SBI Clerk (Junior Associate) Cutoff 2026: State-Wise and Category-Wise Trends

Every SBI Clerk aspirant eventually asks the same question: what score is actually "safe"? The honest answer is that there's no single number SBI Clerk is one of the few major bank exams where the cutoff is calculated state-wise and category-wise, not as one national benchmark. This guide explains how the cutoff actually works, what recent trends look like, and how to use that information without falling into the trap of chasing a single "expected cutoff" figure that doesn't apply to your state.

SBI Clerk Cutoff: What It Means and Why It's State-Wise

SBI releases cutoff marks separately at two stages:

Because the final merit list is built state-wise and category-wise rather than nationally, the real comparison that matters is your own state's cutoff trend, not an all-India average. A candidate applying in Tamil Nadu should track Tamil Nadu's historical cutoffs; a candidate applying in Bihar should track Bihar's comparing across states tells you very little about your own chances.

SBI Clerk Prelims Cutoff:(General Category)

The table below shows General category Prelims cutoff marks (out of 100) from a recent completed cycle, for a representative set of states:

The spread here is significant from under 30 in Chhattisgarh to over 72 in Karnataka in the same cycle which is exactly why a single "expected cutoff" number for the whole country is close to meaningless. This is a partial list; the full state-wise and category-wise breakdown is published on the official SBI results page alongside each cycle's Prelims result.

SBI Clerk Mains Cutoff

Since Mains is scored out of 200 (roughly double the Prelims scale), Mains cutoffs naturally read as larger numbers, and they're the figures that actually determine final selection. In a recent completed cycle, the highest Unreserved (UR) category Mains cutoffs were reported around the following range:

High-competition states often those with strong educational infrastructure and a large graduate applicant base tend to post the highest Mains cutoffs cycle after cycle, while smaller states with fewer applicants relative to vacancies typically see noticeably lower figures.

Is SBI Clerk Cutoff Competition Rising?

A few directional signals point to increasing competition over recent cycles:

• SBI Clerk regularly draws an applicant pool in the range of several tens of lakhs against total vacancies typically in the range of 6,000 to 15,000 across cycles, making it one of the most heavily applied-for banking exams in the country.

• Mains cutoff trends across recent years have generally shown a steady increase rather than a decline, particularly in already-competitive states.

• Cutoffs tend to fluctuate year to year based on vacancy count as much as difficulty a year with unusually high vacancies (like 2024's total) can actually see a comparatively softer cutoff than a lower-vacancy year with the same applicant pool.

This means treating last year's cutoff as a hard target is risky in either direction: it might be too low a bar if competition rises, or unnecessarily high if vacancies increase significantly in your target state.

Category-Wise Cutoff Pattern

While exact figures shift every cycle, the relative pattern across categories tends to hold:

Remember that Mains also carries a 5% relaxation on the minimum qualifying aggregate for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD and Ex-Servicemen candidates, which works alongside not instead of the category-wise cutoff gap reflected in state-wise merit lists.

Factors That Influence the SBI Clerk Cutoff Every Year

• Vacancy count for that state and category: More vacancies relative to applicants generally lowers the cutoff, and vice versa.

• Paper difficulty: An easier paper typically pushes cutoffs higher, since more candidates score well.

• Applicant pool size in that state: States with a larger pool of graduates competing for the same posts tend to see consistently higher cutoffs.

• Normalisation across shifts: Since the exam runs across multiple shifts and days, SBI applies a normalisation process to adjust for difficulty differences between shifts, which can cause small cutoff variations.

How to Use Cutoff Data in Your Preparation

• Track your own state's cutoff history, not an all-India figure. A "safe" score in one state can be well below the cutoff in another.

• Treat recent cutoffs as a competition indicator, not a fixed target. Aim to comfortably exceed the recent trend for your state and category rather than just matching it.

• Watch vacancy announcements closely each cycle. A state with a sudden jump in vacancies may see a temporarily softer cutoff, and vice versa.

• Prioritise your aggregate Mains score over sectional obsession, since as covered in the SBI Clerk exam pattern there are no sectional cut-offs, and the state-wise Mains aggregate is what actually counts.

Practising with pattern-accurate mock tests on Testkart, and tracking your aggregate score cycle over cycle, is a more reliable way to gauge readiness than fixating on a single cutoff number pulled from a different state or year.

For Educators

Coaching institutes and educators can use Testkart to share state-specific cutoff trend analysis alongside subject-wise practice tests, helping students set realistic, state-relevant target scores instead of anchoring on a generic national "expected cutoff" figure that may not apply to their actual state and category.