What Prelims actually rewards
Prelims has 100 questions in 60 minutes, with each section locked to 20 minutes. Nobody is expected to solve everything. What decides your rank is how many questions you get right in the time, minus a quarter mark for each wrong one.
Two facts from the notification shape the strategy:
- There is no sectional cut-off, so total marks are all that matter.
- About 10 times the vacancies per category are called for Mains, so you are competing for a rank, not a pass mark.
Minute-by-minute plan for each section
English (30 questions, 20 minutes)
| Order | Question type | Target time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fillers, error detection, word swap, phrase replacement | 7 to 8 min |
| 2 | Para jumbles and cloze test | 5 to 6 min |
| 3 | Reading comprehension | 6 to 7 min |
If you are a fast reader, do RC first while your mind is fresh. Otherwise keep it last so it cannot eat the time of quick questions.
Numerical Ability (35 questions, 20 minutes)
| Order | Question type | Target time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simplification and approximation | 6 to 7 min |
| 2 | Number series and quadratic equations | 3 to 4 min |
| 3 | Data interpretation (one easy set) | 4 to 5 min |
| 4 | Arithmetic word problems, picking the short ones | 4 to 5 min |
Reasoning (35 questions, 20 minutes)
| Order | Question type | Target time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inequality, syllogism, alphanumeric series, direction, blood relation, small one-liners | 6 to 7 min |
| 2 | Two easiest puzzles or seating arrangements | 9 to 10 min |
| 3 | One more puzzle if time allows; otherwise review | 3 to 4 min |
Choosing what to attack first
Use a two-round approach in every section:
- Round 1: go through the section and solve every question you can do in under 40 seconds. Skip anything that needs long setup.
- Round 2: come back to the best of the skipped sets, such as the puzzle with the most definite clues or the DI with round numbers.
For puzzles, read all the sets quickly before committing. Pick the one with a fixed starting point (for example "P sits third from the left end" or "the person on floor 4"). Abandon a puzzle if you have no definite position after about 3 minutes of setup.
Attempts versus accuracy
Students often ask, "How many questions should I attempt?" The better question is, "How many can I attempt at 90% accuracy?"
| Attempts | Right | Wrong | Accuracy | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 66 | 4 | 94% | 65.0 |
| 80 | 72 | 8 | 90% | 70.0 |
| 90 | 72 | 18 | 80% | 67.5 |
| 95 | 67 | 28 | 71% | 60.0 |
Look at rows 2 and 3. Ten more attempts at lower accuracy gave the same number of right answers and a lower score. Push attempts only while your accuracy stays around 85 to 90% or higher.
Negative-marking maths: when to guess
Each Prelims question has five options. A right answer gives +1 and a wrong one gives -0.25. The expected value of a guess depends on how many options you can rule out:
| Options left | Chance right | Expected marks per guess |
|---|---|---|
| 5 (blind guess) | 20% | 0.2 - 0.8 x 0.25 = 0.00 |
| 4 | 25% | 0.25 - 0.75 x 0.25 = +0.06 |
| 3 | 33% | 0.33 - 0.67 x 0.25 = +0.17 |
| 2 | 50% | 0.5 - 0.5 x 0.25 = +0.38 |
So: never guess blind, since it gains nothing on average and only adds risk. Once you can rule out two or more options, an educated guess is worth taking, and at two options left it is clearly worth it. In approximation questions, options are often far apart, so a rough estimate can eliminate three options quickly.
Habits that add 5 to 10 marks
- Know squares up to 30 and cubes up to 20 by heart. Simplification becomes mental work.
- Write puzzle diagrams the same way every time, so you do not think about layout.
- In English, read the options before the sentence for fillers. Grammar often eliminates two options at once.
- Never leave the last minute of a section unused. Use it on the easiest unattempted one-liner.
- Do one 10-minute speed drill a day: 20 simplification or approximation questions.
Setting section targets by your level
Targets should grow with you. Use your last five mocks to place yourself, then aim for the next row. These are practice targets, not cut-offs.
| Your level | Focus in each mock |
|---|---|
| Starting out | Accuracy above 85% in every section, even if attempts are low. Finish all one-liners and simplification. |
| Middle | Add one full puzzle set and one DI set per mock without letting accuracy drop. |
| Advanced | Cut setup time on puzzles, attempt one more set per section, and practise choosing the right set within the first minute. |
Questions about this
How many questions should I attempt in SBI Clerk Prelims?
As many as you can at about 85 to 90% accuracy or better. There is no fixed safe number; it depends on the difficulty of your shift and your state's competition.
Should I guess in Prelims?
Not blindly. With five options and a 0.25 penalty, a random guess has an expected value of zero. Once you can rule out at least two options, guessing becomes worthwhile.
Is there a sectional cut-off in Prelims?
No, as per the 2026 notification. Shortlisting for Mains is based on aggregate marks, so a strong section can make up for a weaker one.
Which section should I do first?
You cannot carry time between sections, because each has its own fixed 20-minute timer and the sections run one after another as set by the exam software. What you control is the order of questions within each section.