SBI PO
Direct recruitment of Probationary Officers (PO) into the State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest bank — widely regarded as the most prestigious entry-level officer post in Indian commercial banking.
Eligibility
A Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university. Age 21–30 years as on the notified cut-off date, with standard category relaxations. SBI caps chances: a maximum of 4 attempts for General-category candidates and 7 for OBC (no cap for SC/ST).
Age limit: 21–30 years (relaxations as per category)
Exam pattern
Three phases, all bank-conducted. Prelims: 100 objective questions, 100 marks, 1 hour with 20-minute sectional timing (English 30, Quantitative Aptitude 35, Reasoning 35); purely qualifying — marks are not counted in merit. Mains (revised): an objective test of 170 questions for 200 marks plus a 30-mark descriptive test (email writing, situation analysis, and report or precis writing), 230 marks in about 3 hours; sectional cut-offs apply and wrong answers cost 0.25 marks. Phase III comprises a psychometric test, group exercise and interview. Final merit combines Mains and Phase III scores.
Syllabus at a glance
Prelims spans English, quantitative aptitude and reasoning. Mains raises the bar with data analysis and interpretation, high-order reasoning with computer aptitude, and general/economy/banking awareness weighted towards current financial affairs. The descriptive component tests practical business writing — emails, situation analysis, reports and precis.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Online application window | 18 Jun – 8 Jul 2026 | confirmed |
| Preliminary exam | Early Aug 2026 (first week; exact dates with admit card) | confirmed |
| Mains exam | Sep 2026 | confirmed |
| Phase III (group exercise & interview) | Oct–Nov 2026 | expected |
| Final result | Nov–Dec 2026 | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- Magical Book on Quicker Maths — M. Tyra
- How to Prepare for Data Interpretation — Arun Sharma
- Analytical Reasoning — M.K. Pandey
- Descriptive English — S.P. Bakshi & Richa Sharma
- Word Power Made Easy — Norman Lewis
- Banking Awareness — Arihant Experts
How toppers play it
- Prelims is purely qualifying — clear it safely but invest your prep hours at Mains difficulty, where merit is actually decided.
- The new descriptive format (email, situation analysis, report/precis) rewards structured, concise business writing — practise typed answers against the clock.
- General/Economy/Banking Awareness is the rank-decider in Mains: read a business daily and monthly capsules for at least six months.
- Phase III carries real weight — prepare for the group exercise and interview early; current banking themes (digital banking, monetary policy) dominate discussions.
- General-category candidates get only four attempts — do a full mock-based readiness check before spending one.