SBI Clerk Selection Process 2024: Complete Exam Process for Prelims & Mains

SBI Clerk selection process comprises prelims exam and Mains exam. The marks obtained in the prelims exam are not counted for the final merit list. It serves as the screening test for Mains exam. The prelims exam comprises three sections-English, Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. The total marks allotted to the test are 100. The Mains exam comprises four sections-General/ Financial Awareness, General English, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude. The total marks allotted to the Mains exam are 200.

SBI Clerk exam is conducted by the State Bank of India every year to recruit eligible candidates for the post of Junior Associates (Customer Support & Sales). The selection process of SBI Clerk comprises prelims exam, Mains exam and language proficiency test. The final selection of candidates is done based on marks obtained in the Mains exam. Candidates need to qualify the language proficiency test. The prelims exam of SBI Clerk comprises three sections- English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability. The total marks allotted to the test are 100. Candidates qualifying the prelims exam are called for the mains exam. The marks obtained in the prelims exam are not counted for final selection. The mains exam comprises English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability. The mains exam is conducted for 200 marks. Candidates qualifying the mains exam are called for language proficiency test. This test is qualifying in nature. In language proficiency test, candidates are assessed based on their ability to speak, write and read the local language of the state from where they have submitted the application form.

SBI Clerk criteria:- A candidate who is aspiring to apply for the SBI Clerk exam must be an Indian citizen. Candidates must fulfill the following educational requirements to apply for the SBI Clerk Prelims examination. 1.Prospective candidates must have a Graduation degree in any stream from a recognized University or any equivalent qualification which is recognized by the Central Government. They must make sure the passing certificate shows the date the relevant degree was earned. 2.Candidates who have an Integrated Dual Degree (IDD) certificate should ensure that the date of passing of the IDD is as per the guidelines given in the notification. 3.Those who are in the final year/ semester of their graduation may also apply provisionally subject to the condition that, if provisionally selected, they will have to produce proof of having passed the graduation examination  4.As per the SBI Clerk qualification criteria, the candidates need to mandatorily indicate the percentage theyve obtained in the Graduation degree and calculate it to the nearest two decimals in the online application form. 5.For Matriculate Ex-servicemen, prospective applicants should have obtained the Indian Army Special Certificate of Education or corresponding certificate in the Navy or Air Force, after completing at least 15 years of service in the Armed Forces of the Union. Age limit:- Not below 20 years and not above 28 years i.e. candidates must have been born not earlier than 02.08.1994 and not later than 01.08.2002 (both days inclusive). The details regarding the age limit and the relaxation in upper age are clearly given in the official notification. Candidates must go through the notification in detail and check the eligibility criteria. Relaxation is given to the various categories for the SBI Clerk exam. SC/ST - 5yeras OBC 3 years PWD (Gen/EWS) 10 years PWD(ST/ST) 15 years PWS(OBC) 13 years Ex-Servicemen/ Disabled Ex-Servicemen - The actual period of service rendered in defense services + 3 years, (8 years for Disabled Ex-Servicemen belonging to SC/ST) subject to max. age of 50 years Widows, Divorced women and women judicially separated from their husbands & who are not remarried - 7 years (subject to maximum age limit of 35 years for General/ EWS, 38 years for OBC & 40 years for SC/ST candidates) Note: 1.Candidates who seek age relaxation are required to submit copies of the necessary certificate at the time of admission.

SBI Clerk get more opportunities to become a Probationary Officer compared to other banks. The main reason is the fast-track promotion process in SBI. Candidates who are selected for the Clerk position in SBI will be on probation for at least six months. However, it may be extended based on the performance of a candidate.
SBI conducts an internal exam every two years for those who are aspiring for career growth. A Clerk can take the internal exam only after the three years of service in the bank. Candidates who clears the internal exam become a Trainee Officer (TO) for a period of two years. After the completion of two years of the probation period, they are recruited as Middle Management Grade Scale-II (MMGS-II) Cadre. Candidates who completes six years of service or 12 years of service as a Clerk are also promoted to the next position, a Junior Manager Grade Scale (JMGS-I) Officer. However, the pay scale will be almost equal to that of the PO.

While applying for the SBI Clerk exam, students ask a question 'Is the SBI Clerk job permanent or not? ' SBI Clerk is a permanent job. Candidates selected through SBI Clerk exam enjoys job security as well as a good salary. To get appointed in the SBI, candidates need to qualify the examination- prelims, mains, and language proficiency tests. Since SBI is a Public Sector Undertaking and a government bank, there is job security for the employees. SBI Clerk salary is decent for an entry-level government job. Employee can get a promotion by giving the JAIIB and CAIIB examinations.

