Working through an SBI clerk previous year question paper gives you a fair preview of the real test: the same timed sections, the same style of puzzles and data sets, and the same banking focus in Mains. Used well, a few past papers reveal your true level faster than a dozen random quizzes.
Inside: a quick pattern refresher, a summary of what recent Prelims and Mains papers have asked, gives a practice method that fits the sectional timers, and ends with five original bank-style questions to try. It also explains what SBI itself publishes, so you know which material is official.
Exam at a glance
Conducted by
State Bank of IndiaPrelims paper
100 questions in 1 hour: English 30, numerical ability 35, reasoning 35Mains paper
190 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours 40 minutesSectional timing
Yes, each section has its own clockNegative marking
One fourth of the question's marksRecent cycles
2023, 2024 and 2025 recruitment cycles
Pattern recap before you open any paper
Every paper you practise should match the current structure, otherwise your timing practice is wasted.
| Stage | Sections | Questions and marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims | English language, numerical ability, reasoning ability | 100 questions, 100 marks | 20 minutes per section |
| Mains | Awareness (general and financial), English, quant, reasoning with computer aptitude | 190 questions, 200 marks | 35, 35, 45 and 45 minutes |
Every topic of both stages is listed in our guide to the SBI clerk syllabus. Papers from the years before sectional timers arrived still help with topics, though they say little about the pace you need today.
What recent SBI clerk previous year papers show
Across the 2023, 2024 and 2025 cycles, the same trends keep showing up:
- Reasoning: most marks sit in puzzle sets and seating arrangements, and Prelims often uses floor and box based puzzles. Smaller topics such as inequality, syllogism and coding fill the rest.
- Numerical ability: Prelims leans on simplification or approximation, number series, quadratic equations and one or two DI sets, plus a handful of arithmetic word problems.
- English: a single comprehension passage, followed by cloze test, error spotting, fillers and rearrangement in varying mixes.
- Mains financial awareness: current banking and economy news of the preceding months, RBI policy terms and government schemes.
- Mains reasoning and computer: longer puzzles, a set of logical reasoning questions and a block of computer awareness questions on basics and terminology.
Difficulty has varied from one shift to another, which is one reason the SBI clerk cut off moved between cycles along with vacancies.
Where to get papers, and what SBI publishes
SBI's careers page carries the notification, information handouts, call letters, results and cut off documents for each Junior Associate recruitment. The bank does not normally put out complete question papers, so most papers you will see in circulation are memory-based reconstructions put together after the exam by candidates.
- Treat memory-based papers as a guide to style and topic mix, not as an exact copy of the test.
- Prefer the information handout from SBI for the official pattern and sample question types.
- If a book is sold as an SBI clerk previous year question paper book, check that it states which cycle each paper comes from and follows the current pattern.
How to practise with an SBI clerk previous year question paper
- Simulate the clock. Use separate 20-minute timers for each Prelims section and the 35 and 45-minute timers for Mains. Do not pause.
- Score with negative marking. Deduct a quarter mark per wrong answer, and note how many guesses cost you marks.
- Sort your errors. Mark each mistake as concept, calculation, reading or time. Fix the biggest group first.
- Repeat the hard sets. Redo every puzzle and DI set you could not finish within a week, without looking at the solution.
- Keep a news file for Mains. When an SBI clerk mains previous year paper asks about a scheme or a banking term you did not know, add the topic to a list and revise it weekly.
Sample questions in the SBI clerk style
We wrote the five items below ourselves to copy the feel of recent SBI sets; none comes from an actual SBI exam.
- Approximation: 24.98% of 640.1 + 17.96 × 7.02 = ? (a) 276 (b) 286 (c) 296 (d) 306
- Inequality: Statement: P ≥ Q > R = S ≤ T. Conclusions: I. P > S, II. T ≥ R. (a) Only I follows (b) Only II follows (c) Both follow (d) Neither follows
- Arithmetic: A deposit of Rs 20,000 earns 10% compound interest a year, compounded annually. What is the interest at the end of 2 years? Choose the interest in rupees: 4,000 or 4,100 or 4,200 or 4,410
- Computer aptitude: Which of these is an example of volatile memory? (a) ROM (b) RAM (c) Hard disk (d) Pen drive
- Financial awareness: Which body regulates commercial banks in India? (a) SEBI (b) IRDAI (c) Reserve Bank of India (d) NABARD
Answers: 1 (b), since 25% of 640 is 160 and 18 × 7 is 126. 2 (c), because P is above Q which is above R and S, and T is at least S, which equals R. 3: 4,200, as Rs 20,000 grows to Rs 24,200. 4 (b). 5 (c).
Common mistakes when solving past papers
- Solving untimed and then feeling slow in the real exam.
- Practising only Prelims papers until the result, leaving too little time for the Mains awareness section.
- Ignoring the 60-mark reasoning and computer section in Mains, which is the largest single block of marks.
- Memorising answers from repeated papers instead of learning the method.
If you are also writing IBPS clerk, its papers make good extra practice; see our IBPS clerk previous papers guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does SBI release the official SBI clerk previous year paper?
For Junior Associate exams, SBI normally keeps the question booklets to itself. It publishes the notification, information handouts with sample question types, results and cut offs. Most available papers are memory-based.
How many past SBI clerk papers are enough?
Work through the papers of the last three cycles for both stages under timers, alongside regular mocks. Reviewing each paper carefully counts for more than racing through many.
Are SBI clerk mains previous year papers harder than Prelims?
Yes. Mains has longer puzzles, caselet and missing data DI, longer passages and a full awareness section. Start Mains papers before your Prelims result, not after it.
Can I use an SBI clerk exam previous year question paper from an older cycle?
Yes, for topic practice. Check that its section timing and question counts match the current pattern before using it for speed practice.
Is an SBI clerk pre previous year paper enough to clear Prelims?
It helps you learn the style, but it is not enough alone. Combine past papers with daily practice of puzzles, DI and reading, and full-length mocks in the last weeks.