SBI Clerk Admit Card 2026: Junior Associate Prelims Call Letter Out, 7,680 Posts, Exam Pattern

State Bank of India has put the preliminary examination call letter for Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales) recruitment online. The recruitment runs under advertisement CRPD/CR/2026-27/17 and covers 7,680 regular clerical vacancies across 24 States and UTs. The call letter is downloaded with the registration number and password or date of birth. The prelims is a one hour online test of 100 marks; the main exam follows, tentatively in November 2026.

SBI Junior Associate prelims call letter at a glance

Important dates for this recruitment

The advertisement gives months, not fixed dates, for both exams. Your own exam date, reporting time and centre are printed only on your call letter, which is why the "Acquaint Yourself" booklet asks every candidate to note the roll number, date, reporting time and venue from it first.

How to download the SBI Clerk prelims call letter

1. Open the SBI careers page and go to "Recruitment of Junior Associates (Customer Support & Sales)", advertisement CRPD/CR/2026-27/17.
2. Click "Download Preliminary Examination Call Letter". It opens the IBPS login page used for this recruitment.
3. Enter your registration number and your password or date of birth, then submit.
4. Check your name, roll number, photograph, exam date, reporting time and venue address on the call letter.
5. Print it. Download the "Acquaint Yourself" booklet from the same block on the careers page; it is issued along with the call letter.
6. If you asked for a scribe, fill the online scribe declaration form through the link sent in the exam intimation email, download it and carry a printout.

For trouble with the call letter, the advertisement lists the helpdesk number 022-22820427 (11:00 AM to 05:00 PM on bank working days) and the grievance portal cgrs.ibps.in. Mention "Recruitment of Junior Associate-2026" in the subject of any email.

What to carry to the exam centre

The booklet is strict on this, and a missing item means you will not be allowed to sit the test:

• The printed call letter with a recent passport size photograph firmly pasted on it. It must be the same photograph you uploaded in the online application.
• Two more copies of that same photograph.
• One photo identity proof in original plus a photocopy: passport, Aadhaar, PAN card, driving licence, voter card, bank passbook with attested photograph, or an identity card from a school, college or gazetted officer on official letterhead.
• Glue for pasting photos and a blue ink stamp pad for the left thumb impression on the attendance sheets.
• A ball point pen.
• The scribe declaration form, if you use a scribe, and the medical certificate required under OM F. No. 29-6/2019-DD-III dated 10.08.2022.

Sign the call letter only in front of the invigilator. A signature in capital letters is not accepted, and it must match the one you uploaded. Calculators, phones, smart watches, books and notes are not allowed inside. The advertisement also suggests keeping at least 8 copies of the uploaded photograph, as later stages will need them.

Keep the prelims call letter after the exam. It is not collected at the venue; the staff stamp it and the copy of your ID proof. Those called for the main exam must bring this stamped call letter along with the main exam call letter.

SBI Clerk prelims exam pattern 2026

Each section has its own timer. Every question has five options. A wrong answer costs 1/4 of the marks of that question. There is no minimum qualifying mark for any section or for the total, and section-wise marks are not kept. About 10 times the vacancies in each category, subject to availability, are shortlisted for the main exam in descending order of aggregate marks.

English Language is in English only. The other two sections appear in English, Hindi and the regional language listed for your State. A few examples from the booklet's list: Odisha gets English, Hindi and Odia; Telangana gets English, Hindi, Telugu and Urdu; Assam gets English, Hindi, Assamese and Bengali; Gujarat gets English, Hindi and Gujarati.

Inside the online test

You log in with the user ID and password printed on the call letter, confirm your profile, read the instructions and tick the box before "I am ready to begin" is enabled. Use "Save & Next" after each answer, because an option you click is not saved without it. "Clear Response" removes an answer. An answer marked for review is still evaluated. You cannot submit early, and touching keyboard keys once the test starts locks the exam.

Main exam pattern (Phase II)

The main exam also has a 1/4 mark penalty for wrong answers. Candidates need a minimum aggregate percentage decided by the bank, with 5% relaxation for SC, ST, OBC, PwBD, XS and DXS. Prelims marks are not added to the final merit; only main exam marks count. Trained SBI apprentices get a bonus of 2.5% of the maximum, that is 5 marks out of 200, if their engagement began on or after 01.01.2022 and they completed one year of branch experience by 31.08.2026.

Selection procedure, and is there an interview?

