SBI Clerk and PO exams 2026

Every paper is online and objective except the PO descriptive test. Each section has its own time limit, and a wrong answer costs a quarter of a mark.

SBI Clerk prelims

SBI Clerk mains

SBI PO prelims

SBI PO mains

• Negative marking: a quarter of a mark for each wrong answer in every objective test. The descriptive test has none.
• Prelims only shortlist. Clerk merit is decided by mains marks; PO merit by the mains (75%) and Phase III (25%).
• Language: the clerk exam is offered in Tamil and other regional languages as well as English and Hindi (the English section stays in English). The PO exam is in English and Hindi.

• Education: a degree in any discipline from a recognised university. Final-year students can apply if they can show they passed by the date the notice sets.
• Age (2026 notices): 20 to 28 for Clerk, 21 to 30 for PO. OBC (non-creamy layer) get 3 more years, SC and ST 5 more, and PwBD candidates 10 or more.
• Local language (Clerk): you apply for one state and must know its language, Tamil for Tamil Nadu. If you studied Tamil in Class 10 or 12 and it is on your marksheet, you skip the language test; otherwise you must pass it.
• Attempts (PO): 4 for General and EWS, 7 for OBC and PwBD, no limit for SC and ST.

SBI Clerk

1. Prelims (shortlisting only).
2. Mains: merit is decided on mains marks, state by state and category by category.
3. Local Language Proficiency Test, qualifying, unless you are exempt.

There is no interview for SBI Clerk.

SBI PO

1. Prelims (shortlisting only).
2. Mains: objective test and descriptive test.
3. Phase III: psychometric test (no marks), group exercise (20 marks) and interview (30 marks).

The final PO merit list weights the mains at 75% and Phase III at 25%.

Both exams test English, quantitative aptitude and reasoning; the mains add general, financial and banking awareness and computer aptitude. SBI names only the sections, so the syllabus page lists the topics the papers usually cover.

• Practise against sectional timers. Each prelims section has its own 20 minutes, so speed in every section matters, not just your total.
• Master simplification, number series and data interpretation. They make up most of the quantitative questions.
• Work on puzzles and seating arrangements daily. They carry the most weight in reasoning, especially in the PO mains.
• Read banking and current affairs for the last 6 months for the mains: RBI policy, government schemes, the budget and financial news.
• PO aspirants: practise typing the descriptive answers, all three (an email, a situation analysis and a report or précis) inside 30 minutes.
• Clerk aspirants in Tamil Nadu: check your Tamil proof early. If Tamil is not on your Class 10 or 12 marksheet, prepare for the language test.

Thervu’s SBI mock tests are timed, set in both Tamil and English, and marked the moment you submit, with the exam’s negative marking.

• Questions cover English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, Data Analysis and Interpretation, General and Financial Awareness, and Computer Aptitude.
• A wrong answer costs a quarter of a mark, as in the real exam.
• Choose any length, from 30 minutes to 3 hours.
• Your result shows your score after negative marking, each subject and the topics that cost you marks.
• The free plan includes 3 tests a day, and no card is needed.

Start a free SBI Clerk and PO mock test