SBI PO 2026: Complete Guide to the Probationary Officer Exam
Last updated: 2026-11-13 · MockMentor
State Bank of India (SBI) recruits Probationary Officers (PO) every year through its own exam, separate from the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) process used by other public sector banks. The 2026 recruitment (Advertisement No. CRPD/PO/2026-27/09) has 1,500 vacancies. Selection runs in three phases: a Preliminary exam, a Main exam with a descriptive paper, and a Phase III round of psychometric test, group exercise and interview.
SBI PO 2026 status (13 November 2026): Prelims were held on 1 and 2 August 2026 and Mains on 12 September 2026. The psychometric test was held on 31 October 2026, and group exercises and interviews run from 18 November 2026. The final result is expected in November or December 2026.
SBI PO 2026 at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Post | Probationary Officer (Junior Management Grade Scale I) |
| Advertisement | CRPD/PO/2026-27/09, dated 18 June 2026 |
| Vacancies | 1,500 (1,446 regular and 54 backlog) |
| Age | 21 to 30 years as on 1 April 2026, with relaxations |
| Qualification | Graduation in any discipline (final-year students may apply) |
| Number of attempts | 6 for UR/EWS, 9 for OBC and PwBD, no limit for SC/ST |
| Selection | Prelims (100 marks), Mains (230 marks), Phase III (50 marks) |
| Final merit | Mains 75% + group exercise and interview 25% |
| Starting basic pay | ₹48,480 plus 4 advance increments |
| Approximate CTC | ₹21.97 lakh a year at Mumbai |
| Application fee | ₹750 for UR/EWS/OBC; nil for SC/ST/PwBD |
| Bond | ₹2 lakh to serve at least 3 years |
How selection works
- Phase I (Prelims): 100 questions in 1 hour across English, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning. There is no sectional cut-off. About 10 times the vacancies in each category go through to Mains.
- Phase II (Mains): an objective test of 200 marks in 3 hours and a descriptive test of 30 marks in 30 minutes, typed on the computer. You must clear a minimum score in every section and in the descriptive paper. About 3 times the vacancies go through to Phase III.
- Phase III: a psychometric test (not scored, but its report goes to the interview panel), a group exercise of 20 marks and an interview of 30 marks.
Prelims marks are not counted in the final list. Mains (230 marks) and Phase III (50 marks) are converted to 75 and 25, and the final merit list is out of 100. See the full syllabus and exam pattern.
How SBI PO differs from IBPS PO
| Point | SBI PO | IBPS PO |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter | SBI itself | IBPS, for 11 public sector banks |
| Minimum age | 21 | 20 |
| Mains descriptive | 30 marks: email, situation analysis, report or precis | 25 marks: essay and comprehension |
| After Mains | Psychometric test, group exercise and interview | Personality test and interview |
| Final weightage | Mains 75 : Phase III 25 | Mains 80 : interview 20 |
| Starting basic pay | ₹48,480 plus 4 advance increments | ₹48,480 |
Read the full IBPS PO guide if you are writing both.
Guide pages
- 2026 notification and exam dates
- Eligibility, age limit and attempts
- Syllabus and exam pattern
- Salary, CTC and perks
- Vacancy 2026 by category
- Cut-off: previous years and how it is set
Preparing for the SBI PO interview
The group exercise and interview carry 25% of the final marks, so a weak Phase III can undo a good Mains. MockMentor's SBI PO Interview Guidance Programme covers group exercise practice, mock interviews and the current issues banks ask about. Our SBI PO GD topics post lists the themes that come up most.
SBI PO: all pages
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