SBI Clerk Mains Admit Card 2026: Quick Answer
There are two different SBI Clerk drives running in 2026, and they are at two different stages — which is why most admit card pages online contradict each other. For the backlog drive (advertisement CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16, 1,538 posts), the Mains admit card was released on 19 October 2026 and the Mains examination was held on 29 October 2026, so that drive's admit card window is already over. For the regular drive (advertisement CRPD/CR/2026-27/17, dated 11 August 2026), the Mains admit card has not been released as of 7 November 2026 — it was expected in the first week of November 2026, and one graphic puts it at 10–13 November — but that is an expectation, not a date, and no card can appear before the Prelims result, which is still awaited as of 7 November. The regular drive's Prelims result is also still awaited, expected in November 2026. When the card does come out, download it from the SBI careers portal at sbi.bank.in with your Registration Number and Password or Date of Birth. The Mains is 190 questions for 200 marks in 160 minutes, followed by a Language Proficiency Test, and selection runs Prelims, then Mains, then the Language Proficiency Test.
Key takeaway (as of 7 November 2026): Never read a single SBI Clerk Mains admit card date without asking which drive it belongs to. The backlog drive is finished — card out 19 October, exam done 29 October. The regular drive is still waiting — no result yet, no card yet, and its Mains date is disputed between 23 November and 26 November, with neither confirmed. Any page giving one date and one vacancy figure without naming the drive is mixing the two drives.
What Has Changed: Latest Updates
The backlog drive moved fast once its Prelims result was declared: two days from result to admit card, ten days from card to examination. The regular drive has moved more slowly — its Prelims were held in late September, and more than a month later the result is still awaited. So every regular-drive date below is labelled expected or reported, not confirmed.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 7 November 2026 | Regular drive Prelims result still awaited; regular Mains admit card still expected; regular Mains date still unconfirmed (23 November most-reported vs 26 November also reported) |
| 29 October 2026 | Backlog drive Mains examination held |
| 19 October 2026 | Backlog drive Mains admit card released |
| 17 October 2026 | Backlog drive Prelims result declared |
| 26–27 September 2026 | Regular drive Prelims held (some portals add 3 October — see the note below) |
| 16 September 2026 | Backlog drive Prelims held |
| 11 August 2026 | Regular drive advertisement CRPD/CR/2026-27/17 issued |
The Backlog Drive: Finished — What Happened and When
The backlog drive is the special drive under advertisement CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16, for 1,538 posts. Its Prelims were held on 16 September 2026, the result was declared on 17 October 2026, the Mains admit card was released on 19 October 2026 — just two days after the result — and the Mains examination was held on 29 October 2026, ten days after the card came out. That ten-day gap matches the general practice that an admit card typically appears seven to ten days before the examination.
If you applied under the backlog drive, there is nothing left to download: your admit card window closed with the examination on 29 October 2026, and the next stage in the selection chain is the Language Proficiency Test. Ignore regular-drive news — its expected admit card dates, Prelims result wait and disputed Mains date have nothing to do with your drive. If a page says the admit card is "expected in the first week of November", it is talking about the regular drive, not yours.
The Regular Drive: Still Waiting — Result, Card and Date
The regular drive is the main recruitment under advertisement CRPD/CR/2026-27/17, issued on 11 August 2026. Its Prelims were held on 26–27 September 2026 — some portals add 3 October, mentioned here only as a variant, not a confirmed date. The Prelims result has not been declared as of 7 November 2026 and is expected in November 2026. Until that result is out, no Mains admit card can appear, because the card is issued only to candidates who clear the Prelims.
The Mains admit card for the regular drive is expected in the first week of November 2026, and one graphic puts the window at 10–13 November. Both are expectations only: no admit card link is live as of 7 November 2026, and the card will appear on the SBI careers portal at sbi.bank.in when it is released. As a general practice, admit cards typically come out seven to ten days before the examination, so once a Mains date is confirmed, counting back seven to ten days tells you roughly when to start checking daily — but that is a rule of thumb, not a promise.
The regular drive's Mains date is the most confused fact in this cycle, and it needs stating plainly. 23 November 2026 is the most-reported date — carried by CareerPower, Prepp and Adda247 — but 27 November 2026 is also reported, by PracticeMock and by CareerPower's own table, which disagrees with CareerPower's own text. Neither date is confirmed, and this guide leads with 23 November only because more portals report it, not because it is official. Do not book travel or take leave on the strength of either date until SBI confirms the Mains date through its own portal: plan around 23 November and find the examination is on 26 November, and you have lost three days of preparation; plan around 26 November and find it is on 23 November, and you have lost the examination.
