The SBI Clerk Prelims 2026 examination for the backlog special recruitment drive was conducted on 16 September 2026, with Shift 1 held in the morning. Candidates who appeared in Shift 1 can now use the SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026 to review the overall difficulty, section-wise performance, and expected good attempts. The analysis is based on candidate feedback and the questions reported from the examination.
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026, 16 September Shift 1
The SBI Clerk Prelims provides an early look at the level and pattern of questions asked in the exam. Although this exam is for the backlog vacancies, its analysis can be highly useful for candidates appearing in the regular SBI Clerk recruitment, scheduled on 26 September, 27 September and 3 October 2026. Candidates can use the Shift 1 analysis to understand the difficulty level, identify important topics, and plan their question selection and time management for the upcoming shifts.
SBI Clerk Exam 2026: Difficulty Level
The overall difficulty level of the SBI Clerk 16 September Shift 1 was Easy to Moderate, with a balanced paper across all three sections. English Language was relatively comfortable, while Reasoning and Numerical Ability required candidates to maintain good speed and accuracy.
| SBI Clerk Exam 2026, 16 September Shift 1: Difficulty Level | |
| Section | Difficulty Level |
| Reasoning Ability | Easy to Moderate |
| Numerical Ability | Easy to Moderate |
| English Language | Easy to Moderate |
| Overall | Easy to Moderate |
SBI Clerk Exam 2026, 16 September Shift 1: Good Attmepts
Based on the overall level of the paper, an estimated good attempt is around 74-83 questions, provided candidates maintained strong accuracy. The exact safe score may vary depending on the candidate’s category, state, vacancy position, and the final cut-off, so attempts should always be considered along with accuracy.
| SBI Clerk Exam 2026, 16 September Shift 1: Good Attempts | |
| Section | Good Attempts |
| Reasoning Ability | 26-29 |
| Numerical Ability | 23-26 |
| English Language | 25-28 |
| Total | 74-83 |
SBI Clerk 2026 Exam Section-wise Analysis, 16 September Shift 1
The SBI Clerk Shift 1 paper included familiar question types from Reasoning Ability, Numerical Ability and English Language, with candidates needing to manage each 20-minute sectional limit effectively.
Reasoning Ability
The Reasoning Ability questions centred around familiar areas such as puzzles and seating arrangements, syllogism, inequality, alphanumeric/number-based series and miscellaneous questions.
| Topics | Number of Qs. |
| Sequence Based Puzzle | 5 |
| Day Based Puzzle(Monday to Sunday) | 5 |
| Comparison Based Puzzle(Height Comparison) | 3 |
| Parallel Row Seating Arrangement(10 Persons) | 5 |
| Blood Relation | 3 |
| Syllogism | 3 |
| Inequality | 3 |
| Alphanumeric Series(Number + Symbol) | 5 |
| Number Based | 1 |
| Meaningful Word | 1 |
| Odd One Out | 1 |
| Total | 35 |
Numerical Ability
The Numerical Ability questions from topics such as simplification, data interpretation and arithmetic, while calculation speed played an important role in completing the section within the allotted time.
| Topics | Number of Qs. |
| Simplification | 12 |
| Table Based DI(Cakes Baked, Cookies Baked) | 6 |
| Bar Graph DI(No. of Bags Sold) | 3 |
| Caselet DI(SI & CI) | 3 |
| Arithmetic | 11 |
| Total | 35 |
English Language
The English Language section was comparatively scoring, with questions based on areas such as Reading Comprehension, error detection, word-based questions and sentence-related concepts.
| Topics | Number of Qs. |
| Reading Comprehension(Bio Company-Tomato Based; Fashionable Product Shoes & Bag; Synonym – Formed & Choose; 1 Filler) | 9 |
| Error Detection(Traditional Based) | 5 |
| Column Based | 1 |
| Word Usage | 1 |
| Para Jumble | 5 |
| Phrase Replacement | 3 |
| Misspelt(Steps, Enlighted, Discovered, Gemstone) | 4 |
| Sentence Rearrangement | 2 |
| Total | 30 |
SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026, 16 September Shift 1: Video Link
| Related Posts | |
| SBI Clerk Syllabus | SBI Clerk Salary |
| SBI Clerk Previous Year Papers | SBI Clerk Cut Off |











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