The State Bank of India successfully conducted the SBI Clerk Mains examination 2025 on November 21, 2025, marking a crucial milestone in the recruitment process for Junior Associates. Thousands of aspirants across the country appeared for this highly competitive examination, which determines final selection for clerical positions in India's largest public sector bank.
Exam Pattern and Section-wise Analysis
The SBI Clerk Mains 2025 followed the standard pattern comprising four major sections: General/Financial Awareness, General English, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude. The examination carried a total of 190 marks with a time duration of 2 hours and 40 minutes.
General/Financial Awareness emerged as the most scoring section according to initial feedback from test-takers. Questions covered current affairs of the last six months, banking awareness, and financial literacy. Most candidates found this section manageable with adequate preparation.
General English presented a moderate challenge with questions spanning reading comprehension, error detection, sentence improvement, and vocabulary. The reading passages were of reasonable length, though some questions required careful analysis.
Quantitative Aptitude proved to be the most challenging section for many aspirants. Data interpretation sets were calculation-intensive, and the arithmetic problems demanded strong conceptual understanding and time management skills.
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude maintained its reputation as a time-consuming section. Puzzles and seating arrangement questions were particularly complex, while computer aptitude questions tested fundamental knowledge of hardware, software, and networking concepts.
Shift-wise Good Attempts Breakdown
Based on comprehensive analysis and candidate feedback from different examination shifts, the good attempts varied slightly across sessions. The first shift generally saw higher attempts due to relatively easier questions, while subsequent shifts presented increased difficulty levels.
For Shift 1: Candidates who attempted 135-145 questions with high accuracy stand a strong chance of clearing the examination. The General Awareness section saw the highest attempt rates, while Quantitative Aptitude recorded the lowest.
For Shift 2: The good attempt range settled between 130-140 questions. The Reasoning section proved more challenging in this shift, affecting overall attempt numbers.
For Shift 3: Similar to Shift 2, the good attempts remained in the 128-138 range. The English section showed slight variation in difficulty, with vocabulary questions being more demanding.
Experts emphasize that accuracy remains crucial despite the number of attempts, as the examination features negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer.
Expected Cut-off and Selection Process
Preliminary analysis suggests the overall cut-off for SBI Clerk Mains 2025 might range between 105-115 marks for general category candidates. However, this varies significantly across states and categories. States with higher banking penetration typically show higher cut-offs, while northeastern states and special category regions maintain relatively lower thresholds.
The final selection will be based solely on Mains examination performance, as there is no interview round for SBI Clerk recruitment. Candidates who clear the Mains will be considered for provisional allotment based on state-wise vacancies and category-based reservations.
Successful candidates will undergo local language testing as per SBI norms before final appointment. Those who fail to produce 10th or 12th standard marksheets proving proficiency in the local language of the applied state will have to undergo a language test conducted by the bank.
With results expected within 4-6 weeks, aspirants are advised to begin preparing for the local language test if required. The SBI Clerk 2025 recruitment drive aims to fill numerous vacancies across India, offering stable career opportunities in the banking sector with attractive compensation packages and growth prospects.
