SBI PO
State Bank of India
Complete guide to passing the SBI PO exam on your first attempt.
~$10 (INR 750)
~1.5%
Annual exam
India
State Bank of India
SBI officer career
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Complete Overview
SBI PO is the recruitment examination State Bank of India runs to hire Probationary Officers, entry-level managers who are confirmed into Junior Management Grade Scale I. Any Indian graduate aged 21 to 30 on the notified cut-off date can apply, and the application fee is INR 750 for Unreserved, EWS and OBC candidates and nil for SC, ST and PwBD candidates.
The 2026-27 notification, advertisement number CRPD/PO/2026-27/09, advertised 1500 vacancies split as 588 Unreserved, 390 OBC, 234 SC, 144 ST and 144 EWS, with a further 61 seats reserved horizontally across four PwBD categories. Registration ran from 18 June 2026 to 8 July 2026. State Bank of India publishes the advertisement and an Acquaint Yourself Booklet on its careers page at sbi.bank.in.
Selection has three phases. Phase I is a one hour online Preliminary Examination of 100 questions for 100 marks, split into English Language with 40 questions in 20 minutes, Quantitative Aptitude with 30 questions in 20 minutes, and Reasoning Ability with 30 questions in 20 minutes. Each section is separately timed, so a candidate cannot borrow minutes from one section to finish another. There is no sectional cut-off in the Preliminary Examination, and roughly ten times the category-wise vacancies are shortlisted for the Main Examination.
Phase II is the Main Examination, 3 hours 30 minutes in total. Its objective part runs 3 hours across four separately timed tests: Reasoning and Computer Aptitude with 40 questions for 60 marks in 50 minutes, Data Analysis and Interpretation with 30 questions for 60 marks in 45 minutes, General Awareness, Economy and Banking Knowledge with 60 questions for 60 marks in 45 minutes, and English Language with 40 questions for 20 marks in 40 minutes. A 30 minute Descriptive Paper on Communication Skills follows immediately, with three tasks worth 30 marks typed on the same computer. Candidates must clear a sectional minimum in all five components.
Phase III combines a Psychometric Test for personality profiling, a Group Exercise worth 20 marks, and an Interview worth 30 marks. Around three times the category vacancies are called. The final merit list normalises Phase II from 230 marks to 75 and Phase III from 50 marks to 25. Preliminary Examination marks are discarded entirely at this stage.
A quarter of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong objective answer in both Phase I and Phase II. Unreserved and EWS candidates get six chances at the Main Examination, OBC and PwBD candidates get nine, and SC and ST candidates face no limit. Starting basic pay is INR 48,480 plus four advance increments, and State Bank of India puts approximate CTC at the initial scale at the Mumbai centre at INR 21.97 lakh.
Why Get SBI PO Certified?
State Bank of India advertised 1500 Probationary Officer vacancies in the 2026-27 cycle, one of the largest single officer intakes any Indian bank runs in a year.
Starting basic pay is INR 48,480 in the scale 48480-2000/7-62480-2340/2-67160-2680/7-85920, plus four advance increments, and SBI states the approximate CTC at the initial scale at Mumbai is INR 21.97 lakh.
The only academic requirement is graduation in any discipline, so engineering, medicine, arts, commerce and Chartered Accountancy backgrounds compete on the same footing.
Preliminary Examination marks are not carried into the final merit list, so a candidate who scrapes through Phase I starts Phase II level with everyone else.
SC, ST and PwBD candidates pay no application fee at all, and SBI runs free online Pre-Examination Training for SC, ST, OBC and PwBD candidates who opt in on the application form.
Selected officers are confirmed into Junior Management Grade Scale I after a two year probation, which places them on the same officer ladder that leads to Assistant General Manager and above.
SC and ST candidates face no cap on the number of attempts at the Main Examination, while Unreserved and EWS candidates get six chances and OBC and PwBD candidates get nine.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
Preliminary Examination: 1 hour, made up of three separately timed 20 minute sections. Main Examination: 3 hours 30 minutes, being 3 hours of objective tests across four separately timed sections plus a 30 minute Descriptive Paper.
