A very important eligibility provision in the SBI Clerk 2026 recruitment notification may benefit certain Ex-Servicemen who do not possess a regular graduation degree.
The State Bank of India has specifically stated that Matriculate Ex-Servicemen who have obtained the Indian Army Special Certificate of Education, or the corresponding certificate in the Navy or Air Force, after completing not less than 15 years of service in the Armed Forces of the Union, are also eligible for the post of Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales). The certificate must be dated on or before 31 December 2026.
This is an important point for veterans because it means that graduation is not necessarily the only educational route for every eligible Ex-Serviceman applicant.
SBI Clerk 2026: Important Dates
SBI’s official notification, Advertisement No. CRPD/CR/2026-27/17, provides the following schedule:
- Online application starts: 11 August 2026
- Last date to apply: 31 August 2026
- Preliminary Examination: Tentatively September 2026
- Main Examination: Tentatively November 2026
- Educational qualification cut-off: 31 December 2026
Special Educational Eligibility for Ex-Servicemen
The notification normally requires graduation in any discipline from a recognised university or an equivalent qualification. Final-year graduation candidates can also apply provisionally, provided they pass their graduation examination by 31 December 2026.
However, SBI has separately provided this important provision:
Matriculate Ex-Servicemen with the prescribed Armed Forces Special Certificate of Education and at least 15 years of Armed Forces service are also eligible.
Therefore, an eligible veteran should not automatically reject the SBI Clerk opportunity merely because he does not hold a graduation degree.
Age Limit for Ex-Servicemen
The normal age limit is 20 to 28 years as on 1 April 2026.
For Ex-Servicemen/Disabled Ex-Servicemen, the upper-age relaxation is:
Actual period of defence service + 3 years, subject to a maximum age of 50 years.
For Disabled Ex-Servicemen belonging to SC/ST, the applicable relaxation is actual defence service + 8 years, subject to the maximum age of 50 years.
Application Fee
The notification provides:
- General/OBC/EWS: ₹750
- SC/ST/PwBD/XS/DXS: Nil
Thus, eligible Ex-Servicemen and Disabled Ex-Servicemen are exempt from the application fee.
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SBI Clerk 2026 Examination
The selection process consists of:
Preliminary Examination → Main Examination → Local Language Proficiency Test, where applicable
Preliminary Examination
| Subject | Questions | Marks | Time |
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 min |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 min |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 min |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 min |
There is 1/4th negative marking for each wrong answer.
Main Examination
The Main Examination carries 200 marks with 190 questions and a duration of 2 hours 40 minutes.
- General/Financial Awareness – 50 marks
- General English – 40 marks
- Quantitative Aptitude – 50 marks
- Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude – 60 marks
There is also 1/4th negative marking for incorrect answers.
Special Opportunity for Veterans
The SBI Clerk 2026 notification is particularly important for Ex-Servicemen because it provides several relevant provisions:
- Special educational qualification for eligible Matriculate Ex-Servicemen
- Minimum 15 years of Armed Forces service for the special certificate route
- Age relaxation up to the prescribed 50-year maximum
- Nil application fee for XS/DXS candidates
- Pre-examination training available online for eligible Ex-Servicemen who opt for it
For more and detailed information on the SBI Clerk Job examination 2026, read the article here :-