SBI Clerk Exam Analysis 2026: 26 Sept Shift-Wise Review

SBI Clerk Prelims · 26 September 2026 · Shifts 1–3 covered

The SBI Clerk Prelims 2026 got underway on 26 September, and the first day has already given aspirants plenty to think about. The question types were familiar, the good attempts stayed within a tight range, and Reasoning turned out to be the most scoring section in every shift.

This analysis breaks down every shift held so far: the topics that appeared, how many questions came from each, and the number of good attempts in each section. If your exam is on 27 September, read the trends section carefully. It tells you where to spend your last few hours of revision.

75–87Overall good attempts (all shifts)

ReasoningMost scoring section in every shift

Easy–ModerateOverall difficulty so far

SBI Clerk Prelims 2026: Exam Pattern at a Glance

Before we get into the shifts, here is a quick look at the paper structure. The prelims is an online test with separate time limits for each section, so you cannot borrow time from one section to finish another.

Section	Questions	Time
English Language	30	20 minutes
Numerical Ability	35	20 minutes
Reasoning Ability	35	20 minutes
Total	100	60 minutes

Shift	Timing
Shift 1	9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Shift 2	11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Shift 3	2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Shift 4	4:30 PM to 5:30 PM

Each wrong answer costs 0.25 marks, so accuracy matters as much as speed. The exam is being held on 26 and 27 September in four shifts each day.

In all three shifts analysed below, the section order stayed the same: English first, then Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning last.

Good Attempts: Shift 1 vs Shift 2 vs Shift 3

The numbers across the three shifts are remarkably close. Overall good attempts sat in the 75 to 87 range, which tells us the papers were set at a similar level throughout the day.

Section	Shift 1	Shift 2	Shift 3
English Language	23–27	23–27	23–26
Numerical Ability	22–26	22–26	23–27
Reasoning Ability	30–33	28–32	30–34
Overall	75–86	75–86	76–87

Reasoning carried the highest good attempts in every shift. English and Quant sat close together at the lower end, with neither crossing 27 in any shift.

Shift 1 · 9:00 AMEasy to Moderate

SBI Clerk Shift 1 Exam Analysis (26 September)

Candidates who appeared in the morning slot described the paper as easy to moderate. Reasoning in this shift leaned heavily on puzzles, while Quant was dominated by simplification.

English Language: Shift 1

Good attempts 23–27

Topic	Questions
Reading Comprehension passage on a cricket career; synonym/antonym words: missed, stayed	9
Error Spotting	4
Word Swap	4
Single Fillers	5
Sentence Improvement	3
Parajumbles (A to E)	5
Total	30

The reading comprehension passage was built around a cricket career and carried nine questions, so a calm first read paid off. Grammar-based questions — error spotting, word swap, and sentence improvement — together accounted for 11 questions.

Numerical Ability: Shift 1

Good attempts 22–26

Topic	Questions
Table DI marks of four persons in Economics and History	5
Line Graph DI male and female, difference-based	5
Simplification	15
Application Sums	10
Total	35

Simplification dominated this section with 15 questions — nearly half the paper. Candidates with strong calculation speed had a clear edge here. The two DI sets, one table-based and one line graph, added 10 more questions.

Reasoning Ability: Shift 1

Good attempts 30–33

Topic	Questions
Linear Seating Arrangement uncertain number of persons	4
Month-with-Date Puzzle 4 months, 2 dates	5
Sequence Puzzle 8 persons	5
Floor Puzzle 8 floors	5
Direction Sense	3
Inequality	3
Syllogism	3
Alphabet Series	4
Miscellaneous number-based, number pair, and odd one out: 1 each	3
Total	35

Puzzles and seating arrangements together made up 19 of the 35 questions. The three puzzles alone carried 15 marks, making puzzle-solving speed the single biggest factor in this section.

Shift 2 · 11:30 AMEasy

SBI Clerk Shift 2 Exam Analysis (26 September)

The second shift was rated easy by candidates. The overall pattern mirrored Shift 1, but the question distribution shifted in a few important places.