Questions
Preliminary Examination: 100 questions for 100 marks. Main Examination: 170 objective questions for 200 marks, plus 3 descriptive tasks for 30 marks, giving a grand total of 230 marks.
Passing Score
State Bank of India does not publish fixed cut-off marks in advance. The Preliminary Examination has no sectional cut-off, and roughly ten times the category-wise vacancies are shortlisted on aggregate. The Main Examination carries a sectional minimum qualifying score in each of Test I, Test II, Test III, Test IV and the Descriptive Paper, fixed by the Bank each cycle. A quarter of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for every wrong objective answer.
Question Types
- Five-option multiple choice objective questions
- Data interpretation sets built on tables, caselets and graphs
- Reading comprehension passages
- Grammar error spotting, synonyms, antonyms and sentence completion
- Computer aptitude questions inside the Reasoning and Computer Aptitude test
- Descriptive email writing, one of two options
- Descriptive situation analysis, one of two options
- Descriptive report writing or precis writing, one of two options
- Psychometric test items in Phase III, all mandatory
- Group Exercise and Personal Interview in Phase III
Delivery Method
Online computer-based test at SBI-designated centres across India, with descriptive answers typed on the same computer immediately after the objective part. The Psychometric Test may be run in proctored mode or at identified examination centres, as the Bank decides. Group Exercise and Interview are conducted in person.
Exam Domains & Topics
Forty questions for 60 marks in 50 minutes, the heaviest per-question mark weight in the Main Examination. Sets are long and interlinked, so a single misread condition in a seating or floor puzzle can cost four or five questions. Computer aptitude questions sit inside the same test and the same clock. Weights shown across these seven domains are each component's rounded share of the 100 mark normalised final merit, derived from SBI's published mark tables of 230 for Phase II and 50 for Phase III.
Key Topics to Master:
- Linear and circular seating arrangement with multiple variables
- Floor and flat based puzzles
- Scheduling puzzles across months, days and dates
- Input-output machine sequences
- Syllogism including possibility cases
- Data sufficiency in two and three statement form
- Blood relations and direction sense
- Computer fundamentals, networking basics and MS Office operations
- Coding-decoding and logical order of words
Thirty questions for 60 marks in 45 minutes, so each question carries two marks and 90 seconds. SBI builds this test almost entirely from multi-part sets rather than standalone arithmetic, which means the reading and set-up cost is front-loaded and the payoff comes from solving four or five questions off one dataset.
Key Topics to Master:
- Tabular data interpretation with missing values
- Caselet data interpretation written as prose
- Bar, line and pie chart sets and combined charts
- Data sufficiency applied to arithmetic
- Quantity comparison questions
- Probability and permutation-combination inside sets
- Percentage, ratio, average and mixture arithmetic
- Profit and loss, simple and compound interest
- Approximation and simplification for speed
Sixty questions for 60 marks in 45 minutes, one mark and 45 seconds per question. This is the only Main Examination test where preparation converts directly into marks with no problem-solving delay. Like the other three objective tests, it carries its own sectional minimum qualifying score fixed by the Bank each cycle.
Key Topics to Master:
- RBI monetary policy decisions, repo rate and policy stance
- Banking regulation, priority sector lending and Basel norms
- Union Budget figures and government schemes
- Financial market institutions including SEBI, IRDAI and NABARD
- Static banking awareness such as bank headquarters, taglines and chiefs
- Payment systems, UPI, NEFT, RTGS and digital banking
- Insurance and mutual fund basics
- National and international current affairs of the past six months
- Committees, reports and appointments in the financial sector
Forty questions for only 20 marks in 40 minutes, so each question is worth half a mark. The low mark weight tempts candidates to skip it, but SBI applies a sectional cut-off here exactly as it does elsewhere, and a candidate who fails this cut-off is out regardless of the other three sections.
Key Topics to Master:
- Reading comprehension on economy and social policy passages
- Error spotting in split-sentence format
- Sentence rearrangement and para jumbles
- Cloze test passages
- Sentence completion and word usage
- Synonyms and antonyms
- Phrase replacement and idiom usage
- Connectors and sentence improvement
Three tasks worth 30 marks in 30 minutes, typed on the exam computer straight after the objective part ends. The candidate writes an email chosen from two options, a situation analysis chosen from two options, and either a report or a precis chosen from two options. It carries its own sectional cut-off.
