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    SBI PO Exam Pattern 2025 - Marking Scheme, Exam Duration & Mode of Exam

    SBI PO Exam Pattern 2025 - Marking Scheme, Exam Duration & Mode of Exam

    Vishnukumar VUpdated on 11 Jun 2026, 11:58 AM IST

    SBI PO Exam Pattern 2025 - State Bank of India prescribed the SBI PO exam pattern 2025 in the official notification at sbi.co.in. According to SBI PO exam pattern, there will be three phases of recruitment process - Prelims, Mains and Psychometric tests. Aspirants preparing for SBI PO exam must go through the exam pattern in detail before starting their preparation.

    This Story also Contains

    1. SBI PO exam pattern 2025: Highlights
    2. SBI PO Marking Scheme 2025
    3. SBI PO 2025 Syllabus
    4. SBI PO Best Books 2025
    SBI PO Exam Pattern 2025 - Marking Scheme, Exam Duration & Mode of Exam
    SBI PO exam pattern 2025

    Apart from exam pattern, candidates must also be aware of the SBI PO Syllabus. The SBI PO exam pattern helps aspirants know about the scheme and mode of exam, the structure of SBI PO question paper, and the weightage of topics. SBI PO full form is State bank of India Probationary Officers. The SBI PO recruitment 2025 exam is one of the India's most competitive exams in India as it is based on graduation level. Read this article till the end to know all about the exam pattern of SBI PO 2025.

    SBI PO exam pattern 2025: Highlights

    The SBI PO exam is conducted in 3 phases - Prelims, Mains and Psychometric tests. The prelims and mains stage is conducted in online (CBT) mode. In order to start the preparation and to crack the exam, aspirants must understand the exam pattern of SBI recruitment 2025, stick to the syllabus and only refer to the selected few books. We have shared all the important information related to the SBI PO exam pattern 2025 here in detail.

    Key Highlights of SBI PO Exam Pattern 2025

    Exam name

    State Bank of India - Probationary Officer (SBI PO)

    Official Website

    sbi.co.in

    Exam Language

    English and Hindi

    (Except for the English test)

    Stages of the SBI PO exam

    Stage 1: Preliminary

    Stage 2: Mains

    Stage 3: Group Exercise & Interview

    SBI PO exam Duration

    1 hour

    3 hours 30 minutes

    -

    Mode of SBI PO Exam

    Online

    Online (Objective + Descriptive)

    Offline

    SBI PO total marks

    100

    250 (200+50)

    50(20+30)

    SBI PO negative marking

    1/4th for wrong answers

    -

    SBI PO Exam Pattern 2025 Prelims (Phase I)

    Going by the SBI PO 2025 exam pattern, the Phase 1 - preliminary exam consists of 3 sections. The SBI PO total marks allotted for prelims is 100 marks. The prelims test of SBI PO is held in online mode.

    Exam pattern of SBI PO 2025 - Prelims

    Sections

    Number of questions

    Duration

    Total Marks

    Reasoning Ability

    30

    20 minutes

    100 marks

    English Language

    40

    20 minutes

    Quantitative Aptitude

    30

    20 minutes

    Total

    100

    1 hour

    SBI PO exam 2025 Prelims - Important points

    • There are 3 sections in SBI PO prelims exam.
    • All the sections in the SBI PO exam are - English, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability.
    • In the prelims exam there are a total of 100 objective type questions asked.
    • The time duration of the preliminary exam of SBI PO is 01 hour (20 minutes for each section).
    • As per the exam pattern of SBI PO prelims, the prelims exam is qualifying in nature and the marks will not be counted while preparing the merit list.

    SBI PO exam pattern 2025 - Mains (Phase II)

    After the prelims exam, comes the Phase 2 which is the mains exam which consists of an objective type test for 200 marks and a descriptive test of 50 marks. Both the tests as per the SBI PO 2025 exam pattern will be conducted in online mode. The objective test comprises 4 sections with separate time duration for each section. According to exam pattern of SBI PO 2025, the descriptive test is conducted for 30 minutes duration of 50 marks. Candidates will have to write a letter and an essay in English in the descriptive test of SBI PO.

    SBI PO exam pattern 2025 - Mains

    Online Objective Test

    Name of the test

    No. of question

    Marks

    Duration

    Data analysis and interpretation

    30

    60

    45 minutes

    Reasoning & Computer aptitude

    40

    50

    60 minutes

    English Language

    40

    20

    40 minutes

    General/Economy/Banking Awareness

    60

    60

    45 minutes

    Total

    155

    200

    3 hours

    Online Descriptive Test

    2

    50

    30 minutes

    SBI PO exam 2025 Mains - Important points

    • The objective type paper in the mains exam is to be completed in 3 hours for 200 marks.
    • The descriptive type paper in the SBI PO exam should be completed in 30 minutes. The descriptive test of 30 minutes with two questions for 50 marks will be a Test of English Language (Letter Writing & Essay).
    • In the objective section, there will be 4 sections English Language, Data Analysis & Interpretation, Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, Economy/ General/Banking Awareness.
    • There will be penalty for wrong answer and 0.25 marks will be deducted in SBI PO mains exam.
    • No deduction will be made in marks if a question is left unattempt.

