SBI Clerk Exam Survival Guide

Window: India | Prelims + Mains + LPT (as applicable)

Must-do topics

• Prelims:
  • English: RC, cloze, error spotting, fill-in-the-blanks
  • Quant: simplification, percent/ratio, SI/CI, TSD, quadratic, series, easy DI
  • Reasoning: direction sense, alpha-numeric, syllogism, inequalities, easy puzzles
• Mains: DI/caselets (moderate), arithmetic mix, tougher puzzles, GA (banking awareness + current affairs), computer aptitude basics

Top traps (avoid)

• Spending too long on one puzzle/RC; attempt spread > perfection
• Simplification: BODMAS/approx errors; unit slip-ups in TSD
• GA: ignoring banking core (RBI tools, reports, schemes)

Time split (indicative)

• Prelims: 60 min total; ~20 min per section; ~45–60 sec/Q
• Mains: weight time to DI/puzzles; keep 10–12 min for GA/computers sweep

Last-48h checklist

• Two sectional drills per area; note why wrong options looked right
• Quant sheet: %↔fraction pairs, ratio tables, TSD conversions
• Banking awareness: RBI policy, committees, financial inclusion, recent reports

Quick facts / methods

• Approx first in DI; exact only if close options
• Inequalities: compare coefficients; syllogism: quick Venn reasoning
• RC: identify author’s claim; eliminate distortions/out-of-scope

Speed tactics

• Scan, bank easy clusters, mark traps, come back
• Option-based solving for arithmetic; estimate aggressively
• Keep moving—accuracy × attempts wins

Day-of mini-plan

• 8-min warm-up: 10 simplifications + 1 micro-RC + 1 mini-puzzle
• Pace marks each 15 min; reserve 2–3 min final sweep for guesses