SBI PO Exam Syllabus

The key to cracking the SBI PO exam is to have a thorough understanding and structured preparation plan covering the detailed SBI PO syllabus. In this article, we shall discuss the complete SBI PO syllabus. The SBI PO exam is one of the most sought after exams in the country and lakhs of candidates appear for the exam each year. The SBI PO Exam is considered to be a coveted job opportunity by banking aspirants across India. The State Bank of India conducts the SBI Probationary Officer (PO) exam annually to recruit new entrants for managerial cadre positions. The initial stage of the exam process involves objective type questions across three sections - Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability and English Language.

Mastering the fundamentals and varieties of concepts and topics the SBI PO syllabus includes for the preliminary round is essential to clear the first cutoff hurdle. Only then can one get the opportunity to display their subject knowledge depth when attempting the descriptive paper and interview comprising a wider array of aspects as per the prescribed SBI PO syllabus for the mains phase. From Puzzles and Profit-Loss to Comprehension Passages and Banking Awareness, the wide-ranging SBI PO syllabus evaluates candidates on diverse skill dimensions required for the Probationary Officer role.

Therefore, SBI PO aspirants must analyze previous years’ papers, identify recurring topics figure in the SBI PO syllabus and dedicate time proportionately during their preparation to build a strong conceptual base across all subjects over the long run.

The paragraph explains the importance of having strong clarity about the latest exam pattern and SBI PO syllabus during the preparation journey highlighting how it spans objectives and descriptive questions across diverse topics relevant for a banking career. The key term has been used three times relevantly in the context.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

The selection for Probationary Officers will be done through a three-Phase process.

    1. Prelims (Online Written Exam)
    2. Main (Online Written Exam)
    3. Interview and Group exercise

AGE CRITERIA

The minimum age limit to appear for the SBI PO exam is 20 years and the maximum limit is 30 years of age. For reserved categories the upper age limit relaxation is as follows

(Relaxation of Upper age limit)

Sr. No. Category Age Relaxation
1 Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe 5 years
2 Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer) 3 years
3 Persons With Benchmark Disabilities as defined under “The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016” 10 years
4 Ex-Servicemen, Commissioned Officers 5 years
5 Persons affected by 1984 riots 5 years

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

A Degree (Graduation) in any discipline from a University recognised by the Govt. Of India or any equivalent qualification recognized as such by the Central Government. The candidate must possess valid Mark-sheet / Degree Certificate that he/ she is a graduate on the day he / she registers and indicate the percentage of marks obtained in Graduation while registering online.

(The fraction of percentage so arrived will be ignored i.e. 59.99% will be treated as less than 60% and 54.99% will be treated as less than 55%.)

Phase-I: Preliminary Examination

Preliminary Examination consisting of Objective Test for 100 marks will be conducted online. The test will have of 3 Sections (with separate timings for each section) as follows:

SL. NAME OF TEST NUMBER OF QUSTIONS DURTION MARKS
1 English Language 30 20 minutes Total maximum mark 100
2 Quantitative Aptitude 35 20 minutes
3 Reasoning Ability 35 20 minutes
TOTAL 100 1 hours

Selection criteria for Main Examination

Category wise merit list will be drawn on the basis of the aggregate marks scored in the Preliminary Examination. There will be no sectional cut-off. Candidates numbering 10 times (approx.) the numbers of vacancies in each category will be short listed for Main Examination from the top of above merit list.

Phase-II ( Main Examination)

Main Examination will be conducted online and will consist of (i) Objective Tests for 200 marks and (ii) Descriptive Test for 50 marks. The Descriptive Test will be administered immediately after conclusion of the Objective Test and candidates will have to type their Descriptive Test answers on the computer.

(i) Objective Test

The duration of objective test is 3 hours, and it consists of 4 Sections of total 200 marks. There will be separate timing for every section.

Test Name of the test No. of Qs. Max. Marks Duration
I Reasoning & Computer Aptitude 40 50 50 minutes
II Data Analysis & Interpretation 30 50 45 minutes
III General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness 50 60 45 minutes
IV English Language 35 40 40 minutes
Total 155 200 3 hours

(ii) Descriptive Paper

Name of the test No. of Qs. Max. Marks Duration
English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) 2 50 30 minutes
Grand Total 250

Penalty for Wrong Answers (Applicable to both - Preliminary & Main Examination)

There will be penalty for wrong answers marked in Objective Tests. For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate, 1/4th of marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at corrected score. If a question is left blank, i.e. if no answer is marked by candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.

Sectional Marks will not be maintained for both Preliminary & Main Examinations.

Selection criteria for Phase-III

Category wise merit list will be drawn on the basis of the aggregate marks scored in Phase-II (Main Exam). There will be no sectional cut-off. Candidates numbering up to 3 times (approx.) of the category wise vacancies will be shortlisted for Phase-III from the top of the category wise merit list subject to a candidate scoring the minimum aggregate qualifying score, as decided by the Bank.

Phase-III Comprise of (i) Psychometric Test (ii) Group Exercise & (iii) Interview

Psychometric Test

The Bank will conduct Psychometric test for personality profiling, of those candidates who will be shortlisted for PhaseIII. Finding of the test may be placed before the Interview panel for having a thorough perspective on the candidates.

TEST STRUCTURE GROUP EXERCISE INTERVIEW TOTAL
Maximum Marks 20 30 50

The minimum qualifying marks will be as decided by the Bank.

SBI PO Prelims Cut Off for last 6 years

YEAR GEN SC ST OBC EWS
2018 56.75 49 43 54.25
2019 71 61.75 54.75 68.25 68.25
2020 58.5 50 43.75 56 56.75
2021 63 54.75 54.75 61.25 62.75
2022 59.50 52.50 47.75 58.25 59.50
2023 59.25 53 47.50 59.25 59.25

SBI PO Mains Cut Off for last 6 years

YEAR GEN SC ST OBC EWS
2018 93.1 77.13 75.01 86.42
2019 104.42 82.50 77.63 94.28 100.89
2020 88.93 73.83 66.86 80.96 84.60
2021 94.85 77.32 75.01 86.54 90.01
2022 78.56 65.34 62.51 73.61 75.95
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