Checked 3 October 2026. Marks formulas and vacancy numbers are re-set each cycle by the bank’s Board. Bank of India’s latest round (813 vacancies, test 04.10.2026) is not yet resulted; Bank of Baroda’s circular leaves its vacancy number "to be informed"; Bank of Maharashtra’s policy is from 2024.
"Seniority" and "merit" are channels, not shortcuts. In the five bank circulars we read, even the seniority channel needs a test, and at Bank of Maharashtra it is the interview, worth 50 of 75 marks, that decides a seniority-channel list. A merit channel is not a pure exam either: service, qualification and, in one bank, confidential reports are added to the test. This guide shows the exact formula each bank printed, so you can see how your service years, IIBF certificates and test marks turn into a rank.
Where a bank prints its vacancy number, we give it. Union Bank’s 2025-26 process covered 835 vacancies through two channels; Bank of India announced 813 for its August 2026 round and 983 for September 2025. Bank of Baroda and PNB print no number in their circulars. The bank circulars quoted here are the banks’ own staff documents. None of them is on a bank’s public careers page, so we read them in copies hosted by exam-preparation sites and name the host in the source list. Check the current circular on your own bank’s HR portal before you act.
Union Bank: staff circular of 03.02.2026 (487 + 348 = 835, our sum agrees with the circular). Bank of India: circulars of 13.08.2026 and 06.09.2025. Bank of Maharashtra: Award Staff Promotion Policy.
How each bank builds the list
| Bank and channel | Stages | Marks that decide the list (as printed) | Tie-break or special rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of Baroda, All India | Online test, then interview | Test 60 (minimum 28); interview 25. The circular prints no weight for service or qualification | Channel option is irrevocable for the exercise |
| Bank of Baroda, Seniority | Online test, then interview | Test 50 (minimum 20); interview 20 | Retained in the zone ordinarily for 3 years after promotion |
| Union Bank, State Services (Seniority cum Merit) | Seniority-cum-weightage shortlist of twice the vacancies per State and category, then one 100-mark test | Test qualifying at 35% (30% SC/ST/PwD); the final formula is in the policy, not the circular | Vacancies are State-wise: 487 across 27 State-wise rows (Maharashtra is split into two) |
| Union Bank, All India Services (Merit) | Online test in four subjects, then interview | Banking, CBS/IT and Commercial Law or Accountancy 100 each (English qualifying only); up to 25 for service, rural service and qualifications; interview 20, no minimum | 348 vacancies: 52 SC, 26 ST, 270 unreserved |
| Punjab National Bank, Selectivity | Online test with a qualifying mark in each paper, then marks for qualification and service | Aggregate of test, qualification (maximum 25) and service (maximum 25). The circular does not print the test’s weight in the aggregate | Qualifying 40% in each paper (30% SC/ST); one year’s probation |
| Bank of India | One online test; no interview | Service 20 + qualifications 15 + test 65 = 100; test bar 22.00 of 65 (18.75 SC/ST/PwD) | Equal marks: seniority as full-time clerk, then date of birth (older ranks higher) |
| Bank of Maharashtra, Merit | Written test, then interview of candidates in the ratio 1:3 | Service 5 + qualifications 10 + confidential reports 5 + written test 160 + interview 20 = 200 | Equal marks: seniority, then written-test marks |
| Bank of Maharashtra, Seniority | Written test (qualifying only), then interview in the ratio 1:3 | Service 10 + qualifications 10 + confidential reports 5 + interview 50 = 75 | Equal marks: seniority, then interview marks, then first name alphabetically |
Where a bank’s circular prints no weight, the weight is set in the settlement or policy it cites and we do not guess it.
Union Bank adds separate marks for rural service (2 a year, maximum 10), not charted. Bank of Maharashtra counts service in blocks of three years by rural or other branch and is left out.
Bank of India: turn your service, IIBF and test marks into a total
Bank of India marks calculator (100 marks)
This applies Bank of India’s own formula from its 13.08.2026 notice and no other bank’s. Enter your completed years of service, tick your qualifications and enter the test marks you expect out of 65.
