State Bank of India has released the SBI PO 2026 recruitment notification for 1500 Probationary Officer vacancies. Candidates preparing for the exam should now focus on the SBI PO syllabus and exam pattern, as the selection process will be conducted in three phases: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination and Phase-III comprising Psychometric Test, Group Exercise and Interview.
As per the official schedule, the SBI PO Preliminary Examination is scheduled for August 2026, while the Main Examination is expected in September 2026. Phase-III, including Psychometric Test, Group Exercise and Interview, will be conducted in October/November 2026. Online registration and fee payment are open from June 18 to July 8, 2026.
Table of Contents
SBI PO 2026 Highlights
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Recruitment Body | State Bank of India |
| Post Name | Probationary Officer |
| Advertisement No. | CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 |
| Total Vacancies | 1500 |
| Application Dates | June 18 to July 8, 2026 |
| Prelims Exam | August 2026 |
| Mains Exam | September 2026 |
| Phase-III | October/November 2026 |
| Selection Process | Prelims, Mains, Psychometric Test, Group Exercise and Interview |
| Official Website | sbi.bank.in |
SBI PO Selection Process 2026
The SBI PO selection process has three major phases. Phase-I is the Preliminary Examination, Phase-II is the Main Examination, and Phase-III includes the Psychometric Test, Group Exercise and Personal Interview.
Candidates must note that Prelims is qualifying in nature for shortlisting candidates for Mains. The marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination will not be counted for the final merit list. Final selection will be based on marks obtained in the Main Examination and Phase-III.
SBI PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2026
The SBI PO Preliminary Examination will be conducted online for 100 marks. The paper will include three sections: English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability. Each section will have a separate timing of 20 minutes.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 40 | Total 100 marks | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 20 minutes | |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 | 20 minutes | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 1 hour |
There will be no sectional cut-off in the Preliminary Examination. A category-wise merit list will be prepared on the basis of aggregate marks scored in Prelims. Around 10 times the number of vacancies in each category will be shortlisted for the Main Examination.
SBI PO Prelims Syllabus 2026
English Language
The English section generally tests grammar, vocabulary and comprehension. Candidates should prepare reading comprehension, cloze test, para jumbles, error spotting, sentence correction, fill in the blanks, phrase replacement, word usage, synonyms, antonyms and basic grammar rules.
Quantitative Aptitude
This section checks numerical ability and calculation speed. Important areas include simplification, approximation, number series, quadratic equations, data interpretation, percentage, ratio and proportion, average, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time-speed-distance, partnership, mixture and allegation, mensuration and probability basics.
Reasoning Ability
The reasoning section requires a strong command of puzzles and analytical thinking. Candidates should cover seating arrangement, puzzles, syllogism, blood relation, direction sense, coding-decoding, inequality, alphanumeric series, order and ranking, input-output, data sufficiency and logical reasoning basics.
SBI PO Mains Exam Pattern 2026
The SBI PO Main Examination will be conducted online and will include Objective Tests for 200 marks and a Descriptive Test for 30 marks. The total duration will be 3 hours 30 minutes.
| Test | Section | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 50 minutes |
| II | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| III | General Awareness/Economy/Banking Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| IV | English Language | 40 | 20 | 40 minutes |
| Total Objective | 170 | 200 | 3 hours | |
| Descriptive Test | Communication Skills | 3 | 30 | 30 minutes |
| Grand Total | 230 | 3 hours 30 minutes |
SBI PO Descriptive Paper 2026
The Descriptive Test will be held immediately after the Objective Test. Candidates will have to type their answers on the computer. The paper will test communication skills through email writing, situation analysis, and either report writing or precis writing. The descriptive paper will carry 30 marks and the duration will be 30 minutes.
SBI PO Mains Syllabus 2026
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude
Candidates should prepare advanced puzzles, seating arrangement, logical reasoning, data sufficiency, input-output, coded inequalities, course of action, statement-assumption, statement-argument, critical reasoning, machine input, coding-decoding and decision making.
For computer aptitude, focus on the basics of computers, internet, networking, MS Office, keyboard shortcuts, database basics, cyber security, digital banking, computer hardware and software, operating systems and memory concepts.
Data Analysis & Interpretation
This section is calculation-heavy and requires strong practice. Important topics include tabular DI, bar graph, pie chart, line graph, caselet DI, mixed DI, data sufficiency, quantity comparison, probability, permutation and combination, arithmetic-based DI and missing data interpretation.
General Awareness, Economy and Banking Knowledge
Candidates should focus on current affairs of the last 5–6 months, banking awareness, RBI updates, monetary policy, financial institutions, Union Budget, Economic Survey, government schemes, digital banking, financial inclusion, banking terms, NPAs, inflation, GDP, repo rate, reverse repo rate, CRR, SLR, Basel norms, payment systems and major national/international economic developments.
English Language
The Mains English section requires deeper comprehension and language accuracy. Important topics include reading comprehension, paragraph completion, sentence rearrangement, error detection, phrase replacement, fillers, word swap, vocabulary, inference-based questions, connectors and grammar-based usage.
SBI PO Negative Marking 2026
There will be a penalty for wrong answers in both Preliminary and Main objective tests. For every wrong answer, one-fourth of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted. No penalty will be applied for questions left blank.
SBI PO Phase-III Exam Pattern 2026
Phase-III includes Psychometric Test, Group Exercise and Personal Interview. The Psychometric Test will be conducted for personality profiling, and its findings will be placed before the interview panel.
| Component | Marks |
|---|---|
| Group Exercise | 20 |
| Interview | 30 |
| Total | 50 |
Candidates must qualify both Phase-II and Phase-III separately. The Main Examination and Phase-III marks will be converted to a final score out of 100.
| Component | Maximum Marks | Normalized Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Main Examination | 230 | 75 |
| Group Exercise & Interview | 50 | 25 |
| Total | 280 | 100 |
Important Preparation Strategy
SBI PO is not only a speed-based exam. The Prelims stage requires accuracy under strict sectional timing, while Mains demands deeper understanding, current affairs awareness and strong analytical ability. Candidates should not prepare only basic arithmetic and puzzles. For Mains, banking awareness, economy, descriptive writing and high-level reasoning need equal attention.
A practical preparation plan should include daily reading comprehension, sectional mock tests, current affairs revision, DI practice, puzzle practice and descriptive writing. Candidates should also keep tracking official updates regarding call letters, exam dates and result announcements through the SBI Careers portal.
