The State Bank of India (SBI) has officially commenced the Preliminary Examination for the recruitment of Junior Associates (Customer Support & Sales) today, Wednesday, September 16, 2026. The online computer-based examination is being administered in four daily shifts across test centres nationwide, catering to 1,538 backlog vacancies ahead of the main regular recruitment shifts on September 26 and 27. Registered candidates can check live shift updates and examination guidelines on the official portal at sbi.bank.in/web/careers.
SBI Clerk Prelims 2026 Official Exam Schedule & Shift Timings
The examination is scheduled across four shifts daily with strict reporting deadlines:
- Conducting Organization: State Bank of India (SBI)
- Official Portal: sbi.bank.in/web/careers
- Post Name: Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales)
- Shift 1: Reporting: 08:00 AM | Gate Closes: 08:45 AM | Exam: 09:00 AM to 10:00 AM
- Shift 2: Reporting: 10:30 AM | Gate Closes: 11:15 AM | Exam: 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
- Shift 3: Reporting: 01:00 PM | Gate Closes: 01:45 PM | Exam: 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM
- Shift 4: Reporting: 03:30 PM | Gate Closes: 04:15 PM | Exam: 04:30 PM to 05:30 PM
- Upcoming Regular Drive Exam Dates: September 26 and September 27, 2026
Section-Wise Exam Pattern & Difficulty Level Breakdown
The 1-hour computer-based preliminary test features 100 objective questions carrying 100 total marks:
- English Language: 30 Questions (30 Marks, 20 Minutes). Moderate difficulty. Focuses on reading comprehension passages (story or socio-economic theme), cloze test (5 questions), error spotting, sentence rearrangement, and misspelled words.
- Numerical Ability: 35 Questions (35 Marks, 20 Minutes). Easy to moderate difficulty. Dominated by simplification and approximation (10–12 questions), missing/wrong number series (5 questions), data interpretation bar/line graphs (5 questions), and arithmetic word problems covering percentages, ratios, and averages.
- Reasoning Ability: 35 Questions (35 Marks, 20 Minutes). Easy to moderate difficulty. Major weightage on seating arrangements (linear parallel rows, circular arrangement) and box/floor puzzles (15–20 questions), alongside syllogisms, inequalities, and direction sense.
- Negative Marking & Sectional Locks: A penalty of 0.25 (1/4th) marks is deducted for every incorrect response. Each section locks automatically after exactly 20 minutes, preventing candidates from navigating between sections.
- No Sectional Cut-Off: Unlike IBPS examinations, SBI does not apply minimum qualifying sectional cut-offs in the preliminary round; candidates qualify for Mains based solely on overall aggregate scores.
Expected Good Attempts & Safe Score Analysis
Based on preliminary candidate feedback from early shifts, the estimated good attempts across sections are:
- English Language: 22 to 25 Attempts (Accuracy above 90%)
- Numerical Ability: 25 to 28 Attempts (Accuracy above 95%)
- Reasoning Ability: 27 to 31 Attempts (Accuracy above 95%)
- Overall Good Attempts: 74 to 82 Questions with high precision.
- Shortlisting Ratio: Approximately 10 times the number of vacancies in each category and state will be shortlisted for the Phase 2 Main Examination.
Essential Exam Day Instructions for Upcoming Shifts
Candidates appearing in subsequent shifts must strictly adhere to the following entry protocols:
- Carry a clear printed copy of the SBI Clerk Prelims Admit Card with a recent passport-size colour photograph firmly affixed.
- Bring two (2) additional identical colour photographs to be handed over to the exam hall invigilator.
- Present an original valid Government Photo ID (Aadhaar Card, PAN Card, Passport, Voter ID, or Permanent Driving License) along with one self-attested photocopy.
- Complete biometric registration (thumbprint capture and iris scanning) at the venue entrance.
- Strict Prohibition: Smartwatches, Bluetooth devices, earphones, mobile phones, bags, and metallic jewelry are strictly barred inside examination premises.