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What is SBI PO Exam?

SBI PO (State Bank of India Probationary Officer) exam is a competitive exam conducted by the State Bank of India to recruit eligible candidates for the position of Probationary Officer in its various branches across India. The exam is highly competitive and attracts a large number of applicants every year. The SBI PO exam is a three-tier selection process that includes a preliminary exam, a mains exam, and a personal interview. The exam assesses candidates’ aptitude, reasoning ability, and general awareness. The SBI PO exam is considered one of the most prestigious exams in India and provides a challenging career path for aspiring candidates in the banking sector.

Age Limit

The candidate must be between 21 years to 30 years of age as on April 1 of the year of application. However, there is age relaxation for candidates belonging to certain categories as per government rules.

Category	Age Relaxation
SC/ST	5 Years
OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)	3 Years
PWD (SC/ST)	15 Years
PWD (OBC)	13 Years
PWD (Gen/EWS)	10 Years
Persons ordinarily domiciled in Jammu and Kashmir State during the period 01.01.1980 to 31.12.1989	5 Years
Current employees of SBI who have completed at least 5 years of service	5 Years

Educational Qualification

The candidate must have completed their graduation in any discipline from a recognized university or any equivalent qualification recognized by the central government.

Number of Attempts

The number of attempts for the SBI PO exam is limited to 4 for General category candidates, 7 for OBC category candidates, and unlimited for SC/ST/PwD category candidates.

SBI PO Exam Pattern

Prelims Exam Pattern

Section	No. of Questions	Marks	Duration
English Language	30	30	20 Minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	35	35	20 Minutes
Reasoning Ability	35	35	20 Minutes
Total	100	100	1 Hour

The SBI PO Prelims exam is conducted online.
The questions are of objective type (MCQs).
Each question carries 1 mark and there is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer.
The candidates who qualify in the Prelims exam will be eligible to appear for the SBI PO Mains exam.
The SBI PO exam pattern is subject to change as per the notification. Candidates should refer to the official notification for the latest exam pattern.

Mains Exam Pattern

Section	No. of Questions	Marks	Duration
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude	45	60	60 Minutes
Data Analysis & Interpretation	35	60	45 Minutes
General/Economy/Banking Awareness	40	40	35 Minutes
English Language	35	40	40 Minutes
Descriptive Test (English Language)	2	50	30 Minutes
Total	157	250	3 Hour

The SBI PO Mains exam is conducted online.
The questions are of objective type (MCQs) except for the Descriptive Test.
Each objective question carries 1 mark and there is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer.
The Descriptive Test is a written test conducted in English Language to test the candidates’ writing skills. The test carries 50 marks and the time duration is 30 minutes.
The candidates who qualify in the Mains exam will be eligible to appear for the Group Exercise and Interview.
The SBI PO exam pattern is subject to change as per the notification. Candidates should refer to the official notification for the latest exam pattern.

Interview

Group Exercise: This stage involves group discussions and tasks to test the candidates’ communication and teamwork skills.

Interview: Candidates who clear the Group Exercise stage will be called for a personal interview. This stage aims to assess the candidates’ personality, communication skills, and ability to handle pressure.

Final Selection: The final selection is based on the performance in the Group Exercise and Interview stage. Candidates are selected based on their merit ranking and availability of vacancies.

SBI PO Syllabus for Prelims Exam:

Sections	Syllabus
English Language	Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Error Spotting, Para jumbles, Fill in the blanks, Vocabulary, Grammar
Quantitative Aptitude	Simplification, Number Series, Data Interpretation, Quadratic Equation, Time and Work, Profit and Loss, Time, Distance and Speed, Simple and Compound Interest, Ratio and Proportion, Percentage, Average, Mensuration, Permutation and Combination, Probability
Reasoning Ability	Seating Arrangement, Puzzles, Inequality, Syllogism, Input-Output, Data Sufficiency, Blood Relations, Direction Sense, Order and Ranking, Alphanumeric Series, Verbal Reasoning, Coding-Decoding

SBI PO Syllabus for Mains Exam:

Selections	Syllabus
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude	High-Level Reasoning Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Coding-Decoding, Machine Input-Output, Blood Relations, Verbal Reasoning, Syllogism, Data Sufficiency, Internet, Memory, Keyboard Shortcuts, Computer Abbreviations, Microsoft Office
Data Analysis & Interpretation	Tabular Graph, Line Graph, Pie Chart, Bar Graph, Radar Graph, Caselet, Missing DI, Let it Case DI, Probability, Permutation and Combination, Data Sufficiency, Mixtures and Allegations, Average, Ratio and Proportion, Work and Time, Speed Distance and Time
General/Economy/Banking Awareness	Current Affairs, Banking Awareness, Static General Knowledge, Economic News, Financial Awareness
English Language (Descriptive)	Letter Writing, Essay Writing, Precis Writing

Selection Process

The selection process for IBPS RRB comprises three stages – Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam, and Interview.
Candidates who clear the Preliminary Exam are eligible to appear for the Mains Exam. Candidates who clear the Mains Exam are called for the Interview round.

Salary Structure of SBI PO

Component	Amount (in Rs.)
Basic Pay	Rs. 27,620/-
Dearness Allowance (DA)	17% of Basic Pay
House Rent Allowance (HRA)	Depends on the place of posting (7%-9% of Basic Pay)
Special Allowance	Rs. 2,625/- per month
City Compensatory Allowance (CCA)	Depends on the place of posting (0-4% of Basic Pay)
Gross Salary	Approx. Rs. 61,000/- to Rs. 63,000/- per month
Pension Contribution	10% of Basic Pay + DA
Other Benefits	Medical Insurance, Leave Travel Concession (LTC), and other allowances

Application Fees

For General, OBC, and EWS category candidates: Rs. 750/-
For SC/ST/PWD category candidates: Rs. 125/-

The fee can be paid online through debit card/credit card/net banking or through offline mode by depositing cash at any SBI branch using the Challan form generated during the application process. It is important to note that the application fee once paid is non-refundable under any circumstances.

Exam Frequency:

The frequency of SBI PO exam depends on the number of vacancies available. SBI conducts the PO exam whenever there is a requirement to fill up the vacant positions. Generally, SBI releases a notification for the PO exam once a year. However, this may vary depending on the recruitment needs of the bank.

Conducting Authority:

State Bank of India (SBI)

Cut-off Marks

Year	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS
2020	88.93	80.96	73.83	66.86	84.60
2019	104.42	94.28	82.50	77.63	100.89
2018	56.06	50.07	43.99	39.87	N/A
2017	50.79	48.93	43.99	31.28	N/A
2016	49.75	44.50	38.75	29.25	N/A

Please note that the cut off marks may vary for each year depending on the number of vacancies, the difficulty level of the exam, and the number of candidates who appeared for the exam.

Also, the cut off marks for each category may be different, as shown in the tables above. The General category candidates usually have the highest cut off marks, followed by OBC, SC, and ST categories.

It’s important to score above the cut off marks to increase your chances of selection for the next round of the recruitment process.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SBI PO exam?

SBI PO (Probationary Officer) is a national level examination conducted by State Bank of India to recruit candidates for the post of Probationary Officers in its various branches across India.

What is the eligibility criteria for SBI PO exam?

The eligibility criteria for SBI PO exam includes: Age between 21 to 30 years, Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized university, and Indian citizenship or subjects of Nepal/Bhutan or Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1st January 1962.