From zero, one month is very unlikely to be enough. With an earlier bank-exam base, or if you have just written Prelims and are preparing for Mains, one focused month can work.
Be honest about where you are starting. One month is about 120-150 study hours. That is enough to sharpen a base you already have. It is rarely enough to learn the whole Prelims syllabus and also build the speed the exam needs.
Three situations
- Starting from zero: treat this attempt as practice. Learn the high-weight topics, take at least 10 mocks, and build the base for the next cycle or for other clerk exams.
- Some base (you have taken IBPS or RRB exams before): one month is useful. Spend it on mocks and fixing weak topics, not on new chapters.
- You have written Prelims and are waiting for Mains: this is the most common one-month case. Start Mains preparation now without waiting for the result. In the 2026 notification, Mains was tentatively scheduled for November 2026.
A one-month Mains plan
| Days | Morning (3 h) | Evening (3 h) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-10 | Static banking, RBI functions, financial terms | Quant DI sets, arithmetic at Mains level |
| 11-20 | Current affairs of recent months, government schemes | Reasoning puzzles, computer aptitude (2 topics a day) |
| 21-27 | Mains mock every 2 days with analysis | English: RC, cloze, connectors, phrase replacement |
| 28-30 | Revise GA notes and mistake book | One last mock, then rest |
Why GA is the best use of a short month
GA has 50 questions for 50 marks in 35 minutes in Mains, and many of them are direct facts. Once you know a fact, you answer it in seconds. Quant and reasoning improve more slowly. In a short window, GA and computer aptitude usually give the most marks per hour of study.
- SBI: Recruitment of Junior Associates 2026, detailed advertisement (CRPD/CR/2026-27/17)
- SBI Careers: current openings
Rules can change with each notification. Confirm on sbi.bank.in/web/careers.
More preparation questions
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