SBI PO Last Minute Preparation Tips 2025: Check Strategy for Prelims Exam
State Bank of India Probationary Officer Exam 2025 ( SBI PO )
SBI PO Last Minute Preparation 2025: State Bank of India (SBI) is all set to conduct the SBI PO prelims exam on August 2, 4 & 5. With a day left for the exam, candidates must focus on revision. During the days leading up to the exam, candidates should not touch new topics as this will lead to confusion. Candidates must focus on attempting mock tests and learn to minimise the mistakes made in the actual test. Candidates should not take stress and stay calm and relaxed. Read the article below to check SBI PO preparation tips.
SBI PO Last Minute Preparation Tips
SBI PO Last Minute Preparation Tips 2025: The State Bank of India (SBI) is all set to conduct the SBI PO 2025 prelims exam for all the registered candidates. The only mantra to crack the prelims exam of SBI PO is to answer the questions wisely, as there is negative marking in the exam. Candidates must answer the maximum questions that they are confident of and with accuracy.
During the SBI PO last minute preparation, candidates must focus on revision. For solving numerical problems, candidates must learn shortcut tricks. This will help candidates save time during the exam. Candidates must also attempt mock tests and analyse their performance in the mock tests. Candidates must work on improving their weak areas. Candidates should not take stress rather stay calm and focused. Read below for more details on SBI PO last minute preparation tips 2025.
SBI PO prelims exam pattern is such that it is divided into three sections-English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability. The duration of the test is one hour, and each section carries separate exam timings. The question paper carries a total of 100 objective-type multiple-choice questions. The total marks allotted to the prelims exam are 100. The structure of SBI PO exam pattern for prelims is given below.
| Subject | Number of Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language |
30 |
100 |
20 Minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude |
35 |
20 Minutes |
|
| Reasoning Ability |
35 |
20 Minutes |
|
| Total |
100 |
1 Hour |
| Subject | Number of Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective Test |
|||
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude |
45 |
60 |
60 Minutes |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation |
35 |
60 |
45 Minutes |
| General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness |
40 |
40 |
35 Minutes |
| English Language |
35 |
40 |
40 Minutes |
| Subjective/ Descriptive Test |
|||
| English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) |
2 |
50 |
30 Minutes |
| Total |
157 |
250 |
3.5 Hours |
SBI PO Last Minute Preparation Tips 2025
Check below a few last-minute SBI PO preparation tips and tricks to crack the exam.
Prepare a Section-wise Strategy
In order to attempt the questions with high accuracy and within the given time frame, you should prepare a proper section-wise strategy. You should know which questions to attempt and which ones should be skipped.
Revise through Previous Years’ Question Papers and Mock Tests
The last phase of preparation is not meant for deep studies. You should devote time to revision. Brush up preparations by going through the previous years’ question papers, practice papers, and mock tests. If you have already attempted previous years’ question papers, practice papers, and mock tests, then analyse them to know your weak and strong areas. Solving question papers will also give candidates an idea about the type of questions asked in the mains exam.
In the Reasoning section of SBI PO candidates can cover Seating Arrangements, Syllogism, Coding-Decoding, etc. To score good marks in this section, candidates should practice previous years' question papers and mock tests. Candidates can also practice sudoku and different types of puzzles. This will help me to solve the questions in Reasoning easily. Candidates can follow the tips given below to prepare the Reasoning section of SBI PO:
- Cramming does not work for the Reasoning section of SBI PO. Questions are purely logic-based. Practice SBI PO previous year’s question papers as possible to improve the logic-building ability
- Candidates must start with reading and understanding concepts of the Reasoning topics. Once candidates are able to understand the basics behind each topic, divert the focus on both speed and accuracy
- Solving questions within time limit is important. Candidates must identify the best way to solve questions keeping in mind both speed and accuracy
The prelims exam comprises 100 questions. The total marks given to the prelims exam are 100. The mains exam carries 250 marks.
Avoid Guesswork and Focus on Accuracy
In the SBI PO prelims exam, there will be a penalty for the wrong answer given by you. Each wrong answer will invite a negative marking of 0.25 marks. Besides, you are also required to secure the SBI PO cutoff marks to qualify for the next round. In such a scenario, focus on delivering accurate answers. Avoid guesswork and try to attempt questions with accuracy. If you are not sure about the correct option in a particular question, then leave it.
Upcoming Sarkari Exam Dates
26 Sep '25 - 16 Oct '25
25 Sep '25 - 24 Oct '25
7 Oct '25 - 7 Nov '25
15 Nov '25 - 16 Nov '25
22 Nov '25 - 23 Nov '25
31 Dec '25
Also Read: SBI PO Exam Day Guidelines
Time Management
Your main focus should be to manage your time properly while attempting the exam. To attempt as many questions with high accuracy, it is advised that you should avoid spending much time on any particular question. You should not devote more than one minute to a question.
Read Complete Question First
You often commit the mistake of marking the answer without reading the question first. This might result in an inviting penalty for negative marking for incorrect answers. Therefore, read the questions first carefully and choose the most accurate option.
