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The SBI PO exam is one of the best opportunities for those who want to work in the banking and financial industry. Before taking the SBI PO exam, it is very important that candidates are familiar with the syllabus and exam pattern and prepare accordingly.
Candidates should also note that the main exam pattern has been revised. The 2025 SBI PO exams will be conducted in three phases: Phase I (preliminary examination), Phase II (main examination), Phase III (interview and group exercises).
The SBI PO Prelims exam has a duration of 60 minutes and a total score of 100 points.
Read the article to the end to learn more about the SBI PO exam pattern and download the SBI PO Syllabus 2025 PDF.
SBI PO Syllabus PDF 2025 and Exam Pattern
| SBI PO Exam Pattern – Overview | |
| Exam Name | SBI Probationary Officer (SBI PO) |
| Conducting Body | State Bank of India |
| Name of Post | Probationary Officer |
| Stages of Exam |
|
| Medium of Exam | English and Hindi |
| Number of Questions | Prelims- 100 questions
Mains- 155 questions |
| Maximum Marks |
|
| Time Duration | Prelims – 1 hour
Mains – 3.5 hour (including descriptive) |
| SBI PO Negative Marking | 1/4th marks deducted for every wrong answer. |
SBI PO Syllabus 2025
1: What does the acronym "ATM" stand for in banking?
Syllabus for SBI PO: SBI PO recruitment consists of 3 phases: Prelims exam, Mains exam and Interview. SBI PO Prelims exam consists of major three sections. These are Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and English language. Whereas, SBI PO mains exam consists of 5 sections: Reasoning & Computer, English Language, Data Analysis & Interpretation, General Awareness, and Descriptive Test (Letter Writing & Essay). Read further to know about the SBI PO exam syllabus.
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Before going through SBI PO syllabus, candidate must understand the SBI PO Exam Pattern. Check here for the latest SBI PO Exam Pattern for Prelims and mains exam 2025.
SBI PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2025
The SBI PO preliminary examination is from a one-hour duration and is conducted online. It has three sections with having 100 questions in total with a maximum score of 100 marks. For every wrong exam, there is negative marking in SBI PO pre-exam as 0.25 marks is deducted for every wrong answer. Candidates must clear the sectional cut-off to qualify for the SBI PO Main exam. The section-wise details are given below:
| SBI PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2024 | ||||
| SI.No. | Name of Tests (Objective) | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| 3 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 1 hour | |
SBI PO Mains Exam Pattern 2025
Mains Examination will consist of Objective Tests for 200 marks and Descriptive Test for 50 marks. Both the Objective and Descriptive Tests will be conducted online. The Mains exam consists of both Objective Test, Descriptive Test will be administered.
I. Objective Test: The objective test of 3 hours duration consists of 4 Sections for a total of 200 marks. The objective test will have separate timing for every section. The candidates are required to qualify in each of the Tests by securing passing marks, to be decided by the Bank.
| SBI PO Mains Exam Pattern | ||||
| SI.No. | Name of Tests(Objective) | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1 | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 minutes |
| 2 | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| 3 | General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| 4 | English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 3 hours | |
| Descriptive Test | 02 | 50 | 30 minutes | |
Descriptive Test
The Descriptive Test will be a Test of English Language which consists of Letter Writing & Essay writing. There will be two questions for 50 marks. The candidates needs to clear the descriptive tests to qualify for the interview.
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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.
SBI PO Prelims Syllabus 2025
Here is the SBI PO Prelims syllabus for the 2025 exam. The candidates can refer to the complete syllabus and start their preparations right away! The syllabus for each subject is mentioned below. The candidates can check the sub-topics related to each subject and start collecting the notes. From random browsing, you might get various segments from each section.
The SBI PO Prelims Exam syllabus includes major three sections:
- Reasoning
- Quantitative Aptitude
- English Language
| Reasoning Syllabus for SBI PO |
SBI PO Quant syllabus | SBI PO English syllabus |
|---|---|---|
| Logical Reasoning | Simplification | Reading Comprehension |
| Alphanumeric Series | Profit & Loss | Cloze Test |
| Ranking/Direction/ Alphabet Test |
Mixtures & Alligations | Para jumbles |
| Data Sufficiency | Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices |
Multiple Meaning / Error Spotting |
| Coded Inequalities | Work & Time | Fill in the blanks |
| Seating Arrangement | Time & Distance | Miscellaneous |
| Puzzle | Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere | Paragraph Completion |
| Tabulation | Data Interpretation | – |
| Syllogism | Ratio & Proportion, Percentage | – |
| Blood Relations | Number Systems | – |
| Input-Output | Sequence & Series | – |
| Coding-Decoding | Permutation, Combination & Probability |
– |
SBI PO Mains Syllabus 2025
The mains exam holds a much deeper syllabus pattern than the prelims exam. As we have seen, the prelims exam is vast but comparatively easier than the main syllabus. But analyzing the mains syllabus, you will get an idea regarding the difficulty level enfolding in the mains syllabus. Likewise, the candidates can expect much tougher questions from the main syllabus. Thus, the preparation should be as per the expectation of the difficulty level.
