SBI Clerk  – Dates, Eligibility, Syllabus, Fee, Selection Process

State Bank of India (SBI) conducts the recruitment process for various clerical positions, for its branches positioned across India. Every year, lakhs of aspirants compete in the selection process of SBI Clerk to secure a future-proof career. The SBI Clerk selection process involves three stages, namely:

1. SBI Clerk Preliminary Exam
2. SBI Clerk Mains Exam 
3. Local Language Test (if applicable)  

The window for online application form submission of SBI Clerk 2021 opened from 27th April 2021 and was decided to end on 17th May 2021.  However, as per the the official notification released by the State Bank of India (SBI), the last date for filling online applications and payment of fees has been extended up to 20th May 2021.

The SBI Clerk final merit list is based on the candidates’ performance in the Mains examination. SBI does not conduct any interview for recruitment of candidates at clerical positions. After final selection, candidates have to undergo a probation period of 6 months at their designated branch. Read this article to ascertain necessary details about the SBI Clerk exam, including application process, admit card issuance, exam pattern, result, selection procedure, etc.

Latest Updates

• 17th May 2021: The SBI Clerk 2021 application process has been extended till 20th May 2021.
• 27th April 2021: The application form of SBI Clerk has been released. The last date of application form submission is 17th May 2021.
• 26th April 2021: SBI Clerk 2021 notification has released for recruitment of Junior Associates (Customer Support and Sales).

SBI Clerk – Key Highlights

1. State Bank of India selects candidates for the post of Junior Associates (JA) for various branches across India through the SBI Clerk recruitment process 
2. As SBI Clerk is a national level exam, candidates can be posted anywhere in India
3. SBI Clerk registration process is online and only eligible candidates can apply
4. The selection process of SBI Clerk includes three stages – Preliminary test, Mains exam and Local Language Test
5. Both Prelims and Mains exam are held online and consist of 100 and 190 multiple choice questions respectively  
6. It is mandatory to satisfy SBI Clerk Prelims cutoff marks to qualify for the Mains exam
7. The final merit list is based on candidates’ performance in SBI Clerk Mains exam
8. After joining, the probation period is 6 months and candidates have to serve for at least 5 years at their first designated branch
9. The new updates and other notifications by SBI are available on its official websites – bank.sbi/careers or sbi.co.in/careers 

SBI Clerk 2021 – Important Dates

SBI will announce the schedule of SBI Clerk Mains exam and other related events soon on its official website. 

Events Calendar for SBI Clerk 2021

SBI Clerk Notification 2021 PDF

SBI Clerk – Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must ensure to fulfil the below-mentioned eligibility requirements before applying for the State Bank of India Clerk Examination:

Nationality

A candidate must either be : 

1. A citizen of India, or 
2. A subject of Bhutan or Nepal, or
3. A PIO or Person of Indian Origin card holder who came from countries like Burma, Pakistan, Zaire, Uganda, Kenya, etc. with an intention to permanently settle in India, or
4. A Tibetan Refugee who came to India before January 01, 1962 to settle permanently 

Note – Candidates belonging to the categories mentioned in point 2, 3, 4 must have a certificate of eligibility issued by the Govt. of India.

Age Limit

1. Candidates’ age must fall in between 20 years to 28 years 
2. SBI has provided relaxation in its age criteria for candidates hailing from certain reserved categories  

Age Relaxation

As per the regulations given by the Government, all reserved category aspirants enjoy the relaxation in upper age limit. 

*Candidates belonging to the OBC category with a family income of less than Rs. 8 lakh per annum can avail benefits under the OBC-NCL category.

Academic Qualification

1. Candidates must be graduates (in any stream) 
2. Those who possess the certificate of integrated dual degree must have cleared the relevant exam on or before January 1 of the recruitment year
3. Final year students are also eligible to apply for SBI Clerk exam provided they furnish the passing certificate or other proof on or before January 1 of the recruitment year

SBI Clerk Application Form 2021

SBI Clerk 2021 application form was released on 27th April 2021 and now, the registration window will close on 20th May 2021. Only the eligible candidates can fill the SBI Clerk application form through online mode. Before filling the SBI Clerk application form, candidates must ensure that they have a valid email ID, contact number, credit or debit card details, graduation mark sheet, scanned copies of signature & photograph etc. 

How to fill the SBI Clerk application form 2021?

Necessary steps to complete SBI Clerk application process are as under:

1. Registration – Visit the official website of SBI (sbi.co.in) and click on the link ‘New Registration for SBI Main’. Once the page is displayed, fill in your basic details like name, mobile number, email ID and security code to register successfully on the portal. 
2. Generating login credentials – The auto generated login credentials (registration number and password) are sent to your registered email ID. You can use these login credentials while filling the application form online and for further login attempts.  
3. Application Process – 

• Uploading signature and picture: During the application process, candidates have to upload their scanned signature and photograph as per the format specified in the table below. 