The vacancy figure is the second unresolved fact, and it is held open here rather than settled. Two figures circulate: 9,124, the advertisement figure, and 9,766, the framing used by several portals. This guide does not pick one. The house notes record that the 9,124 figure itself is built as 7,680 regular posts plus a 1,444 backlog-era framing, which is part of why the two figures keep getting mixed up. Until SBI settles the number, treat any page stating a single vacancy figure as fact with suspicion.
SBI Clerk Mains Admit Card 2026: Backlog vs Regular at a Glance
The whole story in one table — remember which column you belong in.
| Backlog drive | Regular drive | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertisement | CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16 | CRPD/CR/2026-27/17 (11 August 2026) |
| Posts | 1,538 | Unresolved — 9,124 (advertisement figure) vs 9,766 (portal framing); held, not settled |
| Prelims | 16 September 2026 | 26–27 September 2026 (some portals add 3 October as a variant) |
| Prelims result | Declared 17 October 2026 | Not out as of 7 November 2026; expected November 2026 |
| Mains admit card | Released 19 October 2026 | Expected 1st week of November 2026 (one graphic says 10–13 November); expected only — and it cannot appear before the Prelims result |
| Mains exam | 29 October 2026 (held) | 23 November 2026 most-reported (CareerPower, Prepp, Adda247) vs 27 November 2026 also reported (PracticeMock, CareerPower's own table); neither confirmed |
| After Mains | Language Proficiency Test | Language Proficiency Test |
How to Download the SBI Clerk Mains Admit Card
When the regular drive's admit card is released, the download route is the SBI careers portal at sbi.bank.in. Find the admit card link for the SBI Clerk Mains examination — checking that it names the regular drive, advertisement CRPD/CR/2026-27/17, not the backlog drive — and log in with your Registration Number and your Password or Date of Birth. Download and print the card, and keep a second copy saved. If the portal shows no admit card link, the card has not been released yet — as of 7 November 2026 there is no live link for the regular drive — so wait and check again rather than assuming you have been rejected. The Prelims result comes first, and the admit card follows only for candidates who clear it.
What to Check on Your Admit Card Before the Exam
The moment you download the admit card, check it against your own application. First, confirm it is for the right drive: the regular drive under advertisement CRPD/CR/2026-27/17, not the backlog drive, whose examination is already over. Second, check that the details printed on it match your application — your name, your registration number and the examination date and venue. Third, read the examination date and reporting time carefully and work out your travel the same day. If anything on the card disagrees with your application, raise it through the SBI careers portal — the centre works from the card as printed.
SBI Clerk Mains Pattern and What Follows
The Mains is 190 questions for 200 marks in 160 minutes, followed by a Language Proficiency Test — the whole selection chain is Prelims, then Mains, then the Language Proficiency Test. The Prelims screens — only candidates who clear it receive a Mains admit card — and the Mains decides the merit list. Use the wait for Mains preparation rather than refreshing the portal: the gap between result and Mains can be short — the backlog drive went from result to examination in twelve days.
Common Mistakes That Cost Candidates the Exam
The costliest mistake this cycle is mixing up the two drives. Candidates read that the admit card was released on 19 October and the examination held on 29 October, and conclude they have missed it — when they are in the regular drive, whose examination has not happened yet. The reverse is just as common: backlog-drive candidates read that the admit card is expected in the first week of November and stop worrying, though their examination is already over. Before you believe any date, ask which advertisement it belongs to: CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16 is the backlog drive, CRPD/CR/2026-27/17 is the regular drive.
The second mistake is treating a reported date as a confirmed one. 23 November and 26 November are both reported for the regular Mains, and neither is confirmed; the first week of November and 10–13 November are both given for the admit card, and both are expectations. Planning travel or leave around an unconfirmed date is a gamble — only a date SBI publishes on its own portal settles it. The third mistake is picking a vacancy figure, 9,124 or 9,766, and repeating it as fact, when the two are in genuine conflict. The fourth is assuming the Prelims result is out because a portal headline says so: as of 7 November 2026 it is not out. The fifth is practical: wrong login credentials, or downloading from anywhere but sbi.bank.in.
Memory Tricks: Keep the Two Drives Straight
The backlog drive runs on a chain of four dates: 16 September for the Prelims, 17 October for the result, 19 October for the admit card, 29 October for the Mains. Remember "16, 17, 19, 29" and you have the whole backlog drive in four numbers. The regular drive is identified by its advertisement number ending in 17 — CRPD/CR/2026-27/17 — which is also the day of the month the backlog result was declared, so do not let the number 17 confuse you: in one place it is an advertisement number, in the other a date, and they belong to different drives.
