SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2026

Updated: 09 Sep 2026

Every topic matched to the official PDF Official notice, sbi.co.in

55 topics, each explained 5 units

SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) is State Bank of India's recruitment for Customer Support & Sales staff, open to any graduate who also knows the local language of the state applied for. Selection is purely through two online exams — Preliminary followed by Main — with no interview for this post; since only the Main exam's marks build the final merit, most preparation time should go into the four Main sections: General/Financial Awareness, English, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning & Computer Aptitude.

Exam Pattern

Phase-I: Preliminary	Medium	Questions	Marks	Duration
English Language	English	30	30	20 min
Numerical Ability	English / Hindi	35	35	20 min
Reasoning Ability	English / Hindi	35	35	20 min
Total	—	100	100	1 hour

The one fact that should shape your plan: Prelims marks are NOT added to the final merit — the advertisement says only the Main aggregate counts. Prelims is a gate; clear it comfortably and put everything else into the Main, where Reasoning & Computer Aptitude alone carries 60 of 200 marks. SBI does not publish a rigid line-by-line syllabus for Clerk — the official notice fixes the sections, the number of questions, the marks and the timing, and the topic detail below is the standard banking-exam ground those sections cover.

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SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) — related updates

SBI SBI Clerk Prelims Admit Card 2026 – Download Hall Ticket 21 Sep 2026 SBI SBI Clerk Mains Answer Key 2026 – Objection Date 11 Sep 2026 SBI SBI Clerk Recruitment 2026: Apply for 1538 Junior Associates 04 Sep 2026 SBI SBI Clerk Recruitment 2026: Notification for 9,766 vacancies 04 Sep 2026 SBI SBI Clerk Recruitment 2026: Apply for 7680 Junior Associates 04 Sep 2026

Full Syllabus

1 English Language / General English

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Reading Comprehension	Reading Comprehension — a passage followed by questions; read the passage once fully before answering, and pick every answer from the text, not from memory.
Cloze Test	Cloze Test — a passage with blanks; read the whole passage first for context, then fill each blank with the word that fits grammar and meaning.
Para Jumbles	Para Jumbles — sentences given out of order; find the sentence that must come first or last, then link the rest by pronouns and connecting words.
Error Spotting	Error Spotting — a sentence split into parts, one of which has a grammar mistake; check each part for subject-verb agreement, tense and preposition errors.
Sentence Improvement / Correction	Sentence Improvement / Correction — an underlined part of a sentence must be replaced with the grammatically correct option; read all choices before picking one.
Fillers	Fillers — one or two blanks in a sentence; choose the word that keeps the sentence grammatically correct and meaningful.
Word Usage / Word Swap	Word Usage / Word Swap — questions test whether a word is used correctly in context, or ask you to swap two words between sentences to make both correct; build this by reading, not by memorising rules alone.
Phrase Replacement	Phrase Replacement — an underlined phrase in a sentence must be replaced with the option that is grammatically correct and natural in meaning.
Vocabulary	Vocabulary — synonyms, antonyms and word meanings; build this daily by noting new words from the reading comprehension passages you practise, with their meaning and usage.
Paragraph Completion	Paragraph Completion — a paragraph with one sentence missing; pick the option that keeps the flow and logic of the paragraph intact.