Document Specification for SBI PO Application Form

• Filling in information: You must provide correct information (as mentioned in your certificates) like name, address, academic qualification, date of birth, etc. Any mismatch in information may lead to cancellation of your candidature. 
• Rechecking the details: The preview button enables you to recheck all your filled-in details in the application form and make changes (if required). No correction facility is available once you submit the form.

1. Paying the application fee: Application fee payment is the last step. Candidates must ensure that they have successfully submitted the fee and received the fee payment receipt
2. Taking print out/s: Take the printout of SBI Clerk application form acknowledgement page and fee receipt, as you need to present the same during the document verification

SBI Clerk Application Fee

SBI Clerk application fee is non-refundable in nature. Candidates can use digital mediums like net banking, debit or credit card to pay the fee amount. 

Category-wise SBI PO Application Fee 

SBI Clerk – Admit Card

SBI Clerk admit card is made available online for Prelims and Mains exams separately. SBI will publish the revised schedule for SBI Clerk Mains exam 2021 along with admit card release date on its official brochure. SBI Clerk admit card contains various important details such as:

1. Name of the applicant
2. Roll number
3. Registration number
4. Date of exam
5. Exam timing
6. Test duration
7. Exam centre name and address
8. Exam related guidelines

Candidates who fail to complete the registration process online or pay the application fee cannot get the access to the SBI Clerk admit card. The authority will not provide any hard copy of admit cards to candidates through post or courier. To download the admit card, candidates must visit the website of SBI and enter their registration number/roll number and date of birth/password. 

SBI Clerk – Exam Centres

The SBI Clerk 2021 exam is held in approximately 178 major cities across the country. Candidates can select any of the below listed test centres as per their preference while filling the application form. However, SBI reserves the final right to allot the exam venue:

List of SBI Clerk Exam Centres

SBI Clerk – Exam Pattern

The SBI Clerk exam pattern includes parameters like type and number of questions, exam duration, mode and medium of test, total sections, marking scheme, maximum marks etc. 

SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Pattern

Sections – The Prelims paper is divided into three sections – Reasoning Ability, Numerical Ability and English Language.

Mode of Test – Online 

Type of Questions – Objective-type

Number of Questions –  100 

Time Allotted – 60 minutes (20 minutes allotted to each section) 

Marking Scheme – One mark is awarded for every correct response and 0.25 mark is deducted for every incorrect answer

Important Note: It is mandatory to qualify the Prelims exam to get shortlisted for the Mains exam. However,  the marks scored in Prelims are not considered during the preparation of the SBI Clerk final merit list. 

Sectional Weightage in SBI Clerk Prelims

SBI Clerk Mains Exam Pattern

Sections – The Mains paper is segregated in four sections – Quantitative Aptitude, General Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, Finance & General Awareness and General English

Mode of Test – Online 

Type of Questions – Objective-type

Number of Questions –  190 

Time Allotted – 160 minutes 

Negative Marking – 1/4th of the total marks is deducted for every incorrect answer

Sectional Weightage in SBI Clerk Mains

*There is no sectional time limit applicable in SBI Mains. The time duration for each section mentioned in the table above is based on expert opinion. 

SBI Clerk – Syllabus

SBI Clerk syllabus includes section-wise topics for Prelims and Mains exam. 

SBI Clerk Prelims Syllabus

SBI Clerk Mains Syllabus

SBI Clerk – Important Instructions

The date of SBI Clerk 2021 Mains examination has been decided to be conducted tentatively on 31st July 2021. Therefore, the exam authority recommends candidates to follow the below given guidelines:

1. SBI Clerk admit card is a mandatory document that the test-takers must carry on the day of exam
2. Candidates must report at the test centre 30 to 35 minutes before the exam time to avoid the last minute hustle-bustle
3. The authority does not encourage any illicit activity inside the examination hall and can take any disciplinary action against involved candidates
4. In case of any unruly act like cheating, the authority has the right to disqualify concerned candidate(s)
5. Any loss or damage while appearing for exam is not borne by the authority
6. No electronic items such as cell phones, pagers, digital watch, calculators etc are allowed inside the exam hall
7. Candidates cannot leave the test hall before the completion of exam

SBI Clerk – Exam Preparation Tips  

Candidates must go through below given tips to ensure their preparation for the Mains exam is on the right track:

1. Become conversant with the SBI Clerk syllabus and exam pattern in detail
2. Solve sample papers and previous years’ exam papers for better preparation
3. Give online mock tests to practice time management skills and get familiar with the UI (User Interface) of the exam
4. Read newspapers and magazines on a regular basis to keep up-to-date with the current affairs
5. Create notes to make revision easy for yourself 

SBI Clerk Selection Process 2021

As stated above, the SBI Clerk selection process involves three stages – Prelims, Mains and Local Language Test (optional). Phase I: SBI Clerk Prelims

SBI Clerk Prelims is a qualifying exam in nature and its marks are not added to the final merit list. The test-takers who achieve marks as per the  SBI Clerk Prelims cutoff (category-wise & state-wise) are shortlisted for Mains exam. 

