SBI PO 2026 exam pattern — sections, marks, negative marking
SBI PO (SBI PO (Probationary Officer), State Bank of India) is conducted by State Bank of India (SBI). The stages are: Prelims CBT → Mains CBT (+ descriptive) → psychometric / GD / interview → provisional selection. This page sets out each stage with its sections, questions, marks, duration and negative marking, explains how the final selection is made, and shows how to approach each subject. For dates and the current status of the 2026 cycle, see the SBI PO guide.
✓ Data verified 6 Oct 2026
Stage-wise exam pattern
Phase-I: Preliminary Examination (screening) Screening (shortlists for Mains)
Online CBT · 60 min · 1 mark per correct; minus 1/4 of the assigned mark (0.25) per wrong answer
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 40 | 40 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 | 30 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
One hour total with strict 20-minute sectional timing for each of the three sections, so you cannot move time between sections. No sectional cut-off (only the aggregate matters), and a category-wise merit list decides the shortlist: roughly 10 times the category-wise vacancies are called for the Mains. Preliminary marks are not counted in the final merit.
Phase-II: Main Examination (objective + descriptive) Merit-deciding (with Phase-III)
Online CBT; descriptive answers typed on the computer · 210 min · Minus 1/4 of the marks assigned to the question per wrong answer (in the Mains English test each question carries 0.5 mark, so a wrong answer costs 0.125)
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | 60 |
| General Awareness / Economy / Banking Knowledge | 60 | 60 |
| English Language | 40 | 20 |
| Descriptive Paper (Communication Skills) | 3 | 30 |
| Total | 173 | 230 |
The objective paper is 170 questions for 200 marks in 3 hours with separate timing per section: Reasoning & Computer Aptitude 40 Qs / 60 marks / 50 min; Data Analysis & Interpretation 30 Qs / 60 marks / 45 min; General/Economy/Banking Awareness 60 Qs / 60 marks / 45 min; English Language 40 Qs / 20 marks / 40 min. The descriptive paper (30 marks, 30 minutes, typed) follows immediately: one email (out of 2 options), one situation analysis (out of 2 options), and either report writing or precis writing (out of 2 options). There is a sectional cut-off in the Mains (each test and the descriptive paper individually) plus a minimum aggregate qualifying score, both decided by the Bank. Study mapping: computer aptitude is tested inside Reasoning (no separate computer section), and Data Interpretation is the core of the Data Analysis & Interpretation paper. General Awareness is not one of the site's tracked sections for this exam, but the shared GA bank covers it. Roughly 3 times the category-wise vacancies are shortlisted for Phase-III.
Phase-III: Psychometric Test, Group Exercise & Interview Part of final merit (GE + Interview) and profiling (Psychometric)
Psychometric: proctored online or at designated centres; GE & Interview in person · No negative marking (no objective scoring in this phase)
The Psychometric Test is a mandatory personality profiling exercise; its findings go to the interview panel but carry no marks of their own. Marks come from the Group Exercise (20 marks) and Personal Interview (30 marks), 50 total, with minimum qualifying marks decided by the Bank. For the final merit, the Mains total (objective + descriptive, 230 marks) is converted to 75 marks and GE + Interview (50 marks) to 25 marks, giving a combined score out of 100. Candidates called for interview must produce original certificates, including category certificates in the prescribed format; outstation candidates get AC-III rail fare reimbursement for the interview. Ties in the final merit are resolved by age in descending order.
Selection process
Preliminary exam (screening) → Main exam (objective 200 marks + descriptive 30 marks, with sectional cut-offs) → Psychometric Test + Group Exercise + Interview → Provisional selection. Prelims shortlists roughly 10 times the category-wise vacancies for the Mains and its marks do not count further. The Mains shortlists roughly 3 times the vacancies for Phase-III, subject to sectional and aggregate qualifying scores. The final merit out of 100 combines the converted Mains score (230 marks scaled to 75) and the converted Group Exercise + Interview score (50 marks scaled to 25). Candidates must qualify Phase-II and Phase-III separately, and final appointment is subject to document verification, medical fitness and background verification.
Normalisation: why your raw score is not your final score
The SBI PO advertisement does not describe a cross-shift score adjustment for the Prelims or Mains the way railway exams do, so do not assume raw scores are scaled between shifts. Check the official notices for the cycle. What the notice does specify is the merit normalisation: the Main Examination total (objective + descriptive, 230 marks in the 2026-27 scheme) is converted to 75 marks, and the Group Exercise + Interview total (50 marks) to 25 marks, producing the final merit score out of 100. Practical takeaways: (1) only the combined Mains + Phase-III score decides selection, so interview preparation is not optional; (2) in the Prelims, clearing the aggregate is all that matters because there is no sectional cut-off, but in the Mains every section including the descriptive paper has its own qualifying bar.
