• Updated on 21 Apr, 2026 by Gazal Arora
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SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026 will be provided separately for Prelims and Mains. This analysis is extremely helpful for candidates, as it provides a clear understanding of the questions asked, section-wise weightage, difficulty level, and expected cut-off. Candidates appearing for later shifts or planning for upcoming recruitment can use the analysis to adjust their time management, improve accuracy, and set a realistic number of attempts. In addition, the analysis of previous years’ SBI Clerk exams plays a crucial role in showing the exam trend, the type of questions repeatedly asked, and the topics that carry the highest weightage.
Why is the SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026 Important?
SBI Clerk exam is highly competitive because of the large number of candidates and limited vacancies. The exam analysis helps aspirants by:
- Explaining the overall and section-wise difficulty level (easy, moderate, or difficult).
- Giving details of the topic-wise distribution of questions.
- Helping estimate the good number of attempts needed for a safe score.
- Comparing the trend with previous years’ papers.
- Giving a realistic idea about the expected cut-off.
- Helping students fine-tune their preparation for future shifts or upcoming SBI Clerk exams.
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026: Exam Pattern
Before checking the analysis, candidates should know the exam pattern. Knowing the exam pattern can help them understand better.
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026: Prelims Exam Pattern
SBI Clerk Prelims is the first stage of the exam and serves only as a qualifying round. To move ahead to the Mains, candidates must clear both the sectional and overall cutoffs. Each section is time-bound, and switching between sections during the exam is not permitted.
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026: Mains Exam Pattern
Candidates who clear the Prelims move on to the Mains exam, which plays a decisive role in the final selection. The SBI Clerk Mains is held online with sectional time limits, making time management highly important. The paper is objective in nature with multiple-choice questions and is offered in both English and Hindi, except for the General English section, which is only in English.
In the SBI Clerk exam, candidates are awarded +1 mark for every correct response, while 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer as negative marking. There is no penalty for questions left unanswered.
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026: Previous Year Analysis
Candidates preparing for the SBI Junior Associate exam can benefit by going through the past year’s analysis. It highlights the number of questions, areas of focus, and overall as well as sectional difficulty. This helps identify the important sections where scoring is easier and those that require extra practice.
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026: Prelims Section-Wise Analysis 2024
The Prelims stage primarily tested candidates on English, Maths, and Reasoning. While English presented a relatively simpler scoring opportunity, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning ranged between moderate and difficult across shifts. A detailed view is given below.
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026: Prelims Topic-wise Analysis 2024
General English: The English section in Prelims focused extensively on Reading Comprehension, error detection, and vocabulary-based questions. The RC passage was based on Road Rage, falling under the non-fiction theme. Below is the topic distribution.
Quantitative Aptitude: Quantitative Aptitude included multiple DI sets and simplification-based questions, along with a fair mix of word problems covering topics such as Boats, Ages, Trains, Mensuration, Profit and Loss, and Partnership. Caselet DI was not asked. Refer to the following breakdown.
Reasoning Ability: Reasoning continued to be puzzle-heavy. Four different types of arrangement-based questions together formed the majority. Supporting topics such as Inequality, Syllogisms, and Digit Series were also asked. The following list shows the topic-wise question count.
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026: Mains Section-wise Analysis 2024
The Mains exam in 2024 had a balanced mix of moderate and difficult levels across subjects. English turned out to be the scoring section, while Reasoning & Computer Aptitude demanded more time and accuracy. The overall difficulty level was considered moderate. Below is a sectional breakdown with question distribution, difficulty levels, and the number of good attempts.
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026: Mains Topic-Wise Analysis 2024
General English: The English Section was one of the easiest areas of the Mains exam, with Reading Comprehension and Cloze Test questions forming the core. Minor grammar-based tasks, such as Connectors, Sentence Rearrangement, and Para Jumbles, made the section scoring easier if managed with effective time allocation. Below is the topic-wise weightage.
Quantitative Aptitude: The Quantitative Aptitude section relied heavily on Data Interpretation. Pie Charts, Bar Graphs, and Caselets had prominent weightage. Arithmetic questions also covered a variety of concepts, including simplification and comparison-based questions. Below is the topic distribution.
Reasoning Ability: The Reasoning section was dominated by complex puzzles, coded questions, and critical reasoning. This section was comparably time-consuming and tricky, which pushed the overall difficulty up. Below are the major topics covered.
General/Financial Awareness: General/Financial Awareness asked a mix of direct factual questions and current affairs. Most questions centered on recent international events, Indian sports awards, and global financial updates. Here are some of the memory-based questions asked.
- The country that withdrew from the WHO in January
- An Indian cricketer who received the Melbourne Cricket Club award
- GI Tag-related question
- Venue of the World Economic Forum
- Headquarters of the International Olympic Committee
- The company with the highest UPI transactions
- New country added to BRICS
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026: Exam Trends
The overall exam trend indicates three consistent focus areas. Puzzle-based reasoning dominated, while Quant had strong DI sets. English remained simple and scoring. For Mains, Current Affairs played a vital role as many GA questions were directly fact-based. Candidates should structure their approach accordingly.
- Puzzles and seating arrangements dominate Reasoning in Prelims as well as Mains.
- Data Interpretation leads the Quantitative Aptitude section.
- English is the quickest and most scoring section.
- For Mains, last 6 months’ Current Affairs and Banking Awareness are crucial.
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026 FAQs
How many sections are there in SBI Clerk Prelims?
The SBI Clerk Prelims exam has 3 sections – English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability.
What was the difficulty level of SBI Clerk 2026 Prelims?
The overall level of SBI Clerk 2026 Prelims was Moderate. Maths and Reasoning were slightly tougher due to lengthy calculations and puzzles, while English was simple.
Which section of SBI Clerk Mains 2024 was hardest?
The Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude section of SBI Clerk Mains 2024 was the hardest, as it contained lengthy puzzles and critical reasoning questions.
How many questions from Current Affairs were asked in SBI Clerk Mains 2024?
In SBI Clerk Mains 2024, around 20–22 questions in the General Awareness section were based on current affairs, mostly related to banking and the economy.
What is the safe number of attempts in SBI Clerk Prelims?
A safe number of attempts in SBI Clerk Prelims is considered to be 75–82 with good accuracy.
How important is English for SBI Clerk Exam?
English plays an important role in the SBI Clerk exam as it is usually straightforward and scoring. It helps balance scores if Reasoning or Maths feels tricky.
Are puzzles always asked in SBI Clerk Reasoning?
Yes, puzzles and seating arrangement questions are always asked in SBI Clerk. They make up about 12–18 questions in Prelims and 18–25 questions in Mains.
What type of DI questions are usually asked in SBI Clerk?
In the SBI Clerk exam, common Data Interpretation (DI) questions include Pie Charts, Bar Graphs, Tabular DI, and Caselets based on real-life contexts such as students, sports, or sales.
Does SBI Clerk General Awareness cover only banking?
No, the General Awareness section of SBI Clerk covers banking awareness, economy, government schemes, sports, awards, national and international summits, and static GK.
Is there negative marking in SBI Clerk Prelims and Mains?
Yes, there is negative marking in both SBI Clerk Prelims and Mains. 0.25 marks are deducted for every incorrect answer.
Can the analysis of the SBI Clerk exam help for the upcoming shifts?
Yes, going through shift-wise SBI Clerk exam analysis can help candidates improve time management and focus on the most expected topics in upcoming shifts.