SBI PO syllabus and exam pattern for every phase

SBI PO syllabus at a glance: three phases

Each phase has a different purpose, and it helps to know which marks travel forward.

• Phase 1, prelims: an online screening test. It filters candidates for the mains, but its marks are dropped after that.
• Phase 2, mains: an online objective paper followed immediately by a descriptive test typed on the computer. This is where most of your final score comes from.
• Phase 3: a psychometric test, which is reported as qualifying with no marks, then a group exercise worth 20 marks and an interview worth 30 marks.

SBI converts mains marks to a score out of 75 and phase 3 marks to a score out of 25, and the combined figure out of 100 decides the merit list. A strong descriptive answer and a calm interview can therefore move you several places.

SBI PO prelims syllabus and pattern

The prelims has three tests, each locked to its own 20 minute window. You cannot carry spare time from one test into the next.

Topics that usually appear

• English: reading comprehension on tone, inference and vocabulary, cloze passages, sentence improvement, spotting errors, word swap, column matching, para jumbles, fillers, connectors and phrase replacement.
• Quant: data interpretation sets (tables, caselets, bar, line and pie charts), approximation and simplification, missing and wrong number series, quadratic comparisons, plus arithmetic such as percentage, ratio, averages, work, speed, mixtures, interest, ages, partnership, probability and permutations.
• Reasoning: linear, circular, square and floor based arrangements, box, month and scheduling puzzles, input output, syllogism, inequality, alphanumeric series, coding, data sufficiency, blood relations, directions and ranking.

With English now at 40 questions, a weak reader loses more ground in the prelims than before.

SBI PO mains syllabus: the objective paper

The SBI PO mains syllabus goes deeper in every subject and adds computer aptitude and banking awareness. Each test again has its own timer.

• Reasoning and computer aptitude: high level puzzles and seating, critical reasoning, decision making, input output, statement and assumption, cause and effect, course of action, along with computer fundamentals, networking, cyber security, operating systems, internet, office software and databases.
• Data analysis: caselet, table, bar, pie, radar and missing data sets, quantity comparison, data sufficiency, probability and permutations.
• General, economy and banking awareness: RBI and its functions, monetary policy and rates such as repo, CRR and SLR, NPAs, payment systems like UPI, NEFT, RTGS and IMPS, financial inclusion, the Union Budget and Economic Survey, GDP and inflation, government schemes and recent national and international news.
• English: long and editorial style passages, cloze, para jumbles, vocabulary, error detection, word swap and connectors.

English has 40 questions but only 20 marks, while the other three tests carry 60 marks each. Spend your time accordingly.

The descriptive test and phase 3

Right after the objective paper you type answers for 30 minutes. Recent reports of the notice describe three parts worth 30 marks in all, so the mains totals 230, with a choice between two topics in each part:

1. Email writing
2. Situation analysis
3. Report writing or precis writing

This replaced the older essay and letter format. Word limits are shown on screen, so stay within them. The descriptive answers are generally evaluated only for candidates who reach the required standard in the objective paper.

Phase 3 then checks how you think and behave as a future manager. The psychometric test looks at traits such as teamwork, leadership and decision making. The group exercise (20 marks) and interview (30 marks) usually test banking awareness, current events, your background and how you handle situations at a branch.

SBI PO marking scheme in brief

• Each wrong answer in the prelims and in the mains objective paper loses one fourth of the marks given to that question.
• Blank answers carry no penalty.
• Because some mains questions carry more than one mark, the deduction on those is proportionally larger.
• Marks from different shifts may be normalised.
• Prelims scores serve one purpose, the mains call list, which SBI draws up category wise against a fixed multiple of vacancies given in the advertisement.

Category wise qualifying scores from past cycles are explained on our SBI PO cut off page.

Where the marks really sit

Add up the mains and the picture is clear: reasoning with computers, data analysis and awareness give 180 of the 200 objective marks. Prelims, however, is the gate, and there English now gives 40 of the 100 marks. A sensible approach is to build English and calculation speed early, then shift weight to puzzles, data sets and banking news.

• Read one long editorial daily and summarise it in five lines; this trains both reading comprehension and the situation analysis answer.
• Keep a running file of RBI announcements and payment system updates for at least six months before the mains.
• Learn computer awareness in short daily doses; it sits inside a 60 mark test.
• Practise data caselets with a timer, since one set can hold five questions.

A sixteen week plan

1. Weeks 1 to 5: English grammar and reading daily, arithmetic chapters, simplification, basic arrangements and syllogism.
2. Weeks 6 to 9: data interpretation of every chart type, advanced puzzles, inequality, input output. Start a daily current affairs and banking notebook.
3. Weeks 10 to 12: a full prelims mock on alternate days, and a written review of each section the next morning.
4. Weeks 13 to 16: mains level puzzles, critical reasoning, computer aptitude, economy topics and descriptive writing with a 30 minute timer.

For books, a standard grammar reference, NCERT class 9 to 12 economics for basics of money and banking, and RBI publications such as the monetary policy statements are good sources. Previous papers help you see how question styles have shifted; see SBI PO previous year papers.

SBI PO ka syllabus kya hai, in Hindi

The same three phase structure, put simply in Hindi.

स्टेट बैंक की पीओ भर्ती के पहले चरण यानी प्री में अंग्रेजी भाषा 40 अंक, क्वांटिटेटिव एप्टीट्यूड 30 अंक और रीजनिंग एबिलिटी 30 अंक की होती है, और हर भाग के लिए बीस मिनट तय हैं। दूसरे चरण यानी मेन्स में रीजनिंग के साथ कंप्यूटर, डेटा एनालिसिस, अर्थव्यवस्था और बैंकिंग की जानकारी तथा अंग्रेजी से 170 सवाल आते हैं जिनके कुल अंक 200 हैं। उसी दिन कंप्यूटर पर ईमेल, किसी स्थिति का विश्लेषण और रिपोर्ट या प्रेसी टाइप करनी होती है। तीसरे चरण में साइकोमेट्रिक टेस्ट, ग्रुप एक्सरसाइज और साक्षात्कार लिए जाते हैं।

Who can apply

Any bachelor's degree recognised by the central government will do. Students in their last year may apply on a provisional basis, provided they can produce the pass proof within the deadline SBI announces. Unreserved applicants should be aged 21 to 30; OBC (non creamy layer) applicants get 3 extra years, SC and ST applicants 5, and PwBD applicants of the general and EWS group 10. Planning to sit the IBPS exam as well? Then compare this page with the IBPS PO syllabus, and for clerical posts at the same bank see the SBI clerk syllabus. The bank exams hub lists the rest.