SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Date 2026 Out for 9766 Vacancies, Download Official Notice

State Bank of India (SBI) has announced the SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Date 2026 on its official website on 17 September 2026 for candidates who have applied for the Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales) recruitment. As per the official schedule, the SBI Clerk Prelims Exam 2026 will be conducted on 26 and 27 September 2026 for 9,766 regular vacancies.

SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Date 2026 Out

The SBI Clerk Prelims Exam 2026 is scheduled for 9766 Vacancies under CRPD/CR/2026-27/17. The examination will be conducted in more than 170 cities across India. Candidates should carefully check the details mentioned on their admit cards, including the exam date, reporting time and venue.

SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Date 2026 Overview

Candidates can check the exam date and other important details through the official notice.

SBI Clerk Prelims 2026: Important Dates

Candidates appearing for the SBI Clerk recruitment should keep the important dates in mind. The prelims examination is the first stage of the selection process, followed by the Mains examination for candidates who qualify.

• SBI Clerk Prelims Exam: 26 and 27 September 2026
• SBI Clerk Prelims Admit Card: Released before the examination
• SBI Clerk Mains Exam: 23 November 2026

SBI Clerk Prelims 2026 for Approx. 13.1 Lakh Applicants

The SBI Clerk Prelims 2026 is being conducted for approximately 13.1 lakh applicants who registered for the Junior Associate recruitment. Candidates should keep their admit cards and exam-related instructions ready for the upcoming examination.

When will the SBI Clerk Admit card be released?

The SBI Clerk Prelims Admit Card 2026 is expected to be released shortly before the exam. Candidates should keep checking the official SBI website for the call letter.

• Admit Card: Expected shortly before the exam
• Vacancies: 9,766
• Mode of Exam: Online
• Details on Call Letter: Exam date, shift, reporting time, centre and instructions

How to Download SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Date

• Visit the official State Bank of India careers page: SBI Careers – Current Openings
• Find “Recruitment of Junior Associates (Customer Support & Sales)” under Advertisement No. CRPD/CR/2026-27/17.
• Look for the notice stating that the online preliminary examination is tentatively scheduled for 26 and 27 September 2026.
• Click the relevant notice/PDF to open it.
• Use the Download icon in the PDF viewer to save it on your phone or computer.

SBI Clerk Prelims Shift Schedule and Reporting Time

The SBI Clerk Prelims 2026 will be conducted in four shifts, with different reporting and exam timings for each shift.

• Shift 1: Reporting Time: 8:00 AM | Exam Timing: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
• Shift 2: Reporting Time: 10:30 AM | Exam Timing: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
• Shift 3: Reporting Time: 1:00 PM | Exam Timing: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
• Shift 4: Reporting Time: 3:30 PM | Exam Timing: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

How to Prepare for SBI Clerk Prelims 2026

With the exam scheduled, candidates should now focus on revision and mock tests. The following points can help streamline the preparation:

• Practise section-wise and full-length mock tests regularly.
• Revise important concepts and frequently asked question types.
• Work on calculation speed for Numerical Ability.
• Practise puzzles, seating arrangements and other important topics in Reasoning.
• Focus on grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension in English.
• Analyse mock-test performance and identify weak areas.
• Avoid spending too much time on a single question during the examination.

What is the Exam Pattern of SBI Clerk Prelims

The SBI Clerk Prelims examination consists of three sections: English Language, Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability. Candidates will have a total of one hour to complete the examination, with a separate time limit for each section.

SBI Clerk Prelims 2026: Important Topics to Revise Before Exam

Based on the SBI Clerk Prelims trend from 2021 to 2025, candidates should focus on topics that have appeared consistently and carried significant weightage. With limited time before the exam, revision should be focused on high-frequency topics, calculation-based questions, and concepts that can be solved quickly.

Reasoning Ability

• Puzzles & Seating Arrangement: Linear, circular, floor, box, month/day and comparison-based puzzles.
• Syllogism: Direct and possibility-based questions.
• Inequality: Coded and direct inequalities.
• Coding-Decoding: New-pattern and coded questions.
• Series: Alphanumeric, number and word-based series.
• Blood Relation & Direction Sense: Short and scoring question types.
• Meaningful Word & Word Pairing: Quick revision topics that can help save time.

Numerical Ability

• Simplification: BODMAS, fractions, percentages, squares, cubes and approximation.
• Number Series: Missing and wrong number series.
• Data Interpretation: Table, bar graph, line graph and pie chart-based DI.
• Arithmetic: Percentage, Profit & Loss, Ratio, Average, Time & Work, Time-Speed-Distance, Simple & Compound Interest, Partnership and Ages.
• Quadratic Equations: Revise the basic methods and calculation shortcuts.

English Language

• Reading Comprehension: Focus on understanding the passage quickly and identifying direct answers.
• Cloze Test: Revise vocabulary, grammar and contextual usage.
• Error Detection: Subject-verb agreement, tenses, articles, prepositions and conjunctions.
• Sentence/Word Rearrangement: Practise identifying opening and connecting sentences.
• Word Swap & Fillers: Revise commonly confused words and contextual vocabulary.
• Phrase Replacement: Focus on grammar and sentence structure.

SBI Clerk Prelims 2026: Which Questions Should You Skip First?

With 100 questions to attempt in 60 minutes and only 20 minutes for each section, candidates should avoid spending too much time on a single question. A simple strategy of identifying time-consuming questions early can help improve speed and accuracy.

• Reasoning: Skip lengthy puzzles or seating arrangements if the conditions are taking too long to understand. Attempt direct questions like syllogism, inequality and coding-decoding first.
• Numerical Ability: Keep lengthy DI and calculation-heavy arithmetic questions for later. Start with simplification, number series and quadratic equations.
• English: Attempt quick grammar and vocabulary-based questions first. Keep lengthy RC and difficult rearrangement questions for later.
  Quick Rule: If the approach is not clear within a reasonable time, skip it, move ahead and return later if time permits.

What to Revise and What to Avoid Before the Exam?

With the SBI Clerk Prelims scheduled for 26 and 27 September 2026, the final days should be used for revision, practice and mock-test analysis rather than trying to cover every new topic.

What to Revise

• Reasoning: Puzzles and seating arrangement formats, syllogism, inequality, coding-decoding, series, blood relation and direction sense.
• Numerical Ability: Simplification, number series, DI, quadratic equations and important arithmetic concepts.
• English: Reading comprehension, cloze test, error detection, sentence/word rearrangement, fillers and phrase replacement.
• Mock Tests: Attempt full-length mocks and analyse mistakes instead of only checking the score.
• Calculation: Revise calculation shortcuts and improve speed in questions involving percentages, ratios and other basic arithmetic operations.
• Exam Strategy: Practise deciding which questions to attempt first so that time is not wasted on a single lengthy question.

What to Avoid

• Avoid starting completely new and difficult topics at the last moment.
• Do not spend several hours solving only one type of question.
• Avoid taking mocks without analysing incorrect and unattempted questions.
• Do not ignore weak areas identified during mock-test analysis.
• Avoid changing your entire preparation strategy just before the examination.
• Do not sacrifice revision time by repeatedly studying topics you already know well.

SBI Clerk Exam Centres 2026: State-Wise Centre List

The SBI Clerk Prelims Exam 2026 will be conducted at various exam centres across India. Candidates can check the state-wise list of SBI Clerk exam centres below: