An SBI PO previous year question paper helps most when you read it against the current pattern, because State Bank of India reshaped both phases in its 2025 recruitment. Older papers still show the puzzle types, data sets and English formats the bank likes, but section sizes and the typed writing tasks are no longer the same.
This guide sets out the new pattern next to the old one, what candidates reported from recent prelims and mains, a week by week way to practise, five original questions in the SBI style and what the bank itself publishes after each phase.
Exam at a glance
Recruiting bank
State Bank of IndiaPrelims
100 questions in 1 hour: English 40, quant 30, reasoning 30, 20 minutes eachMains objective
170 questions, 200 marks, 3 hours, four timed testsDescriptive
3 typed questions, 30 marks, 30 minutes (as reported)Negative marking
One fourth of the question's marks per wrong objective answerOfficial page
Old and new SBI PO pattern side by side
| Part | Up to the 2024 cycle | From 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Prelims English | 30 questions | 40 questions |
| Prelims quant | 35 questions | 30 questions |
| Prelims reasoning | 35 questions | 30 questions |
| Mains objective | 155 questions, 200 marks, 3 hours | 170 questions, 200 marks, 3 hours |
| Descriptive | Letter and essay, 50 marks, 30 minutes | Three tasks such as email, report or precis and situation analysis, 30 marks, 30 minutes |
In the newer mains, the reasoning and computer test, the data test and the awareness test are worth 60 marks apiece, while English gives only 20. Each prelims section keeps its own 20 minute clock. Topic by topic detail sits in our SBI PO syllabus guide.
What an SBI PO prelims previous year paper looked like
Candidate reports from the August 2025 prelims shifts give a clear picture of the new style:
- Reasoning: puzzles and seating sets took up about 25 of the 30 questions, mixing double row, circular, box, month and year based arrangements. Syllogism and a couple of single questions filled the rest.
- Quant: three data interpretation sets, including pie chart, table and caselet forms, plus a block of quadratic equations and around a dozen arithmetic questions on ages, mixtures, work, speed and interest.
- English: one reading passage, a cloze test, para jumbles, sentence rearrangement with a few items each of error finding, column matching, word swap and single fillers.
English was rated easy in most shifts while quant felt the toughest. With 40 English marks at stake, this section can now lift or sink your SBI PO pre previous year paper scores more than before.
What SBI PO mains previous year papers reveal
Every SBI PO exam previous year question paper at the mains stage tells a similar story. Mains papers in recent cycles have been noticeably harder than the prelims. Reasoning sets are longer and often combine two variables at once, with input output, coded inequalities and critical reasoning items such as assumptions and courses of action. The data analysis test leans on caselets, missing data tables and arithmetic word problems with several steps.
The awareness test draws heavily on banking and economy: RBI policy, payment systems, government schemes and the Union Budget, alongside general news of the preceding months. In the mains paper from any recent SBI cycle the English test stands out: long, yet worth just 20 marks, which is why strong candidates often leave it for the end. The descriptive tasks reward clear, structured writing within the word limit more than fancy vocabulary.
A practice plan with an SBI PO previous year question paper
- Weeks one and two: take any SBI PO pre previous year question paper and solve each section of old prelims papers separately with a strict 20 minute timer, and note which puzzle types cost you most time.
- Weeks three to five: write a full prelims paper twice a week. For older papers set before 2025, cut quant and reasoning to 30 questions and add ten more English questions so the balance matches the new pattern.
- Mains phase: attempt an SBI PO mains previous year paper in one three hour sitting, and then type three descriptive answers in half an hour without a break.
- Last two weeks: return to the sets that beat you earlier; skim old awareness items only to see what type of fact SBI likes, since the news itself is stale.
Sample questions in the SBI PO style
All five items below were drafted by us in the bank's manner; none is lifted from an SBI paper.
- Quadratic comparison: I. x² − 9x + 20 = 0, II. y² − 11y + 30 = 0. Compare x and y. Answer: x is 4 or 5 and y is 5 or 6, so x ≤ y.
- Arithmetic: An item is marked 40 percent above its cost price and sold at 15 percent off the marked price. Find the profit percentage. Answer: 19 percent.
- Syllogism: All loans are assets. Some assets are risks. Conclusion: some loans are risks. Answer: does not follow.
- English, word swap: "The manager approved quickly the proposal after reading it." Which change makes it correct? Answer: "quickly approved the proposal".
- Banking awareness: Which payment system lets you send money instantly using a virtual payment address? Answer: Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
Where to find real SBI PO papers
SBI does not post complete question papers after the exam. On its careers pages you will find the advertisement with the official pattern, call letters, results and, after each phase, a utility that shows your own marks. Matching those real marks with your mock scores is one of the most honest checks of your preparation, and the SBI PO cut off page shows what qualifying scores looked like in past cycles.
Memory based papers prepared from candidate recall circulate widely, and so do printed books of solved previous papers. They show question style well, though figures and options in them can differ from what was actually printed, so verify any answer that looks odd. When you buy an sbi po previous year question paper book, choose one that marks which pattern each paper follows.
SBI PO previous papers in Hindi
Every objective test except English can be read in Hindi too, which is why Hindi medium aspirants hunt for an sbi po previous year question paper with both languages printed. Here is the gist for Hindi readers:
एसबीआई पीओ के पुराने पेपर हल करते समय नए पैटर्न का ध्यान रखें। प्री परीक्षा अब अंग्रेजी 40, क्वांट 30 तथा रीजनिंग 30 सवालों की है, और हर खंड को बीस मिनट मिलते हैं। मेन्स में 170 प्रश्न और 200 अंक हैं, फिर 30 मिनट का टाइप किया जाने वाला वर्णनात्मक भाग। गलत विकल्प चुनने की सजा उस सवाल के चौथाई अंक हैं, तो बिना सोचे तुक्का न लगाएं।
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the real paper from SBI after the exam?
No. SBI publishes the advertisement, results and a marks display utility, but not the full question paper. Papers you see elsewhere are rebuilt from candidate memory.
Are papers from before 2025 still worth solving?
Yes, for puzzle styles, data sets and English formats. The section sizes changed in 2025, so adjust your timing and question mix when you use them.
What is a sensible count of old papers to finish?
Around ten complete prelims papers and five full mains papers, each followed by careful review, is a sensible target. Quality of analysis matters more than the number.
Is the SBI PO prelims previous year question paper easier than the mains paper?
Generally yes. Prelims tests speed on moderate questions, while mains has longer puzzles, harder data sets and a typed descriptive test.
Is the descriptive test part of old papers?
Before 2025 candidates wrote a letter plus an essay. The newer pattern has three tasks such as email writing, report or precis and situation analysis, so practise those formats instead.