SBI Clerk Cut Off for Tamil Nadu: Prelims and Mains

As of 11 October 2026:

The 2025 cycle gives a rough idea of the timeline: the mains was on 21 November 2025 and the final result came on 27 February 2026, with 5,783 candidates provisionally selected across India.

Results appear on SBI's recruitment results page as lists of roll numbers. Marks come on a separate page where you log in with your roll or registration number and date of birth.

The 2026 notice (CRPD/CR/2026-27/17) sets these rules:

• There is no minimum mark in any section or in the total, and SBI does not keep sectional marks.

• SBI shortlists about 10 times the number of vacancies in each category for the mains, subject to availability, taking candidates in order of total marks.

• So the prelims cut-off is simply the total of the last candidate on the shortlist for your state and category. It is not a pass mark fixed in advance.

• Prelims marks are not added to the final merit list.

For Tamil Nadu in 2026, "about 10 times" means roughly 6,000 mains places for the 608 General posts, but only about 140 for the 14 ST posts.

There is no sectional cut-off, but each section has its own 20-minute timer. You can't make up for a weak section by spending extra time on a strong one.

• The mains is out of 200, with a quarter of a mark taken off for each wrong answer.

• You must reach a minimum aggregate percentage set by the bank; SC, ST, OBC, PwBD and ex-servicemen candidates get 5% relaxation. There is no minimum for individual subjects.

• The final merit list uses mains marks only, drawn state-wise and category-wise. The final cut-off is the mains total of the last candidate selected in your category in Tamil Nadu; the 2025 mains figures above are that number.

• SBI-trained apprentices who meet the notice's conditions get 5 bonus marks out of 200.

• Selected candidates without Tamil on their Class 10 or 12 mark sheet then take the Tamil language test. Failing it means no appointment.

• SBI keeps a wait list of up to 50% of the vacancies for each state and category. It releases names every quarter to fill places left by candidates who don't join or who resign from the current batch, and the list is valid for one year from the final result.

There are also 129 backlog posts (2 ST, 21 PwBD and 106 ex-servicemen), making 1,539 in all. Within the 1,410 regular posts, the PwBD and ex-servicemen places are horizontal: they sit inside the five categories above, not on top of them.

How the vacancies feed into the cut-off:

• More posts mean longer shortlists and a longer final list, which pulls the cut-off down. More candidates, or an easier paper, push it up.

• Each category is ranked separately, so compare your score with your own category's figure, not the General one.

• Nobody outside SBI knows how many people wrote the 2026 prelims or how the marks are spread.

Is there an expected cut-off for 2026?

Not from us. Until SBI releases the 2026 prelims result, any "expected cut-off" is a guess, and the Tamil Nadu figures move from year to year. Treat 2025 as a reference point, not a forecast.

SBI's results page lists roll numbers; the marks page shows your score along with the cut-off that applies to you. The state tables you see online are collected from those scorecards by news and coaching sites, which is why figures sometimes differ from one site to another. If a number matters to you, trust your scorecard over any table, including ours.

• Aim comfortably above last year's reported figure, not at it. The 2026 numbers will move with the paper and the number of candidates.

• Start mains preparation now. The prelims only gets you in; your mains marks decide selection, and Tamil Nadu's General mains figure was reported as the highest in the country in 2025. The mains adds general and financial awareness and computer aptitude, which the prelims doesn't test. See the SBI Clerk syllabus for the topics.

• Protect your accuracy. With a quarter-mark penalty, four wrong answers cancel one right answer.

• Don't read a mock score as an exam score. Every mock series differs from the real paper in difficulty. Use mocks to track your own trend and find the topics that cost you marks.

Thervu's SBI mock tests are timed, set in Tamil and English, and marked the moment you submit with the exam's negative marking. The result shows your score by subject and the topics where you lost marks, and on the Pro plan you can pick subject and topic tests to fix those one at a time.

For the exam pattern, eligibility and the Tamil test, read our SBI Clerk and PO guide. To see what the job pays once you clear the cut-off, read SBI Clerk salary in Tamil Nadu.

Thervu is independent and not affiliated with SBI. Figures are as of 11 October 2026.