SBI PO is the officer recruitment exam of the State Bank of India, India's largest bank. The 2026 notification (CRPD/PO/2026-27/09) announced 1,500 vacancies and a selection process in three phases.
This guide covers the complete SBI PO syllabus for 2026, phase by phase, using the numbers from the official notice.
SBI PO 2026 at a glance
| Phase | What it is | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Phase I: Prelims | Objective test, qualifying | 100 |
| Phase II: Mains | Objective test + descriptive test | 200 + 30 = 230 |
| Phase III | Psychometric test, group exercise and interview | 50 |
For the final merit list, Mains marks are converted to 75 and Phase III marks to 25, for a total of 100. Wrong answers in the objective tests cost one-fourth of the question's marks.
SBI PO Prelims exam pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 40 | 40 | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 1 hour |
Prelims has no sectional cut-off. About 10 times the number of vacancies in each category are shortlisted for Mains, based on total marks.
SBI PO Mains exam pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning and Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 50 minutes |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | 30 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| General, Economy and Banking Awareness | 60 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| English Language | 40 | 20 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 170 | 200 | 3 hours |
| Descriptive test (3 tasks) | 3 | 30 | 30 minutes |
Mains has sectional cut-offs. About 3 times the number of vacancies are called for Phase III.
SBI PO syllabus, subject by subject
Reasoning and Computer Aptitude
- Puzzles and seating arrangement (linear, circular, floor, box, scheduling), the biggest block in both phases.
- Syllogism, inequalities, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, order and ranking.
- Mains: input-output, data sufficiency, logical reasoning (assumptions, arguments, course of action).
- Computer aptitude (Mains): computer fundamentals, hardware and software, networking, internet, MS Office, databases, cyber security.
Quantitative Aptitude and Data Analysis
- Simplification, approximation, number series, quadratic equations
- Arithmetic: percentage, ratio, average, profit and loss, interest, time and work, speed and distance, mixtures, probability, permutation and combination
- Data interpretation: tables, bar, line and pie charts, caselets, missing-data DI
- Data sufficiency and quantity comparison
English Language
- Reading comprehension (40 questions in Prelims makes English the biggest Prelims section)
- Cloze test, error detection, sentence improvement, fillers
- Para jumbles, word usage, phrase replacement
General, Economy and Banking Awareness (Mains only)
- Current affairs of the last 6 months
- Banking: RBI, monetary policy, banking terms, financial inclusion, recent regulations
- Economy: budget, GDP, inflation, government schemes
- Static GK relevant to banking (headquarters, regulators, international organisations)
Descriptive test
The 2026 descriptive test has three tasks in 30 minutes, for 30 marks:
- an email,
- a situation analysis,
- a report writing or précis task.
With only 10 minutes per task, practise writing short, structured answers to a time limit.
Phase III: psychometric test, group exercise and interview
Phase III has a psychometric test, a group exercise (20 marks) and an interview (30 marks). The psychometric test is used to understand your personality and is not scored for merit. Prepare by reading about SBI, current banking news and your own background.
What to focus on first
- English for Prelims. At 40 questions it is the largest Prelims section, and reading speed takes time to build.
- Puzzles and DI daily. They dominate Reasoning and Data Analysis in both phases.
- Banking awareness steadily. The awareness section has 60 questions in Mains, the most of any section.
- Writing practice. Write one email or précis a week so the descriptive test is not a surprise.
Build your basics with SBI PO topic-wise practice, then take full-length SBI PO mock tests. After each one, follow our steps on how to analyse a mock test.
Always confirm the details in the official SBI PO 2026 notification on sbi.co.in/careers.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a sectional cut-off in SBI PO Prelims?
No. SBI PO Prelims has no sectional cut-off; candidates are shortlisted on total marks, about 10 times the number of vacancies in each category. Mains does have sectional cut-offs.
How is the SBI PO final merit calculated?
Mains marks (objective plus descriptive, out of 230) and Phase III marks (out of 50) are converted to 75 and 25 marks respectively. The final merit list is prepared from this total of 100.
What is in the SBI PO descriptive paper?
The 2026 descriptive test has three tasks: an email, a situation analysis, and a report writing or précis task. It carries 30 marks and lasts 30 minutes.
How many vacancies are there in SBI PO 2026?
The SBI PO 2026 notification (CRPD/PO/2026-27/09) announced 1,500 vacancies. Check the official notice for the category-wise break-up.
What is the negative marking in SBI PO?
One-fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer in the Prelims and Mains objective tests.