English Language: Shift 2

Good attempts 23–27

Topic	Questions
Reading Comprehension passage on a lemon juice shop and bees; synonym/antonym words: stand, running	10
Jumbled Sentences	5
Error Spotting	3
Fillers	4
Phrase Replacement	3
Word Swap	2
Word Usage pound, growth	2
Match the Column	1
Total	30

This paper offered more variety than the morning one. Word usage and match the column appeared for the first time on the day, while reading comprehension grew to 10 questions.

Numerical Ability: Shift 2

Good attempts 22–26

Topic	Questions
Table DI number of books and magazines over 4 days	5
Bar Graph DI laptops sold by 4 shops	4
Simplification	10
Missing Number Series	2
Application Sums	14
Total	35

Here is the biggest change from Shift 1. Simplification dropped from 15 to 10 questions, while application sums rose from 10 to 14. A small missing number series set also appeared. The section rewarded candidates who had practised word problems, not just calculations.

Reasoning Ability: Shift 2

Good attempts 28–32

Topic	Questions
Linear Seating Arrangement certain number of persons, facing north	3
Square Seating Arrangement corners facing inside, middles facing outside	5
Month-with-Date Puzzle 4 months, 2 dates	5
Sequence Puzzle 8 persons	5
Blood Relation	3
Inequality	3
Syllogism	3
Alphanumeric Series	5
Miscellaneous	3
Total	35

Seating arrangements doubled from 4 to 8 questions, with a square arrangement making its first appearance. The floor puzzle from Shift 1 was dropped, and blood relation replaced direction sense.

Shift 3 · 2:00 PMHighest attempts of the day

SBI Clerk Shift 3 Exam Analysis (26 September)

The afternoon shift delivered the highest overall good attempts of the day at 76 to 87. Reasoning attempts climbed to 30 to 34, and Quant attempts also edged up to 23 to 27.

English Language: Shift 3

Good attempts 23–26

Topic	Questions
Reading Comprehension passage on a festival in a country; synonym/antonym words: deep, turn	8
Jumbled Sentences (A to E)	5
Cloze Test (A to F)	6
Error Spotting	4
Phrase Replacement	3
Misspelt Word	3
Match the Column	1
Total	30

A six-question cloze test and a misspelt word set were the new additions in this shift. Reading comprehension shrank to eight questions, the lowest of the day.

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Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability — update pending.
The topic-wise breakdown of the Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability sections for Shift 3 was not available at the time of writing. We will add it here once it is compiled.

Shift 4 · 4:30 PM

SBI Clerk Shift 4 Exam Analysis (26 September)

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Update pending.
The fourth and final shift of the day was scheduled from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Its section-wise analysis and good attempts will be updated on this page once candidate feedback is compiled.

Key Trends from 26 September

Looking at the shifts side by side, a few patterns stand out clearly.

1Puzzles repeat.

The month-with-date puzzle (4 months, 2 dates) and the 8-person sequence puzzle appeared in both Shift 1 and Shift 2, each carrying 5 questions.

2Reasoning is the scoring section.

It had the highest good attempts in all three shifts, touching 34 in Shift 3.

3Quant swings between calculation and application.

Simplification ranged from 10 to 15 questions, and application sums from 10 to 14. You need to be ready for both.

4DI stays at 9 to 10 questions.

Both Quant papers analysed had two DI sets, including a table DI in each.

5Reading comprehension is always heavy.

RC carried 8 to 10 questions in every shift, each with synonym or antonym questions drawn from the passage.

6Syllogism and inequality are fixed.

Both appeared with exactly 3 questions in Shift 1 and Shift 2.

What This Means for 27 September Candidates

The papers so far have not thrown any surprises in terms of topics. What changed from shift to shift was the weight given to each area. That makes balanced preparation more useful than betting on one or two favourite topics.

Reasoning

Spend your final revision on month-date and sequence puzzles, along with seating arrangements, including the square format.

Quant

Warm up with a round of simplification and then shift to application sums.

English

Practise one full reading comprehension passage with a timer so that the 8 to 10 RC questions do not eat into your 20 minutes.

Above all, keep the negative marking in mind. With good attempts in the 75 to 87 range so far, accuracy on the questions you choose will matter more than the number you touch.

Free Courses to Keep Your Prep Going

Reading comprehension carried 8 to 10 questions in every shift, and the Mains adds General and Financial Awareness. These courses cover both, and they are all free. Just apply the coupon shown on each card.

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