How to read this pattern
Each stage carries a tag that tells you what it is for. In this exam: Phase-I: Preliminary Examination (screening) is “Screening (shortlists for Mains)”; Phase-II: Main Examination (objective + descriptive) is “Merit-deciding (with Phase-III)”; Phase-III: Psychometric Test, Group Exercise & Interview is “Part of final merit (GE + Interview) and profiling (Psychometric)”. Read each stage's tag and notes to see whether its marks count towards the final merit or only decide who moves to the next stage, because that changes how much risk is worth taking on a single question.
Always check the negative marking line before you decide how freely to guess. Where there is a penalty, a wrong answer costs marks; where the data says there is none, leaving a question blank only loses the chance to score.
Question counts per section are the best guide to how much time and practice each subject deserves. Use the tables above to split your preparation in proportion to the marks on offer, and revisit the split after each mock or topic test.
How to approach each section
Each subject below links to the full notes on ExamShortcut. Key topics are the high-importance ones where our topic data flags them (or the ones that matter most for this exam); the question counts come from the pattern above.
English Comprehension
All 14 topics →Phase-I: Preliminary Examination (screening): 40 questions, 40 marks · Phase-II: Main Examination (objective + descriptive): 40 questions, 20 marks
Build the basics in grammar (error spotting, fill in the blanks, sentence improvement) and add a little vocabulary every day: idioms, one-word substitutions, synonyms and spellings. For comprehension, read the questions before the passage and answer from the text, not from outside knowledge.
High-importance topics: Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Error Spotting, Sentence Improvement, Fill in the Blanks, Grammar Essentials (Handbook)
Quantitative Aptitude
All 23 topics →Phase-I: Preliminary Examination (screening): 30 questions, 30 marks · Phase-II: Main Examination (objective + descriptive): 30 questions, 60 marks
Learn the formula and the shortcut for each topic first, then drill timed sets so that routine calculation questions take seconds. In the exam, take the questions you can do quickly and leave the long, multi-step ones for the end. Topic tests after every chapter show which topics still cost you time.
High-importance topics: Number System, Percentage, Ratio, Proportion, Partnership & Ages, Average, Interest (SI & CI), Profit, Loss & Discount
General Intelligence & Reasoning
All 20 topics →Phase-I: Preliminary Examination (screening): 30 questions, 30 marks · Phase-II: Main Examination (objective + descriptive): 40 questions, 60 marks
Reasoning rewards pattern recognition, so practise each question type until you recognise it on sight: series, coding-decoding, analogy, classification, syllogism, direction and blood-relation questions, and non-verbal figures. Work in rough on paper rather than in your head, and skip any puzzle that is not settling within a minute or so.
High-importance topics: Analogy, Classification (Odd One Out), Series (Number & Letter), Coding - Decoding, Blood Relations, Seating Arrangement
Next, check who can apply on the SBI PO eligibility page and compare posts and pay on the SBI PO salary and posts page.
SBI PO exam pattern — overview
Phase-I: Preliminary Examination (screening): 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes, 1 mark per correct; minus 1/4 of the assigned mark (0.25) per wrong answer. Phase-II: Main Examination (objective + descriptive): 173 questions, 230 marks, 210 minutes, Minus 1/4 of the marks assigned to the question per wrong answer (in the Mains English test each question carries 0.5 mark, so a wrong answer costs 0.125).
SBI PO exam pattern — FAQs
What is the selection process for SBI PO?
Prelims CBT → Mains CBT (+ descriptive) → psychometric / GD / interview → provisional selection.
What is the Phase-I: Preliminary Examination (screening) pattern in SBI PO?
100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes, 1 mark per correct; minus 1/4 of the assigned mark (0.25) per wrong answer. Sections: English Language (40 questions, 40 marks); Quantitative Aptitude (30 questions, 30 marks); Reasoning Ability (30 questions, 30 marks).
What is the Phase-II: Main Examination (objective + descriptive) pattern in SBI PO?
173 questions, 230 marks, 210 minutes, Minus 1/4 of the marks assigned to the question per wrong answer (in the Mains English test each question carries 0.5 mark, so a wrong answer costs 0.125). Sections: Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 questions, 60 marks); Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 questions, 60 marks); General Awareness / Economy / Banking Knowledge (60 questions, 60 marks); English Language (40 questions, 20 marks); Descriptive Paper (Communication Skills) (3 questions, 30 marks).
Is there negative marking in SBI PO?
Yes, in both the Preliminary and Main objective tests. One-fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for every wrong answer; unattempted questions carry no penalty. In the Prelims every question is worth 1 mark, so a wrong answer costs 0.25. In the Mains, English Language questions are worth 0.5 mark each, so a wrong answer there costs 0.125; other sections scale the same way per their assigned marks.
Do Prelims marks count in the final merit?
No. The Preliminary Examination only screens: it shortlists roughly 10 times the category-wise vacancies for the Mains. The final merit is built from the converted Mains score (75% weight) plus the converted Group Exercise and Interview score (25%).