SBI PO Exam: Exam Pattern and Syllabus
What is the SBI PO exam?
The State Bank of India (SBI) annually administers an exam called the SBI PO test to select qualified candidates for the Probationary Officer post. Many individuals have applied to take the exam, but there are only a few available slots; thus, not everyone who applies will granted admission. The test to become a probationary officer at State Bank of India (SBI) is among the most difficult in India. The candidates who perform well here receive jobs as trainee bank officials at one of the numerous branches. The Preliminaries, Mains, and Physical Ability, Personality, and Group Exercises are the three sections that make up the SBI PO test.
The number of people who try to register for the SBI PO exam each year consistently exceeds 10 lakh. Workers at the State Bank of India (SBI) enjoy both excellent wages and stability in their employment with this well-known institution.
Because of this, a huge number of people rush to sign up for the many tests that the bank offers.
Features of SBI PO
Please have a look at the following for a summary of some key points relating to the SBI PO exam.
Exam Particulars | Exam Details |
Exam Name | SBI PO |
Authority | State Bank of India |
Level | National level |
Exam Frequency | Once a year |
Mode of Exam | Online |
Total Registrations | Approximately 10 lakh |
Stages of Exam | Prelims, Mains and Interview |
Exam Fees | INR 750 for General/EWS/OBC categories
SC/ST/PWD categories are exempted from fee payment |
Exam Duration | Prelims: One hour
Mains: 3 hours 30 minutes |
No. of Papers and Total Marks | Prelims: Three (100 marks)
Mains: Four (250 marks) |
Total Questions | Prelims: 100 questions
Mains: 156 questions |
Marking Scheme | 0.25 marks are deducted for wrong answers |
Language/Medium of Exam | English and Hindi |
Exam Purpose | For the selection of Probationary Officers in various branches of SBI |
No. of Test Cities | Prelims: 200 cities (Approx.)
Mains: 70 cities (Approx.) |
Official Website | sbi.co.in/careers |
Contact Details | 022-22820427 |
Subjects for SBI PO Exam
Prelims
The preliminary stages of the SBI PO Exam will focus on the following subjects:
- English
- Quantitative Aptitude
- Reasoning
The following are some of the topics covered in the three subjects:
Topics for SBI PO Prelims | ||
Quantitative Aptitude | Reasoning | English |
Simplification/ Approximation | Alphanumeric Series | Reading Comprehension |
Profit & Loss | Directions | Fill in the blanks |
Mixtures & Alligations | Logical Reasoning | Cloze Test |
Permutation, Combination & Probability | Data Sufficiency | Para jumbles |
Work & Time | Ranking & Order | Vocabulary |
Sequence & Series | Alphabet Test | Paragraph Completion |
Mains
The following topics will be covered in the SBI PO Mains exam:
- Data Analysis & Interpretation
- Reasoning
- General/Economy/Banking Awareness
- English Language
Topics for SBI PO Mains | |||
Data Analysis & Interpretation | Reasoning | General/Economy/Banking Awareness | English Language |
Tabular Graph | Verbal Reasoning | Current Affairs | Reading Comprehension |
Line Graph | Syllogism | Financial Awareness | Grammar |
Bar Graph | Circular Seating Arrangement | General Knowledge | Verbal Ability |
Charts & Tables | Linear Seating Arrangement | Static Awareness | Vocabulary |
Missing Case DI | Double Lineup | Banking Terminologies Knowledge | Sentence Improvement |
Radar Graph Caselet | Scheduling | Banking Awareness | Word Association |
Stages of the Exam
The fact that SBI receives applications from lakhs of students each year means that the level of competition is high and that the SBI PO test is difficult to pass. If passing the SBI PO exam is a goal of yours, it is imperative that you study according to the most recent SBI PO syllabus and exam pattern. Using this as a guide will propel your studies for the SBI PO exams in the proper direction.
The selection for the post of SBI PO is based on 4 stages:
- Preliminary Examination
- Mains Examination
- Psychometric Test
- Final Selection
SBI PO Exam Stages | |
Exam Conducting Body | State Bank of India (SBI) |
Post | Probationary Officer (PO) |
Selection Process/Stages |
|
Both the preliminary and main exams for SBI are exclusively offered in an online format. The preliminary examination is a screening examination that is used to select candidates for the main examination. It is required that you do well on every one of the tests. Let’s have a look at the SBI PO exam pattern and the whole SBI PO syllabus.
