SBI Junior Associate Special Drive 2026: 1,538 backlog vacancies before 27 August

SBI's Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales) special recruitment drive is open for a specific backlog-vacancy pool, not for a general all-category clerical intake. The official advertisement, current SBI careers listing, and live registration portal agree on the key action point: online registration, editing, and payment of the application fee or intimation charge close on 27 August 2026. The portal shows application printing through 11 September, but printing is not a substitute for registration, editing, or payment before the closing date. The notice advertises 1,538 provisional vacancies for SC, ST, and OBC backlog categories across listed States and Union Territories. A candidate must choose vacancies in one State/UT only and should read the specified local-language requirement for that choice before submitting. SBI also says the preliminary examination is tentatively planned for September 2026 and the main examination for October/November 2026. This guide organizes the official rules into an application plan; it does not decide an individual's eligibility or guarantee appointment.

The advertisement is for Junior Associate in SBI's clerical cadre under Advertisement No. CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16. Its vacancy table totals 1,538 posts: 207 for SC, 1,219 for ST, and 112 for OBC. The table distributes the vacancies by State/UT and SBI circle, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Assam, Tripura, Bihar, and Jharkhand. The vacancies are provisional and may vary with the Bank's actual requirement. This is not a recruitment in which a candidate can apply broadly across the country and sort out location later. The official notice says the candidate can apply for one State/UT only, and candidature is considered against the State/UT selected in the application. There is no general inter-State or inter-Circle transfer provision for these Junior Associates, although the notice identifies limited intra-State exceptions for certain circles in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. That makes the State/UT choice a core application decision rather than a minor preference field.

The age rule is measured on 1 April 2026. The basic band is 20 to 28 years, with the notice defining the corresponding date-of-birth range as 2 April 1998 through 1 April 2006, both dates inclusive. The advertisement lists category and special relaxations, including three years for OBC and five years for SC/ST, along with separate provisions for PwBD, ex-servicemen, widows or divorced women who meet the stated conditions, and certain trained SBI apprentices. Relaxations are not a general permission to combine every category benefit; the notice says cumulative relaxation is not available. The academic qualification is graduation in any discipline from a recognized university or an equivalent qualification recognized by the Central Government. The cut-off for the qualification is 31 December 2026, and final-year or final-semester candidates may apply provisionally if they can produce proof of passing by that date when required. The date on the mark sheet, certificate, provisional certificate, or qualifying result evidence is relevant under the advertisement. Read the qualification clause and retain the supporting record rather than relying on an informal assumption that a course title will be accepted. The special drive also carries category-specific documentation rules. OBC applicants must satisfy the non-creamy-layer condition and provide the prescribed certificate within the notice's stated period. SC/ST applicants need the prescribed Government of India certificate at the relevant stage. The live portal's warning is important: submitting an online form does not itself establish that every eligibility condition has been met, and the application can be rejected during later scrutiny.

The selection process consists of an online preliminary examination, an online main examination, and a specified local-language proficiency test where applicable. The preliminary test is a one-hour objective paper with English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability. The advertisement states that one-fourth of the mark assigned to a question is deducted for a wrong answer, and it does not prescribe a minimum qualifying mark for an individual preliminary section. Candidates are shortlisted for the main examination from the aggregate preliminary marks in the manner described by SBI. The main examination has General or Financial Awareness, General English, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude. It carries 190 questions for 200 marks over two hours and 40 minutes, with separate timings and the same one-fourth negative-marking rule. SBI says the preliminary marks are not added to the final merit list; the main-examination aggregate is used for merit, subject to the other conditions. The local-language check is a separate risk to plan for: a provisionally selected candidate who cannot show that the specified language was studied in Class 10 or 12 may have to take the test before joining. The official notice gives only tentative months for the examinations, not a final day. SBI directs candidates to its authorized career website for later announcements. Treat September for the preliminary examination and October/November for the main examination as the current tentative schedule, not as a guaranteed exam calendar.

The application fee or intimation charge is non-refundable under the advertisement. SC, ST, PwBD, XS, and DXS candidates are listed as nil, while OBC candidates are listed at ₹750. Do not infer a fee category from a state reservation label alone; use the category and certificate conditions in the official notice. Registration is online only, and the notice asks applicants to prepare a photograph, signature, left-thumb impression, and handwritten declaration in the prescribed formats. Before the 27 August cutoff, work through this sequence: 1. Read the SBI English advertisement and confirm that the special-drive category, State/UT choice, age date, graduation date, and category documents match your own records. 2. Check the vacancy table and the specified local language for the one State/UT you intend to select. 3. Decide whether your Class 10 or 12 record proves study of that language; if not, keep the later proficiency-test requirement in your plan. 4. Prepare the photograph, signature, left-thumb impression, and handwritten declaration within the portal's file and dimension instructions. 5. Complete registration with an active email address and mobile number that you can retain through the result and call-letter stages. 6. Review the State/UT and category fields before final submission because the notice makes the choice consequential and does not promise a broad transfer route. 7. Pay the applicable fee or intimation charge by 27 August and save the registration, payment, and submitted-application evidence. 8. Print or save the final application later if needed, but do not treat the 11 September print date as a second application window.

Use the SBI current openings page to locate the special drive, the official English advertisement for the complete vacancy, eligibility, fee, and selection rules, and the live application portal for the current registration, editing, payment, and printing dates. The three official surfaces were checked on 25 August 2026; the linked AvsarIQ record was also refreshed at that time. The practical decision is time-sensitive but specific: choose one State/UT only after checking its language and vacancy table, verify the age and graduation dates, prepare the category evidence, and complete submission and payment before 27 August. Keep the official advertisement open while applying. Dates, portal availability, and later examination notices can change, so reopen SBI's authorized pages before taking the final action.