IBPS Clerk vs SBI Clerk 2026: Pattern, Seats, Fee, Pay and Lists

Side by side

The two Prelims have the same three tests with the same counts and timings: English Language 30 questions, Numerical Ability 35 and Reasoning Ability 35, twenty minutes each. The difference is in how they are cut. IBPS requires a cut-off in each test before looking at the total. SBI says no minimum is prescribed for an individual test or the aggregate and shortlists about ten times the state-wise, category-wise vacancies on the aggregate. A weak English score can end an IBPS attempt on its own; in SBI it only costs its share of the total.

The Mains, test by test

English is identical in both: 40 questions, 40 marks, 35 minutes. The general awareness test is where they part most. IBPS asks 40 questions in 20 minutes, 30 seconds each, for 50 marks in total; the CSA-XVI notification does not give the value of each question (in CSA-XV, 10 were worth two marks and 30 one). SBI asks 50 questions in 35 minutes for 50 marks. The IBPS paper is shorter overall but faster in its opening test, and because IBPS sets a minimum in every test, a poor General/Financial Awareness score can sink an otherwise strong IBPS Mains. SBI only looks at the aggregate.

SBI names its fourth Main test “Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude”. IBPS CSA-XVI has no separately named Computer Aptitude section; its test is “Reasoning Ability”, and computer literacy is an eligibility condition. Do not read that as permission to skip computers for IBPS: the CSA-XV Mains handout describes the Reasoning test as judging “aptitude/ knowledge for working with computer”, and IBPS publishes no topic-level syllabus that rules computer questions out.

SBI’s 2025-26 Main “Acquaint Yourself” booklet said that a fractional total penalty in a test is rounded to the nearest integer; the 2026-27 advertisement does not repeat it, and the 2026-27 Main booklet was not out on 29 September 2026. IBPS converts the Mains total to a score out of 100 with two decimals, which is why its cut-offs are printed with two decimals.

The 2026-27 calendar

For a candidate in both clerical recruitments, the order is SBI Prelims in late September, IBPS Prelims on 10 and 11 October, SBI Main tentatively in November, and IBPS Mains on 27 December. The SBI Main falls in the gap between the IBPS Prelims and Mains, so the two Mains preparations overlap. Candidates also sitting RRB Office Assistant have its Prelims between the IBPS Clerk Prelims and Mains.

Seats by state

SBI prints regular seats for 24 States/UTs in 2026-27. Eleven of the 36 rows in our table have no SBI regular seats this year, including Bihar, Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala; several of them do have seats in SBI’s SC/ST/OBC special drive. (Our table combines Dadra & Nagar Haveli, 18, and Daman & Diu, 7, which IBPS prints as two rows; SBI has neither as a separate row.) The regular advertisement also carries 287 SC/ST/OBC backlog seats, net of the special drive, concentrated in Chhattisgarh (101), Maharashtra (91) and Arunachal Pradesh (32). The table below maps SBI’s figures onto our rows.

The overlap matters for state choice. A candidate in Maharashtra has 1,062 IBPS seats and 1,718 SBI regular seats; one in Bihar has 491 IBPS seats and no SBI regular seats at all. In Odisha SBI has more regular seats (1,100) than IBPS (345). For most states IBPS is the larger recruitment, but not everywhere.

Pay: one scale, printed differently

The two advance increments explain SBI’s starting figure: 24,050 plus two increments of 1,340 is 26,730 (our check of SBI’s arithmetic). IBPS prints the scale but no starting basic or monthly figure, and says pay and allowances follow the rules of the allotted bank. Pages that give a precise “IBPS Clerk in-hand salary” are estimating; the notification does not contain one.

After the result: reserve list against wait list

Both recruitments keep candidates in reserve, on different terms. IBPS keeps a reserve list of about 30% of the vacancies in each category, valid until one year after the provisional allotment or until a fresh provisional allotment is made, whichever is earlier, and says it may allot from it three to four times if banks report vacancies. In CSA-XV that produced 3,957 more allotments in June 2026 by our count, and a second round on 15 September 2026. SBI keeps a wait list of up to 50% of state-category vacancies, valid for one year from the final result, and releases candidates quarterly against non-joining and resignations in the current batch.

Nothing in this comparison makes one exam “better”. The job, the scale and the language rule are close. What differs is the seat count in your state, the shape of the Mains, and the dates, and those are all in the tables above.

Is IBPS Clerk the same as SBI Clerk?

No. IBPS CSA-XVI recruits Customer Service Associates for 11 public sector banks; SBI recruits Junior Associates for SBI alone, through a separate exam.

Is the IBPS Clerk Prelims the same as SBI Clerk Prelims?

The shape is the same: 100 questions in 60 minutes with English 30, Numerical 35 and Reasoning 35. IBPS requires a cut-off in each test; SBI has no minimum.

How is the IBPS Clerk Mains different from SBI Clerk Main?

IBPS: 160 questions, 200 marks, 125 minutes, a minimum in each test. SBI: 190 questions, 200 marks, 160 minutes, aggregate minimum only.

Does IBPS Clerk Mains have Computer Aptitude?

No. The IBPS test is Reasoning Ability. Computer Aptitude is part of SBI’s Main.

Is the salary the same for IBPS Clerk and SBI Clerk?

The basic pay scale is the same. SBI prints a starting basic of ₹26,730 and about ₹46,000 a month in a metro; IBPS prints no starting figure.

What is the application fee for IBPS Clerk and SBI Clerk?

IBPS: ₹850, or ₹175 for SC/ST/PwBD/ex-servicemen. SBI: ₹750 for General/OBC/EWS and nil for SC/ST/PwBD/ex-servicemen.

Which has more seats in 2026, IBPS Clerk or SBI Clerk?

IBPS CSA-XVI: 11,663 indicative (our sum of Annexure I as updated 29.09.2026; 11,403 at notification). SBI: 7,680 regular, 287 SC/ST/OBC backlog in the same advertisement and 1,538 in the SC/ST/OBC special drive, 9,505 in all (our sum; PwBD and ex-servicemen backlog columns are horizontal and not added). The balance differs by state.

When are the IBPS Clerk and SBI Clerk 2026 exams?

IBPS: Prelims 10 and 11 October, Mains 27 December 2026. SBI: Prelims tentatively 26 and 27 September, Main tentatively November 2026.

Does SBI have a reserve list like IBPS?

SBI keeps a wait list of up to 50% of vacancies, released quarterly for a year. IBPS keeps a reserve list of about 30%.

What is the age limit for IBPS Clerk and SBI Clerk 2026?

Both are 20 to 28, but IBPS counts it on 01.08.2026 and SBI on 01.04.2026.