FCI vs SBI: AG 3 or Clerk – Which is Better? | Oliveboard

FCI vs SBI: FCI released the FCI AG III 2022 notification on the 30th of August 2022. The online registration for the same started on the 6th of September and will close on the 5th of October, 2022. SBI, too, has released the notification for SBI Clerk on the 6th of September, 2022. The online registration process for SBI Clerk began on the 7th of September and will end on the 27th of September 2022. With these two important exams approaching, let’s take a look at FCI vs SBI, and the difference between the AG 3 and Clerk recruitment respectively.

FCI vs SBI: AG III vs Clerk – A Comparison

With both the FCI AG 3 and SBI Clerk Exams on the horizon, it is wise to understand the differences between the two. Both exams are for very good government positions and require dedicated preparation. However, both exams have different patterns and selection processes.

1. FCI vs SBI: Conducting Body and Job Profile

SBI Clerk

The State Bank of India conducts the SBI Clerk exam once a year. SBI recruits qualified candidates for the position of Clerical Officer in various branches of their bank across the country. This post is mostly a client-facing post, which means the clerical officers will be dealing mostly with the clients and related operations.

Candidates recruited for SBI Clerk serve a probationary period of six months during which they have to complete several prescribed courses. On completion of the probationary period, the officers will be assisting in several ways in the branch of SBI where they are posted. These roles include assisting clients, assisting the Branch Manager, and office-related tasks such as faxing, copying, printing, etc.

FCI AG 3

The Food Cooperation of India conducts the FCI AG III recruitment every four years. The FCI is a premier institution of the government that oversees the agricultural output of the country. This includes the overseeing and management of agricultural produce, storage facilities, and distribution.

FCI conducts the AG 3 or Assistant Grade III exam for the recruitment of AG III officers. These officers are posted to the various regional and zonal offices across the country. These officers work to coordinate with the different regional offices under one zone to ensure smooth working and production.

2. FCI vs SBI: Vacancy

SBI Clerk

SBI released 5008 vacancies across various circles of SBI in the country. Below is the circle and category-wise breakup of vacancies.

Circle	State/ UT	SC	ST	OBC	EWS	GEN	Total
Ahmedabad	Gujarat	25	53	95	35	145	353
	Daman & Diu	0	0	1	0	3	4
Bangalore	Karnataka	51	22	85	31	127	316
Bhopal	Madhya Pradesh	58	78	58	38	157	389
	Chhattisgarh	11	29	6	9	37	92
Bengal	West Bengal	78	17	75	34	136	340
	A&N Islands	0	1	3	1	5	10
	Sikkim	1	5	6	2	12	26
Bhubaneswar	Odisha	27	37	20	17	69	170
Chandigarh	Jammu & Kashmir	3	4	9	3	16	35
	Haryana	1	0	1	0	3	5
	Himachal Pradesh	14	2	11	5	23	55
	Punjab	38	0	27	13	52	130
Chennai	Tamil Nadu	67	4	96	35	153	355
	Pondicherry	1	0	2	0	4	7
Delhi	Delhi	5	2	9	3	13	32
	Uttarakhand	22	4	16	12	66	120
Hyderabad	Telangana	36	16	60	22	91	225
Jaipur	Rajasthan	48	37	57	28	114	284
Kerala	Kerala	27	3	73	27	140	270
	Lakshadweep	0	1	0	0	2	3
Lucknow/ Delhi	Uttar Pradesh	133	7	170	63	258	631
Maharashtra/ Mumbai Metro	Maharashtra	75	67	201	74	330	747
Maharashtra	Goa	1	6	9	5	29	50
North Eastern	Assam	18	31	70	25	114	258
North Eastern	Arunachal Pradesh	0	7	0	1	7	15
North Eastern	Manipur #	1	9	4	2	12	28
	Meghalaya	0	10	1	2	10	23
	Mizoram	0	5	0	1	4	10
	Nagaland	0	7	0	1	7	15
	Tripura	2	3	0	1	4	10
Total		743	467	1165	490	2143	5008

FCI AG 3

FCI released 5043 vacancies for various posts across its 5 zones for FCI AG III 2022 recruitment. These vacancies are split up by the zone and post as given below

Cadre	North Zone	South Zone	East Zone	West Zone	North East Zone
J.E. (Civil Engineering)	22	05	07	05	09
J.E. (Electrical Mechanical Engineering)	08	–	02	02	03
Steno. Grade- II	43	08	08	09	05
AG-III (General)	463	155	185	92	53
AG-III (Accounts)	142	107	72	45	40
AG-III (Technical)	611	257	194	296	48
AG-III (Depot)	1063	435	283	258	15
AG-III (Hindi)	36	22	17	06	112
Total	2388	989	768	713	185

3. FCI vs SBI: Salary

SBI Clerk

The SBI Clerk 2022 payscale is detailed in the SBI Clerk notification. Following are the salary details for the Clerical Cadre.

