This page gives the scheme of the SBI Probationary Officer examination exactly as State Bank of India has notified it. The cycle used is advertisement CRPD/PO/2026-27/09, dated 18 June 2026, which is the newest notified cycle as of 13 November 2026. That cycle is still running: the Preliminary and Main examinations are over and Phase III is under way. Where a figure is our arithmetic and not SBI's, it is marked.
The three phases
| Phase | What it is | Marks | Counts in final merit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Online Preliminary Examination (objective) | 100 | No, shortlisting only |
| II | Online Main Examination (objective 200 + descriptive 30) | 230 | Yes, normalised to 75 |
| III | Psychometric test, then group exercise (20) and interview (30) | 50 | Yes, normalised to 25 |
Candidates have to qualify in Phase II and Phase III separately.
Phase I: Preliminary Examination
| Test | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 40 | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 1 hour |
- The total is 100 marks. The advertisement prints the marks as one figure for the whole paper, not test by test.
- Each test has a separate timer. You can move between questions inside a test while its timer runs, but not between tests.
- Every question has five options.
- The tests are bilingual, English and Hindi, except English Language.
- No calculator is allowed in the hall.
- No sectional cut-off. A category-wise merit list is drawn on the aggregate marks, and about 10 times the number of vacancies in each category are shortlisted for the Main Examination.
The Preliminary Examination of this cycle was held on 1 and 2 August 2026.
Phase II: Main Examination
Objective test, 3 hours, 200 marks
| Test | Name | Questions | Marks | Time | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Reasoning and Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 50 minutes | Bilingual |
| II | Data Analysis and Interpretation | 30 | 60 | 45 minutes | Bilingual |
| III | General Awareness / Economy / Banking Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 minutes | Bilingual |
| IV | English Language | 40 | 20 | 40 minutes | English |
| Total | 170 | 200 | 3 hours |
Each test again has its own timer. SBI's Mains booklet says an in-built on-screen calculator is permitted for Test II only.
Descriptive test, 30 minutes, 30 marks
| Task | Choice | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Email writing | 1 out of 2 | 10 |
| Situation analysis | 1 out of 2 | 10 |
| Report writing or precis writing | any one of 2 options | 10 |
The descriptive test starts immediately after the objective test. Answers are typed on the computer, in English only, and the booklet says spellcheck is not available. The Main Examination therefore totals 230 marks in 3 hours 30 minutes.
Qualifying rules in Mains
- A minimum qualifying score in each test, that is Tests I to IV and the descriptive paper individually. The Bank decides these sectional cut-offs depending on the vacancies.
- A minimum aggregate qualifying score, also decided by the Bank.
- From the category-wise merit list on Mains aggregate marks, up to 3 times (approximately) the category-wise vacancies are shortlisted for Phase III.
The Main Examination of this cycle was held on 12 September 2026.
Penalty for wrong answers
The rule is the same in Prelims and in the Mains objective tests: for each wrong answer, one-fourth of the marks assigned to that question is deducted. A blank answer costs nothing. The descriptive test has no such penalty.
Arithmetic from the scheme, not SBI's wording:
- In Prelims, 100 questions share 100 marks. If each carries one mark, a wrong answer costs 0.25.
- In Mains the tests do not carry equal marks per question. On the averages, a question is worth 1.5 marks in Test I, 2 in Test II, 1 in Test III and 0.5 in Test IV, so the average penalty would be 0.375, 0.5, 0.25 and 0.125. SBI does not state per-question marks, and questions inside a test may be weighted differently.
- With five options and a one-fourth penalty, a blind guess has an expected value of zero. Guessing only gains once you can rule out at least one option.
Time per question (arithmetic)
| Paper | Test | Seconds per question |
|---|---|---|
| Prelims | English Language | 30 |
| Prelims | Quantitative Aptitude | 40 |
| Prelims | Reasoning Ability | 40 |
| Mains | Reasoning and Computer Aptitude | 75 |
| Mains | Data Analysis and Interpretation | 90 |
| Mains | General Awareness / Economy / Banking | 45 |
| Mains | English Language | 60 |
Candidates eligible for compensatory time get 20 minutes for every hour of the examination.
On the screen and at the centre
Points from SBI's two booklets that affect how you sit the paper:
- One question is shown at a time. An answer counts only after you click "Save and Next"; an answer that is "Marked for Review" after being answered is also evaluated.
- The booklets warn against pressing any keyboard key once the objective test starts, because it locks the examination. The keyboard is used only for the descriptive paper.