The exam pattern is divided into prelims exam, mains exam, psychometric test, interview and group exercises.
In the Quantitative Aptitude section of SBI PO exam, candidates can focus on Simplification, Number Systems, Data Interpretation, Ratio and Proportion, Profit and Loss, Simple and Compound Interest, Sequence and Series etc. The Quant section assess the candidate's calculative ability. The best way to prepare this section is going through the previous years question papers and learning the shortcut tricks. The tips and tricks to crack SBI PO Quant section are given below:
- Candidates must find out the important topics for Quantitative Aptitude section by analysing the previous year question papers
- Candidates must learn the shortcut tricks for solving questions
- Candidates must practice the previous years’ question papers to know the types of questions asked in the exam
- Candidates must attempt mock tests to improve speed and accuracy
This section of SBI PO exam includes questions from Tabular Graph, Data Sufficiency, Caselets, Permutation and Combination, etc. To solve Data Interpretation questions, candidates must practise by referring to the previous years' question papers. The tips and tricks for the Data Interpreparation questions are given below:
- Candidates need to first understand and interpret the given data before proceeding with the calculations
- Candidates need to first understand the difficulty level of questions to understand which one to attempt first and which one to attempt later
- Candidates need to master the technique of attempting these questions with speed. There are several shortcut tricks that save a lot of time in solving the graphs and charts
- Candidates must know the different types of questions and formats of Data Interpretation
SBI PO Shift Timings 2025
Candidates can check below SBI PO prelims and mains shift timings.
SBI PO Prelims Shift Timings
| Event | Shift 1 | Shift 2 | Shift 3 | Shift 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handwriting Sample |
8:45 to 8:50 am |
11:15 to 11:20 am |
01:45 to 01:50 pm |
04:15 to 04:20 pm |
| Exam Start Time |
09:00 am |
11:30 am |
02:00 pm |
04:30 pm |
| Exam End Time |
10:00 am |
12:30 pm |
03:00 pm |
05:30 pm |
SBI PO Mains Shift Timings
| Shifts | SBI PO Mains Timing |
|---|---|
| Shift 1 |
8:30 AM to 12 PM |
| Shift 2 |
2 PM to 5:30 PM |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a week ago
You can prepare for SBI PO exam through self-study. However, to understand the techniques of solving questions it is always advised to take coaching.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
SBI PO prelims result 2025 was announced on September 1, 2025. The result was announced on the official website of SBI. The direct link to check the result is provided on this page. Candidates can check their results by logging with the required credentials.
C
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
The distribution of questions in the Quant section of SBI PO 2025 prelims exam is given below.
| Topic | No. of Questions |
Pie chart DI (based on variable) | 6 |
Bar graph DI + Table DI (related graduate, post-graduate students in college) | 6 |
| Caselet DI | 5 |
| Quadratic equation | 3 |
| Arithmetic problems | 10 |
| Total | 30 |
J
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
The distribution of questions in the prelims exam is given below.
| Topic | No. of Questions |
| Parallel row seating (single variable, 14 persons) | 5 |
| Circular seating (7 persons, double variable, inside facing) | 5 |
| Age puzzle (single variable) | 5 |
| Box puzzle (single variable) | 5 |
| Month-based puzzle | 5 |
| Syllogism | 3 |
Misc. Meaningful word - 1 Forward, backward -1 | 2 |
| Total | 30 |
R
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
SBI PO 2025 prelims good attempts refer to the number of questions attempted successfully by candidates. The number of good attempts is given below.
| Sections | Total Questions | Good Attempts |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 | 19-25 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 16-22 |
| English Language | 40 | 24-30 |
| Overall | 100 | 59-77 |
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
The authority released the tentative dates for the SBI PO 2025 exam. The SBI PO prelims exam was conducted on August 4, 2025. The prelims exam of SBI PO comprises three sections-English, Quant and Reasoning. The total marks allotted to the test are 100.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
SBI PO Mains cut off 2024 is given below.
| Category | Cutoff |
|---|---|
General | 87.5 |
OBC | 75 |
EWS | 87.5 |
SC | 75 |
ST | 75 |
LD | 75 |
VI | 75 |
HI | - |
B
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
SBI PO prelims cut off 2024 is given below.
| Category | Cut Off Marks |
|---|---|
| UR | 61.75 |
| SC | 55 |
| ST | 49 |
| OBC | 60.50 |
| EWS | 60.25 |
| VI | 47.50 |
| HI | 19.75 |
| LD | 49.75 |
| D&E | 9.50 |
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
SBI PO exam dates 2025 were announced. SBI PO prelims exam was conducted on August 4, 2025. SBI PO Mains exam will be conducted on September 13, 2025. The Phase 3 exam will be conducted in October/November 2025.
A
Contributor-Level 10
The important topics for SBI PO English Language are Reading Comprehension, Cloze test, fill in the blanks, spotting the error, etc. To prepare for this section, candidates should clear their concepts of grammar and vocabulary.