Is the SBI Clerk Exam Tough?-Preparation made easy!

SBI Clerk Exam is one of the most sought-after banking exams In India. Millions of candidates gear up to test their skills to become future State Bank of India (SBI) clerks, as SBI invites applications for Junior Associate’s jobs, like Customer Support and Sales, every year. The selection process consists of an online test (Preliminary & Main exam) and a test of specified opted local language, to post them in various parts of India.

The local language test is conducted after qualifying for the online main examination, but before joining the Bank. And the candidate who fails to qualify for this test becomes disqualified for the appointment. The final selection of a candidate is done on the basis of the mains exam. Then the candidate is entrusted with the responsibility of the client interactions and related operations. He/she is designated to the posts of cashiers, depositors, etc.

Recently, the SBI has postponed the preliminary exam due to the surge in COVID19. It was scheduled to be held in the month of June, while the SBI Clerk Main exam was to be held on July 31, 2021.

Read this article and know how to Crack IBPS, SBI PO/Clerk Exams like a Genius!

You may also like to read: How to Answer Reading Comprehension Answers in SBI Clerk Exam 2021?

Difficulty Level

The SBI Clerk Prelims Exam can be from easy to moderate levels. For fresher candidates, the knowledge related to the previous years’ Exams is a must. For instance, some of the questions they need to keep in mind while researching the related data and information should revolve around questions like these:

• What was the Exam pattern like?
• Were there any specific questions asked from trends?
• What was the previous year’s average score?
• Which section was tougher than the others?
• Which questions were of easy level and which were of moderate level?

Before moving onto the SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2020, let’s have a look at the SBI Clerk Exam Pattern.

You might also be interested in knowing Topper’s secrets of Scoring 80+ Marks in the SBI Clerk Exam 2021

Know complete Syllabus and Pattern to make a perfect study plan

You need to have a good overview of the SBI Clerk exam pattern to help yourself figure out how to properly start your preparation for the State Bank of India Clerk exam. And for that, you have to keep in mind all the little things that make a big difference in creating a plan to beat the upcoming SBI Clerk exam 2021.

Stages	3 (Preliminary, Main, and Test of Opted Local Language)
Mode of Exam	Online
Level of Difficulty	Easy to moderate
Negative Marking	0.25 marks
Time Duration	1 hour for Prelims and 2 hours 40 minutes for Mains (Both separately timed)
Maximum Marks	100 for Prelims and 200 for Mains

Grab these SBI Clerk exam Mock Tests for a better revision!

Exam pattern for SBI Clerk Exam-Prelims and the Mains

SBI Clerk Exam Pattern for Prelims:

Sections	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
English Language	30	30	20 min.
Numerical Ability	35	35	20 min.
Reasoning Ability	35	35	20 min.
Total	100	100	1 Hour

You may also like to read: 10 Habits of SBI Clerk Toppers

Note: As per the latest official SBI notification, you must take care of the following points before accelerating your preparation for the Prelims:

• Each test will have separate timing as mentioned above.
• There will be negative marks for wrong answers in the Objective tests. 1/4th of the mark assigned for the question will be deducted for every wrong answer
• No minimum qualifying marks are prescribed for an individual test or for the aggregate score. Section-wise marks will not be maintained
• Adequate number of candidates in each category as decided by the Bank (approximately 10 times the numbers of vacancies. subject to availability) will be shortlisted for the Main Exam from the list of all candidates arranged in descending order of aggregate marks scored.

SBI Clerk Exam Pattern for Mains

Sections	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration
General/ Financial Awareness	50	50	35 min.
General English	40	40	35 min.
Quantitative Aptitude	50	50	45 min.
Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude	50	60	45 min.
Total	190	200	2 Hr. 40 min.

Note: The mains Exams are comparatively tougher than the Prelims. But good preparation will always make your path easy towards success.

Read this, to know more about the complete Syllabus for SBI Clerk Exam 2021: How to prepare for SBI Clerk Exam 2021?

Difficulty level via the English section

Let’s examine SBI Clerk Pre Exam 2020 to observe the difficulty level via the English section:

Questions	Difficulty Level
Errors (on the old pattern of the exam)	Easy to Moderate
Fillers (Single fillers)	Easy to Moderate
Word Swap or Word Replacement	Easy to Moderate
Word Arrangement	Easy to Moderate
Para-jumbles	Moderate
RC (Mainly based on artificial intelligence, or science and technology)	Moderate
Cloze Test (Passages on artificial intelligence, education, and economy)	Easy to Moderate
Sentence Rearrangement	Easy to Moderate
Sentence Correction	Moderate
Mis-spelled words	Easy
Phrase Replacement	Easy to Moderate

Can a detailed paper analysis make the beginning easy?

Doing a detailed SBI Clerk Exam paper analysis to know what is expected in the papers makes the preparation a lot easier. Going through the previous years’ paper, could prove to be a revelation and tremendously help in a proper understanding of the expected topics.

Section-wise Easy Strategy

Make an easy study plan and follow it thoroughly to ensure all the topics/subjects are covered. Never forget, revision is the key to ensure that you remember what you have studied. So revise it every week.

1. English Language
Candidates are advised to go through the detailed syllabus before starting preparation as a lot of changes have been incorporated in the exam this year. After understanding the syllabus fully, candidates should focus on clearing their basics. If your basics are clear and strong, scoring high in the exam becomes easy. You should read the newspaper every day, and take the Mock Tests at regular intervals. Analyze your Mock Tests and find out your weak and strong areas. Work on your weak areas and try to improve your performance in the next Mock Test.

2. Reasoning Section
To enjoy mastery over the Reasoning section, candidates should practice different topics. They should clear their basics and devote maximum time to practicing them. Practice is the key to success and a sure shot way to making this Mains Exam Easy. Practice section-wise questions to attain maximum speed, efficiency, and accuracy.

3. Numerical Ability
This section tests your ability to calculate. You need to improve your speed and accuracy for scoring maximum marks in this section. Take Mock Tests to analyze your performance and work on your weak areas.

Also read: How to Answer Reading Comprehension Answers in SBI Clerk Exam 2021?

SBI Clerk Prelims exam 2021: 6 Revision Tips to make your preparation easy

1. First, perfect the basic concepts needed to solve questions and then only work on the short tricks.
2. Set realistic goals (that are achievable) and divide your big goals into smaller ones.
3. Go through basic grammar rules and concepts, as the entire English Language section is based solely on grammar.
4. Work on your calculation. Try to do quick calculations and set the time on a clock to watch and improve your speed. You need to train your mind in managing your time according to the exam pattern. You will have only 20 minutes for each section.
5. Target to attempt at least 90+ questions with speed and accuracy.
6. Devote most of your study hours to the important topics from the syllabus.

Easy preparation via Mock Tests

Mock Tests are the most Convenient Testing Medium. Many candidates preparing for the SBI Clerk Exam 2021 are job goers or professionals. Hence, they can take the exam and know about their strengths and weaknesses without taking offline tests in traditional classes which they can’t join for many reasons. The aspirants also get the idea of how this online exam is and what will take to beat it, or for further improvement.