SBI PO Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026: Prelims, Mains and Phase III
Last updated: 2026-11-13 · MockMentor
SBI PO is selected in three phases. Prelims only decides who writes Mains. The final merit list is made from Mains (230 marks) and Phase III (50 marks), converted to 75 and 25 marks out of 100. The pattern below is from SBI's 2026 advertisement and the Mains information handout.
Phase I: Preliminary exam (100 marks, 1 hour)
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 40 | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 (100 marks) | 1 hour |
- Each section has its own timer.
- No sectional cut-off. SBI ranks candidates in each category on total marks and calls about 10 times the category's vacancies to Mains.
- A quarter of the marks of a question is deducted for each wrong answer. Unanswered questions carry no penalty.
Phase II: Main exam (230 marks, 3 hours 30 minutes)
Objective test: 200 marks, 3 hours
| Test | Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Reasoning and Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 50 minutes |
| II | Data Analysis and Interpretation | 30 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| III | General Awareness / Economy / Banking Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| IV | English Language | 40 | 20 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 170 | 200 | 3 hours |
An on-screen calculator is allowed in Data Analysis and Interpretation. All sections except English are bilingual.
Descriptive test: 30 marks, 30 minutes
| Part | Choice | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Email writing | 1 out of 2 | 10 |
| Situation analysis | 1 out of 2 | 10 |
| Report writing or precis writing | 1 out of 2 | 10 |
The descriptive test starts right after the objective test, must be written in English and is typed on the computer.
Qualifying in Mains
- You must clear a minimum score in each of the four objective tests and in the descriptive paper.
- SBI then ranks candidates by total Mains marks and calls about 3 times the category's vacancies to Phase III, subject to a minimum aggregate score.
Phase III: psychometric test, group exercise and interview
| Part | Marks |
|---|---|
| Psychometric test | Not scored; the personality report goes to the interview panel |
| Group exercise | 20 |
| Interview | 30 |
| Total | 50 |
SBI sets minimum qualifying marks for the group exercise and interview.
How the final merit list is made
| Stage | Raw marks | Converted to |
|---|---|---|
| Main exam (objective + descriptive) | 230 | 75 |
| Group exercise and interview | 50 | 25 |
| Total | 280 | 100 |
You must qualify in Phase II and Phase III separately. If two candidates tie at the cut-off, the older one is ranked higher.
SBI PO syllabus: what each section tests
SBI's advertisement names the sections but does not give a topic list. Based on the sample questions in SBI's handouts and past papers, this is what each section covers.
| Section | Main areas |
|---|---|
| English Language | Reading comprehension, error spotting, sentence improvement, fillers, para jumbles, vocabulary |
| Quantitative Aptitude (Prelims) | Simplification and approximation, number series, quadratic equations, data interpretation, arithmetic (percentages, ratio, profit and loss, interest, time and work, speed and distance, probability, mensuration) |
| Reasoning (Prelims) | Puzzles and seating arrangement, syllogism, inequalities, blood relations, direction sense, coding-decoding, order and ranking |
| Reasoning and Computer Aptitude (Mains) | Advanced puzzles, logical reasoning (assumptions, inferences, arguments, courses of action), data sufficiency, input-output, computer basics and terms |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | Tables, bar, line and pie charts, caselets, data sufficiency, probability and arithmetic within data sets |
| General Awareness / Economy / Banking | Current affairs of the last 6 months, banking and RBI policy, government schemes, budget and economy, financial awareness, static GK |
| Descriptive | Formal emails, analysing a workplace or customer situation, report or precis writing |
Where most candidates lose marks
- General Awareness carries 60 of the 200 Mains marks. It is the one section where steady reading pays back in full: RBI and SEBI circulars, schemes, budget and economy news.
- The descriptive paper has its own cut-off. A weak email or situation analysis can stop you even with a high objective score.
- Phase III is 25% of the final marks. Candidates who treat the group exercise lightly often drop many ranks.
Read next: salary and CTC and the cut-off rules.
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