SBI PO
Recruits Probationary Officers into the State Bank of India, India's largest bank, as Junior Management Grade Scale I officers.
Eligibility
A graduate degree in any discipline; final-year/semester students may apply provisionally if they produce proof of passing by the date in the notification. Age 21-30 years as on 1 April (SC/ST 5 years, OBC 3 years, PwBD 10 years relaxation). Per the 2026 advertisement, UR/EWS candidates get 6 chances, UR/EWS PwBD and OBC (including OBC PwBD) 9 chances, with no limit for SC/ST; only appearing in the Mains counts as a chance.
Age limit: 21-30 years (category relaxations apply)
Exam pattern
Three phases. Phase I Prelims has 100 questions in 60 minutes: English (40), Quantitative Aptitude (30) and Reasoning (30), with 20 minutes per section. Phase II Mains (2026 pattern) has a 3-hour objective paper of 170 questions for 200 marks: Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 questions, 60 marks, 50 min), Data Analysis & Interpretation (30, 60 marks, 45 min), General Awareness/Economy/Banking Knowledge (60, 60 marks, 45 min) and English (40, 20 marks, 40 min), followed by a 30-minute descriptive Communication Skills test of 30 marks (email, situation analysis, and report or précis writing), with sectional cut-offs including the descriptive paper. Phase III consists of a Psychometric Test, Group Exercise (20 marks) and Interview (30 marks). Objective questions carry a quarter-mark penalty. Final merit normalises Mains (230 marks) and Phase III (50 marks) to a 75:25 ratio.
Syllabus at a glance
Prelims: reading comprehension, cloze, error detection and para-jumbles; arithmetic, series and DI; puzzles, inequality and syllogism. Mains: high-level puzzles, logical reasoning and computer aptitude; complex DI including caselets and data sufficiency; banking, economy, financial and current affairs; advanced English including RC and vocabulary in context. The descriptive test covers email writing, situation analysis and report or précis writing.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| SBI PO 2026 Group Exercise & Interview | From 18 Nov 2026 (tentative, per SBI notice) | expected |
| SBI PO 2026 final result | Dec 2026 – Jan 2027 (expected) | expected |
| SBI PO 2027 notification and registration | Jun 2027 (expected) | expected |
| SBI PO 2027 Preliminary exam | Jul – Aug 2027 (expected) | expected |
| SBI PO 2027 Mains exam | Sep 2027 (expected) | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for the CAT – Arun Sharma
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations – R.S. Aggarwal
- Analytical Reasoning – M.K. Pandey
- Objective General English – S.P. Bakshi
- High School English Grammar & Composition – Wren & Martin
- Banking Awareness – Arihant Experts
How toppers play it
- English has 40 of the 100 prelims questions in SBI PO (more than IBPS PO), so build reading speed; an easy-to-moderate English section is where most qualifiers gain their margin.
- SBI Mains is lengthy and caselet-heavy; practise full 3-hour mains mocks weekly from the prelims notification onward, noting that General Awareness now has 60 questions in 45 minutes.
- Do not neglect the descriptive paper: it carries 30 marks with its own sectional cut-off and now tests email writing, situation analysis and report/précis writing, so practise one of each weekly.
- Final selection weights Mains 75 and Phase III 25: prepare for the Psychometric Test and Group Exercise early rather than after the Mains result.
- Track your chances: UR/EWS candidates get six Mains appearances, so sit the Mains only when prepared.