- You cannot submit early. Final submission is allowed only after the test time is exhausted, and answers are saved automatically when the timer ends.
- Bring the call letter with your photograph affixed, two additional photographs, and an original photo identity proof with a photocopy. The Prelims call letter is stamped and returned, and has to be produced again at the Main Examination.
- Rough work is done on sheets supplied at the centre, which are handed back.
Phase III: psychometric test, group exercise, interview
- Psychometric test. For personality profiling. All questions are mandatory. Its findings are placed before the interview panel. The advertisement gives it no marks.
- Group exercise: 20 marks. Personal interview: 30 marks. The minimum qualifying marks are as decided by the Bank.
For the 2026 cycle the psychometric test was held online in remote proctored mode on 31 October 2026 at 1 PM, and SBI's notice says appearing in it is mandatory before the group exercise and interview. SBI's tentative schedule puts group exercises and interviews from 18 November 2026 onwards.
How the final merit list is made
| Component | Maximum marks | Normalised to |
|---|---|---|
| Main Examination, objective and descriptive | 230 | 75 |
| Group exercise and interview | 50 | 25 |
| Total | 280 | 100 |
Prelims marks are not added. If candidates tie at the cut-off point of the final merit list, the advertisement ranks them by age in descending order, so the older candidate is placed higher.
Arithmetic: one Mains mark is worth about 0.33 in the final 100, and one group exercise or interview mark is worth 0.5. The descriptive paper's 30 marks become about 9.8 of the final 100.
Eligibility, fee and chances (2026 advertisement)
- Age: not below 21 and not above 30 years as on 1 April 2026, that is born between 2 April 1996 and 1 April 2005, both days inclusive.
- Relaxation in upper age: OBC (non-creamy layer) 3 years; SC and ST 5 years; PwBD 10 years for UR and EWS, 13 for OBC, 15 for SC and ST; eligible ex-servicemen and commissioned officers 5 years. Relaxations are not cumulative.
- Qualification: graduation in any discipline. Final-year students could apply provisionally, with proof of passing on or before 30 September 2026.
- Application fee: Rs 750 for Unreserved, EWS and OBC; nil for SC, ST and PwBD.
- Number of chances: UR and EWS 6; UR (PwBD), EWS (PwBD), OBC and OBC (PwBD) 9; SC and ST no restriction. Appearing in the Main Examination counts as a chance; appearing in Prelims does not.
- Pay: starting basic pay of Rs 48,480 with four advance increments, in Junior Management Grade Scale-I. The advertisement puts the approximate CTC at Mumbai at Rs 21.97 lakh.
- Bond and probation: a bond of Rs 2 lakh to serve at least three years; probation may be two years.
The original advertisement had a clause on adverse credit history (CIBIL). SBI's corrigendum of 1 July 2026 removed that clause.
Dates of the 2026 cycle
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Online registration and fee | 18 June to 8 July 2026 |
| Preliminary Examination | 1 and 2 August 2026 |
| Prelims result | 28 August 2026 |
| Main Examination | 12 September 2026 |
| Mains result | 14 October 2026 |
| Psychometric test | 31 October 2026 |
| Group exercise and interviews (tentative) | from 18 November 2026 |
| Final result (tentative, per advertisement) | November or December 2026 |
What changed from the 2025 advertisement
| Item | CRPD/PO/2025-26/04 | CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 |
|---|---|---|
| Vacancies | 541 | 1,500 |
| Descriptive test | 50 marks | 30 marks |
| Main Examination total | 250 | 230 |
| Chances, UR and EWS | 4 | 6 |
| Chances, OBC and PwBD (UR, EWS, OBC) | 7 | 9 |
| Approximate CTC at Mumbai | Rs 20.43 lakh | Rs 21.97 lakh |
The Prelims table (40, 30, 30 in 20 minutes each), the Mains objective table and the 75 to 25 normalisation are the same in both.
Practise this format with the 10-question mini-mock (free) or the full SBI PO Prelims mocks (Pro).
What this page does not have
- Marks per test in Prelims and marks per question anywhere. SBI prints only totals; the per-question figures above are averages we worked out.
- The sectional and aggregate qualifying scores for Mains, and the qualifying marks for the group exercise and interview. The Bank decides them and we found no published figures.
- The date of the next advertisement (2027-28). Nothing has been notified.
- The method SBI uses to equate scores across Prelims shifts. The advertisement and booklets we opened do not describe one.
- Examination centre lists and document checklists. They are in Annexure I of the advertisement and in the call letters.
Related: Syllabus · Cut-off · Preparation strategy