Good Attempts for SBI Clerk Mains 2023: SBI has already announced the SBI Clerk Mains exam date for 2023. The SBI Clerk Mains 2023 exam will be on the 15th of January, 2023. With just a few days to go, candidates are in the final leg of preparation. However, with preparation, you also require a clever strategy. In this blog, we’ll cover the number of good attempts for SBI Clerk Mains 2023 that will ensure your qualification in the prestigious exam. Let’s begin!
Good Attempts for SBI Clerk Mains 2023: Overview
With a few days left for the SBI Clerk Mains exam, candidates will be finishing up their learning and revisions. This is the time for mock tests, last-minute pointers, and strategy. In competitive exams like these, simply knowing all formulas and topics is not enough. Aside from speed and accuracy what is also required is cleverness. You have to understand which questions to choose and how much time to devote to them. The winning strategy is knowing what attempts push you over the winning line.
So here, let’s take a detailed look at how you can plan out your attempts. This way, with your thorough preparation you can comfortably clear the SBI Clerk Mains 2023 exam.
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Good Attempts for SBI Clerk Mains 2023 Strategy
Going by the data from previous years, the good attempts for SBI Clerk Mains 2023 would be around 100+ at the minimum. Let’s see the section-wise good attempts required:
Section | Questions | Minimum Attempts | Marks |
---|---|---|---|
English + General/Financial Awareness | 90 | 40 | 40 |
Quantitative + Computer and Reasoning Awareness | 100 | 65 | 78 |
Total | 190 | 105 | 118 |
As you can see a minimum of 40 questions should be attempted in English and GA combined. And another 65 or more should be attempted in the Quant+Reasoning section. Here are a few reasons why and how this will boost your score:
- Good attempts for General/Financial Awareness usually go to 20 questions or so. With another 20 from English, one part of your goal will be secure.
- For Quant and Reasoning, there are 50 questions each to be completed in 45 minutes. So rather than trying to go for all 50 in both sections, try to attempt a minimum of 35 questions in each. Unlike in Prelims, where you have to attempt 35 questions in 20 minutes, here you will get 45 minutes for 35 questions.
- Any attempts above 95 are sure to guarantee selection regardless of state cut-off.
Strategy for Quantitative Aptitude
Let’s take the Quantitative Aptitude sections as an example and see how prioritizing questions helps in ensuring selection.
This is a topic-wise breakdown of the Quantitative Aptitude section usually seen in the SBI Clerk Mains exam:
Topic | Approx. Number of Questions | Difficulty |
---|---|---|
DI | 20 | Moderate |
Number Series | 02 | Moderate |
Q1-Q2 | 05 | Moderate |
Approximation | 03 | Moderate |
Caselet | 08 | Easy-Moderate |
Arithmetic | 12 | Moderate |
1. Data Interpretation
With DI, there will be around 4 questions, each with 5 parts. On average, at least 2 of these questions will be of high difficulty. So it’s best to straight away avoid those questions. This can be questions where a variable comes into play. Focus on finding and clearing out the two questions which are easier. That way, you’ll have done 10 questions in at least 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Number Series
May not be very easy. While for Prelims these are usually pretty direct, for the SBI Clerk Mains exam, these questions may not be solved directly. However, you can definitely complete the 2 questions in 3-4 minutes at most. Of course, the second you feel it’s taking too long, go ahead to the next question.
3. Approximation
Will probably take a maximum of 5 minutes for the 2-3 questions that would be asked. This would be regardless of the kind of difficulty of the question.
4. Arithmetic
There are usually 12 or so questions in arithmetic. The topics of these questions include SI CI, Boat and Stream, Time and Work, Ages, Mixutes and Alligations, Trains, Mensuration, Geometry, Algebra, Partnership, and more. You can clear around 7 questions with ease in 10 minutes.
5. Q1 – Q2
Now considering the topic of quantities, these questions may have equation-based and arithmetic-based questions. In this case, go for the equation-based ones which will be easier to solve. So those would be around 2-3 questions and would take around 5 minutes.
6. Caselets
Keeping this for the last, you can probably cover around 5 out of 8 questions for this topic. This should take around 5 minutes depending on the difficulty. Make sure to select and do the questions that are easier based on your experience.
