SBI Clerk Syllabus and Exam Pattern for Prelims and Mains

How the SBI clerk selection works, stage by stage

SBI fills Junior Associate posts state by state. You apply for one state or union territory, write the exam there, and compete only with applicants of the same state and category.

1. Preliminary exam: a one-hour screening test. Its marks are not added to your final score. Candidates are shortlisted for Mains category-wise in each state.
2. Main exam: the deciding stage. The final selection list is drawn from Mains marks, state-wise and category-wise.
3. Local language proficiency test: needed only if you did not study the specified local language of your chosen state in class 10 or 12. Failing it means no appointment.

There is no interview for this post. That makes the written Mains score the single number that decides whether you join.

SBI clerk exam pattern and syllabus at a glance

The pattern below is from the most recent Junior Associate notifications, and it has stayed the same across recent cycles. Every section runs on a separate clock, which means leftover minutes cannot move from one section to the next.

Notice that the reasoning and computer section carries 60 marks for 50 questions, so it is the heaviest block in Mains. A quarter of the marks of a question is cut for every wrong answer in both stages. The English sections are in English only; the other sections can be taken in English, Hindi or the regional language of the state, as the notification allows.

SBI clerk prelims syllabus, section by section

English language (30 questions)

• Reading comprehension, usually one passage with 7 to 10 questions
• Cloze test and fillers (single and double blanks)
• Error spotting and sentence improvement
• Para jumbles and sentence rearrangement
• Word usage, phrase replacement and odd sentence out

Numerical ability (35 questions)

• Simplification and approximation
• Number series (missing and wrong term)
• Quadratic equations and quantity comparison
• Data interpretation: tables, bar and pie charts
• Arithmetic: percentage, ratio, average, ages, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time speed distance, boats and streams, mixtures, mensuration basics, probability

Reasoning ability (35 questions)

• Puzzles and seating arrangement (linear, circular, floor, box)
• Syllogism, inequality, blood relations, direction sense
• Coding and decoding, order and ranking, alphanumeric series

Puzzles and data interpretation decide most Prelims scores, because each set carries 4 to 5 questions.

SBI clerk mains syllabus in detail

General or financial awareness (50 questions)

• Current affairs of roughly the last 4 to 6 months
• Banking awareness: RBI and its tools, types of accounts, payment systems, financial inclusion schemes
• Static GK: capitals and currencies, national parks, dams, important days, headquarters of organisations
• Budget and economic survey basics, committees and reports

General English (40 questions)

• Longer reading comprehension passages, often on economy or banking
• Cloze test, error detection, sentence connectors, word swap
• Para jumbles and paragraph completion

Quantitative aptitude (50 questions)

• Caselets and mixed data interpretation, missing data DI
• Arithmetic word problems at a higher level than Prelims
• Data sufficiency, quantity comparison, series

Reasoning ability and computer aptitude (50 questions, 60 marks)

• Complex puzzles, input and output, coding and decoding
• Logical reasoning: statements and assumptions, course of action, cause and effect
• Computer aptitude: hardware and software basics, operating systems, MS Office features, internet terms, networking, database basics, keyboard shortcuts, cyber security terms

Which topics give the most marks

A simple rule works here: study where each question set is big and predictable.

• Reasoning: puzzles and arrangements usually fill around half the section in both stages. Practise 3 to 4 sets daily.
• Numerical ability: simplification, series, quadratic equations and DI are fast marks in Prelims; arithmetic carries more weight in Mains.
• Financial awareness: this Mains section takes only 35 minutes for 50 marks. A candidate with strong current affairs can finish it early and still score high, which helps a lot because the final list is state-wise and close.
• Computer aptitude: only part of one section, yet the questions are short and factual. A few weeks of notes make these near-certain marks.

A 12-week plan built on this pattern

1. Weeks 1 to 4: basics of arithmetic, all small reasoning topics, grammar rules, and a daily reading habit for English.
2. Weeks 5 to 8: puzzles every day, DI sets, cloze and RC practice; start a 20-minute current affairs routine and a computer aptitude notebook.
3. Weeks 9 to 12: full Prelims mocks three times a week, Mains-level sectional tests on the other days, and weekly revision of banking awareness.

Past papers show how SBI frames these topics; read our guide to past SBI clerk papers before you start full mocks.

SBI clerk vs IBPS clerk syllabus

The two exams overlap heavily, so one preparation covers both. Prelims is the same three sections with similar time limits. In Mains, IBPS clerk has its own section split, while SBI clerk combines reasoning with computer aptitude in one 60-mark section and gives financial awareness only 35 minutes. Compare the details on our IBPS clerk syllabus page, and if you are aiming higher later, the SBI PO syllabus builds on the same base with a descriptive test and interview.

Books in general terms: a standard quantitative aptitude book with solved arithmetic, a reasoning book with many puzzle sets, an English grammar and vocabulary guide, and a monthly current affairs compilation. Nothing outside the official topic list is needed.

SBI clerk syllabus in Hindi

एसबीआई क्लर्क परीक्षा दो चरणों में होती है। प्रारंभिक परीक्षा में अंग्रेज़ी भाषा, संख्यात्मक योग्यता और तर्कशक्ति के कुल 100 प्रश्न होते हैं, समय एक घंटा। मुख्य परीक्षा में सामान्य या वित्तीय जागरूकता, सामान्य अंग्रेज़ी, मात्रात्मक योग्यता तथा तर्कशक्ति और कंप्यूटर योग्यता के 190 प्रश्न 200 अंकों के होते हैं, समय 2 घंटे 40 मिनट। हर गलत उत्तर पर एक चौथाई अंक कटता है। अंतिम चयन मुख्य परीक्षा के अंकों से राज्यवार होता है, इसलिए पहले दिन से मुख्य परीक्षा को ध्यान में रखकर पढ़ाई करें।