There is no interview in this recruitment. Selection has three parts:

1. Online preliminary exam (100 marks), used only for shortlisting.
2. Online main exam (200 marks). Merit lists are drawn State-wise and category-wise.
3. Test of the specified opted local language, after provisional selection and before joining. Those who show a class 10 or 12 mark sheet with that language are exempt. The Local Language Proficiency Test has a non-verbal part (objective and subjective, 15 marks each) and a verbal test of 20 marks.

A wait list of up to 50% of vacancies (State and category wise) will be kept for one year from the final result, and candidates from it are released quarterly against non-joining and resignations.

State-wise regular vacancies and local language

Apart from these, the table lists backlog vacancies: 287 for SC, ST and OBC, 355 for PwBD and 1,444 for ex-servicemen. They are net of the posts in the separate special drive, advertisement CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16. The bank says all figures are provisional and may change with its actual requirement.

Reservation within the vacancies

PwBD, XS and DXS reservation is horizontal and sits inside the parent categories. Of the total vacancies, 4.5% go to disabled ex-servicemen and dependents of servicemen killed in action, on top of 10% for ex-servicemen (14.50% in all). PwBD candidates have 4% horizontal reservation under section 34 of the RPWD Act, 2016. OBC reservation is for the non-creamy layer only, with a certificate issued on or after 01.04.2026. EWS candidates need an Income and Asset Certificate for financial year 2025-26, valid for 2026-27.

Eligibility and age limit recap

These rules are checked at joining, not at the exam, so a call letter does not confirm you are eligible.

• Qualification: graduation in any discipline, passed on or before 31.12.2026. Final year students could apply provisionally but must show proof of passing by that date. Integrated dual degree holders must have passed by the same date.
• Age: 20 to 28 years as on 01.04.2026, so born between 02.04.1998 and 01.04.2006.
• Upper age relaxation: OBC 3 years, SC/ST 5 years, PwBD (General/EWS) 10 years, PwBD (OBC) 13 years, PwBD (SC/ST) 15 years. Widows and divorced women get 7 years, subject to a ceiling of 35 years for General/EWS, 38 for OBC and 40 for SC/ST.
• Not eligible: existing SBI clerical staff, and former SBI clerical staff who resigned.

Pay scale for SBI Junior Associate

The pay scale is Rs 24,050-1,340/3-28,070-1,650/3-33,020-2,000/4-41,020-2,340/7-57,400-4,400/1-61,800-2,680/1-64,480. Graduates start at a basic pay of Rs 26,730, which is Rs 24,050 plus two advance increments. The bank puts total starting emoluments at around Rs 46,000 a month at a metro like Mumbai, including DA and other allowances. Probation is at least 6 months, and e-lessons must be completed during it.

Pre-examination training (PET)

SBI arranges free pre-examination training for SC, ST, OBC, ex-servicemen and PwBD candidates who chose it in the online application. The training is online. Those who opted in log in from the bank's website with their registration number and date of birth. The schedule is sent by email and SMS to the registered contacts, and no hard copies are posted. The careers page carries a separate "Pre-Examination Training Materials" link for this recruitment.

Application fee already paid

The fee was Rs 750 for General, OBC and EWS candidates and nil for SC, ST, PwBD, XS and DXS. It is not refunded and cannot be carried over to another exam.

Points to check on your call letter

• Your State is fixed. You compete only for the State you applied for, and the language test is held at a centre in that State at your own cost.
• There is no inter-State or inter-circle transfer for 5 years, so the State on the call letter is where you will work if selected.
• Biometric data (thumb or iris) may be captured at several stages. Avoid mehandi, ink or chemicals on your hands.
• Requests to change the exam centre, date or session are not accepted.
• No travelling allowance is paid for the exam.

Official links

• Download prelims call letter (SBI login page)
• Acquaint Yourself booklet for the prelims (English PDF)
• Detailed advertisement CRPD/CR/2026-27/17 (English PDF)
• SBI careers: current openings

FAQs

Will SBI post the call letter to my address?

No. The advertisement states that no hard copy of the prelims or main call letter or the booklet will be sent by post.

Is there a sectional cut-off in the prelims?

No. The booklet says no minimum qualifying marks are prescribed for individual tests or the aggregate; shortlisting is on aggregate marks.

Do prelims marks count in the final merit list?

No. Only the aggregate of the main examination is used for the final merit list.

I studied the local language in class 10. Do I take the language test?

No. A class 10 or 12 mark sheet or certificate showing that language exempts you from the test.