2 Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Simplification & Approximation	Simplification & Approximation — solving number expressions using BODMAS, or estimating the nearest round-number answer quickly; practise mental calculation of squares, cubes and tables to speed this up.
Number Series	Number Series — a sequence of numbers with one missing or wrong; find the pattern (difference, ratio, squares) linking consecutive terms.
Quadratic Equations	Quadratic Equations — two equations are given and you must compare the values of their roots (x and y); learn the standard factorisation methods and practise the comparison rules.
Data Interpretation (tables, bar / line / pie, caselet)	Data Interpretation — data shown as a table, bar/line graph, pie chart or a caselet (data written as a short paragraph); the skill is reading the data accurately and calculating quickly, not the maths being hard.
Data Sufficiency	Data Sufficiency — you are given a question and two or three statements, and must judge which statement(s) alone or together are enough to answer it, without actually solving fully.
Percentage	Percentage — converting fractions to percentages and back; this is the base for profit-loss, interest and data-interpretation questions, so get the common fraction-to-percentage table memorised first.
Ratio & Proportion	Ratio & Proportion — comparing quantities and finding an unknown value that keeps the ratio equal; practise converting word problems into ratio form quickly.
Average	Average — sum of values divided by their count; watch for questions that change the average when one value is added, removed or replaced.
Profit & Loss	Profit & Loss — cost price, selling price and the percentage gained or lost; learn the shortcut formulas linking CP, SP, profit% and loss% rather than solving each question from scratch.
Simple & Compound Interest	Simple & Compound Interest — interest calculated on the principal alone, versus interest calculated on principal plus accumulated interest; learn both formulas and the difference between them clearly.
Time & Work	Time & Work — how long people or machines take to finish a task alone or together; the standard trick is converting each one's work into a rate per day and adding the rates.
Time-Speed-Distance	Time-Speed-Distance — the relationship between speed, distance and time, including trains, boats and relative-speed problems; memorise the speed-unit conversions (km/h to m/s) first.
Mixtures & Alligation	Mixtures & Alligation — finding the ratio in which two quantities of different value or concentration should be mixed to get a required average; the alligation cross method makes this fast once practised.
Partnership	Partnership — dividing profit among partners based on the capital they invested and the time for which they invested it.
Ages	Ages — word problems about the present, past or future ages of two or more people; translate the sentence into an equation carefully before solving.
Mensuration	Mensuration — area, perimeter and volume of shapes like squares, circles, cylinders and cones; keep a formula sheet for 2-D and 3-D shapes and revise it often.
Probability	Probability — the chance of an event happening, expressed as favourable outcomes divided by total outcomes; practise counting outcomes carefully, especially with cards and dice.
Permutation & Combination	Permutation & Combination — counting the number of ways to arrange (order matters) or select (order doesn't matter) items; be clear which one a question is asking for before applying the formula.

3 Reasoning Ability

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Puzzles & Seating Arrangement (linear / circular / floor-based)	Puzzles & Seating Arrangement — people or items placed in a line, a circle or across floors based on given clues; draw the arrangement on paper as you read each clue instead of solving in your head.
Syllogism	Syllogism — conclusions drawn from given statements; solve with a Venn diagram, not by reasoning in your head.
Blood Relations	Blood Relations — questions about family relationships from clues; draw a small family tree as you read each clue to avoid confusion.
Direction & Distance	Direction & Distance — a person walks or moves in several directions, and you must find the final direction and distance from the start; sketch the path on paper step by step.
Order & Ranking	Order & Ranking — arranging people or items by position, height, marks or rank from given clues; list them out in a line and adjust as each clue is applied.
Coding-Decoding	Coding-Decoding — letters, numbers or words are coded by a hidden rule; find the rule from the given examples and apply it to the new word or number.
Inequality	Inequality — statements with symbols like greater-than or less-than, followed by conclusions to check; combine the statements step by step rather than guessing.
Alphanumeric Series	Alphanumeric Series — a mixed sequence of letters, numbers and symbols; identify the position-based or value-based pattern connecting consecutive terms.
Machine Input-Output	Machine Input-Output — words and numbers are rearranged step by step by a hidden rule; work out the rule from one full step, then apply it to find any specific step asked.
Data Sufficiency	Data Sufficiency — a question with two or three statements, and you must judge which statement(s) are enough to answer it logically, without fully solving.
Logical Reasoning	Logical Reasoning — statement-argument, statement-assumption and course-of-action type questions; judge each option strictly on the logic given, not on real-world opinion.
Analogy & Classification	Analogy & Classification — finding the relationship between a given pair of words/numbers and applying it to another, or finding the one item that does not belong to a group.

