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SBI PO selection procedure: State Bank of India (SBI) is the largest bank in India that provides multinational, public sector banking and financial services. Also, it is ranked the 43rd largest bank in the world. SBI conducts SBI PO Recruitment in order to select Probationary Officers for various vacant positions across the banks in India. However, clearing the SBI PO Examination is not an easy task.
It consists of a three staged process that every aspiring candidate must mandatory go through. Only the candidate who clears all the three selection rounds will be appointed as the Probationary officer. Hence, for every candidate who wishes to be successful in SBI PO Recruitment must have a clear idea about the selection process. In this article, look into the details of SBI PO Selection Process and Check out the Detailed Interview Process.
Check out the complete selection process for the SBI PO exam. Are you curious to get into the phases? Then initially, make sure you are eligible for SBI PO exam.
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State Bank of India conducts examination to recruit candidates for the post of Probationary Officers at its various branches. The Bank will conduct a Prelims examination followed by the Mains examination for this recruitment drive. Therefore, all the candidates who have successfully completed the previous two rounds of selection shall proceed to the last round of the selection process- The Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview Round. Any candidate who clears this round will be duly offered the job as SBI Probationary Officer.
SBI PO Selection Process 2025
The Selection to the post of SBI PO comprises three important stages. The initial phase is the prelims exam phase, later the candidates who are qualified from the prelims exam will be called on for the mains exam and later for the group discussion. After the GD phase, the eligible candidates will be called on for the personal interview phase. The final selection list will be released in the official SBI site after the final round.
- Preliminary Examination
- Mains Examination
- Group Discussion and Personal Interview
SBI PO Prelims Exam 2025
The Preliminary Stage of SBI PO has objective type questions of 100 marks. The question paper itself is divided into three sections, namely, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability. Here is a detailed view on SBI PO Prelims Exam pattern:
Name of the Examination | SBI PO Preliminary Exam |
Type of Examination | Objective Type |
Mode of Examination | Online |
Total number of questions | 100 |
Total marks | 100 |
Section-wise mark distribution | English language- 30 marks
Quantitative Aptitude-35 marks Reasoning Ability-35 marks |
Duration of Examination | 60 minutes |
All the candidates who have successfully cleared the Prelims examination moves to the next round of the selection process- The Mains Examination.
Click here for the complete SBI PO exam study materials 2025
SBI PO Mains Exam 2025
The Mains Examination of SBI PO Recruitment comprises two separate sections- Objective and descriptive. Further, the Objective section is sub divided into 4 different papers; each with a different mark weightage. The total number of questions the candidates have to face in the mains exam is 155 objective type questions and 2 descriptive type questions. If you are curious to know more about the mains exam, here is a detailed view on SBI PO Mains Exam Pattern:
Name of the Examination | SBI PO Mains Exam |
Type of Examination | Objective Type and Descriptive Type |
Mode of Examination | Online |
Total number of questions | Objective: 155
Descriptive: 02 |
Total marks | Objective: 200
Descriptive: 50 |
Section-wise allotted time | Objective: 180 minutes
Descriptive: 30 minutes |
Paper -wise time allotment | Reasoning and Computer aptitude: 45 minutes
Data Analysis and Interpretation: 45 minutes General Awareness: 40 minutes English Language: 40 minutes |
Paper -wise mark allotment | Reasoning and Computer aptitude: 60
Data Analysis and Interpretation: 60 General Awareness: 40 English Language: 40 |
SBI PO GD & Interview
The final stage of the SBI PO recruitment process consists of two stages- Group Discussion and Interview round. The group discussion phase will be initially conducted and the filtered candidates will be called on for the interview phase. Thus, the candidates need to put the whole in the group discussions section.
Name of the Examination | SBI PO Final Round |
Type of Examination | Group Discussion and Interview |
Mode of Examination | Direct |
Mark Distribution | Group Discussion: 20
Interview: 30 |
List of Documents to Carry for Final Round
Here is the list of documents you need to keep arranged for the final phase of the SBI PO selection process. Ensure all the documents are valid and error-free. If the candidates had claimed for any qualification and do not hold any valid proof, they will be answerable and rejected from the post. Those candidates who are called by SBI to attend the final round of selection must carry the following documents compulsorily during the selection:
- Print out of SBI PO Application form
- Print Out of Admit Card
- Proof of Birth
- Any photo identity proof that will be accepted by SBI – Voters ID, Adhar card, Driving license, etc)
- Certificates that prove educational qualification of the candidate
- Experience certificate
- Caste certificate, Disability certificate, etc for those candidates who have claimed reservations.
