How SBI PO selection works
SBI recruits its own Probationary Officers through a three-phase process. You need a high enough prelims score to reach the Mains. Your Mains score, together with the minimum marks in each test, decides whether you’re shortlisted for Phase III. The final merit list combines your Mains and Phase III marks, and you have to qualify in both phases separately.
Stage-by-stage flow
- Prelims: online objective testA category-wise merit list is drawn on your total score, with no sectional cut-off. About 10 times the vacancies in each category are shortlisted for the Mains. Prelims marks don’t carry forward.
- Mains: objective + descriptiveFour objective tests and a descriptive paper typed on the computer. You need a minimum score in each one and a minimum total.
- Psychometric testA personality-profiling test for candidates shortlisted for Phase III. Its findings are placed before the interview panel.
- Group exercise & interview20 marks for the group exercise and 30 for the interview, with minimum qualifying marks set by the Bank.
- Final merit & provisional selectionMains marks are scaled to 75 and Phase III marks to 25. The provisional selection list is drawn from the top of the merit list in each category.
Prelims — the gateway
A one-hour online objective test for 100 marks. It has three sections, each separately timed at 20 minutes: English Language (40 questions), Quantitative Aptitude (30 questions) and Reasoning Ability (30 questions). There is no sectional cut-off. SBI draws a category-wise merit list on the total score and shortlists about 10 times the vacancies in each category for the Mains. The 2026 prelims were held on 1–2 August, and the result came out on 28 August.
Mains — the decider
The objective test has four separately timed tests: Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 questions, 60 marks, 50 min), Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 questions, 60 marks, 45 min), General Awareness/Economy/Banking Knowledge (60 questions, 60 marks, 45 min) and English Language (40 questions, 20 marks, 40 min). That makes 170 questions and 200 marks in 3 hours. The descriptive test follows straight after and is typed on the computer, in English. It covers communication skills: an email, a situation analysis and either a report or a précis, each a choice of 1 out of 2 (3 questions, 30 marks, 30 min). You need a minimum score in each of Tests I–IV and in the descriptive paper. About 3 times the vacancies in each category are then shortlisted, as long as they score the minimum total. The 2026 Mains was held on 12 September. The result is due in September/October 2026 (tentative) and had not been published as of 12 October.
Psychometric test
Candidates shortlisted for Phase III take a psychometric test for personality profiling. Its findings are placed before the interview panel to give a fuller picture of each candidate. All questions are mandatory. The advertisement doesn’t allot any marks to this test, because Phase III’s 50 marks come from the group exercise and interview. It is tentatively scheduled for October/November 2026.
Group exercise, interview & documents
The group exercise carries 20 marks and the interview 30, for a total of 50. The Bank decides the minimum qualifying marks. Original documents are checked at the interview: proof of eligibility and date of birth, plus the certificates for any category you claimed. That means an OBC (non-creamy layer) certificate issued on or after 1 April 2026, an EWS Income & Asset Certificate for FY 2025-26, an SC/ST caste certificate, or a PwBD certificate dated on or before the last date of registration. Final-year applicants must show they passed graduation on or before 30 September 2026. If you can’t produce the originals, you won’t be allowed to attend the interview.
The group exercise and interview are tentatively in October/November 2026. Candidates working in government offices, PSUs or nationalised banks should bring a No Objection Certificate from their employer. Outstation candidates get Railway AC-III fare for the shortest route, or their actual expenses if lower.
Final merit & joining
You must qualify in both Phase II and Phase III separately. Your Mains marks (objective plus descriptive, out of 230) are scaled to 75, and your group exercise and interview marks (out of 50) to 25, for a final score out of 100. Prelims marks aren’t added. The provisional selection list is drawn from the top-ranked candidates in each category. If candidates tie at the cut-off, the older one ranks higher. The final result is due in November/December 2026 (tentative). Selected candidates complete an online basic banking course before joining and sign a ₹2 lakh bond to serve for at least three years. They may then be on probation for two years, with continuous assessment, before confirmation in JMGS-I.
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Peak for Mains, the stage that counts
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Mains-weighted plan
Clear the prelims, then peak for the Mains tests that decide merit.
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Date alerts
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PYQ practice sets
Previous-year questions, solved and tagged for prelims and Mains.