Exam Pattern and Syllabus
The SBI PO Preliminary Exam Syllabus and the SBI PO Main Exam Syllabus are quite similar to one another. There has been just a minor adjustment made to the mains section, and two more sections—namely, general and banking awareness—have been included. In spite of this, the degree of difficulty of the SBI PO Mains Paper is rather more than that of the Preliminaries.
SBI PO Exam Pattern | |
Marks Segregation
of SBI PO Exam |
|
Duration of Exam |
|
Marking scheme | 1 mark each for every correct answer in Online Test |
Negative marking | 1/4th of the marks assigned to the question in MCQ |
Mode of Examination | Online For Paper I and Paper II |
Language of examination | English OR Hindi
English Language paper has to be attempted in English. |
SBI PO Exam Pattern For Prelims
The SBI PO Prelims Exam is divided into 3 sections:
- Reasoning
- Quantitative Aptitude
- English Language
The Time Duration for the Prelims Exam of SBI PO will be 1 hour.
SBI PO Exam Pattern 2023: Prelims | ||||
S.No. | Section | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Time allotted
for each test |
1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
2 | Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
3 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
Total | 100 | 100 | 1 hour |
Key Points of SBI PO Prelims Exam
The following are some of the most important aspects of the SBI PO Preliminary Exam:
- There are going to be three different sections.
- The total number of points earned on the preliminary exam will be used to make an overall list of merit that will be broken down by category.
- There will not be a cut-off at a sectional level. There will, however, be an overall cutoff.
- For each question that is answered incorrectly, there will be a deduction of 0.25 points from the total.
SBI PO Syllabus For Prelims Exam
The Reasoning Ability test, the Quantitative Aptitude test, and the English Language test are all part of the preliminary examination for the SBI PO exam. In the next part, we’ll talk about the titles and sub-titles of the sections on the SBI PO Preliminary Exam:
Reasoning | Quantitative Aptitude | English Language |
Logical Reasoning | Simplification | Reading Comprehension |
Alphanumeric Series | Profit & Loss | Cloze Test |
Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test | Mixtures & Allegations | Para jumbles |
Data Sufficiency | Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices | Miscellaneous |
Coded Inequalities | Work & Time | Fill in the blanks |
Seating Arrangement | Time & Distance | Multiple Meaning/Error Spotting |
Puzzle | Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere | Paragraph Completion |
Tabulation | Data Interpretation | Vocabulary |
Syllogism | Ratio & Proportion, Percentage | Sentence Improvement |
Blood Relations | Number Systems | Word Association |
Input-Output | Sequence & Series | Error Spotting |
Coding-Decoding | Permutation, Combination & Probability | Verbal Ability |
SBI PO Exam Pattern For Mains
Candidates who pass the SBI Preliminary Exam with scores higher than the specified cut off will be permitted to take the SBI Mains Exam.The curriculum for the SBI PO Mains Exam is quite similar to that of the IBPS PO Exam. Changes have been made to the mains section, including an increase in the weightage of general economy/banking awareness and a reduction in the time allotted for the exam from 3 hours to 3 hours and 30 minutes.
The Descriptive Test will last for a total of 30 minutes and will be scored out of a possible 50 points. During this part of the testing process, letter writing and essay writing will be used to test the candidates’ writing skills.
SBI PO Exam Pattern 2023: Mains | ||||
S.No. | Section | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Time allotted |
i) | Objective Type | |||
1 | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 50 | 50 minutes |
2 | General Economy/ Banking Awareness | 50 | 60 | 45 minutes |
3 | English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 minutes |
4 | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | 50 | 45 minutes |
ii) | Descriptive Paper | |||
5. | English Language
(Letter Writing & Essay) |
02 | 50 | 30 minutes |
6 | Total | 155 | 200 | 3 hours |
Key Points of SBI PO Mains Exam
The following points are the highlights of the SBI PO Mains Exam:
- The nature of each question will be objective.
- The nature of each question will be objective.
- There will be a total of three hours allotted for the SBI PO Mains Exam.
- The objective examination will have individual timing for each part of the test.
