The SBI Clerk Exam is a national-level examination held every year and organized by the State Bank of India to hire Junior Associates for various customer interaction-based job roles. As it is a national-level examination, it becomes difficult to crack on the first attempt. As of now, the Prelims of SBI Clerk Exam 2020 had been conducted successfully on March 8th, 2020. The Mains exam is postponed until further notice due to the pandemic. This article provides you with a complete guide for the preparation of the SBI Clerk Exam and crack it.
Exam Pattern for the SBI Clerk Exam
The SBI Clerk Exam happens in 2 stages Prelims and Mains exam. Time duration, marks, and difficulty level for both exams are different from each other.
- Mode of Exam: Online
- Number of Exams: Prelims Exam and Mains
- Duration: Prelims – 1 hour, Mains – 2 hours 40 minutes.
- Total Marks: Prelims – 100 marks, Mains – 200 Marks
SBI Clerk Exam – Prelims Pattern
There are 3 sections present in the Prelims Exam of the SBI Clerk Exam; these are as follows:
- English Language: No. of questions – 30, Marks – 30
- Quantitative Aptitude: Questions – 35, No. of Marks – 35
- Reasoning Ability: No. of questions – 35, Marks – 35
For incorrect answers, .25 will be deducted, and the correct answer will carry 1 mark.
Main Exam Pattern
There are 4 sections in the Main Exam:
- General Awareness: Total no. of questions – 50, Total Marks – 50
- General English: Total number of questions – 40, Total Marks – 40
- Quantitative Aptitude: Total no. of questions – 50, Total Marks – 50
- Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude: Total Questions – 50, Total Marks – 60
For every correct answer, 1 mark will be awarded, and .25 marks deducted for incorrect answers.
Syllabus of SBI Clerk Exam
The Syllabus for the SBI Clerk Exam is as follows:
Prelims Exam
The syllabus for prelims is of three sections, as mentioned below:
English language
The English language syllabus for the SBI clerk exam is Basic English. It is not much. One must have proper knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary. In this section, an applicant can either score very easily if practiced right or make the maximum mistakes given the grammatical errors and mistakes. The topics that include Reading Comprehension, Fill in the Blanks, Synonyms, Antonyms, Sentence Rearrangement and Correction, Idioms and Phrases, Vocabulary, and miscellaneous. If you want to improve your english writing skills, read this article.
Reasoning Ability
The Reasoning Ability section tests the candidate’s ability to solve problems and reasoning capacity. The sections check one’s knowledge and intelligence. The questions in this section can be tricky and confusing; hence, this section can take much of your time. Focus on practicing to solve the problems according to the time limit. The topics are Puzzle, Seating Arrangement, Blood Relations, Direction Test, Syllogism, Coding-Decoding, Input-Output, Statement and Assumptions, Inequality, Date efficiency, Alphanumeric series.
Quantitative Aptitude
Quantitative Aptitude is one of the toughest scoring sections in the SBI Clerk Prelims exam. This section tests your basic mathematical knowledge. The ability to calculate and solve accurately and numerical ability are a few of the skills tested here. The maximum practice is required for this section as the questions and answers in this section cannot be memorized. Only practice can help you ace this section. Topics that include are:
- Equation and Algebra, Data interpretation, work and time, Volume and Surface Area, Upstream and Downstream, Time and Distance, Simplification, Indices, Stocks and Shares, Simple Interest and Compound Interest.
- Adding to this, Sequence and Series, Ratio and Proportion, Percentage, Profit and Loss, Probability and Analogies, and Permutation and Combination.
Mains Exam
The Mains exam is a critical part of the SBI Clerk Exam as the marks of the Mains exam are the basis of merit calculation for final selection. The sections for the Mains examination are almost the same as the Prelims of the SBI Clerk Exam with the addition of the General Awareness section. For the Mains exam, there is a separate time limit if allowed for each section and candidates must prepare accordingly.
General Awareness
This section will check the General Awareness Skills of the Candidates. Candidates must be aware of all Current Affairs of India and topics related to banking. Hence it is advised to read the newspaper daily, which will keep you up to date with current affairs. Topics include Current Affairs – Sports, History, Banking, Financial Awareness, Geography, Culture, Economics, Indian Constitution. Awards and Honours, Important Abbreviations, Government Schemes, and Policies.
Some Tips and Tricks to Crack the SBI Clerk Exam
As the SBI Clerk Exam is a highly competitive exam, the preparations for the exam must be thorough and smart. One must practice hard and regularly to achieve good scores. With your hard work and the tips given below, you can even crack the SBI Clerk Exam in one attempt.
Divide your Time
The exam requires the aspirants to prepare thoroughly in order to do so; one must divide their time according to requirements for the completion and revision of the syllabus. Your time should be divided in such a way that you have time for relaxation along with your daily study quota. Also give equal time to all the sections as every section is important.
Mock Tests/ Previous Years Papers
After the completion of the syllabus, you should appear for Mock tests regularly. This Mock test gives you a general idea of the time and pattern of questions asked. You can also solve the previous year’s question papers to get a general idea of what type of questions are asked so you can prepare accordingly. They also help you know your weak spots. Mock test and Previous year’s papers you revise!! Mock tests and previous year’s papers are available online on websites like Prepp.in, Aglasem, etc.
Stay updated with Current affairs
In the SBI Clerk Exam, the main paper syllabus consists of the General Awareness section, which requires the candidates to stay updated with the current affairs of India and the world. An aspirant must read the newspaper daily and listen to current news.
conclusion
Finally, stay consistent and stay focused till the day you appear for the SBI Clerk Exam. With your hard work and thorough preparations with the tips given, you can surely crack the the exam in one attempt.