• Rs.19900/- (Rs 17,900 + two advance increments given to graduates)
• Salary after 1st Increment- Rs. 20900/-
• Salary after 2nd Increment-Rs. 24590/-
• Salary after 3rd Increment- Rs. 30550/-
• Salary after 4th Increment- Rs. 42600/-
• Salary after 5th increment- Rs 45930/-
• Salary after 6th increment- Rs 47920/-

In addition to this, officers also get a variety of allowances and concessions which are as follows:

• House Rent Allowances
• Concessional Vehicle Finance
• Concessional Rate for SBI Pension Plans
• Housing Finance at concessional rates
• Travel Allowances
• The Bank pays 100% cost for any medical treatment of an employee along with the family members
• Maternity or child education leave of 2 years for women clerks.

The maximum basic salary for an SBI Clerk is Rs 47920/-.

FCI AG III

The payscale for FCI AG 3 varies with the post. The in-hand salary ranges from Rs 28,200 – Rs. 79,200/- and is consistent across zones. The following are the in-hand salaries according to the post:

Post Name	Pay Scale
J.E. (Civil Engineering)	34000 – 103400
J.E. (Electrical Mechanical Engineering)	34000 – 103400
Steno. Grade- II	30500 – 88100
AG-III (General)	28200 – 79200
AG-III (Accounts)	28200 – 79200
AG-III (Technical)	28200 – 79200
AG-III (Depot)	28200 – 79200
AG-III (Hindi)	28200 – 79200

In addition to this, officers who successfully complete the one year probationary period are also eligible to avail the following allowances and facilities-

1. House rent allowance
2. Travel allowance, free transport facilities
3. Earned leave
4. Dearness allowance
5. Medical Charges
6. Ex-gratia grant
7. Insurance

4. Eligibility Criteria

The follow are the education and age qualifying criteria for SBI Clerk 2022 and FCI AG III.

SBI Clerk

The following are the eligibility criteria for SBI Clerk 2022 candidates-

Essential Academic Qualifications: 

Graduation in any discipline from a recognized University or any equivalent qualification recognized as such by the Central Government. Candidates having an integrated dual degree (IDD) certificate should ensure that the date of passing the IDD is on or before 30 November 2022.

Those who are in the final year/ semester of their Graduation may also apply provisionally subject to the condition that, if provisionally selected, they will have to produce proof of having passed the graduation examination on or before 01 August 2022.

Age:

20-28 Years

Age relaxations are available for SC/ST, OBC, PwD, and more. Check the details here.

FCI AG III

Essential Academic Qualifications:

Junior Engineer + Stenographer

Name of the Post	Post Code	Qualification / Experience
J.E. (Civil Engineering)	A	Degree in Civil Engineering Or Diploma in Civil Engineering with one year experience.
J.E. (Electrical Mechanical)	B	Degree in Electrical Engineering Or Degree in Mechanical Engineering Or Diploma in Electrical Engineering with one year experience. Or Diploma in Mechanical Engineering with one year experience.
Steno. Grade- II	C	Graduate degree with speed of 40 w.p.m. and 80 w.p.m. in English typing and shorthand respectively.

Assistant Grade – III

Name of the Post	Post Code	Qualification / Experience
Assistant General Manager (General)	D	Graduate Degree in any discipline from a recognized University with proficiency in use of computers.
Assistant General Manager (Accounts)	E	Bachelor of Commerce from a recognized University with proficiency in use of computers.
Assistant General Manager (Technical)	F	B.Sc. in Agriculture from a recognized University. or B.Sc. with any of the following subject from a recognized University: Botany / Zoology / Bio-Technology / Bio-Chemistry / Microbiology / Food Science or B. Tech / BE in Food Science / Food Science and Technology / Agricultural Engineering / Bio-Technology from a recognized University / an institution approved by AICTE. Proficiency in use of computers.
Assistant Grade -III (Depot)	G	Graduate Degree in any discipline from a recognized University with proficiency in use of computers.
Assistant Grade-III (Hindi)	H	*Degree of a recognised University with Hindi as main subject. Proficiency in English specifically for the purpose of translation. Certificate/Diploma course in translation from English to Hindi and vice-versa of at least one year duration from a recognised University/Institution approved by Government. Given the fact that the major work of Assistant Grade-III (Hindi) would be translation from English to Hindi and vice-versa, possession of Skill for Hindi Typing would also be required. To assess the same, Hindi Typing with speed of 30 words per minute will be tested during the period of probation. Confirmation of probation shall be subject to the candidate qualifying the prescribed Typing Test.

