SBI Clerk Special Recruitment Drive 2026: 1,538 Posts for SC, ST and OBC
SBI Clerk Special Recruitment Drive 2026: 1,538 Posts for SC, ST and OBC
State Bank of India released Advertisement No. CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16 on 7 August 2026 for 1,538 backlog Junior Associate posts. Applications close on 27 August 2026. These vacancies are reserved exclusively for SC, ST and OBC candidates, and General and EWS candidates cannot apply.
If you read about the regular SBI Clerk notification and found that Bihar and Jharkhand had no vacancies at all, this drive changes that answer. Jharkhand has 133 posts here and Bihar has 12. For a Jharkhand ST graduate in particular, this is probably the single best banking opening of the year.
Overview
Jharkhand Is the Fourth Largest State in This Drive
The vacancy concentration here is unusual, and it works in our region's favour.
Those four states carry 721 of the 1,538 posts, which is 47 percent of the drive. Jharkhand sitting fourth on a national list is not something that happens in most recruitments.
Patna Circle Breakdown
Read the Jharkhand row carefully. 119 of the 133 posts are ST. If you are a Scheduled Tribe graduate from Jharkhand, you are looking at a state-specific merit list for 119 posts, competing only against other Jharkhand ST candidates. That ratio does not exist anywhere else in banking this year.
Bihar's picture is narrower. All 12 posts are SC, with nothing for ST or OBC. A Bihar OBC or ST candidate has no vacancy in this drive and should look at the IBPS Clerk notification instead.
The Santhali option is worth noticing too. Jharkhand candidates may opt for Hindi or Santhali as the local language, so a Santhali speaker is not disadvantaged at the language proficiency stage.
Category Split Across the Whole Drive
This is, in practice, an ST recruitment drive with SC and OBC components attached. Backlog vacancies accumulate when reserved posts go unfilled over previous cycles, and the shape of this table tells you where the shortfall has been building.
OBC candidates should set expectations accordingly. 112 posts spread across 21 States and UTs means most states carry single-digit OBC numbers or none at all, as Bihar and Jharkhand both show.
Who Cannot Apply
- General and Unreserved category candidates
- EWS candidates
- Anyone currently working in SBI in the clerical cadre
- Anyone previously employed at SBI who resigned while in the clerical cadre
- Candidates from a category that has no vacancy in their chosen State or UT
That last point catches people. Check your own category's row for your own state before paying anything. A Bihar ST candidate applying here has no post to be selected against.
Eligibility
Age Limit as on 1 April 2026
Between 20 and 28 years, meaning your date of birth must fall between 2 April 1998 and 1 April 2006, both days inclusive. Category relaxation applies on top of this: 3 years for OBC and 5 years for SC and ST, with the full relaxation table given in the advertisement.
Educational Qualification
Graduation in any discipline from a recognised university, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government. The qualification must be obtained on or before 31 December 2026, which means final year and final semester students can apply provisionally.
Local Language
You must be proficient in reading, writing, speaking and understanding the specified local language of the State or UT you apply for. If your class 10 or class 12 marksheet shows you studied that language, the proficiency test is waived. Otherwise you take it after provisional selection and before joining, and failing it means no appointment.
Application Fee
For SC and ST candidates the form costs nothing. There is no financial reason to skip it.
Can You Apply for Both SBI Notifications?
SBI has two separate advertisements running at the same time.
These are separate advertisements with separate application processes, and the regular advertisement states that its own backlog figures are net of the vacancies advertised under this Special Drive. The two are designed to sit alongside each other.
Two things to verify yourself before assuming you can do both. First, both notifications place their Prelims tentatively in September 2026, so there is a genuine risk the exam dates collide. SBI has not published exact dates yet. Second, read the "one application" clause in each PDF, since it is written per advertisement. Our SBI Clerk regular notification guide covers that side in full.
