| Conducting body | State Bank of India (SBI). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Probationary Officer |
| Qualification | Graduation in any discipline from a recognised university, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government. Final-year or final-semester students may apply provisionally, but if called for interview they must show they passed on or before 30 September 2026. Candidates with medical, engineering, chartered accountancy or cost accountancy qualifications are also eligible. |
| Age limit | 21–30 years on 1 April 2026 (general category) |
| Domicile | Not required |
| Selection stages | Phase I: online preliminary exam → Phase II: online main exam (objective and descriptive) → Phase III: psychometric test, group exercise and interview → Final merit list from Phase II and Phase III marks |
| Latest notification | SBI Probationary Officers recruitment 2026-27, advertisement CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 · 1,500 vacancies |
Last checked . Sources
About SBI PO
State Bank of India recruits its Probationary Officers through its own exam, separate from IBPS. The 2026-27 advertisement, CRPD/PO/2026-27/09, lists 1,500 vacancies. Selection has three phases: a prelims, a mains, and a final round made up of a psychometric test, a group exercise and an interview.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 21–30 years, counted on 1 April 2026.
Age relaxation
- OBC: 3 years
- SC: 5 years
- ST: 5 years
- PwBD: 10 years
- Ex-servicemen: 5 years
- You must be born between 2 April 1996 and 1 April 2005, both dates included.
- PwBD relaxation is 10 years for General/EWS, 13 years for OBC and 15 years for SC/ST candidates.
- Ex-servicemen, including ECOs and SSCOs with at least five years of continuous military service, get 5 years.
Qualification
Graduation in any discipline from a recognised university, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government. Final-year or final-semester students may apply provisionally, but if called for interview they must show they passed on or before 30 September 2026. Candidates with medical, engineering, chartered accountancy or cost accountancy qualifications are also eligible.
Selection process
- Phase I: online preliminary exam
- Phase II: online main exam (objective and descriptive)
- Phase III: psychometric test, group exercise and interview
- Final merit list from Phase II and Phase III marks
Exam pattern
Phase I: Preliminary exam
Mode: Online, objective · Duration: 1 hour (20 minutes per section) · Negative marking: 1/4 of the question's marks cut for each wrong answer; no penalty for a blank
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS |
|---|---|
| English Language | 40 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 |
Phase II: Main exam (objective)
Mode: Online, objective · Duration: 3 hours (each test timed separately) · Negative marking: 1/4 of the question's marks cut for each wrong answer
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning and Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation (on-screen calculator allowed) | 30 | 60 |
| General Awareness/Economy/Banking Knowledge | 60 | 60 |
| English Language | 40 | 20 |
Phase II: Main exam (descriptive)
Mode: Online, typed in English · Duration: 30 minutes
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| Email writing (1 of 2) | 1 | 10 |
| Situation analysis (1 of 2) | 1 | 10 |
| Report writing or précis (1 of 2) | 1 | 10 |
Phase III
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Group exercise | 20 |
| Interview | 30 |
SBI PO syllabus
Prelims
- English Language
- Quantitative Aptitude
- Reasoning Ability
Mains objective
- Reasoning and computer aptitude
- Data analysis and interpretation
- General awareness, economy and banking knowledge
- English Language
Mains descriptive (communication skills)
- Email writing
- Situation analysis
- Report writing or précis writing
Phase III
- Psychometric test
- Group exercise
- Interview
What they ask
The prelims has 100 questions in one hour, and English has 40 of them against 30 each for quant and reasoning. The prelims has no sectional cut-off; about ten times the vacancies in each category go to the mains on total marks. The mains objective paper runs for three hours, and you get an on-screen calculator for Data Analysis and Interpretation. The 30-mark descriptive test is typed in English and checks communication through an email, a situation analysis and a report or précis. Prelims marks are not added to the final merit list.
How to prepare
- English has 40 of the 100 prelims questions, more than quant or reasoning, so practise reading comprehension and error spotting every day.
- Clear the minimum in every mains test and in the descriptive paper. SBI applies cut-offs test by test before it calls anyone to Phase III.
- Practise a formal email, a situation analysis and a précis inside 30 minutes, since those are the three parts of the descriptive test.
- Solve DI sets with an on-screen calculator while practising so that it feels normal on exam day.
- Revise banking and economy news with daily topic-wise practice quizzes on the free Improvam app; this test has 60 questions in the mains.
SBI PO is one of the exams in the Improvam app. Open it to start a practice quiz.
Open in the Improvam appSBI PO FAQs
21 to 30 years on 1 April 2026 (born between 2 April 1996 and 1 April 2005). OBC candidates get 3 extra years, SC/ST 5, and PwBD 10 to 15 depending on category.
Sources
- SBI detailed advertisement CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 (Hindi) ↗ (official, checked )
- SBI PO 2026 preliminary exam information handout (English) ↗ (official, checked )
- SBI PO 2026 main exam information handout (English) ↗ (official, checked )
- SBI careers: current openings ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.