Key Topics to Master:
- Formal email structure, subject line and register
- Situation analysis with a stated recommendation
- Report writing with headings and a conclusion
- Precis writing and compression to a word limit
- Typing speed and accuracy on a keyboard under time pressure
- Banking and workplace vocabulary
- Paragraph structure and logical flow
- Proofreading in the last two minutes
Worth 20 marks out of the 50 available in Phase III. Candidates are placed in a group and assessed on how they contribute to a discussion or task. SBI does not publish the assessment rubric, and it sets the minimum qualifying marks for the Group Exercise and Interview at its own discretion each cycle.
Key Topics to Master:
- Structured opening of a group discussion
- Building on another candidate rather than repeating
- Banking and economic topics likely to be set
- Time-sharing inside a group of eight to ten
- Summarising a group position
- Handling interruption without aggression
- Current affairs depth to supply concrete points
Worth 30 marks out of the 50 available in Phase III, the single largest component of Phase III. Findings from the Psychometric Test are placed before the interview panel, so answers that contradict the psychometric profile invite follow-up. Document verification can be carried out at this stage.
Key Topics to Master:
- Academic background and reasons for choosing banking
- Home state, district and local economy questions
- RBI policy and recent banking sector developments
- SBI history, subsidiaries and business lines
- Situational and ethics questions
- Consistency with the psychometric profile
- Original certificates and category documents
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Download the SBI advertisement CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 and the Acquaint Yourself Booklet from sbi.bank.in and read the section timings and the one quarter negative marking rule in full
- 2Sit a full untimed Preliminary mock to find your raw accuracy in English, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning
- 3Work the sample questions in the Acquaint Yourself Booklet so the five-option format and the view-in language toggle are familiar
- 4Fix a daily 45 minute slot for current affairs and start a running file on RBI policy announcements
- 5List your three weakest question types and write them at the top of your notebook
- 1Drill percentage, ratio, average and partnership from R.S. Aggarwal Quantitative Aptitude, one chapter per day
- 2Memorise squares to 40, cubes to 25, and fraction to percentage conversions up to one nineteenth
- 3Practise 50 simplification and approximation questions daily under a two minute per ten questions target
- 4Take two sectional tests of 30 questions in 20 minutes each and log the questions you attempted but got wrong
- 1Work through linear, circular and floor puzzles from R.S. Aggarwal A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning
- 2Solve five full puzzle sets daily, timing each set and abandoning any set that runs past six minutes
- 3Cover syllogism with possibility cases and inequality separately, since they are the fastest marks in the section
- 4Take two 30 question, 20 minute Reasoning sectionals and compare accuracy against Week 2
- 1Read one editorial from The Hindu or Business Standard daily and note ten unfamiliar words
- 2Work vocabulary from Norman Lewis Word Power Made Easy and grammar from S.P. Bakshi Objective General English
- 3Take three full 100 question Preliminary mocks in one hour with the three separate 20 minute sections enforced
- 4After each mock, calculate net score after the quarter mark penalty rather than raw attempts
- 1Shift from single arithmetic questions to full five question DI sets, three sets a day
- 2Practise caselet DI written as prose, which appears in the Main Examination far more than in the Preliminary
- 3Learn quantity comparison and data sufficiency formats, both of which SBI uses in Test II
- 4Time each set at seven and a half minutes to match the 30 questions in 45 minutes budget
- 1Move to Main-level puzzles with two or three linked variables and solve four sets daily
- 2Add input-output and machine sequence questions, which appear in Test I but rarely in the Preliminary
- 3Cover computer fundamentals, network basics and MS Office shortcuts, since Test I mixes them into the same 50 minutes
- 4Take two 40 question, 50 minute Test I sectionals
- 1Read the RBI Annual Report chapter summaries and the last four bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statements on rbi.org.in
- 2Build a one page monthly digest of appointments, schemes, budget figures and banking committee reports from PIB releases
- 3Revise static banking awareness: bank headquarters, taglines, regulator functions and Basel norms
- 4Take a 60 question, 45 minute Test III sectional twice this week and aim to raise the score by ten marks between attempts
