Exam pattern at a glance
SBI PO 2026 (advertisement CRPD/PO/2026-27/09) is a three-phase process: an online prelims, an online Main exam, and Phase III — a psychometric test, group exercise and interview. Prelims only screens; mains and Phase III marks build the final merit list.
Prelims exam pattern
Three objective tests, each with its own 20-minute timer — 100 questions for 100 marks in 1 hour. There is no sectional cut-off: SBI draws a category-wise merit list on aggregate marks and calls about 10 times the vacancies in each category to mains.
| Test | Questions | Time | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 40 | 20 min | English |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 20 min | English & Hindi |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 | 20 min | English & Hindi |
| Total | 100 · 100 marks | 1 hour | −¼ of marks per wrong answer |
The advertisement states only the total of 100 marks for prelims, not section-wise marks. Every question has five options, with one correct answer.
Mains exam pattern
Mains is where marks start to count. You need a minimum score in each of Tests I–IV and in the descriptive test, set by SBI based on the vacancies. About 3 times each category’s vacancies are then called to Phase III from the category-wise merit list, subject to a minimum aggregate score.
| Part | Taken by | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective tests (4) | All mains candidates | 170 | 200 | 3 hours |
| Descriptive test | All mains candidates | 3 | 30 | 30 min |
| Group exercise & interview | Shortlisted for Phase III | — | 50 | — |
Mains — test-wise breakdown
Each objective test is timed separately. The descriptive test is given immediately after the objective tests end, so the Main exam runs 3 hours 30 minutes in all. An on-screen calculator is provided for Data Analysis & Interpretation.
| Test | Questions | Marks | Time | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I · Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 50 min | English & Hindi |
| II · Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | 60 | 45 min | English & Hindi |
| III · General Awareness / Economy / Banking Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 min | English & Hindi |
| IV · English Language | 40 | 20 | 40 min | English |
| Descriptive · Communication Skills | 3 | 30 | 30 min | English |
| Grand total | 173 | 230 | 3 h 30 m | 200 objective + 30 descriptive |
Descriptive test & Phase III
Mains ends with a short written test, and clearing mains leads to Phase III before the final merit list.
Descriptive Test · Communication Skills
Three tasks, 10 marks each: an email (1 of 2 options), a situation analysis (1 of 2 options) and a report or précis (1 of 2 options). Answers are typed on the computer in English, with no spellcheck, and can be submitted only once the 30 minutes are over.
Psychometric Test, Group Exercise & Interview
The psychometric test profiles your personality; its findings are placed before the interview panel, and every question in it must be answered. It may be held in proctored mode or at exam centres. The group exercise and interview are marked, with minimum qualifying marks set by SBI.
Negative marking, stage by stage
SBI uses one rule for every objective test, in prelims and mains alike: a wrong answer costs one-fourth of the marks assigned to that question. Leave a question blank and there’s no penalty.
| Exam stage | Penalty per wrong answer |
|---|---|
| Prelims (all three tests) | ¼ of the question’s marks |
| Mains objective tests (all four) | ¼ of the question’s marks |
| Mains descriptive test | Not an objective test — the penalty rule covers objective tests |
| Unattempted questions | No penalty |
Prelims marks are used only to shortlist for mains. For the final merit list, Main exam marks (objective + descriptive, out of 230) are scaled to 75 and group exercise & interview marks (out of 50) to 25, and you must qualify in mains and Phase III separately. SBI’s mains booklet adds that if a test’s total penalty is a fraction, it is rounded off to the nearest whole number. Compared with SBI PO 2025, the descriptive paper has dropped from 50 marks to 30, so mains now totals 230 instead of 250.
Crack SBI PO with your own daily plan
Daily targets, PYQ-style practice sets & timed mocks — built around the SBI PO pattern.
Rehearse the exam pattern
Knowing the pattern is step one. JobSafal lets you practise it in timed tests, so separately timed sections feel familiar on exam day.
Timed mocks
Full-length SBI PO mocks in a timed test interface.
Negative-marking analysis
See how your accuracy versus attempts affects your net score, question by question.
Section-wise practice
Drill one section at a time to fix the weak links the pattern exposes.
PYQ-style practice sets
Six timed sets to check your speed and accuracy before the real exam.