Our arithmetic from the printed formula. Qualification marks are added and capped at 15; CAIIB’s 10 includes the JAIIB marks, so only one of the two IIBF rows is used. Ranking depends on every other candidate’s total and the vacancies; the notice prints no past cut-off.
| Worked example (our arithmetic) | Service | Qualifications | Test | Total of 100 | Ranked? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graduate, 5 years, no IIBF, test 40 | 5 | 3 | 40 | 48 | Yes |
| Graduate with JAIIB, 10 years, test 40 | 10 | 8 | 40 | 58 | Yes |
| Graduate with CAIIB and a postgraduate degree, 20 years, test 45 | 20 | 15 | 45 | 80 | Yes |
| Graduate, 12 years, no IIBF, test 21.5 (below the bar) | 12 | 3 | 21.5 | 36.50 | No: below 22.00 |
Examples assume General category (bar 22.00), no CA or CFA, and no PG unless stated. The notice prints no past cut-off, so a total cannot be turned into a likely place.
Vacancies: who gets how many
| Bank | What the document says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of Maharashtra | At least 25% of JMGS-I vacancies are filled by promotion from the clerical cadre. Normally 75% through the Merit channel and 25% through Seniority; vacancies one channel cannot fill go to the other | Award Staff Promotion Policy, 1.1 |
| Union Bank of India | 835 vacancies in 2025-26: 487 State Services (Seniority cum Merit) and 348 All India Services (Merit), with State-wise tables for the first | Staff circular 03.02.2026, Annexure I |
| Bank of India | 813 vacancies approved by the Board on 28.11.2025 (August 2026 notice) and 983 approved on 17.12.2024 (September 2025 notice). The management may promote fewer if the response is lower | Circulars of 13.08.2026 and 06.09.2025 |
| Bank of Baroda | Number of vacancies "shall be informed in due course" | Circular of 21.10.2025 |
| Punjab National Bank | No vacancy number printed | HRMD circular 859 of 12.11.2025 |
Reservation follows Government guidelines in every circular: SC, ST and persons with benchmark disabilities. Bank of Maharashtra’s policy prints the 4% disability reservation in promotion from clerical to officer and its split across four disability groups, and says reservation applies where direct recruitment into the cadre does not exceed 75%. At Bank of India a reserved-category candidate who is promoted on his or her own merit takes an unreserved point in the roster and is not counted against the reserved vacancies.
After selection: posting, probation, waiting lists
| Bank | Posting | Probation, waiting list and reversion |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of Baroda | Seniority channel: retained in the zone ordinarily for 3 years. All India channel: liable to transfer anywhere in India | Reversion at own request within 12 months, then ineligible for two exercises; refusing the offer bars the next two exercises |
| Bank of India | You name one preferred zone; allotment follows merit rank, else anywhere in India. A promotee is not retained in the same branch or office (except visually handicapped) | Probation one year, lien as a clerk for one year. Waiting list 10% of each category’s promotees, valid until one year from promotion or the next notice, whichever is earlier |
| Bank of Maharashtra | Not stated in the promotion policy | Probation one year, confirmation order within 90 days after it. Waiting list 5% of each category’s vacancies, valid for one year. Voluntary reversion within 3 months |
| Punjab National Bank | Not stated in the circular | Probation one year |
| Union Bank of India | Not stated in the circular | Not stated in the circular |
One point in Bank of India’s notice is worth reading twice: a place on the merit list "does not by itself mean that a candidate is selected for promotion"; selection happens when the bank issues the letter of offer. Bank of Maharashtra’s policy likewise treats an offer not accepted within the stipulated date as a lack of interest, and a conditional acceptance as a refusal.
Where other pages get this wrong
PNB’s promotion selection is not "60% written test, 20% interview and 20% service record".
Commonly published instead: A written test (60%), an interview (20%) and a service record (20%), with 5 bonus marks for JAIIB, as summarised on one third-party index page.
PNB’s circular 859 of 12.11.2025 prints two online papers with a qualifying mark in each (40%, or 30% for SC/ST), no interview, qualification marks of up to 25 (JAIIB or CAIIB Part I 6, CAIIB Part II 9) and service marks of up to 25 (1 a year to 10 years, 1.5 a year beyond). It does not print the test’s weight in the final aggregate.
The seniority channel is not automatic promotion
- Bank of Baroda’s Seniority channel needs 20 of 50 in the online test and then an interview of 20 marks.
- Union Bank’s State Services channel shortlists on seniority-cum-weightage and then tests.
- Bank of Maharashtra’s Seniority channel marks are service 10, qualifications 10, reports 5 and interview 50.
- In none of the circulars is promotion granted on years served alone.
Our reading of the circulars.
Practise it, don't just read it
Bank of India’s formula gives 65 of its 100 marks to one banking and banking-law test, so the paper decides most of a rank there. Practise the law and regulation topics it names.