- 1Write one email, one situation analysis and one report or precis every day, typed on a keyboard rather than handwritten
- 2Hold each full set to 30 minutes, which is the real allowance for all three tasks combined
- 3Build a reusable structure for each format so you spend the exam minutes on content rather than layout
- 4Get three of the pieces read by someone who will mark grammar and structure honestly
- 1Sit two complete Main mocks of 3 hours 30 minutes, objective plus descriptive, without pausing between them
- 2Check whether you cleared a plausible sectional cut-off in all five components, not just the aggregate
- 3Rework every wrong answer in Test III into your current affairs digest the same day
- 4Cut attempts in any section where accuracy fell below 80 per cent, because the quarter mark penalty makes guessing expensive
- 1Prepare a two minute self-introduction and answers on your graduation subject, home district and why banking
- 2Read SBI annual report highlights, subsidiary names and current business priorities before the interview
- 3Practise three group exercises with peers on banking and economy topics, timing each contribution
- 4Assemble original certificates, the self-attested ID photocopy and category certificates in a single folder
- 5Revise formula sheets, static banking notes and the last three months of current affairs only, adding nothing new
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Best Study Resources
SBI Careers current openings
Official notification portalThe page where State Bank of India publishes the Probationary Officer advertisement, the vacancy table by category, the fee schedule and every corrigendum. Every other source is downstream of this one.
Free
SBI Acquaint Yourself Booklet for the Preliminary Examination
Official preparation bookletSBI publishes this booklet alongside each advertisement. It gives the section timings, sample questions in the exact five-option format, the rules on calculators and rough sheets, and screenshots of the test interface including the language toggle.
Free
Reserve Bank of India website
Primary source for banking awarenessMonetary policy statements, the Annual Report, the Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India, and press releases. Test III questions on repo rate, policy stance and regulatory changes trace back to these documents.
Free
Press Information Bureau releases
Primary source for current affairsGovernment scheme launches, budget announcements and appointments published on the day they happen. Useful for building a dated monthly digest rather than relying on second-hand compilations.
Free
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S. Aggarwal
TextbookChapter-wise coverage of arithmetic, data interpretation and number systems with worked solutions. Best used in Weeks 2 and 5 for building method before switching to timed sets.
Around INR 500-800
A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal
TextbookCovers syllogism, seating arrangement, puzzles, coding-decoding and data sufficiency. The puzzle chapters are the closest printed match to what Test I sets.
Around INR 500-800
Objective General English by S.P. Bakshi
TextbookGrammar rules, error spotting and vocabulary drills aimed at bank and staff selection examinations. Pairs with editorial reading for the comprehension passages.
Around INR 400-600
Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
TextbookRoot-based vocabulary building. Twenty minutes a day through Weeks 4 to 9 covers most of the synonym and antonym range SBI sets.
Around INR 200-400
Online mock test platforms such as Testbook, Adda247 and Oliveboard
Mock test subscriptionThese platforms replicate the sectional timing and the quarter mark penalty in a browser interface. The value is in the timing discipline and the post-test analytics, not in the question quality of any single test.
Free tiers available, paid plans typically INR 500-3,000 per year
SBI Pre-Examination Training
Official free trainingSBI arranges online pre-examination training for SC, ST, OBC and PwBD candidates. You must tick the relevant column on the online application form to be eligible, and the schedule arrives by email and SMS with no hard copy sent.
Free
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Treating the Preliminary Examination as one 60 minute paper and planning to come back to skipped questions later.
Each of the three Preliminary sections has its own 20 minute clock. Once English Language closes you cannot return to it. Practise every mock with section locks enabled so your pacing habit matches the real interface.
Guessing freely in the objective tests on the assumption that a blind attempt has positive expected value.
SBI deducts one quarter of the marks assigned to a question for every wrong answer, and leaves blanks unpenalised. On a five-option question, a pure guess is negative expected value. Only attempt when you have eliminated at least three options.