4 Computer Aptitude (Mains — within the Reasoning & Computer Aptitude section)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
computer fundamentals	computer fundamentals — basic concepts like what a computer is, its generations and how it processes data; read this as one short topic-wise note rather than a full textbook.
hardware & software	hardware & software — the physical parts of a computer versus the programs that run on it; be clear on common examples of each, like printer/mouse for hardware and MS Word for software.
operating systems	operating systems — the software that manages a computer's hardware and runs other programs, like Windows or Linux; know the basic function and a few common examples.
MS Office	MS Office — the common office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and their basic functions and shortcut keys; practising on an actual computer, even briefly, fixes this faster than only reading.
internet & networking	internet & networking — basic terms like browser, website, IP address and types of networks (LAN, WAN); learn the meaning of each term rather than just the abbreviation.
database basics	database basics — how data is stored and organised so it can be searched and updated, and simple terms like table, record and field.
memory & storage	memory & storage — the difference between temporary memory (RAM) and permanent storage (hard disk, pen drive), and common storage units (KB, MB, GB).
input / output devices	input / output devices — devices that put data into the computer (keyboard, mouse, scanner) versus those that show results out of it (monitor, printer); sort a mixed list of devices into these two groups as practice.
computer abbreviations	computer abbreviations — common short forms like CPU, RAM, URL and their full forms; keep a running list and revise it often since this is pure recall.
basic security terms	basic security terms — words like virus, firewall, password and hacking; know the plain meaning of each rather than technical detail.

5 General / Financial Awareness (Mains)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
current affairs of roughly the last 6 months (national & international)	current affairs of roughly the last 6 months (national & international) — recent news events in India and the world; a daily short newspaper or GK-app habit works better than cramming one big book near the exam.
Banking & Financial Awareness (RBI, monetary policy, SEBI / IRDAI, types of accounts, banking terms & abbreviations)	Banking & Financial Awareness — regulators like RBI and SEBI/IRDAI, monetary policy, types of bank accounts, and banking terms and abbreviations; since this is a bank job, treat this section as core, not optional GK.
the Indian Economy & Budget	the Indian Economy & Budget — basic economic concepts (GDP, inflation, fiscal deficit) and the current Union Budget's key highlights.
important government / financial-inclusion schemes	important government / financial-inclusion schemes — welfare and banking-linked government schemes; for each scheme, note its full name, launch purpose and the department behind it.
static GK (countries-capitals-currencies, important days, awards, sports, books & authors)	static GK (countries-capitals-currencies, important days, awards, sports, books & authors) — fixed general-knowledge facts that don't change with the news; build these with a small revision chart rather than one-time reading.

The Main examination

Phase-II: Main	Medium	Questions	Marks	Duration
General / Financial Awareness	English / Hindi	50	50	35 min
General English	English	40	40	35 min
Quantitative Aptitude	English / Hindi	50	50	45 min
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude	English / Hindi	50	60	45 min
Total	—	190	200	2 hours 40 min

Marking and selection rules

Rule	As the advertisement states it
Negative marking	One-fourth (1/4) of the marks assigned to a question, for each wrong answer, in both phases
Prelims marks in the merit list	NOT added. Only the Main examination aggregate decides the final merit list
Minimum qualifying marks in Prelims	None prescribed — neither per test nor on aggregate
Shortlisting for the Main	Roughly 10 times the number of vacancies, by descending aggregate
Section-wise marks	Not maintained
Phase-III	Local Language Proficiency Test, only for candidates who did not study the state's specified language in class 10 or 12

Not covered in this pack — where to find it

Cut-off / qualifying marks	not stated in this pack SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) — all updates for this exam
Exam dates (Prelims & Mains)	not stated in this pack SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) — all updates for this exam
Vacancy count	not stated in this pack SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) — all updates for this exam
Age limit	not stated in this pack SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) — all updates for this exam
Application fee	not stated in this pack SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) — all updates for this exam

Free practice — 21 questions

Work out the answer yourself first, then tap “Show answer”. Every answer shows the method, not just the letter.