- There will not be any cuts made to certain sections. There will be just one cutoff at the overall level.
- Every wrong answer to a multiple-choice question will result in a reduction of 0.25 points from the total possible score.
- You need to appear in the Descriptive Paper, which is worth 50 marks.
Note that the descriptive paper of a candidate will only be examined if they have already passed the objective test with the minimum qualifying marks that have been established by the bank.
SBI PO Syllabus For Mains Exam
The Mains Examination of SBI PO exam comprises 4 sections:
- Data Analysis & Interpretation
- Reasoning & Computer Aptitude
- General/Economy/Banking Awareness
- English Language
- In addition, a descriptive examination is a part of the SBI PO Mains curriculum.
- In order to go on to the SBI PO mains exam, candidates need to demonstrate that they are able to perform well on the descriptive examination as well.
The following topics make up the whole of the syllabus:
SBI PO Syllabus: Reasoning
The following topics are covered under the Reasoning section:
- Critical Reasoning,
- Analytical and Decision Making
- Double Lineup,
- Circular Seating Arrangement,
- Linear Seating Arrangement,
- Ordering and Ranking,
- Data Sufficiency,
- Verbal Reasoning,
- Syllogism,
- Coding and Decoding,
- Coded Inequalities,
- The course of Action,
- Scheduling,
- Input-Output,
- Blood Relations,
- Directions and Distances,
SBI PO Syllabus: Data Analysis
The following topics are covered under the Data Analysis section:
- Tabular Graph,
- Radar Graph Case-let,
- Missing Case DI,
- Let it Case DI,
- Data Sufficiency,
- Line Graph,
- Pie Chart,
- Bar Graph,
- Probability,
- Permutation and Combination
SBI PO Syllabus: General Awareness/ Economy/ Banking Awareness
The following topics are covered under the Economy section:
- Financial Awareness
- Static Awareness
- Banking and Financial Awareness
- Current Affairs
- General Knowledge
SBI PO Syllabus: English Language
The following topics are covered under the English Language section:
- Reading Comprehension,
- Sentence Improvement,
- Para Jumbles,
- Error Spotting,
- Fill in the blanks
- Grammar,
- Vocabulary,
- Verbal Ability,
- Word Association,
- Sentence Improvement,
- Cloze Test
SBI PO Syllabus: Computer Aptitude
The following topics are covered under the Computer Aptitude section:
- Internet,
- Computer fundamentals/Terminologies
- Computer Hardware
- Networking
- Memory
- Microsoft Office
- Operating system
- Keyboard Shortcuts,
- Computer Abbreviation,
- Computer Software
SBI PO Phase III
- Those candidates who make it to the Bank’s Phase-III shortlist may be subjected to a psychometric exam for personality profiling.
- Only those applying to be SBI POs should take this exam. This exam is just for SBI PO applicants. The test results may be submitted to the interview committee so that they may have a thorough grasp of the applicants.
- The candidates who have made it through the first two stages of the SBI PO test will now go on to the third and final round of the selection process. The Group Discussion is worth a total of 20 points, while the Interview is worth a total of 30 points.
- In each area, the total scores of all of the applicants who passed both the objective exams and the descriptive tests will be ranked from highest to lowest to determine who had the best overall score.
- In accordance with the Bank’s regulations, a certain number of applicants from each category will be invited to participate in Group Exercises and interviews.
- The minimum score required to pass both the Group Discussion and the Interview will be determined by the bank.
Selection of SBI Probationary Officers
The following criteria are taken into account while determining an individual’s final score on the SBI PO Exam:
The SBI PO Exam final score is calculated based on the following factors:
- For the purpose of selection, your performance in the Preliminary Exam (Phase-1) will not be taken into account.
- In order to be eligible, candidates must first meet the requirements of both Phase 2 and Phase 3.
- Marks obtained by candidates in the SBI PO Mains Exam (out of a total of 250 possible points) are converted to a score out of 75, while marks obtained in the Group Exercises and Interview (out of a total of 50 possible points) are transformed to a score out of 25. This brings the new total score for the Mains as well as the GD/PI up to 100.
- The final merit list for each category is compiled based on the aggregate score out of a possible 100 points. In the end, the candidates who earned the highest merit ranks in each area are chosen.