Neglecting the Main Examination English Language test because it carries only 20 of the 200 objective marks.
Test IV has its own sectional minimum qualifying score. Failing it ends your candidature regardless of your Reasoning or Data Analysis score. Give it at least three hours a week even in the final month.
Practising descriptive writing by hand on paper.
The Descriptive Paper is typed on the exam computer immediately after the objective part. Candidates who have only written by hand lose several minutes to typing speed and to formatting on screen. Type every practice piece.
Optimising the Preliminary score and expecting it to help in the final ranking.
The final merit list uses only Phase II normalised to 75 marks and Phase III normalised to 25. Preliminary marks are dropped after shortlisting. Once you are comfortably past the likely Phase I cut-off, redirect effort to Test III and the descriptive paper.
Preparing General Awareness from a generic current affairs compilation rather than a banking-weighted one.
Test III is titled General Awareness, Economy and Banking Knowledge, and the economy and banking half is where the marks concentrate. Build from RBI releases, the Union Budget and banking committee reports before touching sports and awards.
Sitting the Main Examination mock as a 3 hour objective paper and stopping there.
The descriptive paper starts immediately after the objective part ends, with no break. Mental fatigue at the 3 hour mark is the reason well-prepared candidates write weak emails. Simulate the full 3 hours 30 minutes at least twice.
Applying more than once with different registrations to improve the odds of getting a preferred centre.
SBI retains only the last valid application and forfeits the fee paid on the others. Multiple appearance at interview or joining results in summary cancellation of candidature.
Ignoring outstanding credit card or loan dues while preparing.
SBI requires candidates with adverse credit history recorded at CIBIL or another credit information agency to regularise or repay those dues on or before the joining date, or produce an NOC from the lender. Check your credit status before you apply, not after selection.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Carry the printed call letter and one photo identity proof in original plus a self-attested photocopy of it. Accepted documents include passport, Aadhaar, PAN card, driving licence, voter ID, a bank passbook with an attested photograph, or an identity card issued by a school, college or gazetted officer on official letterhead.
- 2
Hand the photocopy of the ID proof to the invigilator along with the call letter. Without that photocopy, or if your identity is in doubt, you will not be allowed to sit the test.
- 3
Reach the centre on or before the reporting time printed on the call letter. Candidates arriving after the reporting time are not admitted under any circumstances.
- 4
Leave every electronic device outside the centre. Mobile phones even in switched-off mode, pagers, calculators separate or built into a watch, books, slide rules and storage media are all banned inside the examination premises, and no safekeeping is provided.
- 5
Rough sheets are supplied at the centre and must be handed back after the test. Do not carry your own paper in.
- 6
Expect biometric capture. SBI may take your photograph and thumb impression or an IRIS scan at various stages, and it runs online Aadhaar verification, so keep a valid Aadhaar card and avoid mehendi, ink or chemicals on your hands before exam day.
- 7
Use the view-in drop-down on screen to switch a question between English and Hindi. Every objective test except the English Language test is bilingual.
- 8
Watch the on-screen section timer rather than the overall clock. Each section closes on its own schedule and the interface moves you on automatically.
- 9
Candidates eligible for a scribe get 20 minutes of compensatory time for every hour of the examination, must arrange the scribe at their own cost, and the scribe cannot be a candidate in the same recruitment process.
- 10
Retain the stamped call letter and the authenticated ID photocopy after Phase I. You have to produce them again at the Main Examination along with the Main call letter.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
Probationary Officer, State Bank of India
Two years of probation with continuous assessment across branch operations, credit, and customer service, followed by confirmation into Junior Management Grade Scale I. Selected candidates execute a bond of INR 2 lakh to serve the Bank for a minimum of three years.
Starting basic pay INR 48,480 plus four advance increments; SBI states approximate CTC at the initial scale at Mumbai is INR 21.97 lakh
Branch Manager or Assistant Manager, Junior Management Grade Scale I
Post-confirmation posting running a branch or a departmental desk. SBI reserves the right to allot or transfer recruited Probationary Officers to any circle or office across India.