For the Mains pattern, remember "190, 200, 160": 190 questions, 200 marks, 160 minutes. For the disputed Mains date, remember the pair "23 versus 26" — 23 most-reported, 26 the challenger, neither confirmed, so the pair itself is the fact. For vacancies, remember "9,124 versus 9,766, held". For admit card timing, remember "seven to ten days", proved by the backlog drive's ten days.
Practice Questions: Test Yourself on the Facts
1. Which SBI Clerk drive's Mains examination has already been held?
The backlog drive (CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16) — its Mains was held on 29 October 2026.
2. When was the backlog drive's Mains admit card released?
On 19 October 2026, two days after the backlog Prelims result was declared on 17 October 2026.
3. How many posts are in the backlog drive?
1,538 posts.
4. What is the regular drive's advertisement number, and when was it issued?
CRPD/CR/2026-27/17, issued on 11 August 2026.
5. When were the regular drive's Prelims held?
On 26–27 September 2026. Some portals add 3 October as a variant, but the main reported dates are 26–27 September.
6. Is the regular drive's Prelims result out?
No. As of 7 November 2026 it has not been declared, and it is expected in November 2026.
7. What are the two reported dates for the regular drive's Mains, and which is most-reported?
23 November 2026, carried by CareerPower, Prepp and Adda247, is the most-reported; 27 November 2026 is also reported, by PracticeMock and CareerPower's own table. Neither is confirmed.
8. Where do you download the SBI Clerk Mains admit card, and what do you need to log in?
From the SBI careers portal at sbi.bank.in, using your Registration Number and your Password or Date of Birth.
9. What is the SBI Clerk Mains pattern?
190 questions for 200 marks in 160 minutes, followed by a Language Proficiency Test.
10. What is the selection chain for SBI Clerk 2026?
Prelims, then Mains, then the Language Proficiency Test.
SBI Clerk Mains Admit Card 2026 FAQs
Has the SBI Clerk Mains admit card 2026 been released?
It depends on the drive. The backlog drive's admit card was released on 19 October 2026. The regular drive's has not been released as of 7 November 2026 — expected in the first week of November 2026, with one graphic suggesting 10–13 November, but that is an expectation only.
What is the SBI Clerk Mains exam date 2026?
The backlog drive's Mains was held on 29 October 2026. The regular drive's Mains date is not confirmed: 23 November 2026 is the most-reported date, and 27 November 2026 is also reported. Neither should be treated as confirmed until SBI announces it.
How many vacancies are there in SBI Clerk 2026?
That is unresolved. The advertisement figure is 9,124, while several portals use 9,766. This guide holds both open; the house notes frame 9,124 as 7,680 regular posts plus a 1,444 backlog-era framing.
Where do I download the SBI Clerk Mains admit card?
From the SBI careers portal at sbi.bank.in, logging in with your Registration Number and Password or Date of Birth. Check that the link names the regular drive, advertisement CRPD/CR/2026-27/17, before you log in.
When is the admit card usually released before the exam?
Typically, admit cards appear seven to ten days before the examination — the backlog drive fits, its card out on 19 October, ten days before the 29 October Mains. A rule of thumb, not a promise.
Is there an interview after the SBI Clerk Mains?
No interview stage is part of the selection chain given for this cycle. Selection runs Prelims, then Mains, then the Language Proficiency Test.
Some portals say the regular Prelims were also held on 3 October. Is that right?
Some portals do add 3 October, but the main reported dates are 26–27 September 2026, and 3 October is mentioned here only as a variant, not a confirmed date.
Practice Next
Use the wait well: check the result guide first, then build your Mains preparation around the 190-question, 200-mark pattern.
- SBI Clerk Result 2026 — the regular Prelims result position, and what follows it.
- SBI Clerk Preparation Strategy 2026 — how to use the waiting period for Mains preparation.
- SBI Clerk Salary 2026 — what the post pays, so you know what the Mains is worth.
- SBI Clerk Cut Off 2026 — the cut-off picture for both stages.
- IBPS Clerk Admit Card 2026 — the parallel clerk recruitment, if you applied there too.
- IBPS Clerk Mains Result 2026 — how the other clerk cycle's Mains stage is progressing.
- SBI PO Admit Card 2026 — the officer-level equivalent, if you are tracking both.
- SBI Clerk Mains Full Mock Test 03 — a full Mains mock at the 190-question pattern to practise while you wait.
Sources: SBI careers portal (sbi.bank.in); SBI Clerk advertisements CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16 and CRPD/CR/2026-27/17; reporting by CareerPower, Prepp, Adda247 and PracticeMock as cited in the text; house notes on the 9,124 vacancy framing (7,680 regular plus 1,444 backlog-era). As of 7 November 2026; every date marked expected or reported is not confirmed.