SBI Clerk exam pattern for Prelims and Mains

Prelims pattern

Prelims is an online objective test of 100 questions for 100 marks in 1 hour, split into three sections with separate timers. These figures are from the 2026 notification and the 2026 Prelims Acquaint Yourself booklet.

"Separate timing" means you cannot carry spare minutes from English to Quant. When the 20 minutes of a section end, the system moves you to the next one. Each question in the sample booklets has five options.

Prelims is a screening test

Three rules from the notification decide how you should treat Prelims:

• No minimum qualifying marks are prescribed for any section or for the aggregate.
• About 10 times the number of vacancies in each category (subject to availability) are shortlisted for Mains, from a list sorted by aggregate marks. Since you apply for one state, this works out state-wise and category-wise.
• Prelims marks are not added to the final merit. They only decide whether you reach Mains.

So there is no sectional cut-off in Prelims under current rules. A weak section can be covered by a strong one. That said, leaving a section almost blank is risky because the aggregate needed in competitive states is high.

Mains pattern

Mains is an online objective test of 190 questions for 200 marks in 2 hours 40 minutes, with four separately timed sections.

Note the last row: 50 questions carry 60 marks, so on average a question there is worth 1.2 marks. The notification does not publish a split between reasoning and computer questions inside that section.

For Mains, candidates must score a minimum percentage on aggregate, decided by the bank, with a 5% relaxation for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD/XS/DXS candidates. No sectional minimum is prescribed.

Negative marking in numbers

In both Prelims and Mains, one-fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer. Blank questions score zero.

Example: in Prelims you attempt 78 questions and get 70 right and 8 wrong. Your score is 70 - (8 x 0.25) = 68. Four wrong answers cancel one right answer.

With five options, a blind guess has an expected value of exactly zero (0.2 x 1 - 0.8 x 0.25 = 0). Once you can eliminate even one option, guessing becomes slightly positive. Our Prelims strategy guide works through this.

Medium of exam by state

English sections are only in English. Other sections are offered in English and Hindi, plus regional languages for some states. From the 2026 notification:

The list follows the states in that year's vacancy table, so it changes when the table changes.

Shifts and normalisation

Prelims and Mains are held online over several shifts. SBI's notification and Acquaint Yourself booklets do not publish a normalisation formula. Education news sites have reported that SBI uses normalisation when an exam runs across multiple days and shifts, for example Careers360 for the 2021 result. After recent results, SBI has also opened a "marks secured by the candidate" page where you can check your own marks with your roll or registration number.

What this means for you: you cannot predict or game the adjustment. A "tough shift" is tough for everyone in it. Focus on accuracy and the questions you can solve.

Exam-day rules that catch people out

• No calculators, phones, smart watches or notes. Rough sheets are given and must be returned.
• Bring the call letter with your photo pasted, two extra photographs (same as uploaded), an original photo ID and a self-attested photocopy of it.
• Keep the stamped Prelims call letter safely. You must bring it, with the ID copy, to Mains.
• Your signature on the call letter must match the uploaded one. Signatures in CAPITAL letters are not accepted.
• Biometric or photo capture is done at the venue, so avoid mehendi or ink on your hands.

Questions about this