Phase II: SBI Clerk Mains

Those candidates, who attain marks as per the specified SBI Clerk Mains cutoff (category-wise & state-wise), make place in the final merit list. After the Mains exam, SBI does not conduct any interview. However, a Local Language Test is conducted (if applicable), for the candidates who are unable to present a certificate of proficiency in their regional language. .   

Phase III: Local Language Test

SBI Clerk Mains exam is followed by a Local Language Test (if applicable). It is mandatory only for those who cannot submit their regional language proficiency certificate (class 10th certificate testifying that they have studied their local language at secondary level i.e, Class 9 and 10). 

SBI Clerk Result 2021

SBI declares the result for SBI Clerk Prelims and Mains exams separately on its official website (sbi.co.in/web/careers) in PDF format. Candidates can find their roll numbers to check their qualifying status for the subsequent stage of recruitment. 

The authority also issues separate scorecards for Prelims and Mains to the candidates after one or two weeks of result declaration. Candidates can download their scorecard by entering their registration number and password. The details furnished in SBI Clerk scorecard include:

1. Name of the applicant
2. Registration number
3. Roll number
4. Sectional marks
5. Aggregate marks
6. Qualifying status

SBI Clerk Cut Off 2021

SBI releases a separate cut off list for SBI Clerk Preliminary and Mains examination. Candidates have to attain the minimum marks as per cutoff to get qualified for the next round of selection process. The authority declares category and state-wise cut off list for candidates. SBI Clerk cut off depends upon various factors like:

1. Total number of test takers
2. Category of the candidates
3. Total vacancies 
4. Difficulty level of exam
5. Previous years’ cut off data

SBI Clerk Prelims Cut-Off (Prelims) 2020

SBI Clerk Prelims Cut-Off (Mains) 2020

State-wise SBI Clerk Cutoff 2019 for General Category

SBI Clerk Merit List 2021

The final result of SBI Clerk after Mains and Local Language Test is released in the form of merit list. SBI considers the Mains score while preparing the merit list. Other deciding factors include category of candidates, cut off, etc. Candidates who satisfy the cut off find their place in SBI Clerk final merit list. 

Tie-like situations may also arise where two or more candidates have equal marks in the exam. Such instances can be solved using below given tie breaking formula:

1. Candidates who belong to the category of SC/ST/OBC/PH will be preferred over others
2. If tie remains, the applicants who give least incorrect answers in each section of the paper will be shortlisted 
3. If the tie still persists, one who is older in age will be prioritized

SBI Clerk – Waiting list

A wait list of up to 50% of vacancies (State-category wise) is maintained for SBI Clerk recruitment 2021. Candidates will be released from this waitlist on a quarterly basis against non-joining and resignation out of the current batch only, subject to the candidates securing minimum qualifying marks as may be stipulated by the Bank for selection. This wait list will be valid for a period of one year from the date of declaration of final result.

SBI Clerk – Probationary Period

The probationary period for SBI Clerk is 6 months. The appointed Junior Associates are confirmed as permanent employees of SBI after the probation period. During this time, SBI Clerks have been assigned 15 mandatory e-learning modules to clear and their performance is also evaluated. If the appointed candidates fail to finish the assignments within 6 months, the authority extends their period of probation. 

SBI Clerk – Vacancies

Every year, SBI declares category wise vacancies for Junior Associates or Clerk. For the position of Junior Associates (Customer Support and Sales) against advt no. CRPD/CR/2021-22/09, SBI has released 5454 vacancies. Out of these, 5000 vacancies have been announced for regular posts and 454 for Backlog posts. Besides these, candidates will find the vacancy distribution for states and categories in the below tables:

Special Recruitment Drive

 Regular Vacancies

Backlog Vacancies

SBI Clerk – FAQs

✔️ Is there any probation period for SBI Clerk? Can I apply for a transfer after my first posting?

Yes, the probation period for SBI Clerk is 6 months. Candidates’ performance is assessed under this time through 15 e-learning modules. No transfer is allowed within 5 years of first posting as a clerk in SBI.