Probationary Officer (PO)
SBI PO Syllabus 2026
The selection process for SBI PO 2026 is spread across three phases: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Psychometric Test, Group Exercise & Interview.
Phase-I: Preliminary Exam Pattern
| Test | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 40 | 40 | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 1 hour |
There is no sectional cut-off in the Preliminary Examination. Candidates about 10 times the vacancies in each category are shortlisted for Mains on aggregate prelims marks.
Phase-II: Main Exam Pattern
| Objective Test | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 50 | 50 minutes |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | 50 | 45 minutes |
| General Awareness / Economy / Banking Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| English Language | 40 | 40 | 40 minutes |
| Objective Total | 170 | 200 | 3 hours |
| Descriptive Paper | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Skills: Email, Situation Analysis, and either Report Writing or Precis Writing | 3 | 30 | 30 minutes |
| Grand Total | 173 | 230 | 3 hours 30 minutes |
Each candidate has to score a minimum qualifying score in every main exam section and the descriptive paper individually. Candidates about 3 times the vacancies are shortlisted for Phase-III.
Penalty for Wrong Answers
In both Preliminary and Main objective tests, there is a penalty of 1/4th of the marks assigned to a question for every wrong answer. No penalty applies to unanswered questions.
Phase-III Structure
- Psychometric Test for personality profiling
- Group Exercise: 20 marks
- Personal Interview: 30 marks
- Total for Group Exercise and Interview: 50 marks
Final selection is prepared after combining Phase-II and Phase-III marks. Preliminary marks are not counted in the final merit list.
The Main Examination score of 230 marks is normalized to 75, and Group Exercise plus Interview score of 50 marks is normalized to 25, making the final merit total 100 marks.