there will be 190 questions from 4 sections, and the total marks will be 200. The duration of the exam will be 2 hours and 40 minutes. There is a negative marking of ¼th mark in the SBI Clerk Mains Exam.
| S No. | Section | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | General English | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| 2. | Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 45 minutes |
| 3. | Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude | 50 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| 4. | General/Financial Awareness | 50 | 50 | 35 minutes |
| Total | 190 | 200 | 2 hours 40 minutes | |
Note: The negative marking for each incorrect answer is ¼th mark (0.25 mark) for both prelims and mains.
What is the SBI Clerk Prelims Syllabus?
Numerical Ability
- Data Interpretation (Bar, Line, Pie, Tabular)
- Data Sufficiency
- Quadratic Equation
- Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere
- Approximation
- Missing Number Series
- Simplification
- Time & Work, Pipes & Cisterns
- Problems on Ages
- Average, Ratio, Percentage, Profit & Loss
- Simple Interest & Compound Interest
- Speed, Distance & Time
- Permutation & Combination
- Boat & Stream
- Probability
- Partnership
- Mixture & Allegation
Reasoning Syllabus
- Blood Relations
- Input Output
- Data Sufficiency
- Coded Inequalities
- Seating Arrangement (Circular/Triangular/Square/Rectangular)
- Logical Reasoning
- Alphanumeric Series
- Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test
- Puzzle
- Tabulation
- Syllogism
- Meaningful Word
- Odd One Out
- Coding Decoding
- Direction & Distance
- Letter/Digit/Mix Series
- Pair Formation
- Inequality
- Order & Ranking
English Language Syllabus
- Reading Comprehension
- Cloze Test
- Para jumbles
- Miscellaneous
- Fill in the blanks/Fillers
- Multiple Meaning
- Paragraph Completion
- Error Detection
- Misspelt
- Word/Sentence Rearrangement
- Single Fillers
- Match the Column
- Para Jumble
- Word Usage
- Word Swap
- Column-Based Sentence
- Phrase Repacements
SBI Clerk Prelims High-Scoring Topics
Based on analysis of previous years' papers, here are the top priority topics candidates must focus on during their preparation.
| English Topics | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 7 to 10 questions |
| Cloze Test | 5 to 6 questions |
| Error Detection | 4 to 5 questions |
| Para Jumbles | 4 to 5 questions |
| Numerical Ability Topics | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Data Interpretation | 5 to 10 questions |
| Number Series | 5 questions |
| Simplification | 10 to 15 questions |
| Arithemetic | 10 to 15 questions |
| Reasoning Ability Topics | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Puzzle & Seating Arrangements | 12-16 questions |
| Syllogism | 3 to 5 questions |
| Coding-Decoding | 4 to 5 questions |
| Direction & Distance | 3 to 5 questions |
What is the SBI Clerk Mains syllabus?
| Quantitative Aptitude | Reasoning Ability | General/Financial Awareness | General English |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Computer Aptitude
|
|
|
What topics are most important for SBI Clerk 2026 Mains?
Ans- For Mains, the most important topics are: Data Interpretation and Quadratic Equations (Quant), Advanced Puzzles (Reasoning), Reading Comprehension and Cloze Test (English), Banking Awareness and Current Affairs (General Awareness), and MS Office and Networking (Computer Aptitude).
SBI Clerk Syllabus PDF Download
Download the complete SBI Clerk Prelims & Mains Syllabus PDF from the link below and print it out for your offline study preparation for the exam. The syllabus PDF includes all the topics for each subject.
SBI Clerk Syllabus PDF Download link
SBI Clerk Local Language Proficiency Test
Candidates who qualify for the SBI Clerk prelims and mains exams and have not studied (in class 10th or 12th) any of the specified local languages of the state they applied to will have to appear in the Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT). The Local Language Proficiency Test is a qualifying test in nature, and the exam pattern for LPT is as follows:
| Test Pattern | Section | No. of Passages | No. of Questions | Total Marks |
| Non- Verbal Test | Objective | 3 | 15 | 15 |
| 3 | 15 | 15 | ||
| Verbal Test | Subjective | -- | -- | 20 |
Are marks scored in LLPT counted in final merit list?
Ans- No, the marks are not counted in final selection, as this is a qualifying test only.
Exam Preparation Tips
Besides knowing the detailed SBI Clerk Syllabus, the candidates must also be aware of the type of questions asked in previous SBI Clerk Exams. To help the candidates, our faculty has prepared the SBI Clerk Mock Test 2026 and the candidates must practice it before going to the exam.
Attempt SBI Clerk Mock Test 2026
