SBI PO Syllabus 2026 for Prelims & Mains: Download PDF

SBI PO prelims syllabus comprises topics from Reasoning, Quant and English. The syllabus is given below.

Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus	Reasoning Syllabus	English Syllabus
Simplification/ Approximation	Alphanumeric Series	Reading Comprehension
Profit & Loss	Directions	Fill in the blanks
Mixtures & Alligations	Logical Reasoning	Cloze Test
Permutation, Combination & Probability	Data Sufficiency	Para jumbles
Work & Time	Ranking & Order	Vocabulary
Sequence & Series	Alphabet Test	Paragraph Completion
Simple Interest & Compound Interest	Seating Arrangement	Multiple Meaning /Error Spotting
Surds & Indices	Coded Inequalities	Sentence Completion
Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere	Puzzle	Tenses Rules
Time & Distance	Syllogism
Data Interpretation	Blood Relations
Ratio & Proportion	Coding-Decoding
Number Systems	Input-Output
Percentage	Tabulation

 

SBI PO syllabus PDF is divided into preliminary and Mains exams. SBI PO syllabus is of utmost importance for candidates who want to join the State Bank of India as Probationary Officers. The appropriate knowledge of SBI PO syllabus helps candidates to frame apt strategy for the exam. It is equitable to mark the weightage given in the SBI PO syllabus. Candidates should be completely familiar with the SBI PO syllabus PDF to fuel their preparations.

Download Here SBI PO Syllabus PDF

The Group Exercises & Interview of SBI PO carries 50 marks. The ratio of marks considered for mains and interview marks are 75:25. Candidates appointed to the post based on the selection process. Vacancies are also considered. 

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.

The exam pattern is divided into prelims exam, mains exam, psychometric test, interview and group exercises. 

There are no section-wise marks in SBI PO exam. The total marks allotted to the prelims exam are 100. However, there are section-wise marks in the Mains exam. 

Yes, you can prepare for SBI PO exam without taking any coaching. You need to be consistent and serious about your studies. Attempt mock tests, refer to the good study materials and solve previous years question papers. You need to have understanding of English, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability, Computer Ability, Data Analysis & Interpretation, & General/Economy/Banking Awareness and the English Language. SBI PO exam is conducted in several stages-prelims exam, mains exam, psychometric test, interview and group exercises. 

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.

In Reasoning, questions are asked from Coding & Decoding, Inequalities, Syllogisms, Puzzles, Blood Relations, Direction Sense Problems, Data Sufficiency Problems, Series Problems, Input and Output, Statement-Assumption, Order and Ranking, etc. The best books for Reasoning section are given below: A Modern Approach to Verbal Reasoning by RS Agarwal. Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal and Non-Verbal by BS Sijwali, Indus Sijwali. The tips and tricks to crack SBI PO Reasoning section are given below:

• Prepare well new types of puzzles of moderate level
• To solve puzzles, candidates must organize the information in the desired structure like table, circle, line, etc.
• Use shortcut tricks to solve questions
• Candidates must solve questions from syllogism without pen or paper
• Candidates must learn the basic rules of the topic before attempting the coding-decoding questions

To prepare the GK section of SBI PO candidates should read newspapers to keep themselves updated with the Current Affairs topics of last one year or six months. Candidates should also be familiar with the banking terminologies, government schemes related to finance, etc. The General Awareness section comprises Current Affairs and Static GK. General/Economy/Banking Awareness carries the maximum marks (60 marks). If candidates mark a wrong answer, 1/4th or 0.25 marks of the total marks assigned to a particular question are deducted to arrive at a corrected score. If candidates leave a question blank, no penalty is marked. Candidates can refer to the books such as Pratiyogita Darpan, Manorama Yearbook, etc.

This section includes questions from Verbal Reasoning, Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, Blood Relations, Coding and Decoding, etc. Candidates can ace this section by practising previous years' question papers, mock tests, puzzles, etc.

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.

To get good marks in the English language section, candidates must improve their grammar and vocabulary. The standard of questions asked in this section is of high school level. This section appears in both prelims and mains exams.

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

 

The prelims and mains exams of SBI PO are conducted online. The prelims exam of SBI PO carries a total of 100 marks. The mains exam of SBI PO carries 250 marks. Candidates qualifying the prelims exam are called for the mains exam. However, the marks of the prelims exam are not counted for the final merit list. Candidates qualifying the prelims exam are called for the mains exam.

A psychometric test is conducted to assess the power of decision-making, and personality. The marks obtained in this test are not counted for final merit list.

SBI PO normalisation is not grace marks. The normalisation of marks is done to adjust the difficulty level of the question papers across various sessions. This process is followed since the exam is conducted in multiple shifts. The difficulty levels of the question papers are different.

Yes, there are sectional timings in SBI PO prelims and Mains exam. To answer each section in the prelims exam, candidates get 20 minutes. For descriptive test, candidates get 30 minutes. The duration of the Reasoning & Computer Aptitude is 50 minutes, Data Analysis & Interpretation is 45 minutes, General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness is 45 minutes and English Language section is 40 minutes. 

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.

 

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