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SBI PO Probationary Officer 2026 Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2026

Last updated: 5 June 2026

SBI PO 2026 has three scored phases. Prelims is a 60-minute screening test with fixed 20-minute sectional timers. Mains has four timed objective sections plus a 30-minute descriptive test. Phase 3 combines psychometric assessment, group exercise and interview.

Board

SBI

Vacancies

1,500

Qualification

Graduation (any discipline)

Official Syllabus PDF Downloads

Direct PDF links from State Bank of India — Official Careers Portal — open or save the official syllabus for your examination.

SBI PO 2026 Notification & Syllabus PDF Download PDF →

Exam Pattern

  • Prelims: 60 minutes total — 20 minutes per section (sectional timing enforced)
  • Prelims: no sectional cut-off; overall category-wise cut-off applies
  • Prelims: 0.25 negative marking; marks not counted in final merit
  • Mains objective: 170 questions, 200 marks, 3 hours with separate section timers
  • Mains: sectional cut-offs in each objective section — must qualify all
  • Mains descriptive: 2 questions, 30 marks, 30 minutes (typed on computer)
  • Descriptive evaluated only if objective Mains qualifying marks are met
Paper / Subject Questions Marks
English Language 40 40
Quantitative Aptitude 30 30
Reasoning Ability 30 30
Prelims Total 100 100

Mains Exam Pattern

Paper Subject Format Marks
I Reasoning & Computer Aptitude Objective (MCQ) 60
II Data Analysis & Interpretation Objective (MCQ) 60
III General/Economy/Banking Awareness Objective (MCQ) 60
IV English Language Objective (MCQ) 20
Descriptive Email + Letter/Report/Precis Typed descriptive 30
Phase III Group Exercise + Interview Oral 50

Syllabus — Subject-wise Topics

Prelims — Reasoning Ability (30 Q · 30 marks)

  • Puzzles & Seating Arrangement — 15–20 questions (highest weightage)
  • Inequality (direct & coded) — 4–5 questions
  • Syllogism — 4–5 questions
  • Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations, Direction Sense — 2–3 each
  • Alphanumeric Series, Input-Output, Order & Ranking
  • Data Sufficiency, Logical Reasoning

Prelims — Quantitative Aptitude (30 Q · 30 marks)

  • Data Interpretation — 10–15 questions (tables, bar, pie, caselet)
  • Simplification / Approximation — 5–10 questions
  • Number Series — 4–5 questions
  • Quadratic Equations — 3–5 questions
  • Arithmetic — percentage, profit & loss, SI-CI, time & work, ratio (10–12 Q)

Prelims — English Language (40 Q · 40 marks)

  • Reading Comprehension — 8–10 questions
  • Cloze Test — 5–7 questions
  • Error Detection / Spotting — 3–5 questions
  • Para Jumbles — 3–5 questions
  • Fillers, Vocabulary, Sentence Improvement — 2–4 each

Mains — Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Q · 60 marks)

  • High-level Puzzles & Seating — 18–22 questions
  • Input-Output, Scheduling, Double Lineup — 5–8 questions
  • Coded Inequalities, Syllogism, Critical Reasoning
  • Computer: MS Office, internet, memory, hardware, networking, abbreviations

Mains — Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 Q · 60 marks)

  • Advanced DI — caselet, missing DI, radar graph — 15–20 questions
  • Arithmetic (advanced) — 5–8 questions
  • Data Sufficiency & quantity comparison — 3–5 questions
  • Probability, permutation-combination, mensuration

Mains — General/Economy/Banking Awareness (60 Q · 60 marks)

  • Current Affairs — 20–25 questions (last 6 months banking & economy)
  • Banking Awareness — RBI, SBI, NPAs, monetary policy, digital banking
  • Financial Awareness — budget, GST, insurance, financial markets
  • Static GK — awards, books, sports, appointments

Mains — English Language (40 Q · 20 marks)

  • Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Para Jumbles
  • New-pattern match-the-column, sentence connectors
  • Error spotting, vocabulary, verbal ability
  • Must be attempted in English only

Mains — Descriptive English (2 Q · 30 marks)

  • Email writing — 1 out of 2 options (15 marks)
  • Letter / Report / Precis / Situation analysis — 1 out of 2 (15 marks)
  • Practice 250–300 word banking-theme essays and formal letters
  • No negative marking; quality and structure matter

Selection Process

  1. Phase I — Preliminary Exam: English (40) + Quant (30) + Reasoning (30) = 100 marks; qualifying
  2. Phase II — Main Exam: Reasoning & Computer (60) + DI (60) + GA/Banking (60) + English (20) + Descriptive (30) = 230 marks
  3. Phase III — Psychometric Test (qualifying; results shared with interview panel)
  4. Group Exercise — 20 marks (communication, teamwork, leadership)
  5. Personal Interview — 30 marks
  6. Final merit — Mains (75%) + GE & Interview (25%)

Preparation Tips

  • Spend 70% study time on high-weightage Prelims topics: puzzles, DI, and RC.
  • Take one full mock per week initially; increase to 3–4/week near Prelims.
  • Mains GA: read RBI bulletin, Economic Survey highlights and last 6 months banking news daily.
  • Practice descriptive typing — 250-word emails and formal letters to bank manager/RBI.
  • Group Exercise: practise current-affairs discussion in groups of 8–10; focus on listening and leadership.
  • SBI PO is tougher than IBPS PO — expect harder puzzles and higher cut-offs.

Complete SBI PO Probationary Officer 2026 guide

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