Five practice quizzes of ten questions each are live: Banker-Customer Relationship and Deposits, Negotiable Instruments Act and Cheques, KYC and Anti-Money Laundering, Priority Sector Lending, and Loans, Securities and NPAs. Every answer carries an explanation.
Eligibility for each channel is in the eligibility guide; what the test covers is in the exam pattern and syllabus guide; what a promoted officer is paid is in the pay guide.
More in this series
- Eligibility by bank: years, JAIIB/CAIIB, age
- Exam pattern and syllabus by bank
- Officer pay after promotion: Scale I, DA and allowances
- Preparation: banking law, KYC, PSL and NPAs
- SBI clerk to officer promotion (Trainee Officer / JMGS-I): what is public
- Bank promotion Scale I to Scale II: cycles we could source
- Bank promotion Scale II to Scale III: cycles we could source
- JAIIB and CAIIB increments and PQP: pay calculator
- JAIIB and CAIIB syllabus: every paper and module on one map
- Alerts and updates for JAIIB / CAIIB (IIBF)
What is the difference between merit and seniority channels in bank promotion?
In the circulars we read, the merit (or All India) channel needs fewer years of service and ranks candidates mainly on test marks. The seniority channel needs about 12 years at Bank of Baroda and Bank of Maharashtra and still involves a test and an interview; at Bank of Maharashtra the test is only qualifying and the interview carries 50 of 75 marks.
How many marks does Bank of India give for service and qualifications?
A completed year of service earns 1 mark up to 20. Qualifications earn up to 15: graduate 3, JAIIB or CAIIB Part I 5, CAIIB 10 (including the JAIIB marks), CA, ICWA, CFA or CS 10, postgraduate, double graduate or MBA 2. The written test carries 65 and must be at least 22.00 (18.75 for SC/ST/PwD) to be ranked.
Is there an interview in the Bank of India promotion?
No interview is printed in its 2025 or 2026 notices; the 100 marks are service, qualifications and the written test.
How many vacancies are there for clerk to officer promotion?
It depends on the bank and the year: Union Bank 835 (2025-26), Bank of India 813 (August 2026 notice) and 983 (September 2025 notice). Bank of Baroda’s circular says the number will be informed later, and PNB’s circular prints none.
Do reserved categories get any relaxation?
All five circulars apply Government guidelines for SC, ST and persons with benchmark disabilities. Specific lower qualifying marks are printed: Bank of India 18.75 against 22.00, PNB 30% against 40% per paper, Union Bank 30% against 35%, Bank of Maharashtra 45% against 50% in the written test.
Can I be posted anywhere after promotion?
Often yes. Bank of Baroda’s All India channel and Bank of India post candidates anywhere in India if their rank does not win the preferred zone. Bank of Baroda’s Seniority channel retains promotees in the zone ordinarily for 3 years.
Sources
- reported — Bank of Baroda circular HO:BR:117:239 of 21.10.2025 with its Notice (Annexure I) and application guide: promotion from Clerical to Officers’ cadre in JMG/Scale I, 2026-27 (full text of the bank’s own circular; copy hosted by Adda247)
- reported — Union Bank of India Staff Circular 101648-2026 of 03.02.2026: Promotion Process from Clerical to Officer Cadre (JMGS-I) 2025-26, with Annexures I-III (full text of the bank’s own circular; copy hosted by BankersAdda)
- reported — Punjab National Bank HRMD Circular No. 859/2025 of 12.11.2025: Selection of Officers in JMG Scale-I from Clerical Cadre 2026-27 (Selectivity Channel) (full text of the bank’s own circular, marked internal; copy hosted by Adda247)
- reported — Bank of India Circular letter 2026-27/029 (Ref HO:HR:PROM:108) of 13.08.2026 with Notice of 13.08.2026: Promotion from Clerical Cadre to General Banking Officers’ Cadre, JMGS-I (full text of the bank’s own circular; copy hosted by BankersAdda)
- reported — Bank of India Circular letter 2025-26/039 (Ref HO:HR:PROM:141) of 06.09.2025 with Notice of 06.09.2025: same promotion, 983 vacancies, test 12.10.2025 (full text; copy hosted by Adda247)
- reported — Bank of Maharashtra circular AX-1/HRM/BM/RP/Cir_72/2024-25 of 28.08.2024 with the Award Staff Promotion Policy approved by its Board on 07.06.2024 (clerical to officer cadre, JMGS-I) (full text of the bank’s own policy; copy hosted by BankersAdda)
- reported — Bankopedia, "Bank promotion" index page (one-line summaries per bank; shown only where we contradict it)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