Exam Pattern
Preliminary Examination
Main Examination
Sections are separately timed in both stages and negative marking is one-fourth of the marks assigned per wrong answer. Prelims marks do not enter the final merit list. Only the Mains aggregate decides selection, and there is no interview.
A 5 percent relaxation on the minimum qualifying aggregate applies to SC, ST, OBC, PwBD and Ex-Servicemen candidates, which is relevant to everyone reading this page.
Salary
The ₹46,000 figure is metro-specific and includes Dearness Allowance and other allowances at current rates. A branch posting in Ranchi, Dumka or Hazaribagh will pay less in hand because HRA is city-linked. You also get provident fund, pension under the New Pension Scheme, medical cover and leave fare concession.
How to Apply
- Go to sbi.bank.in and open the careers section for current openings.
- Find the advertisement titled Special Recruitment Drive for Junior Associates 2026, Advertisement No. CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16. Do not open the regular one by mistake.
- Complete New Registration and save the registration number and password.
- Fill in your details and select your State or UT and local language. One State or UT only.
- Upload your photograph, signature, left thumb impression and handwritten declaration to the specified sizes.
- Pay the fee if you are OBC. SC, ST, PwBD and Ex-Servicemen candidates skip this step.
- Submit and print the system-generated form. Do not post it to SBI.
Submit only one application. If you submit multiple, only the last valid one is retained and the fee on the others is forfeited.
Documents to Keep Ready
- Caste certificate on the format prescribed by the Government of India, for SC and ST candidates
- OBC certificate with the Non-Creamy Layer clause, issued during the period stated in the advertisement
- Graduation marksheet and certificate, or proof of final year status
- Class 10 or class 12 marksheet showing the local language, if you want the proficiency test waived
- Disability certificate from a competent authority, for PwBD candidates
Certificate format matters. An OBC certificate without the Non-Creamy Layer clause, or issued outside the prescribed period, gets rejected at verification even after you clear the exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply for the SBI Clerk Special Recruitment Drive 2026?
Only SC, ST and OBC candidates. These are backlog vacancies reserved for those categories, and General, Unreserved and EWS candidates are not eligible under advertisement CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16.
How many vacancies are there for Jharkhand and Bihar?
Jharkhand has 133 posts under the Patna Circle, made up of 14 SC and 119 ST. Bihar has 12 posts, all SC. Both states sit under the Patna Circle, with Hindi or Santhali as the local language options for Jharkhand and Hindi or Urdu for Bihar.
What is the last date to apply?
27 August 2026. Registration opened on 7 August 2026 and applications are accepted online only at sbi.bank.in.
Is there an application fee for SC and ST candidates?
No. SC, ST, PwBD, Ex-Servicemen and Disabled Ex-Servicemen candidates pay nothing. OBC candidates pay ₹750.
Can final year students apply?
Yes, provisionally. Your graduation must be obtained on or before 31 December 2026, so students in their final year or final semester may apply and produce proof later.
Is this the same as the regular SBI Clerk notification?
No. The regular notification is CRPD/CR/2026-27/17 with 9,766 vacancies open to all categories and no Bihar or Jharkhand posts. This Special Drive is CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16 with 1,538 backlog posts for SC, ST and OBC only, and it does include Bihar and Jharkhand.
Fifteen Days, and an Unusual Ratio
Most banking notifications ask Bihar and Jharkhand candidates to leave home. This one does not. Jharkhand's 133 posts are Jharkhand posts, contested on a Jharkhand merit list, with Santhali accepted as a local language.
For an ST graduate from Jharkhand, 119 reserved posts against a state-limited applicant pool is the kind of ratio that does not repeat often. For an SC graduate from Bihar, 12 posts is small but the form is free. In both cases the cost of applying is an evening and nothing else.
The window shuts on 27 August. Open sbi.bank.in, make sure you are on the SPLDRIVE advertisement and not the regular one, and fill it before you start comparing it with anything else.