Age:

Posts	Maximum Age Limit
JE (Civil)	28 years
JE (Electrical Mechanical)	28 years
Steno Grade II	25 years
AG III (General)	27 years
AG III (Accounts)	27 years
AG III (Technical)	27 years
AG III (Depot)	27 years
AG III (Hindi)	28 years

Age relaxations are available for FCI Employees, SC/ST, PwBD, Non-Creamy Layer OBC, and more. For further details, check here.

5. Exam Pattern

While most of the syllabus for FCI AG III and SBI Clerk overlap for English Language, Numerical Aptitude and Reasoning, the exam patterns are largely different.

SBI Clerk

SBI Clerk Prelims

SECTION	NUMBER OF QUESTIONS	MARKS	DURATION
English Language	30	30	20 minutes
Numerical Ability	35	35	20 minutes
Reasoning Ability	35	35	20 minutes
Total	100	100	60 minutes

SBI Clerk Mains

SECTION	NUMBER OF QUESTIONS	MARKS	DURATION
English Language	40	40	35 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	50	50	45 minutes
Computer and Reasoning Ability	50	60	45 minutes
General/ Financial Awareness	50	50	35 minutes
Total	190	200	2 hours 40 minutes

SBI Clerk does not have an interview round. The candidates are qualified based on their performance in the Mains exam.

FCI AG 3

FCI AG3 has two phases- Phase I and Phase II. Phase I is a more general qualifying test, while Phase II is a post-specific test. Candidates will only qualify for the interview stage if they clear the Phase II exam. The marks of Phase I are not counted for the final merit list.

Phase I

S.No.	Name of the Test	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks	Duration (minutes)	Medium of Exam
1	English Language	25	25	15 minutes	English
2	Reasoning Ability	25	25	15 minutes	Bilingual
3	Numerical Aptitude	25	25	15 minutes	Bilingual
4	General Studies* comprising of History, Geography, Economy, General Science upto Class 8th level. (20 questions) Current Affairs (5 Questions)	25	25	15 minutes	Bilingual
		100	100	60 minutes

Phase II

Phase II of FCI AG III has a 3 different types of papers. The following are the combinations in which candidates would have to attempt Phase II depending on the position they have applied for.

For Junior Englineers and Stenographer

Post	Code	Paper	Description
J.E. (Civil Engineering)	A	Paper-I and Paper-II	Candidates will appear in Paper-I to be followed by Paper- II. ONLINE TEST for Paper – I & Paper – II shall be held in single sitting only.
J.E.(Electrical Mechanical Engineering)	B	Paper-I and Paper-II	Candidates will appear in Paper-I to be followed by Paper- II. ONLINE TEST for Paper – I & Paper – II shall be held in single sitting only.
Steno. Grade- II	C	Paper-III only	Candidates  applying   for  the  post   code  C  will  have  to appear   in    Paper-III.   Thereafter   the    candidates   will undergo a Skill-Test in typing and shorthand which will be of qualifying nature.  The language of Skill Test i.e (Typing, Short  Hand)   will  be  in  English.  The  candidates   shall   be informed  about   the  venue  of   skill/typing  test  through website. The final merit for the post of Steno. Grade-II will be decided on the basis of Paper-III subject to qualifying the Skill Test.

For AG-III

Post	Post Code	Paper	Description
AG-III (General)	D	Paper-I only	Candidates  applying   for  the  post   code  D  will   have  to appear in Paper-I.
AG-III (Accounts)	E	Paper-I and Paper-II	Candidates will appear in Paper-I to be followed by Paper-II.  ONLINE TEST for Paper – I & Paper – II shall be held in single sitting only.
AG-III (Technical)	F	Paper-I and Paper-II	Candidates will appear in Paper-I to be followed by Paper- II.  ONLINE TEST for Paper – I & Paper – II shall be held in single sitting only.
AG-III (Depot)	G	Paper-I only	Candidates  applying   for  the  post   code  G  will  have to appear in Paper-I.
AG-III (Hindi)	H	Paper I and Paper II	Candidates applying for the post code H will have to appear in Paper-I and Paper II.

Paper I

The pattern of Paper I is as follows :

S.No.	Name of the Test	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks	Version	Duration
1	English Language	25	25	English	20 Minutes
2	Reasoning Ability	25	25	Bilingual	20 Minutes
3	Numerical Aptitude	25	25	Bilingual	20 Minutes
4	General Studies* comprising of History, Geography, Economy – 25 questions General Science upto Class 10th level – 10 questions Current Affairs – 5 questions Computer Awareness – 5 questions	45	45	Bilingual	30 Minutes

Paper II

60  Multiple  Choice  Questions  on  Civil  Engineering,  Electrical  Engineering  and Mechanical  Engineering  for Candidates applying for the Post Code A {Junior Engineer (Civil Engineering)}, Post Code B {Junior Engineer (Electrical Mechanical  Engineering)}, to assess the post specific technical knowledge of relevant stream.

