The State Bank of India (SBI) has released its Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales) recruitment notification for 2026, popularly known as the SBI Clerk 2026 exam. With thousands of vacancies open across states, this is one of the most sought-after banking exams in the country. Here is a complete, easy-to-follow breakdown of the notification — from eligibility and important dates to the exam pattern, syllabus and salary structure.

SBI Clerk 2026 Overview

SBI conducts the Clerk (Junior Associate) recruitment exam every year to fill vacancies for customer support and sales roles at its branches across India. The 2026 notification was released in August, opening applications for roughly 9,766 posts, including regular and backlog vacancies. Selection happens in three stages — a Preliminary exam, a Main exam, and a qualifying Language Proficiency Test (LPT) — with no interview involved.

SBI Clerk 2026 Important Dates

These dates are based on the notification schedule and are subject to revision by SBI. Candidates should keep checking the official website for admit card release and any date changes.

SBI Clerk 2026 Vacancy Details

SBI has notified approximately 9,766 vacancies for Junior Associates this cycle, spread across regular and backlog categories. Vacancies are allotted state/UT-wise, and candidates can apply for only one state cadre based on their preference and, in most cases, knowledge of the local language.

State-wise vacancy distribution (e.g., Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka, Gujarat and others) is published in the official notification. It is strongly recommended to refer to the official PDF for the exact, final numbers before filling the application.

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

Candidates must hold a graduation degree (any discipline) from a recognized university, along with basic computer literacy, as prescribed in the official notification.

Age Limit (as on the cut-off date specified in the notification)

Additional relaxations apply for widows, divorced women, and persons affected by riots/disturbances, as per government rules. Refer to the official notification for exact relaxation clauses.

Application Fee & How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online through the official SBI careers portal. Once the application window opens, candidates need to register, fill in personal and academic details, upload photograph/signature, choose their preferred state cadre, and pay the fee (where applicable) via net banking, debit or credit card.

Selection Process

Selection for the Junior Associate post is done in three stages:

1. Preliminary Examination — an objective-type screening test.
2. Main Examination — a more detailed objective test that determines the final merit list, combined with prelims-qualifying status.
3. Language Proficiency Test (LPT) — a qualifying test to confirm proficiency in the local/official language of the chosen state, applicable to candidates who do not have the relevant language as a subject in their educational qualifications.

There is no personal interview for this post — final selection is based purely on performance in the Mains exam, subject to qualifying the LPT and document verification.

Exam Pattern

Preliminary Exam

Each wrong answer attracts a penalty of 0.25 marks. There is no fixed sectional cut-off, but candidates must clear the overall and sectional qualifying marks as decided by SBI for each section.

Main Exam

Trained SBI apprentices (as per eligibility cut-off dates specified in the notification) may be eligible for bonus marks as per SBI’s policy — check the official notification for the exact provision applicable this year.

SBI Clerk Syllabus (Prelims & Mains)

Reasoning Ability

Puzzles and seating arrangement, syllogism, blood relations, direction sense, alphanumeric series, coding-decoding, inequality, ranking, and data sufficiency.

Quantitative Aptitude

Simplification and approximation, number series, quadratic equations, data interpretation, ratio and proportion, average, percentage, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time-speed-distance, and mensuration.

English Language

Reading comprehension, cloze test, para jumbles, error spotting, sentence improvement, and fill in the blanks.

General/Financial Awareness (Mains only)

Current affairs of the last 6 months, banking and financial awareness, static GK, and important government schemes.

Computer Aptitude (Mains only)

Basics of computer hardware/software, MS Office, internet, shortcut keys, and computer abbreviations.

Salary & Job Profile

A newly recruited SBI Junior Associate starts with a basic pay of around ₹24,050 (graduates get two advance increments), progressing through defined pay scales up to approximately ₹64,480. Including dearness allowance, house rent allowance and other perks, the gross monthly emoluments work out to roughly ₹46,000 in the initial years, along with standard bank employee benefits such as medical insurance, pension/NPS, and leave fare concession.

Selected candidates are placed on a probation period (typically 6 months) and are posted as Customer Support & Sales associates, handling teller operations, customer service, cross-selling of bank products, and general branch banking duties.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many vacancies are there in SBI Clerk 2026?

SBI has notified approximately 9,766 vacancies for Junior Associates this cycle, combining regular and backlog posts. The exact, final figure is available in the official notification.

What is the age limit for SBI Clerk 2026?

Candidates must be between 20 and 28 years of age as on the cut-off date, with relaxations for reserved categories as per government rules.

Is there an interview in the SBI Clerk selection process?

No. Selection is based on the Preliminary exam, Main exam, and a qualifying Language Proficiency Test — there is no personal interview.

What is the application fee for SBI Clerk 2026?

₹750 for General/OBC/EWS candidates. SC, ST and PwD candidates are exempted from the fee.

Where can I apply for SBI Clerk 2026?

Applications must be submitted online through the official SBI careers portal at sbi.co.in.