The Mains Examination of SBI PO consists of 5 sections:
- Reasoning & Computer
- English Language
- Data Analysis & Interpretation
- General Awareness
- Descriptive Test (Letter Writing & Essay)
| Reasoning | Data Analysis & interpretation | English Language |
General Economy Banking Awareness |
Computer Awareness |
| Verbal Reasoning | Tabular Graph | Reading Comprehension |
Financial Awareness |
Internet |
| Syllogism | Line Graph | Grammar | Current Affairs | Memory |
| Circular Seating Arrangement |
Pie Chart | Vocabulary | General Knowledge |
Keyboard Shortcuts |
| Linear Seating Arrangement |
Bar Graph | Verbal Ability | Static Awareness | Computer Abbreviation |
| Double Lineup | Radar Graph Caselet | Word Association | Banking and Financial Awareness |
Microsoft Office |
| Scheduling | Missing DI | Sentence Improvement |
– | Computer Hardware |
| Input Output | Caselet DI | Para Jumbles | – | Computer Software |
| Blood Relations | Data Sufficiency | Cloze Test | – | Operating System |
| Directions and Distances |
Probability | Error Spotting | – | Networking |
| Ordering and Ranking |
Permutation and Combination |
Fill in the blanks | – | Computer – Fundamentals / Terminologies |
| Data Sufficiency | – | – | – | – |
| Coding and Decoding |
– | – | – | – |
| Code Inequalities | – | – | – | – |
| Course of Action | – | – | – | – |
| Critical Reasoning |
– | – | – | – |
| Analytical and Decision Making |
– | – | – | – |
Interview Stage
The aggregate marks will be assigned to the candidates on qualifying of both the Objective Tests and Descriptive Test will be arranged in descending order in each category. An adequate number of candidates in each category, as decided by the Bank will be called for Group Exercises and Interview. The qualifying marks in Group Exercises &Interview will be as decided by the Bank.
Candidates qualifying for Group Exercises & Interview under the ‘OBC’ category would be required to submit an OBC certificate containing the ‘Non-Creamy layer’ clause. Candidates not submitting the OBC certificate containing the ‘Non Creamy layer’ clause and requesting to be interviewed under the General category will not be entertained.
Know more about the SBI PO exam updates here
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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 |
SBI PO Syllabus PDF 2025
Check the complete syllabus PDF here. The candidates can start their preparation as per the prescribed syllabus. Confused how? Click here to get the complete study plan for the upcoming SBI PO exam.
How to Prepare with the syllabus?
If you are planning to start your preparations for the upcoming SBI PO exam, you must go through the complete syllabus prescribed by SBI PO. Keep an eye on the main topics and gather all the necessary study materials related to them. If you are looking for SBI PO exam coaching, join our coaching guided by experts!
After getting a complete understanding of the main topics, go further to investigate the sub topics. The candidates can go for a random search on each sub-topic, as a complete study guide for the entire syllabus will not be available. But still, you can go through most of the syllabus notes in Entri App!
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Are you ready to take your banking career aspirations to new heights? Join Entri App's Bank Exam Coaching program to kickstart your preparations!
Join Now!Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the SBI PO exam?
Ans: The SBI PO exam is conducted by the State Bank of India to recruit Probationary Officers (POs). It is a highly sought-after opportunity for those aspiring to work in the banking and financial industry.
2. What are the stages of the SBI PO exam?
Ans: The SBI PO exam is conducted in three stages:
- Phase I: Preliminary Examination (Prelims)
- Phase II: Main Examination (Mains)
- Phase III: Interview and Group Exercises
3. Is there negative marking in the SBI PO exam?
Ans: Yes, there is a penalty for wrong answers in both Prelims and Mains. For every incorrect answer, 1/4th of the marks assigned to the question will be deducted.
4. What is the medium of the SBI PO exam?
Ans: The exam is conducted in English and Hindi, except for the English Language section, which is available only in English.