OR

60  Multiple  Choice  Questions  on  Commerce  particularly  General  Accounting  and  Finance  for  candidates applying for the Post Code E {Assistant Grade-III (Accounts)} to assess the post specific technical knowledge of relevant stream.

OR

60 Multiple Choice Questions on Agriculture, Botany and Zoology (Group-A) or Agriculture, Chemistry and Physics (Group-B) for candidates applying for the Post Code F {Assistant Grade-III (Technical)} to assess the post specific technical knowledge of relevant stream.

OR

60 Multiple Choice Questions: General Knowledge related to Hindi Literature (4 Questions), word/sentences for Hindi to English translation (20 Questions), word/sentences for English to Hindi translation (20 Questions), Official Language Policy (4 Questions), Official Language Act (4 Questions), Official Language Rules (4 Questions),

Annual Programme issued by Department of Official Language (4 Questions).

Paper III

Sr. No.	Name of the Test	No. of Qs.	Max. Marks	Duration	Medium
1	General English	30	30	25 Minutes	English
2	General Awareness	30	30	20 Minutes	Bilingual (English and Hindi)
3	General Intelligence	30	30	25 Minutes	Bilingual (English and Hindi)
4	Computer Awareness  (with specific reference to MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet)	30	30	20 Minutes	Bilingual (English and Hindi)
	TOTAL	120	120	90 Minutes

6. Postings

SBI Clerk

According to the SBI Clerk Notification of 2021, Officers in the Clerical Cadre can no longer avail the provision for transfer even within the circle where they are posted. The candidate will be considered only for the vacancies of the state to which they have applied. Upon selection, candidate will be assigned to that circle/state and will not be entitled to transfer to other circles/states.

There are three types of posting locations based on the difficulty and duration of tenure assigned for those locations. There are-

1. Normal Centers- 30 to 36 months
2. Difficult Centers- 18 to 24 months
3. Most Difficult Centers- 15 to 18 months

However, candidates who have applied to one of the Most Difficult Centers are eligible to seek transfer on completion of their tenure and will like be given a home posting.

FCI AG III

AG III officers posted in Divisional Office/Regional Office/Zonal Office/Headquarters can-

• Serve a maximum of 15 years at a particular Divisional Office (including depots)/Regional Office/Zonal Office/Headquarters during their entire service.
• Serve a maximum of 05 years in a seat/section/depot/division (in a regional/zonal office) after which they should be poster to another seat/section/depot/division. An officer cannot be posted to the same seat/place where they had already served.

FCI vs SBI: Conclusion

The SBI Clerk Prelims Exam 2022 will be held tentatively in November 2022, while the FCI AG III Phase I Exam will be held tentatively in December 2022. Both exams are for lucrative posts with great opportunities for professional growth. For the first phase at least, the preparation can overlap as both exams have 3 sections in common. Only difference being FCI AG III has General Studies included in Phase I.

While the preparation for Prelims and Mains of SBI Clerk is easier than that of FCI AG III, candidates who are interested in working in their branch can find a great opportunity in the Assistant Grade cadre. Candidates can study the comparisons above, plan their time and choose which of the two, if not both, they would like to appear for.

FCI vs SBI: Mock Test Series

Oliveboard provides top-of-the-class mock test series for both FCI AG lll and SBI Clerk Exams. Here are a few slaient points about both.

SBI Clerk Mock Test Series

• 20 SBI Clerk Prelims Mock Tests
• 10 SBI Clerk Mains Mock Tests
• 30 High-level English, DI, and Reasoning Practice Tests
• 60 SBI Clerk Prelims Sectional Tests
• 30 SBI Clerk Mains Sectional Tests
• 45 Speed Improvement Tests
• 99 Topic Tests for SBI Clerk

FCI AG III Mock Test Series

• 10 FCI AG III Mock Tests
• Free E-Books
• All India Live Tests
• 1000+ Practice Questions

Both Test series come with question papers based on the latest SBI Clerk and FCI AG III pattern, detailed solutions and analysis for each question and a powerful AI-based Performance Analysis Engine. This will help break down and study your own performance and find out your strengths and weaknesses, speed and accuracy and how to improve all these aspects so that you can give your best on the day of the exam.

We hope this FCI vs SBI blog helped increase your awareness about the SBI Clerk and FCI AG III Exams. Best of luck for your preparations!

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FCI vs SBI: Frequently Asked Questions