Pay scale 48480-2000/7-62480-2340/2-67160-2680/7-85920 plus DA, HRA, CCA and allowances
Credit or forex specialist officer
Officers who develop credit appraisal or treasury and trade finance skills move into corporate credit, mid-corporate or foreign exchange desks. The advertisement points to international banking exposure as one of the career routes.
SBI officer career path within the same graded pay scales
Middle management, Scale II and Scale III
Promotion from Junior Management Grade Scale I into Middle Management Grade Scale II and Scale III, typically running larger branches, regional processing centres or specialised departments.
SBI officer career path with higher graded scales on promotion
Senior management up to Deputy General Manager and above
The long-run route from direct-recruit Probationary Officer through Senior Management Grade Scale IV and V into Deputy General Manager and General Manager roles across circles and business verticals.
SBI officer career path at senior management grade scales
Prerequisites & Requirements
- Indian citizenship, in line with the nationality conditions set out in the advertisement.
- Graduation in any discipline from a recognised university, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government, with the qualifying date specified in the notification. Final year and final semester students may apply provisionally and must produce proof of passing by the date SBI sets.
- Age between 21 and 30 years as on the cut-off date in the advertisement. The 2026-27 cycle used 1 April 2026, requiring birth between 2 April 1996 and 1 April 2005 inclusive.
- Upper age relaxation of 3 years for OBC non-creamy layer, 5 years for SC and ST, 5 years for eligible ex-servicemen, 10 years for PwBD in the Unreserved and EWS categories, 13 years for PwBD OBC and 15 years for PwBD SC and ST. Relaxations are not cumulative.
- Candidates holding Medical, Engineering, Chartered Accountancy or Cost Accountancy qualifications are eligible, as are holders of an Integrated Dual Degree passed by the notified date.
- Chances remaining within the permitted limit: 6 for Unreserved and EWS, 9 for OBC and PwBD categories, unrestricted for SC and ST. Appearing in the Main Examination counts as a chance; appearing in the Preliminary Examination does not.
- A valid Aadhaar card, an active email address and an active mobile number that stay live until results are declared.
- No adverse credit history left unresolved at joining. Defaults recorded at CIBIL or another credit information agency must be regularised or covered by a lender NOC on or before the joining date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the SBI PO exam cost?
The application fee and intimation charge is INR 750 for Unreserved, EWS and OBC candidates, and nil for SC, ST and PwBD candidates. The fee is non-refundable, cannot be held in reserve for another recruitment, and is paid online by debit card, credit card or internet banking during the registration window.
How many times can I attempt SBI PO?
Unreserved and EWS candidates get 6 chances, OBC and PwBD candidates in the Unreserved, EWS and OBC categories get 9, and SC and ST candidates including SC and ST PwBD candidates face no restriction. Appearing in the Main Examination counts as a chance, but appearing in the Preliminary Examination does not. Candidates who have used up their permitted chances are not eligible to apply.
Is there a waiting period before I can retake SBI PO?
There is no waiting period beyond the recruitment cycle itself. SBI advertises Probationary Officer vacancies periodically, typically once a year, and a candidate who fails at any phase can apply again at the next notification as long as they remain within the age limit and the permitted number of chances.
What happens if I fail one section of the Main Examination but score well overall?
You are eliminated. The Main Examination applies a minimum qualifying score in each of Test I, Test II, Test III, Test IV and the Descriptive Paper separately, and the Bank fixes those sectional cut-offs each cycle depending on vacancies. A strong aggregate does not compensate for a section below its cut-off.
Is there negative marking in SBI PO?
Yes, in both the Preliminary and the Main Examination objective tests. One quarter of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer. A question left blank carries no penalty, so an uninformed guess on a five-option question has negative expected value.
Do Preliminary Examination marks count towards final selection?
No. Preliminary Examination marks are used only to shortlist roughly ten times the category-wise vacancies for the Main Examination. The final merit list is built from Phase II marks, both objective and descriptive, normalised from 230 to 75, plus Phase III marks normalised from 50 to 25.
What identity documents do I need at the SBI PO examination centre?