How many total questions are there in the SBI Clerk Preliminary examination?
- A 80
- B 90
- C 100
- D 120
Show answer

C — 100

The pattern table lists English Language (30) + Numerical Ability (35) + Reasoning Ability (35) = 100 questions in total for Prelims.

Exam Pattern — Preliminary Examination
How many marks are allotted to the English Language section in the Preliminary exam?
- A 30
- B 25
- C 35
- D 40
Show answer

A — 30

The pattern table shows English Language = 30 questions carrying 30 marks in Prelims.

Exam Pattern — Preliminary Examination
What is the duration given for the Numerical Ability section in Prelims?
- A 30 minutes
- B 15 minutes
- C 25 minutes
- D 20 minutes
Show answer

D — 20 minutes

The pattern table lists Numerical Ability as 35 questions, 35 marks, with a 20-minute duration.

Exam Pattern — Preliminary Examination
How many total questions are there in the SBI Clerk Main examination?
- A 170
- B 190
- C 180
- D 200
Show answer

B — 190

Adding the Main exam sections: General/Financial Awareness (50) + General English (40) + Quantitative Aptitude (50) + Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude (50) = 190 questions, matching the Total row.

Exam Pattern — Main Examination
What are the total marks of the SBI Clerk Main examination?
- A 150
- B 180
- C 200
- D 220
Show answer

C — 200

Adding the marks of all four Main sections: 50+40+50+60 = 200, matching the Total row of the Main exam table.

Exam Pattern — Main Examination
Which section carries the highest marks in the SBI Clerk Main examination?
- A Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude
- B General English
- C Quantitative Aptitude
- D General/Financial Awareness
Show answer

A — Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude

Comparing the marks column of the Main exam table — 50, 40, 50, 60 — Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude has the highest marks (60), even though its question count (50) equals two other sections.

Exam Pattern — Main Examination
As per the official advertisement, how much is deducted for each wrong answer?
- A 1/2 mark
- B 1/3 mark
- C 1/5 mark
- D 1/4 mark
Show answer

D — 1/4 mark

The 'Marking and selection rules' table states negative marking is one-fourth (1/4) of the marks assigned to a question, for each wrong answer, in both phases.

Exam Pattern — Marking Rules
Are the marks scored in the Preliminary exam added to the final merit list?
- A Yes, fully added
- B No, only Main exam marks count
- C Only 50% of Prelims marks are added
- D Yes, but only for tie-breaking
Show answer

B — No, only Main exam marks count

The rules table explicitly states Prelims marks are NOT added — only the Main examination aggregate decides the final merit list.

Exam Pattern — Selection Rules
What is the total duration of the SBI Clerk Main examination?
- A 2 hours
- B 2 hours 20 minutes
- C 2 hours 40 minutes
- D 3 hours
Show answer

C — 2 hours 40 minutes

The Main exam table's Total row gives the duration as 2 hours 40 minutes, adding the four sections' 35+35+45+45 minutes.

Exam Pattern — Main Examination
Roughly how many times the number of vacancies are candidates shortlisted for the Main exam, based on Prelims performance?
- A 10 times
- B 5 times
- C 8 times
- D 15 times
Show answer

A — 10 times

The rules table states shortlisting for the Main is roughly 10 times the number of vacancies, taken by descending aggregate in Prelims.

Exam Pattern — Selection Rules
A candidate scored 45 marks out of 60 in a section. What percentage of marks did the candidate score?
- A 70%
- B 72%
- C 80%
- D 75%
Show answer

D — 75%

Percentage = (45/60) × 100 = 75%.

Percentage
Two numbers are in the ratio 3:5. If their sum is 96, find the larger number.
- A 48
- B 60
- C 36
- D 72
Show answer

B — 60

Let the numbers be 3x and 5x. Then 3x+5x=96, so 8x=96, x=12. The larger number is 5x = 60.

Ratio & Proportion
The average of 5 numbers is 24. If one number is removed, the average of the remaining 4 numbers becomes 22. What is the removed number?
- A 32
- B 28
- C 30
- D 34
Show answer

A — 32

Sum of 5 numbers = 5×24 = 120. Sum of remaining 4 numbers = 4×22 = 88. Removed number = 120 − 88 = 32.

