SBI PO Books 2026: Best Books for SBI PO Prelims & Mains

SBI PO books are the best resource to prepare for the exam. Candidates must choose the ones that have covered the syllabus. The books should be simple to understand. This helps to clear the concept of the subjects given in the syllabus.

 

 Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Kumar Verma, How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT by Arun Sharma, Magical Book on Quicker Maths by M Tyra, Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma, Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Exams by RS Aggarwal, A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal and Non-Verbal by B.S. Sijwali and Indu Sijwali, Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey (For the chapters required for analytical reasoning), A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal, Objective General English by SP Bakshi, Descriptive General English by SP Bakshi and Richa Sharma, High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin, Word Power Made Easy by Normal Lewis, Banking Awareness by Arihant Publications, Static General Knowledge by Arihant Publications, Current Affairs can be prepared from the monthly magazines such as Banking Services Chronicle (BSC Publications), Newspapers etc. Objective Computer Awareness for General Competitive Exams by Arihant Publications,  Descriptive General English (Old Edition) by S.P. Bakshi and Richa Sharma, Descriptive English (For All Competitive Examinations) by S.J. Thakur and S.K. Rout

Questions in the Quant section are usually based on Number Series, Approximation, Square root and cube root, Ratio and Proportion, Average, Partnership, Percentage, Time and Distance, Simple Interest and Compound Interest, Data Interpretation, Pie Charts, Bar Graphs, Line Graphs, Permutation, and Combination, etc. The best books to prepare for Quant section are given below:

• Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma.
• Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by RS Agarwal.
• Data Interpretation by Arun Sharma.
• Magical Book on Quicker Mathematics by M Tyra.
• Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Kumar Verma.

The preparation tips for the SBI PO Quantitative Aptitude section are given below: Learn the shortcut tricks for solving questions. This will help candidates save time and attempt the maximum questions within the given time. Candidates can refer to the previous years' questions to know the type of questions asked in the exam and the difficulty level. Candidates must attempt mock tests to improve their speed and accuracy.

The English Language section is also the most important in SBI PO Examinations, along with the Quantitative Aptitude section. This section holds 30 and 40 marks in Prelims and Mains examinations, respectively. Additionally, 50 marks are allotted to the descriptive test. The syllabus includes the following topics such as Reading comprehension, Error correction, Cloze Test, Para jumbles, Fill in the blanks, Idioms and phrases, Synonyms, Antonyms. Given below are the best books for SBI PO English:

• Objective General English by SP Bakshi
• Descriptive General English by SP Bakshi and Richa Sharma
• High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin
• Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis

 

For SBI PO English Language important topics are Reading Comprehension, Cloze test, fill in blanks, and spotting error. To prepare for this section candidates must work on concepts of grammar and vocabulary.

Books for SBI PO mains exam are Objective English for Competitive Examinations by Hari Mohan Prasad and Uma Rani Sinha, Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R S Aggarwal, A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R S Aggarwal, The Complete Success Package for SBI PO by Disha Experts.

The descriptive paper comprises questions based on Essays and Letters. This paper test the and English Language and writing skills of candidates. The descriptive paper carries two questions. The total marks allotted to this paper are 50. 

After candidates undergo interview, a merit list is prepared by SBI based on the marks obtained in the Mains exam and interview. Based on the final SBI PO cutoff marks and available vacancies, candidates are offered letter of appointment for the post of Probationary Officer. 75 per cent weightage marks of the SBI PO Mains exam (out of 250 marks) and 25 per cent weightage marks of Group Exercise and Interview (out of 50 marks) will be considered. To compile the final merit list the aggregate scores (out of 100) will be calculated.

SBI PO Exam Pattern: Weightage of marks 

The weightage of marks given to the Mains exam and interview & group exercises are given below.

Test	Main Exam	Group Exercise & Interview	Total
Maximum Marks	250	50	300
Normalized Marks	75	25	100

The marks obtained in the prelims exam are not counted for the final merit list. Final selection of candidates is done based on the Mains exam and group exercises and interview. The weightage of marks given to the Mains exam are 75 and 25 to Interview & Group Discussion.

 

The maximum marks allotted for Group Exercises and Interview are 50. In the Interview and Group Exercises, candidates are judged on the basis of their personality and intelligence. There are no sectional cutoff marks in SBI PO exam. Candidates need to secure the overall cutoff marks fixed by the examination authority for the different stages of exam. There is SBI PO negative marking for wrong answers in SBI PO exam. One-fourth marks will be deducted as penalty for wrong answers in SBI PO exam. For correct answers, candidates score one mark.

The examination authority decides category-wise SBI PO cut off marks to select candidates for the next rounds of selection process. There is no sectional cut off marks. Candifdates need to secure only the overall cut off.