State Bank of India (SBI)

SBI Junior Associate (Clerk) Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2026 - Prelims & Mains Recruitment 2026

Quick Summary

State Bank of India (SBI) has released the syllabus and exam pattern for the recruitment of Junior Associates (Customer Support & Sales) under a Special Recruitment Drive for SC/ST/OBC Backlog Vacancies.

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Job Location

All India

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Salary / Pay Scale

Not specified

Full Information

The State Bank of India (SBI) has released the notification for recruitment of Junior Associates (Customer Support & Sales) under a Special Recruitment Drive for SC/ST/OBC Backlog Vacancies (Advertisement No. CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16). This post details the exam pattern for Prelims and Mains, Local Language Proficiency Test, and section-wise syllabus guide.

Phase I: Preliminary Examination Pattern

The Prelims is an objective test of 100 marks and 1 hour total duration, split into three separately timed sections. There is no sectional cut-off. There is a negative marking of 1/4th mark for every wrong answer.

Test Name Medium of Exam No. of Questions Max. Marks Duration
English Language English 30 30 20 minutes
Numerical Ability English/Hindi 35 35 20 minutes
Reasoning Ability English/Hindi 35 35 20 minutes
Total - 100 100 1 Hour

Phase II: Main Examination Pattern

The Main Exam is an objective test of 200 marks over 2 hours 40 minutes, with four separately timed sections. There is a negative marking of 1/4th mark for every wrong answer. Only the aggregate marks obtained in the Main Examination are used to prepare the final merit list.

Test Name Medium of Exam No. of Questions Max. Marks Duration
General/Financial Awareness English/Hindi 50 50 35 minutes
General English English 40 40 35 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude English/Hindi 50 50 45 minutes
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude English/Hindi 50 60 45 minutes
Total - 190 200 2 Hr. 40 min.

Phase III: Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT)

Provisionally selected candidates who have not studied the specified local language of the applied state in Class 10 or 12 must appear for the LLPT.

Test Pattern Section No. of Passages No. of Questions Max. Marks
Non-Verbal Test Objective 3 15 15
Non-Verbal Test Subjective 3 15 15
Verbal Test - - - 20

SBI Junior Associate Syllabus 2026 (Section-wise Guide)

Note on syllabus: The official notification specifies the names of the test sections, number of questions, marks, and duration for each phase, but it does not publish a topic-wise syllabus. The sub-topics listed below are a general guide based on banking exam trends.

Prelims Sections

  • English Language: Reading comprehension, cloze test, para jumbles, error detection, fill in the blanks, vocabulary-based questions.
  • Numerical Ability: Simplification, number series, quadratic equations, data interpretation, arithmetic problems (percentage, profit & loss, average, ratio, time & work, simple/compound interest).
  • Reasoning Ability: Puzzles, seating arrangement, syllogism, inequality, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, alphanumeric series.

Mains Sections

  • General/Financial Awareness: Current affairs, banking and financial awareness, static general knowledge.
  • General English: Comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, sentence correction, and para-based questions at a slightly higher difficulty than Prelims.
  • Quantitative Aptitude: Data interpretation, data sufficiency, arithmetic word problems, number series, simplification/approximation.
  • Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude: Advanced puzzles and seating arrangement, logical reasoning, plus basic computer knowledge (fundamentals, MS Office, internet, and banking-related computer terms).

Eligibility Criteria

Refer to official notification

Selection Process

Preliminary Examination → Main Examination → Local Language Proficiency Test

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the exam pattern for SBI Junior Associate Prelims 2026?

Ans: The Prelims exam has 100 objective questions for 100 marks across English Language (30 marks), Numerical Ability (35 marks), and Reasoning Ability (35 marks), to be completed in 1 hour with separate 20-minute timing for each section.

Q: What is the exam pattern for SBI Junior Associate Mains 2026?

Ans: The Main Exam has 190 objective questions for 200 marks across General/Financial Awareness (50 marks), General English (40 marks), Quantitative Aptitude (50 marks), and Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude (60 marks), in a total duration of 2 hours 40 minutes.

Q: Is there negative marking in the SBI Junior Associate exam?

Ans: Yes. In both the Preliminary and Main Examinations, 1/4th of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for every wrong answer.

Q: Does the SBI notification provide a detailed topic-wise syllabus?

Ans: No. The official notification lists only the test sections, number of questions, marks, and duration for each phase. It does not publish a topic-wise syllabus.

Q: Are Prelims marks counted in the final merit list?

Ans: No. Only the aggregate marks scored in the Main Examination are used to prepare the final merit list; Prelims marks are used only for shortlisting candidates for Mains.

How to Download State Bank of India (SBI) Syllabus 2026

  • Scroll to the "Important Links" section below.
  • Click on the "Download Syllabus" link.
  • The official syllabus PDF will download to your device.
  • Review the exam pattern and detailed syllabus topics.

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