Today was the first day of the SBI Clerk Preliminary Exam 2019. The exam is being conducted in four time slots: 2 each in the morning and evening.
A total of 100 questions had to be answered in 60 minutes. All the sections, except English Language, were available in both English and Hindi. Every correct answer will fetch 1 mark, while every incorrect answer will reduce the score by 0.25. There is sectional timing of 20 minutes.
The detailed break-up of SBI Clerk Preliminary Exam 2019 is as follows:
Section |
Total Questions |
Level of Difficulty |
Good Attempts |
Time Taken (In Minutes) |
English Language |
30 |
Easy |
20–23 |
20 |
Numerical Ability |
35 |
Easy-Moderate |
22–25 |
20 |
Reasoning Ability |
35 |
Easy |
27–30 |
20 |
Total |
100 |
Easy-Moderate |
73–80 |
60 |
Note: Section wise and overall cut-offs are not uniform for all states.
Topic |
Number of Questions |
Level of Difficulty |
Reading Comprehension (Based on University) – There were 3 questions based on Synonym/Antonym. |
10 |
Moderate |
Para-jumbles/Sentence Rearrangement |
5 |
Easy |
Sentence Improvement |
5 |
Easy |
Spot the Error – 4 bold words based (Spelling Error) |
5 |
Easy |
Fill in the blanks (Single FIB) |
5 |
Easy-Moderate |
The English Language section was more or less along the same lines as the old pattern. Questions from the RC passage were mainly factual. Three questions were from Vocabulary (Synonym and Antonym based). Overall, the level of difficulty of this section was easy.
Topic |
Number of Questions |
Level of Difficulty |
Number Series (Odd One Out Series) |
5 |
Easy |
Approximation/Simplification |
10 |
Easy |
Data Interpretation (Bar Graph) |
5 |
Moderate |
Data Interpretation (Caselet) |
5 |
Moderate |
Miscellaneous - Quant based word problems - (Time, Speed and Distance – Trains, Boats and Streams, Time and Work, Mensuration, Partnership, Ratio and Proportion, Simple Interest & Compound Interest, Percentage, Age, Mixtures & Allegation, Profit, Loss and Discount, Average etc.) |
10 |
Easy-Moderate |
There were two sets of five questions each from Data Interpretation. DI was based on Bar Graph and Caselet. The questions on Number Series were easy. The Arithmetic-based questions were primarily from Ratio and Proportion, SI & CI, Percentage, Ages, Profit, Loss & Discount, Time, Speed and Distance, Boat & Stream etc. The overall difficulty level of this section was easy-to-moderate.
Topic |
Number of Questions |
Level of Difficulty |
AR (Linear Seating Arrangement – 2 Parallel rows, facing North/South) |
5 |
Easy-Moderate |
AR (Data Arrangement –7 Box/7Floors based) |
5 |
Easy-Moderate |
AR (Data Arrangement – 7 People/7 days based) |
5 |
Easy-Moderate |
Blood Relation – Set based |
4 |
Easy-Moderate |
Alphabet/Number/Symbol based Series |
5 |
Easy |
Mathematical Inequalities |
5 |
Easy |
Alphabet/Number based |
1 |
Moderate |
Syllogism |
5 |
Easy |
There were three sets of Analytical Reasoning which are as: Two parallel rows seating arrangement, Data Arrangement (Box/Floors based) and Data Arrangement (7 People/7 days based). There were 5 questions based on syllogism. The overall difficulty level of this section was easy.
Disclaimer: All information on cut-offs, analysis, answer key, and scores are based on independent analysis and evaluation made by Career Launcher. We do not take responsibility for any decision that might be taken, based on this information.
All the Best!
Team CL