Is there sectional timing in the SBI Clerk exam?

Yes. The SBI notification says "each test will have a separate timing" for both the Preliminary and Main exams. When a section's time ends, it closes and the next one opens. You cannot go back, and unused time is not carried forward.

Section times in 2026

What this means for your strategy

• You cannot rescue a weak section with a strong one's time. If you finish English early in Prelims, those minutes are lost.
• Per-question time is tight. In Prelims Reasoning you get about 34 seconds per question; in Numerical Ability the same. Mains Quant gives you 54 seconds per question.
• Order within a section is yours. Inside a section you can move between questions freely using the question palette, so attempt your strongest question types first.
• Use Mark for Review carefully. A question that is answered and marked for review is still evaluated. One marked but not answered is not.

Practise the right way

Take sectional mocks with a strict timer of 20 minutes for Prelims sections. Track how many questions you attempt and your accuracy. Most candidates find that choosing which questions to skip matters as much as solving speed.