The State Bank of India (SBI) Probationary Officer (PO) exam is one of the most coveted jobs in the country. Every year, lakhs of candidates compete for a few thousand vacancies. As the competition is tough, it’s crucial to have a thorough understanding of the syllabus and the exam pattern to crack the exam. In this article, we will help you understand the SBI PO exam syllabus and its pattern.
SBI PO Exam Pattern:
The SBI PO exam is conducted in three stages, which are:
1. Preliminary exam
2. Main exam
3. Group Discussion (GD) and Interview
1. Preliminary Exam:
The preliminary exam is the first stage of the SBI PO recruitment process. It’s an online objective exam consisting of three sections – English language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability. The total duration of the exam is one hour, and it carries 100 marks. There will be 100 questions, with 35 questions in the English Language section, and 35 questions in both the Reasoning Ability and Quantitative Aptitude sections.
Section No. of Questions Maximum Marks Duration
English Language 30 30 20 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude 35 35 20 minutes
Reasoning Ability 35 35 20 minutes
Total 100 100 60 minutes
Note:
1. The marks obtained in the preliminary exam are not considered for the final selection. It’s just a qualifying exam for the main exam.
2. There is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer.
3. The candidate must clear the sectional as well as the overall cutoff to qualify for the main exam.
2. Main Exam:
The main exam is the second stage of the SBI PO recruitment process. It’s also an online objective exam, but it’s more challenging than the preliminary exam. The main exam has four sections – Reasoning and Computer Aptitude, Data Analysis and Interpretation, General/Economy/Banking Awareness, and English Language. The duration of the exam is three hours, and it carries a total of 200 marks. There will be 155 questions, with 45 questions in the Reasoning and Computer Aptitude section, 35 questions in the Data Analysis and Interpretation section, 40 questions in the General/Economy/Banking Awareness section, and 35 questions in the English Language section.
Section No. of Questions Maximum Marks Duration
Reasoning and Computer Aptitude 45 60 60 minutes
Data Analysis and Interpretation 35 60 45 minutes
General/Economy/Banking Awareness 40 40 35 minutes
English Language 35 40 40 minutes
Total 155 200 180 minutes
Note:
1. The marks obtained in the main exam are considered for the final selection.
2. There is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer.
3. The candidate must clear the sectional as well as the overall cutoff to qualify for the GD and Interview.
3. Group Discussion and Interview:
The final stage of the SBI PO recruitment process is the GD and Interview. The candidates who clear the main exam are shortlisted for the GD and Interview round. The GD carries 20 marks, while the Interview carries 30 marks. The final selection is based on the cumulative score obtained in the main exam, GD, and Interview. The final score is used to prepare the merit list.
SBI PO Exam Syllabus:
The SBI PO exam syllabus covers four major sections, which are:
1. English Language
2. Quantitative Aptitude
3. Reasoning Ability
4. General/Economy/Banking Awareness
1. English Language:
In this section, the candidate’s comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and writing ability are tested. The major topics covered in this section are:
– Reading Comprehension
– Cloze Test
– Para Jumbles
– Fill in the blanks
– Error Spotting
– Phrase Replacement
– Sentence Rearrangement
2. Quantitative Aptitude:
In this section, the candidate’s numerical ability, mathematical skills, and data interpretation skills are tested. The major topics covered in this section are:
– Data Interpretation
– Simplification/Approximation
– Quadratic Equation
– Number Series
– Time and Work
– Mensuration
– Profit, Loss, and Discount
– Simple and Compound Interest
– Ratio and Proportion
– Permutation and Combination
– Probability
– Mixtures and Alligations
3. Reasoning Ability:
In this section, the candidate’s logical ability and analytical skills are tested. The major topics covered in this section are:
– Coding-Decoding
– Syllogism
– Numeric Series
– Blood Relation
– Seating Arrangement (Circular and Linear)
– Inequalities
– Puzzles
– Direction Sense
– Order and Ranking
4. General/Economy/Banking Awareness:
In this section, the candidate’s knowledge of current affairs, banking, and financial awareness is tested. The major topics covered in this section are:
– Banking and Financial Awareness
– News related to Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
– Financial/Banking terms
– International News
– Current Affairs (National and International)
– Static General Knowledge
