SBI Syllabus: PO and Clerk Prelims and Mains Pattern

The SBI syllabus for its two big recruitments, Probationary Officer (PO) and Junior Associate (clerk), is built on the same three pillars of English, quantitative aptitude and reasoning in the prelims, with general and banking awareness and computer aptitude joining in the mains. What changes between the two is the depth, the weight of each section and what comes after the mains.

Many aspirants write both, since a PO hopeful who prepares well for the officer paper is already close to the clerk level. This page lays the two schemes next to each other, so you can see exactly where they part ways and plan a single routine.

Exam at a glance

Recruiting bank
State Bank of India, Central Recruitment and Promotion Department
Main exams
Probationary Officer and Junior Associate (clerk)
Prelims
100 questions, 100 marks, 1 hour, in both exams
PO mains
170 objective questions for 200 marks plus a 50 mark descriptive test
Clerk mains
190 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours 40 minutes
Negative marking
One fourth of the marks of a question for each wrong answer
Age (general)
PO 21 to 30, clerk 20 to 28
Official website
sbi.bank.in (Careers section)

Which SBI exam are you actually writing: the SBI syllabus depends on the post

State Bank of India runs several recruitments, and the word "SBI exam" can mean any of them. The two with a public syllabus that lakhs of graduates prepare for are:

SBI PO: an officer post with three phases, which closes with a psychometric assessment, group discussion style exercise and a panel interview.
SBI clerk (Junior Associate): a clerical post filled state by state, with a local language test instead of an interview.

The bank also hires Circle Based Officers, specialist officers and apprentices, each with its own scheme. Read the SBI CBO syllabus and the SBI apprentice syllabus if those are your target, because their tests follow separate schemes from the two below.

SBI prelims syllabus: the shared first gate

Both prelims are 60 minute online screening tests split into three sections, and each section is locked to its own 20 minute timer. Neither prelims score travels into the final merit; its only job is to shortlist for phase 2.

SBI prelims exam pattern: PO and clerk side by side
Section	PO questions	Clerk questions	Time each
English language	40	30	20 min
Quantitative aptitude (numerical ability for clerk)	30	35	20 min
Reasoning ability	30	35	20 min
Total	100 (100 marks)	100 (100 marks)	1 hour

Notice the tilt: the PO prelims leans on English, while the clerk prelims leans on maths and reasoning. If your English is your weak side, the PO paper will hurt more.

SBI mains exam pattern for PO

PO phase 2 objective tests
Test	Questions	Marks	Minutes
Reasoning with computer aptitude	40	60	50
Data analysis (DI)	30	60	45
Banking, economy and GK	60	60	45
English language	40	20	40
Objective total	170	200	180

Right after the objective part comes a 30 minute descriptive test worth 50 marks, typed on the computer: a letter and an essay in English. In phase 3, after the psychometric assessment, the group exercise is scored out of 20 and the interview out of 30. For the final list, mains marks are converted to 75 and phase 3 marks to 25. For the complete officer topic list, go to the SBI PO syllabus guide.

SBI mains syllabus for clerk

Junior Associate main exam
Test	Questions	Marks	Minutes
Financial and general awareness	50	50	35
English	40	40	35
Quantitative aptitude	50	50	45
Reasoning ability and computer aptitude	50	60	45
Total	190	200	160

There is no descriptive paper and no interview for clerks. Selection rests on mains marks, drawn up state wise and category wise. Applicants who never studied the state's official language at school, in class 10 or class 12, must also pass the bank's test of the local language (LLPT) before they can join. The SBI clerk syllabus page breaks every section into topics.

Topics that run through both exams

Quantitative aptitude and data analysis

Simplification and approximation, quadratic comparison, missing and wrong number series
Arithmetic word sums on percentages, profit, interest, ratio, ages, work, speed, mixtures and partnership
DI sets built on tables, bars, lines, pies and caselets, with radar and missing data sets at PO level
Probability, permutation and combination, data sufficiency

Reasoning and computer aptitude

Puzzles and seating in linear, circular, floor and box forms
Syllogism, inequality, coding, blood relations, directions and ranking
Input output machines, plus, for PO, statement based critical reasoning where you pick the hidden premise, the valid conclusion or the sensible next step
Computer basics: hardware and software, networking, internet, office tools, databases, cyber security

English

Reading comprehension on inference, tone and vocabulary
Cloze passages, fillers, error detection, phrase replacement, para jumbles, word swap

General and banking awareness (mains only)

RBI functions, policy rates, NPAs, payment systems, financial inclusion schemes
Headline figures from the budget and the Survey, and news from India and the world

Who can apply

Qualification: a graduation degree in any discipline for both posts. Students in their final year may apply provisionally, as long as their result is out before the deadline the bank names.
Age for PO: 21 to 30 years for general candidates.
Age for clerk: 20 to 28 years for general candidates.
Relaxation: SC, ST, OBC, PwBD and ex servicemen get upper age relaxation as per government rules.

Every SBI advertisement sets its own reference dates for age and graduation. Go by the newest notice on the careers page, never an old one.

One study routine for PO and clerk

Because the base is common, you can prepare for both with one timetable and sharpen it for the officer paper later.

First two months: arithmetic and the easier reasoning topics daily, with one reading passage every morning. Aim for accuracy before speed.
Months three and four: move to puzzles, data interpretation sets and full prelims mocks under the 20 minute sectional clocks. Add banking awareness notes from RBI releases and the budget.
After prelims: for PO, practise one letter and one essay a week, typed, inside 30 minutes. For clerk, push mains mocks and grow your financial awareness bank.

Kunal, a final year BCom student, aims at both exams. He treats the clerk prelims as a rehearsal: same sections, slightly different mix. In the weeks before the PO mains he cuts maths practice by a third and shifts that time to typed essays, since he has never written one on a keyboard.

Compare other banking recruitments, such as the IBPS PO syllabus, through the bank exams hub.

Frequently asked questions

Do PO and clerk share one SBI exam syllabus?

The subjects are largely the same, but the PO paper is harder, has a computer typed descriptive test and ends with an interview. The clerk exam stops at mains, plus a language test where required.

How many sections are in SBI prelims?

Three: English, quantitative aptitude and reasoning. Each has a separate 20 minute window and the whole test lasts one hour for 100 marks.

Which section carries the most marks in SBI mains?

In the PO mains, three tests (reasoning with computers, DI, and awareness) carry 60 marks each, while English carries 20. In the clerk mains, reasoning with computer aptitude is the heaviest at 60 marks.

Will my SBI prelims score count at the end?

No. In both exams the prelims only shortlists candidates. For PO the merit comes from mains and phase 3; for clerk it comes from mains alone.

Does SBI apply section wise qualifying marks?

SBI fixes qualifying marks for its stages and announces them with results. The rules can differ between PO and clerk and between cycles, so check the latest notice and the result notes. Earlier officer cut offs are listed under SBI PO cut off.

Can I write the SBI clerk exam in Hindi?

Yes, for most sections. The English tests stay in English, while the rest are generally offered in Hindi, English and your state's language. The advertisement lists the languages for each state, so confirm yours there.