SBI Clerk Exam Pattern 2025: Check Details

SBI Clerk Exam Pattern 2025: The State Bank of India (SBI) released the SBI Clerk official notification on September 6, 2025. The registration process for the recruitment exam started on September 7, 2025, and candidates can apply till September 27, 2025. Candidates need to start preparing for the exam at the earliest in order to get the job they desire. For that reason, it is important that they are familiarised with the exam pattern.

**Steps to practice unlimited questions is given in this article below

All aspirants must be familiar with the latest exam pattern to pass the SBI Clerk Examination 2025. SBI Clerk Paper Pattern provides the overall structure of the exam, including the types of questions, the number of questions, the marking scheme, time duration, and so on. Read on to find out more about the SBI Clerk Exam Pattern 2025!

SBI Clerk Exam Pattern 2025 Overview

Check out the table below for the highlights of the SBI Clerk Exam 2025:

SBI Clerk Selection Process 2025

Before getting into the details of the SBI Clerk Exam Pattern, let us understand the stages in SBI Clerk recruitment. Candidates must clear two stages of the selection process to be selected for the clerical post. Moreover, there is a language proficiency test. Details regarding these stages are mentioned below. All the stages of recruitment are given below. 

• Preliminary Examination
• Mains Examination
• Language Proficiently Test

SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Pattern

The exam pattern comprises various parameters such as types of questions, number of questions, exam duration, mode and medium of instruction. Candidates appearing for the SBI Clerk Prelims examination must be familiar with the paper pattern.

Therefore, aspirants can check the SBI Clerk Exam Pattern 2025 Prelims mentioned below:

SBI Clerk Exam Pattern 2025 Prelims Important Points

• The prelims exam consists of objective type of questions.
• The number of sections comprises English Language, Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability.
• Each section has a time limit of 20 minutes.
• There is a 1/4th negative marking scheme deducted for every wrong answer.
• No minimum qualifying marks are prescribed for individual tests or aggregate scores.

**Steps to Practice Unlimited SBI Clerk Prelims Questions

Access the unlimited SBI Clerk Prelims questions from Embibe and improve your preparation level. Candidates can follow the below-mentioned steps to take the CDS practice test:

• 1st Step: Visit Embibe’s official website, i.e., Embibe.
• 2nd Step: Use your mobile number/email to log in.
• 3rd Step: Select your Goal as ‘Banking’ under the Government Job section.
• 4th Step: Click Next and select ‘SBI Clerk Prelims’.
• 5th Step: Click Next and select your preferred language.
• 6th Step: Once done, click on the mock test links to take the TEST.

SBI Clerk Mains Pattern

Candidates qualifying in the prelims exam will be allowed to appear for the SBI Clerk Main exam. Only marks scored by the candidate in the main examination will be considered for preparing the final mark list. The preliminary exam and the language proficiency tests are qualifying in nature.

Candidates can check the SBI Clerk Mains Exam Pattern 2025 below:

SBI Clerk Mains Exam Pattern Important Points

• The questions will be of objective type, except for General English.
• The medium of language will be bilingual i.e., English and Hindi.
• There will negative marking of 1/4th mark deducted for every wrong answer.
• Each section has a separate time limit.
• Candidates have to score minimum marks of aggregate (For SC/ST/OBC/PWD/XS candidates, 5% relaxation available thereon).
• The minimum marks will be decided by the authority.
• Both state-wise and category-wise merit lists will be released.

SBI Clerk Negative Marking

In both the preliminary and main exams, incorrect answers are penalised. For each incorrect answer, 1/4th of the mark assigned to the question will be deducted.

SBI Clerk Language Proficiency Test

The Local Language Proficiency Test is compulsory for candidates who are qualified for selection but could not present proof of proficiency in the local language. The test is conducted before joining the post. Failing in the local language proficiency test will make candidates ineligible for the post.

Only those who qualify in the language proficiency test (except the candidates who have learned the local language in 10th or 12th standard) will be considered for final selection, regardless of whether they cleared the main exam or not.

This test is not mandatory for those who have qualified SBI Clerk examination and are able to produce mark sheets and certificates showing that they studied the specified opted local language in their 10th or 12th standard. 

SBI Clerk Normalisation of Marks

SBI uses the normalisation process to balance the marks of candidates, which aids in adjusting the scores. When the exams are given in multiple shifts, this procedure is followed. The equi-percentile method is used for normalisation. As the SBI Clerk exam is held in different shifts with varying difficulty levels, balancing candidates’ scores is critical for a fair evaluation.

SBI Clerk Syllabus 2025

Candidates who are willing to appear in the SBI Clerk exam must go through the prescribed SBI Clerk Syllabus along with the exam pattern. SBI Clerk Syllabus for prelims and mains exams are given below.

SBI Clerk Prelims Syllabus 2025

SBI Clerk Mains Syllabus

Before starting the preparation, aspirants must check the topics and section-wise weightage of each topic to be asked in the examination. They must also prepare from the sample question papers and take SBI Clerk mock tests regularly.

SBI Clerk Preparation Tips

Candidates appearing for the exam can check SBI Clerk Preparation Tips as mentioned below:

• Candidates can test the preparation by solving the sample paper (SBI Clerk mock tests) and working on the lacking areas.
• Candidates must refer to the SBI Clerk exam pattern to strategize the preparation accordingly for the best score.
• Start with the easy topics to boost the confidence for the preparation of complex ones.
• Practice complex topics on a daily basis to get accuracy in answering the questions.
• Make notes while preparing for last-minute revision.
• Candidates can seek the help of professionals to avoid mistakes in the examination in case of complex topics.
• Candidates can download the previous year’s question papers to analyze the type of questions asked in the test and get an overview of the structure of the exam.

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FAQs on SBI Clerk Paper Pattern

Some of the frequently asked questions regarding the SBI Clerk Paper Pattern are given below:

Q. Is the SBI clerk exam pattern different for Prelims and Mains exams?
A. Yes, the exam pattern of SBI Clerk Mains differs from the Prelims examination.

Q. What is the medium of instruction for the SBI Clerk exam?
A. The medium of instruction for the SBI Clerk exam is English/Hindi.

Q. What are the subjects for the SBI Clerk examination?
A. The subjects for Prelims comprise English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability. In comparison, the subjects for Mains are General English, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude, and General/ Financial Awareness.

Q. Is there any negative marking for SBI Clerk?
A. Yes, there is a negative marking of 1/4th mark for each wrong answer.

Q. What is the time duration for SBI Clerk Prelims and Mains exams?
A. The time duration for Prelims and Mains are 1 hour and 2 hours 40 minutes respectively.

We hope that this article has helped you. If you have any queries or questions, feel to contact us by using our app, and we will get back to you at the earliest.

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