SBI Clerk criteria:- A candidate who is aspiring to apply for the SBI Clerk exam must be an Indian citizen. Candidates must fulfill the following educational requirements to apply for the SBI Clerk Prelims examination. 1.Prospective candidates must have a Graduation degree in any stream from a recognized University or any equivalent qualification which is recognized by the Central Government. They must make sure the passing certificate shows the date the relevant degree was earned. 2.Candidates who have an Integrated Dual Degree (IDD) certificate should ensure that the date of passing of the IDD is as per the guidelines given in the notification. 3.Those who are in the final year/ semester of their graduation may also apply provisionally subject to the condition that, if provisionally selected, they will have to produce proof of having passed the graduation examination  4.As per the SBI Clerk qualification criteria, the candidates need to mandatorily indicate the percentage theyve obtained in the Graduation degree and calculate it to the nearest two decimals in the online application form. 5.For Matriculate Ex-servicemen, prospective applicants should have obtained the Indian Army Special Certificate of Education or corresponding certificate in the Navy or Air Force, after completing at least 15 years of service in the Armed Forces of the Union. Age limit:- Not below 20 years and not above 28 years i.e. candidates must have been born not earlier than 02.08.1994 and not later than 01.08.2002 (both days inclusive). The details regarding the age limit and the relaxation in upper age are clearly given in the official notification. Candidates must go through the notification in detail and check the eligibility criteria. Relaxation is given to the various categories for the SBI Clerk exam. SC/ST - 5yeras OBC 3 years PWD (Gen/EWS) 10 years PWD(ST/ST) 15 years PWS(OBC) 13 years Ex-Servicemen/ Disabled Ex-Servicemen - The actual period of service rendered in defense services + 3 years, (8 years for Disabled Ex-Servicemen belonging to SC/ST) subject to max. age of 50 years Widows, Divorced women and women judicially separated from their husbands & who are not remarried - 7 years (subject to maximum age limit of 35 years for General/ EWS, 38 years for OBC & 40 years for SC/ST candidates) Note: 1.Candidates who seek age relaxation are required to submit copies of the necessary certificate at the time of admission.

State Bank of India are basically divided into Clerical cadre and Officer cadre. Candidates are directly recruited as Clerks and Officers through SBI Clerk and SBI PO exams. However, after working for a certain period of time, clerk can shift to Officer cadre. A Clerk can be promoted to the Officer cadre as TOs (Trainee Officers) to JMGS-1 (Junior Management Grade Officer Scale -1). Candidates can make PO in SBI in the following ways:

Internal Exam: Public Sector Banks (PSBs) conduct an internal exam every two years for employees who want to shift to officer cadre. A clerk becomes eligible for an internal exam after three years of service, along with completion of the CAIIB (Certified Association of the Indian Institute of Bankers) exam, or four years of service, along with completion of the JAIIB (Junior Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers) exam, or minimum six years of service. The perks and salary received by a Trainee Officer are equivalent to that of a PO. Once the clerk is promoted he’s put under probation for two years. After the probation period, the TO is either promoted to MMGS-II or back to Clerical cadre based on his/her performance. 

OJM Internal Exam: To appear for this internal exam, candidates should complete six years of service as Clerk under the fast track promotion or 12 years of service under normal promotion channel. The perks are equivalent to that of a PO but the salary is relatively lesser.

Direct Recruitment as PO: If candidates want to become a PO, they can appear in the SBI PO exam conducted by the State Bank of India and get directly recruited as a Probationary Officer through the regular selection process.

It is important for candidates to be conversant with SBI Clerk syllabus. The syllabus helps candidates to know the topics and sub-topics they need to prepare for the exam. Candidates can complete SBI Clerk syllabus within two months if they prepare with dedicated efforts and consistent practice. Candidates can segregate the essential segments of the syllabus and start practicing them efficiently. They should start focusing on their strengths and weaknesses. The tips and tricks to complete the SBI Clerk syllabus in two months are given below:

• Candidates should cover all the topics given in the syllabus
• Candidates should first go through the topics given in the syllabus and find out which topics are important for the exam
• Candidates can refer to the previous years’ question papers to find out the important topics for the exam

SBI Clerk syllabus comprises subjects such as English Numerical Ability, Reasoning Ability, Data Interpretation, Computer Aptitude, General Awareness. For English the important topics are Reading Comprehension, Cloze test, spotting errors, para-jumbles. For Reasoning, the important topics are Arithmetic, simplification, data interpretation, quadratic equations, miscellaneous problems. For Reasoning Ability, candidates should prepare topics such as Puzzles, Number Series, miscellaneous problems, syllogism, linear arrangement. For General Awareness, candidates can cover Current Affairs, News on the Banking Industry, Awards and Honours, Latest Appointments, Obituaries, New schemes of central and state governments, Static Awareness. For Computer Aptitude, candidates can cover Basics of Computer: Hardware, Software, Generation of Computers, DBMS, Networking, Internet, MS Office, Input-Output Devices, Important Abbreviations.

