SBI SO (Specialist Cadre Officer) Exam Pattern 2026
The full SBI SO (Specialist Cadre 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 SO (Specialist Cadre Officer) mock in the real pattern below.
Online Written Test (where applicable — varies by stream)
- Mode
- Online objective test (some streams add a descriptive paper) at SBI/IBPS test centres
- Sections
- Objective: Reasoning · Quantitative Aptitude · English Language · Professional Knowledge of the stream (the heaviest-weighted section). Streams with a descriptive paper add a Professional Knowledge essay/case-study component.
- Questions
- Stream-specific. Typical Specialist Cadre objective papers carry 120-150 multiple-choice questions across Reasoning (50 Q), Quant (35-50 Q), English (35-50 Q) and stream-specific Professional Knowledge (50-60 Q).
- Marks
- Stream-specific. Typical total: 120-200 marks objective; descriptive (if applicable) carries an additional 50-60 marks.
- Duration
- Stream-specific. Typical duration: 2 hours to 2 hours 45 minutes for the full objective paper; an additional 30-45 minutes for descriptive where applicable.
- Negative marking
- 0.25 marks deducted per wrong objective answer; descriptive components are evaluated subjectively.
Sectional cutoffs apply for each section AND an overall category cutoff applies. Professional Knowledge is the highest-weighted section and is invariably the differentiator between shortlisted and rejected candidates. Streams using direct shortlisting (Wealth Hub roles, sportsperson cadre, certain contractual roles) skip this stage and move from application screening to interview.
Shortlisting / Application Screening
- Mode
- Document and credential verification by SBI CRPD
- Sections
- Verification of degree mark-sheets, professional certifications, experience certificates, employer-issued service records and category/PwBD/Ex-Servicemen documents as applicable.
- Questions
- Not applicable — credential review.
- Marks
- Qualifying (pass/fail).
- Duration
- Conducted offline by CRPD between the written test result and interview call dates.
- Negative marking
- Not applicable.
Mismatched experience claims, expired professional certifications and ambiguous degree equivalences are the most common reasons for shortlisting rejection. Maintain a clean document file with originals and self-attested copies of all required certificates.
Personal Interview
- Mode
- Offline at SBI Local Head Office / Administrative Office / Corporate Centre Mumbai
- Sections
- Panel interview with 4-5 senior SBI officers covering stream-specific Professional Knowledge in depth, banking awareness, situational judgement and behavioural questions.
- Questions
- Not applicable — structured interview.
- Marks
- Stream-specific. Typical weight in final merit: 25% to 40% (e.g., written test 75:25 PI for some streams; 60:40 for streams emphasising domain expertise).
- Duration
- Approximately 20-40 minutes per candidate.
- Negative marking
- Not applicable.
Final merit is computed per the stream-specific normalised weight published in each notification. Candidates skipping the interview are disqualified. Stream-specific Professional Knowledge depth is the most heavily probed area — recent regulatory circulars, BIS frameworks (BASEL III/IV), domain-specific Indian laws (e.g., SARFAESI for credit/recovery, IBC 2016 for resolution, Information Technology Act 2000 for cyber/security streams) and current technology stack questions for digital roles dominate.
You know the pattern — now practise in it.
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