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Group Discussion
All the candidates who have cleared the SBI PO Mains examination will be called for the final round of this recruitment. Here, the candidates will have to go through a group discussion round at first. In the Group discussion round,
- Candidates will be divided into groups of 10 -12 candidates.
- The group will be given a topic for discussion.
- Before, the group discussion begins, each candidate will be given 5 minute time to make themselves ready with the key points.
Why is group discussion phase conducted?
The group discussion phase is conducted for the candidates who are eligible for the mains exam, the goal might not be the knowledge that the candidates possess in the topic. The main goal of group discussion is to evaluate the performance of the candidates apart from the knowledge they possess.
Thus, the candidates are required to be completely present in the discussion and engage in a healthy discussion by bringing forward valuable points. This does not mean that the candidates should shoot all the valid points. Your patience, listening capacity, how you are maintaining the discussion, how you are letting others speak up and encouraging others to talk also count. Thus, your qualities as a worker, leader, educator, motivator etc are evaluated there.
Personal Interview
All the suitable candidates who are filtered after the GD will be called for a personal Interview round with the officials. This is to test the personality of the candidate. However, the final merit list will be based on the marks obtained by the candidate in the mains examination and the GD& Interview round. The marks obtained in the Prelims round will not be considered.
Important Notes Regarding Final Selection:
- The final merit list of the candidates is prepared based on the marks obtained in the Mains Examination and GD & Interview round in a 75:25 ratio.
- The marks obtained by a candidate in the written test that totals up to 250 is converted into 75 while the marks obtained by the candidate in GD & Interview round that totals up to 50 is converted to 25.
- The merit List of the candidates will be uploaded in the official web portal after the final round is over.
How to face the selection process?
The candidates can check the entire selection process and build plans to tackle each. Take one step at a time. Make sure you prepare for the initial exam phases well. For that, you need to get a grasp on the syllabus and exam pattern for the SBI PO exam. After that, ensure to track all the relevant and updated study materials for the exam.
You can also refer to the previous questions and attempt some random mock tests for the SBI PO exam. This can help you to attain an idea regarding the exam pattern. Most candidates have complained at their poor time management caused trouble at the exam hall. To avoid that, you can practice more with mock tests and ensure you are great in time management. This can be only attained by the constant practice sections.
SBI PO Previous Question Papers
1: What does the acronym "ATM" stand for in banking?
Click here to download SBI PO previous year question paper free pdfs for your practice. Try to solve them, keeping the time limit. We will update more previous year question papers on the upcoming days.
Previous Question Papers | PDFs |
SBI PO 2018 Preliminary Exam | |
SBI PO Prelims Exam 2017 | |
SBI PO 2015 Preliminary Exam | |
SBI PO Preliminary Exam 2006 |
The candidates who are qualified for the main phase must focus deeper on the syllabus and ensure they check with the mock tests and sample questions for better preparation. The candidates can refer to Entri App for the best strategies to crack the SBI PO mains exam. If you are confused about which books will guide you towards the best score for the mains exam, then click here for the best books for the SBI PO
After going through the mains phase, the qualified candidates will called on for the interview phase. The candidates can prepare themself with the possible interview questions for SBI PO. If you are confused, what to prepare for the SBI PO interview, then visit Entri App for relevant interview tips and tactics.
SBI PO Syllabus 2025 PDF
Looking forward to the SBI PO syllabus can be said as the initial phase to understand the exam type. The candidates can refer to the entire syllabus prescribed by the SBI PO here and start their preparations. SBI PO Syllabus is similar to any other bank exam syllabus. Here is the latest SBI PO syllabus for Prelims and the mains exam. Check here for the SBI PO 2025 syllabus PDF.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the SBI PO Selection Process?
Ans: The SBI PO selection process consists of three stages:
- Preliminary Examination
- Mains Examination (Objective + Descriptive)
- Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview
Only candidates who clear all three stages are selected as Probationary Officers.
2. Is the SBI PO selection process the same every year?
Ans: The general structure remains the same (Prelims, Mains, GD & Interview), but details like exam dates, cut-offs, and specific requirements may vary. Always check the official notification for updates.
3. What are the key details of the Preliminary Examination?
Ans: Type: Objective
- Mode: Online
- Sections: English (30 marks), Quantitative Aptitude (35 marks), Reasoning Ability (35 marks)
- Total Questions: 100
- Duration: 60 minutes
4. What does the Mains Examination include?
Ans: The Mains Exam has two parts:
- Objective Test (155 questions, 200 marks) covering Reasoning, Data Analysis, General Awareness, and English Language.
- Descriptive Test (2 questions, 50 marks) that assess writing skills.