Bank Exam Eligibility 2026: Who Takes the English Section

There is no separate eligibility for the English section of bank exams. If you are eligible for IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, IBPS RRB, SBI PO, SBI Clerk, RBI Assistant or RBI Grade B, you will sit its English test, and you will need to clear it to be selected. What changes from exam to exam is the age limit, the qualification rule, the reference date and whether English is only a qualifying hurdle or also counted in your final merit.

This page brings together the eligibility conditions from the 2026 notifications so you can see which bank exams you can apply for and how English affects each one. It also covers the language tests, attempt limits and other conditions that catch candidates out. Always confirm the rules in the official notification of the exam you are applying for, because each one sets its own dates.

Bank Exam Eligibility at a Glance

Educational Qualification

All the main banking exams accept a bachelor's degree in any discipline from a university recognised by the Government of India, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government. The differences lie in when you must hold the degree and whether a minimum percentage applies.

When you must be a graduate

• IBPS exams: You must be a graduate on the day you register and hold a valid mark sheet or degree certificate. You enter your graduation percentage while applying.

• SBI PO: Final-year or final-semester students may apply provisionally, but must show proof of passing by 30 September 2026 if called for interview.

• SBI Clerk: Final-year students may also apply provisionally, with proof of passing by 31 December 2026 if provisionally selected.

• RBI exams: Eligibility is checked as on the date in the advertisement (1 February 2026 for Assistant, 1 April 2026 for Grade B).

Minimum percentage

IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, IBPS RRB Office Assistant and Officer Scale I, SBI PO and SBI Clerk do not set a minimum graduation percentage. RBI does. RBI Assistant needs 50% in aggregate (pass class for SC, ST and PwBD), and RBI Grade B General needs 60% in graduation or 55% in post-graduation, with relaxation for reserved categories as stated in the advertisement.

Percentage and CGPA conversion

IBPS calculates the percentage by dividing total marks in all subjects across all years or semesters by the aggregate maximum marks, and ignores fractions, so 59.99% is treated as less than 60%. If your university awards CGPA, you must convert it using the university's own conversion rule and show proof at document verification. RBI gives its own conversion table for grade points in each advertisement.

Age Limit and Relaxation

Age limits run from 18 years (IBPS RRB) to 30 years (IBPS PO, SBI PO, RBI Grade B, RRB Officer Scale I). Each exam counts age on its own date, so a candidate eligible for one exam can be over-age for another in the same year.

The same pattern of SC, ST, OBC and PwBD relaxation applies in the other exams, with extra provisions in some (for example, widows and divorced women, trained SBI apprentices and RBI staff). Read the relaxation table in your exam's notification, because cumulative relaxation is allowed only in limited combinations.

Who Needs English and How It Counts

For every exam below, the English test is set only in English. The table shows whether you must clear a separate English cut-off and whether English marks reach your final merit.

If English is your weaker subject, this table matters when you choose exams. IBPS RRB lets you avoid English entirely, SBI Clerk has no English minimum, while IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk and RBI Assistant require you to clear English at both stages.

Nationality and Other Conditions

• Nationality: Indian citizens, plus subjects of Nepal or Bhutan and certain other categories as listed in each notification, subject to a certificate of eligibility where required.

• Local language: IBPS Clerk, IBPS RRB and SBI Clerk require proficiency in the official or local language of the state you apply for. IBPS Clerk and SBI Clerk test it after mains unless you show a mark sheet proving you studied it (class 10 or above for IBPS Clerk, class 10 or 12 for SBI). RBI Assistant holds a mandatory Language Proficiency Test.

• Computer knowledge: IBPS Clerk asks for operating and working knowledge of computers, and RBI Assistant asks for knowledge of word processing.

• Attempts: SBI PO allows 6 attempts for UR and EWS, 9 for OBC candidates and for UR or EWS candidates with disabilities, and no limit for SC and ST; only an appearance in mains counts. RBI Grade B bars General and EWS candidates who have already taken Phase I six times.

• Credit history: SBI requires candidates with adverse CIBIL records to clear dues or produce no-dues proof by the date of joining.

Eligibility Checklist Before You Apply

1. Check the reference date: Note the date on which your age and qualification are counted in that notification, and work out your age on that exact date.

2. Confirm your degree status: For IBPS, your result must be declared before you register. For SBI, decide whether you can produce proof of passing by the stated deadline.

3. Calculate your percentage correctly: Use total marks across all years, not only final-year marks, and keep the university's CGPA conversion rule ready if it applies.

4. Pick your state carefully: In clerical and RRB recruitment, your state decides the local language you must know and the vacancies you compete for.

5. Check attempts and category proof: Count your previous SBI PO mains or RBI Grade B Phase I appearances, and make sure caste, EWS or disability certificates are in the required format and validity period.

6. Choose the English or Hindi option early: For IBPS RRB, decide which language test you will take in mains before you start preparing, and follow the call letter instructions on how the choice is recorded.

Who Is Not Eligible

• Graduates after the cut-off date: For IBPS, a degree result that comes after registration makes you ineligible for that cycle.

• Rounded-up percentages: A 59.99% graduate does not meet a 60% rule, which matters for RBI Grade B.

• Over-age candidates: Age is counted on the notification's date, not on the exam date.

• Candidates who exhausted attempts: Applies to SBI PO and RBI Grade B as above.

• Candidates without the local language: Failing the language test in clerical and RBI Assistant recruitment means no appointment, regardless of English or mains score.

Fees and Documents

Application fees in 2026 were Rs. 850 (inclusive of GST) for general candidates in IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk and IBPS RRB, and Rs. 175 for SC, ST and PwBD candidates (ex-servicemen also pay Rs. 175 in IBPS Clerk and RRB Office Assistant). SBI PO charged Rs. 750 for general, EWS and OBC candidates and nothing for SC, ST and PwBD. Keep your graduation mark sheets, category and disability certificates, and photo identity proof ready, as they are checked at the interview, language test or joining stage.

Preparing Once You Know You Are Eligible

Most graduates aged 21 to 28 qualify for several of these exams at once, so plan English preparation that serves all of them.Verify every rule against the official notification on ibps.in, the SBI careers page or Opportunities@RBI.