SBI Clerk syllabus is divided into prelims and mains exams. SBI does not prescribe SBI Clerk syllabus. The syllabus is formulated based on the previous years question papers. SBI Clerk syllabus for prelims comprises topics from Quantitative Aptitude Reasoning Ability, and English Language. The syllabus for the Mains exam comprises topics from General/ Financial Awareness, General English Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude. Candidates should be thorough with the SBI Clerk syllabus as it helps them to know the topics from where questions are asked in the exam. Knowing the syllabus help candidates to formulate preparation strategy for the exam. Candidates should be thorough with the SBI Clerk syllabus. SBI Clerk syllabus is given below.

SBI Clerk Syllabus for Prelims Exam

SBI Clerk Syllabus for Mains Exam

The number of backlog vacancies for SBI Clerk exam is given below.

A total of 5486 vacancies were announced for SBI Clerk 2022. Out of the total vacancy,  5008 are regular vacancies and 478 are backlog vacancies. The details regarding the vacancies were announced along with the notification. SBI Clerk vacancy break-up for different categories is given below.

More than 8000 vacancies were announced for SBI Clerk exam in 2023. The vacancy break-up is given below.

In 2021, SBI had announced more than 5000 vacancies. A total of 2151 vacancies were announced for General category, 488 for EWS, 726 for SC, 440 for ST and 1195 for OBC. The state-wise SBI Clerk vacancy break-up is given below:

IBPS Clerk starting salary is INR 19,900 (INR 17,900 plus two advance increments). The newly revised payscale of SBI Clerk is INR 17900-1000/3-20900-1230/3-24590-1490/4-30550- 1730/7-42600-3270/1-45930-1990/1-47920. Candidates can calculate their salaries by adding basic salary, HRA, city compensation, provident fund and pension contributions. The basic pay is INR 17,900, however, with two advance increments, the starting basic salary is INR 19,900.

SBI Clerk in hand salary is calculated after all the deductions. The amount may vary as per the place of posting. SBI Clerk in hand salary for the newly appointed candidates is between INR 26000 to 30,000. The allowances offered to SBI Clerk are given below:

• Dearness Allowance (DA)
• House Rent Allowance (HRA)
• Special Allowance
• Transport Allowance
• Medical Allowance
• Newspaper Allowance
• Furniture Allowance
• Bag allowance

The revised payscale of SBI Clerk is INR 17900-1000/3-20900-1230/3-24590-1490/4-30550- 1730/7-42600-3270/1-45930-1990/1-47920. Earlier, the payscale of SBI Clerk was INR 11765-655/ 3-13730-815/ 3-16175-980/ 4-20095-1145/7-28110-2120/ 1-30230-1310/1-31450. The starting basic pay was INR 13,075 (INR 11765 with two advance increments admissible to graduates).

The basic salary of SBI Clerk is INR 17,900 with an increment of INR 1000. After three years, the basic SBI Clerk salary will be INR 20,900 with an annual increment of INR 1230. Again, after three years, candidates will get basic pay of INR 24,590 with an increment of INR 1490. The maximum basic salary will reach upto INR 47,920 after certain period. 

SBI Clerk syllabus is divided into prelims and mains exams. SBI does not prescribe SBI Clerk syllabus. The syllabus is formulated based on the previous years question papers. SBI Clerk syllabus for prelims comprises topics from Quantitative Aptitude Reasoning Ability, and English Language. The syllabus for the Mains exam comprises topics from General/ Financial Awareness, General English Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude. Candidates should be thorough with the SBI Clerk syllabus as it helps them to know the topics from where questions are asked in the exam. Knowing the syllabus help candidates to formulate preparation strategy for the exam. Candidates should be thorough with the SBI Clerk syllabus. SBI Clerk syllabus is given below.

SBI Clerk Syllabus for Prelims Exam

SBI Clerk Syllabus for Mains Exam

SBI Clerk prelims exam comprises three sections- English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability. The test paper carries a total of 100 questions. The total marks allotted to the test are 100. The duration of the exam is one hour. The Mains exam of SBI Clerk comprises four sections: General/ Financial Awareness, General English Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude. The total marks for the test are 200. SBI Clerk exam pattern for prelims and mains exams is given below.

SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Pattern

SBI Clerk Mains Exam Pattern