Average
A shopkeeper bought an article for Rs 800 and sold it for Rs 920. Find the profit percentage.
- A 10%
- B 12%
- C 15%
- D 20%
Show answer

C — 15%

Profit = 920 − 800 = 120. Profit% = (120/800) × 100 = 15%.

Profit & Loss
Find the simple interest on Rs 5,000 at 8% per annum for 3 years.
- A Rs 1,000
- B Rs 1,100
- C Rs 1,500
- D Rs 1,200
Show answer

D — Rs 1,200

Simple Interest = (Principal × Rate × Time)/100 = (5000×8×3)/100 = Rs 1,200.

Simple & Compound Interest
A can complete a piece of work in 12 days, and B can complete the same work in 24 days. Working together, in how many days will they finish the work?
- A 6 days
- B 8 days
- C 10 days
- D 16 days
Show answer

B — 8 days

A's rate = 1/12 per day, B's rate = 1/24 per day. Combined rate = 1/12 + 1/24 = 3/24 = 1/8, so together they finish the work in 8 days.

Time & Work
A train travels 300 km in 5 hours at a constant speed. What is its speed?
- A 60 km/h
- B 50 km/h
- C 55 km/h
- D 65 km/h
Show answer

A — 60 km/h

Speed = Distance/Time = 300/5 = 60 km/h.

Time-Speed-Distance
Find the next number in the series: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
- A 36
- B 40
- C 42
- D 44
Show answer

C — 42

The differences between consecutive terms are 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 — increasing by 2 each time. So the next term is 30 + 12 = 42.

Number Series
Pointing to a man, a woman says, 'His mother is the only daughter of my mother.' How is the woman related to the man?
- A Sister
- B Mother
- C Aunt
- D Grandmother
Show answer

B — Mother

'The only daughter of my mother' means the woman herself, since she is her mother's only daughter. So 'his mother' refers to the woman — she is the man's mother.

Blood Relations
Rahul walks 5 km towards North, then turns right and walks 3 km, then turns right again and walks 5 km. How far is he from his starting point?
- A 3 km
- B 5 km
- C 8 km
- D 13 km
Show answer

A — 3 km

Facing North for 5 km, a right turn faces East for 3 km, another right turn faces South for 5 km. The North (5 km) and South (5 km) legs cancel each other out, leaving only the 3 km East displacement.

Direction & Distance
In a certain code, 'CAT' is written as 'DBU'. How will 'DOG' be written in that code?
- A EPG
- B FPH
- C EPH
- D EQH
Show answer

C — EPH

Each letter is shifted forward by 1 in the alphabet: C→D, A→B, T→U gives DBU. Applying the same rule to DOG: D→E, O→P, G→H gives EPH.

Coding-Decoding

These questions are built from the official pattern and syllabus on this page. Every answer was independently re-solved before it was published.

FAQ — Your Questions, Answered

Where is the official syllabus published?

sbi.co.in

How many questions are there in total?

100

How many questions come from English Language?

How many questions come from Numerical Ability?

How many questions come from Reasoning Ability?

Cut-off / qualifying marks — where do I find this?

not stated in this pack

Exam dates (Prelims & Mains) — where do I find this?

not stated in this pack

Vacancy count — where do I find this?

not stated in this pack

Every figure in the tables above — the section splits, the marks, the durations, the one-fourth negative marking and the rule that Prelims does not count towards merit — is taken from State Bank of India's own advertisement and explained here in our own words. The original: SBI Junior Associate advertisement (PDF, sbi.bank.in) ↗

This exam recruits at these levels: Graduate

Note — Always confirm the syllabus and pattern against that year's official notification — changes are possible.

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SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) — related updates

Official source: https://sbi.co.in/web/careers/current-openings

By SarkariReady Editorial Team · Updated: 09 Sep 2026 · Source: sbi.co.in