SBI PO (Probationary Officer) Exam Pattern 2026
The full SBI PO (Probationary Officer) exam pattern for 2026 — 3 stages, with the sections, question count, marks, duration and negative marking for each, as set by State Bank of India Central Recruitment & Promotion Department (CRPD). Then take a free SBI PO (Probationary Officer) mock in the real pattern below.
Preliminary Examination (Phase I — qualifying / screening only)
- Mode
- Online objective test conducted at IBPS/SBI test centres across India
- Sections
- English Language (40 Q, 40 marks, 20 min) · Quantitative Aptitude (30 Q, 30 marks, 20 min) · Reasoning Ability (30 Q, 30 marks, 20 min)
- Questions
- 100 multiple-choice questions
- Marks
- 100 marks total
- Duration
- 60 minutes total (sectional timing of 20 minutes per section — strictly enforced)
- Negative marking
- 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer; no deduction for unattempted or review-only items
Prelims is purely a SCREENING test. There is NO sectional cut-off in Prelims — only an overall category cut-off; Mains shortlisting is on aggregate Prelims marks (per CRPD/PO/2026-27/09). Approximately 10x the notified vacancy is shortlisted for Mains. Prelims marks are NOT carried forward into the final merit list — this is a critical structural difference from many other recruitment exams.
Main Examination (Phase II — merit-deciding objective + descriptive)
- Mode
- Online objective test followed immediately by descriptive English (typed in the same exam window)
- Sections
- Objective: Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Q, 60 marks, 50 min) · Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 Q, 60 marks, 45 min) · General / Economy / Banking Awareness (60 Q, 60 marks, 45 min) · English Language (40 Q, 20 marks, 40 min). Descriptive: Letter writing + Essay (2 questions, 30 marks, 30 minutes, typed in the test window)
- Questions
- 170 objective questions + 2 descriptive questions
- Marks
- 200 objective + 30 descriptive = 230 total Mains marks
- Duration
- 3 hours 30 minutes total (3 hours objective + 30 minutes descriptive)
- Negative marking
- 0.25 marks deducted per wrong objective answer; descriptive is evaluated subjectively (no negative marking)
Sectional cutoffs apply in Mains for each objective section AND for descriptive English. Candidates clearing the Mains cutoff are shortlisted (typically ~3x vacancy) for Phase III. Mains is the most demanding stage — Data Analysis & Interpretation in particular is the single biggest score-swing section.
Phase III — Psychometric Test, Group Exercise (GE) and Personal Interview (PI)
- Mode
- Offline at SBI Local Head Office / Administrative Office centres
- Sections
- Psychometric Test: personality-profiling assessment (not separately marked — inputs used by the interview panel), conducted before the interview · Group Exercise: 20 marks (case-discussion or group-task format) · Personal Interview: 30 marks (panel of senior SBI officers)
- Questions
- Not applicable — psychometric profiling + discussion + structured interview
- Marks
- 50 marks total (GE 20 + PI 30; the Psychometric Test is not separately scored)
- Duration
- Psychometric test administered before the interview panel; group exercise approximately 30 minutes per group; interview approximately 15-25 minutes per candidate
- Negative marking
- Not applicable
Final merit list = Mains (250 marks scaled to 75) + GE+PI (50 marks scaled to 25), totalling 100. Prelims does NOT contribute to the final score. Candidates who skip GE or PI are disqualified. Pre-Examination Training (PET) is offered free of cost to SC/ST/OBC/Religious Minority candidates by SBI at designated centres before Prelims.
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