Bring one photo identity proof in original plus a self-attested photocopy of it, along with the printed call letter. Accepted proofs are passport, Aadhaar, PAN card, driving licence, voter ID card, a bank passbook carrying a duly attested photograph, or an identity card issued by a school, college or a gazetted officer on official letterhead. The photocopy is collected by the invigilator.
Can I use a calculator in the SBI PO exam?
No. No calculator, whether standalone or built into a watch, is permitted. Books, notes, slide rules, cell phones even switched off, pagers and any storage media are all banned inside the examination premises. Rough sheets are provided at the centre and must be returned after the test.
Is SBI PO conducted online or on paper?
Both the Preliminary and the Main Examination are online computer-based tests taken at SBI-designated centres in India. The Descriptive Paper is typed on the same computer immediately after the objective part. There is no home-proctored option for these phases, though SBI states the Psychometric Test may be conducted in proctored mode or at identified centres.
What accommodations are available for candidates with disabilities?
Candidates with benchmark disabilities may use a scribe and receive 20 minutes of compensatory time for every hour of the examination. The scribe must be arranged and paid for by the candidate, must not be a candidate in the same recruitment process, and where the candidate brings their own scribe, that scribe should hold a qualification one step below the candidate. Candidates with less than 40 per cent disability who have difficulty writing may also get a scribe or compensatory time on production of a certificate from a competent medical authority at a government healthcare institution.
How is the SBI PO final score calculated?
Phase II carries 230 marks in total, 200 objective plus 30 descriptive, and is normalised to 75. Phase III carries 50 marks, being 20 for the Group Exercise and 30 for the Interview, and is normalised to 25. The two normalised figures are added to give a score out of 100, and the provisional selection list is drawn from that. A candidate must qualify in Phase II and Phase III separately.
How long do SBI PO results take?
SBI publishes an indicative schedule with each advertisement rather than a fixed turnaround. In the 2026-27 cycle the Preliminary Examination was scheduled for August 2026 with results in August or September 2026, the Main Examination for September 2026 with results in September or October 2026, and Phase III for October or November 2026. Results appear on the SBI careers page.
What is the Psychometric Test in Phase III and does it carry marks?
The Psychometric Test is a personality profiling exercise conducted for candidates shortlisted for Phase III. All its questions are mandatory. Its findings are placed before the interview panel to give a fuller view of the candidate. The 50 marks in Phase III are allocated to the Group Exercise and the Interview, not to the Psychometric Test.
How does SBI PO compare with IBPS PO?
Both are graduate-entry bank officer examinations with a Preliminary and Main structure, but SBI runs its own recruitment for State Bank of India alone while IBPS PO produces a common merit list across participating public sector banks. SBI adds a Psychometric Test and a Group Exercise to the final phase and includes a typed descriptive paper on communication skills in the Main Examination. Candidates commonly prepare for both in the same cycle because the quantitative, reasoning and English syllabus overlaps heavily.
Is there a service bond after selection?
Yes. Selected candidates execute a bond of INR 2 lakh at the time of joining, committing to serve the Bank for a minimum of three years. The Bank invokes the bond if the candidate resigns before three years from the date of joining.
Do I need work experience or a specific degree to apply?
No work experience is required and no specific degree is required. Graduation in any discipline from a recognised university is sufficient, and candidates holding Medical, Engineering, Chartered Accountancy or Cost Accountancy qualifications are also eligible. Final year and final semester students may apply provisionally.
Does SBI provide any free coaching?
Yes, for some categories. SBI arranges online Pre-Examination Training for SC, ST, OBC and PwBD candidates in line with Government of India guidelines. Candidates must tick the relevant column on the online application form, then log in from the Bank's website using their registration number and date of birth. The schedule is sent by email and SMS, and no hard copies are issued.
Are travel expenses reimbursed for the interview?
Outstation candidates called for interview are reimbursed Railway AC-III fare for the shortest route in India, or actual expenses incurred, whichever is lower, from their place of residence or posting to the interview venue. Local transportation is not reimbursed, and a candidate found ineligible is not permitted to appear and receives no fare.
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