SBI and IBPS Clerk Prelims Mock Test 2026

The clerical cadre preliminary examination is the entry stage for Junior Associate posts at the State Bank of India and clerk posts across the IBPS member banks. The two exams share a pattern and difficulty level closely enough that a single preparation track serves both, which is why this practice set covers them together.

The paper carries 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes with sectional timing of 20 minutes each. The split is English Language 30 questions for 30 marks, Numerical Ability 35 questions for 35 marks and Reasoning Ability 35 questions for 35 marks. A quarter mark is deducted for each wrong answer.

The important distinction from the officer exams is the nature of the questions rather than the topics. Clerk papers ask a larger number of straightforward questions rather than a smaller number of complex ones. Numerical Ability leans towards simplification, approximation and basic arithmetic rather than the heavy data interpretation sets that dominate PO papers. Reasoning favours simpler puzzles, alphanumeric series and direction sense.

This changes what a good attempt looks like. In a PO paper, selecting which questions to skip is the core skill. In a clerk paper, raw speed and accuracy on questions you can all solve is what separates candidates, because far more of the paper is genuinely attemptable within the time.