Good Attempts for SBI Clerk Mains 2023
From this, we get an overall attempt of:
- 30 or so questions from the Quantitative Aptitude section.
- Another 30-40 questions from the Reasoning
- 40 questions combined from English+GA
This will give you a solid attempt of 95-105 questions, which is enough to ensure a selection.
A Look at SBI Clerk Mains Previous Year’s Cut-Offs
The best parameter that should be considered when deciding on the number of attempts is the previous year’s cut-offs. Over the years, a trend of the maximum and minimum marks becomes obvious, and only in very rare cases is this trend broken. So first, let’s see how the SBI Clerk Mains’ previous year’s cut-offs look.

The above data shows that the cut-off has mostly been somewhere from 80 to 102. Keeping this as the broad limits for reference, let’s now see the exam pattern so that we can easily see how this translates into the number of attempts.
SBI Clerk Mains Exam Pattern
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 |
So the total number of questions is 190 and the total marks are 200. The cut-off mostly lands between 80 and 102.
SBI Clerk Mains 2023 General Tips
Here are some general tips to keep in mind during the exam:
Negative Marking
Never, ever go ahead and answer questions here if you aren’t able to reach an answer/ are doubtful of the answer/ are guessing. Aside from questions where the approximation of the answer is possible like in Quantitative, even the slightest doubt means a possibility of negative marking. This is the first and foremost way to reduce negative marking, boost accuracy, and consequently, your score.
Time
Time is of the essence. Every minute you may waste on a difficult question trying to crack it is a minute you could use to solve 2-3 questions. With practice, you will be able to identify question patterns, difficulty levels, and which question will be better to attempt. Since you have cleared Prelims, this technique would be better known to you, considering the time constraints it has.
Accuracy and Attempts
A good balance between the accuracy of your answers and the number of questions attempted is a must. You cannot score high if either of these is low. Make sure to work the hardest on improving your accuracy-to-attempt ratio.
Mock Tests
A thing of common knowledge, but mock tests are a must in the final days before the exam. Not only do you get used to the exam interface, but you will also be able to ease into the habit of spotting easier questions to attempt and saving a lot of time. Practice the above-shown strategy in selecting questions during your mock tests so that the actual exam does not overwhelm you.
Approach
Your mindset during the exam is highly important. While you may have cleared the SBI Clerk Prelims exam, the pressure of knowing that messing up Mains means you may not land your desired job is also very high. So before the exam, clear your head and focus on your strategy. Also, remember that in the case where you feel unsure during the exam, don’t panic and start attempting difficult questions too. That will only bring down your score in case it’s wrong. Stick to your strategy and do your best.
Good Attempts for SBI Clerk Mains 2023: Conclusion
This blog has detailed the best way to tackle the SBI Clerk Mains 2023 exam being held on the 15th of January 2023. Keeping in mind the previous year’s cutoffs the topics asked, and the difficulty levels that have been observed, this strategy is a great way to go into the exam without confusion. For a more detailed and comprehensive look into the logic behind this SBI Clerk Mains 2023 strategy, take a look at the video below:
We hope you find this strategy helpful in your exam. Best of luck!
Good Attempts for SBI Clerk Mains 2023: FAQs
The SBI Clerk Mains 2023 exam is scheduled for the 15th of January 2023.
SBI Clerk Mains 2023 will have four sections: English, Quantitative, Reasoning, and General Awareness. Each section will have 50 marks except for English which will have 40 marks.
The SBI Clerk Mains 2021 cut-off was between 86 and 96 out of 190.
SBI Clerk Mains is a tougher exam than SBI Clerk Prelims. The number of questions is more, and the difficulty and calculations in the questions are also more. However, with good preparation and attempt strategy, it will be easy to clear.
SBI has released 5008 vacancies for the SBI Clerk post for 2022
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Q1. Where can I download SSC CGL handwritten notes by toppers?
You can download SSC CGL handwritten notes PDFs for free directly from this article’s download links.
Yes, all SSC CGL handwritten notes PDFs are available in English.
Subjects include English Vocabulary, Maths, History, Indian Geography, and General Studies.
They are highly useful for revision and understanding key concepts but should be used along with standard books.
These notes are prepared by Gaurav Sahu, a successful SSC CGL topper.
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