    SBI PO 2025 Exam Pattern - Interview (Phase III)

    Candidates qualifying for the mains exam will have to undergo a group exercise and interview. The group exercise and interview will be conducted for 20 and 30 marks respectively. Marks secured in the preliminary exam will not be added for the preparation of final merit list. The final selection in 2025 SBI PO will be done on the basis of marks obtained by candidates in mains examination and group exercises & interview.

    SBI PO 2025 Exam Pattern - Final Selection

    Candidates will have to qualify both in Phase-II and Phase-III of SBI PO separately. The marks obtained in SBI PO Main exam (Phase-II), both in the Objective Test and the Descriptive Test, will be added to the marks obtained in Phase-III for preparing the final merit list. Candidates note that the marks obtained in the SBI PO prelims exam (Phase-I) will not be added to preparing the final merit list for selection. The marks obtained by the candidates in mains exam (Phase-II) both Objective & Descriptive Tests) and Phase-III (Group Exercise & Interview) will be normalised to 100 marks.

    TestMain exam
    Group discussion & Interview
    Total
    Maximum marks25050300
    Minimum marks7525100

    SBI PO Marking Scheme 2025

    Marking Scheme of SBI PO Preliminary Exam

    As per the exam pattern, aspirants must score equal to or more than the SBI PO 2025 cut off to qualify for the next phase. The preliminary stage consists of questions about English Language, Reasoning Ability, and Quantitative Aptitude. There are 100 questions with 100 marks. One-fourth of marks will be deducted as SBI PO negative marks for wrong answers.

    Marking Scheme of SBI PO Mains Exam

    The second phase of SBI PO is objective + descriptive level. The objective test consists of four sections of 200 marks according to SBI PO exam pattern 2025. Those who qualify the objective sections will qualify to appear for the descriptive test. The descriptive test evaluates a candidate’s ability in letter writing and essay writing. The total marks for the descriptive section is 50.

    How to calculate SBI PO marks?

    Calculation of Marks: Total weighted score = Scores obtained in ( Reasoning & computer aptitude+data interpretation+general/ economy/banking awareness + English language)

    Group Exercise/Personal Interview Phase: After both the stages successfully aspirants will be called for group discussions and interview. This phase will be evaluated on the basis of group discussion and interview. Group discussion is of 20 marks and interview of 30 marks.

    Candidates will be shortlisted finally and called for recruitment in various branches of State Bank of India all over India after qualifying all the stages of the SBI PO exam.

    Free download: Basic information about category-wise top career exams

    SBI PO 2025 Syllabus

    Along with the exam pattern, aspirants must also know about the syllabus of 2025 SBI PO. The syllabus consists of the topics and sections for both phases of the exam. SBI PO syllabus 2025 contains the topics from where the questions will be asked in the prelims and mains.

    SBI PO 2025 Syllabus Prelims

    Sections

    SBI PO Syllabus (Prelims)

    Reasoning Ability

    English Language

    • Reading Comprehension

    • Paragraph Completion

    • Cloze Test

    • Fill in the blanks

    • Multiple Meaning /Error Spotting

    • Para jumbles

    Quantitative Aptitude

    SBI PO 2025 Syllabus Mains

    Sections

    SBI PO Syllabus (Mains)

    Data analysis and interpretation

    Computer aptitude

    • The Internet

    • Microsoft Office

    • Computer Fundamentals /Terminologies

    • Computer Hardware

    • Computer Software

    • Keyboard Shortcuts

    • Operating System

    • Computer Abbreviation

    Reasoning

    General/Economy/Banking Awareness

    • Banking and Financial Awareness

    • Static Awareness

    • General Knowledge

    • Current Affairs

    • Financial Awareness

    SBI PO Best Books 2025

    There are a lot of books available in the market to prepare for the SBI PO 2025 exam. It is mandatory to stick to the best and selected few books. From the following table, we have shared a list of the best books for 2025 SBI PO preparation which can help candidates start their preparation for the exam effectively.

    Best Books for SBI PO 2025

    Topics

    Books

    Author

    Quantitative Aptitude

    Quantum CAT

    Sarvesh Verma

    Quantitative Aptitude

    RS Aggarwal

    Reasoning

    Reasoning

    MK Pandey

    Verbal- Non Verbal Reasoning

    R.S. Aggrawal

    English

    English

    SP Bakshi

    English Language

    Wren & Martin

    General Awareness

    Guide to Banking General Awareness

    R.Gupta

    Banking Awareness

    Arihant Publication

    Computer

    Objective Computer Knowledge & Literacy

    Kiran Publication

    Computer Awareness

    Arihant Publication

    Data Analysis and Interpretation

    Data interpretation for CAT

    Arun Sharma

    CAT Data Interpretation

    Nishit Sinha

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: Is 60% necessary in graduation to become an SBI PO?
    A:

    No. 60% in graduation is not necessary to become a PO in SBI.

    Q: Is a B.Tech student eligible for SBI PO exams?
    A:

    Definitely. B.Tech graduates are eligible to be a PO.

    Q: What is the selection procedure of 2026 SBI PO?
    A:

    The recruitment process, as per the exam pattern of SBI PO is three phased, prelims, mains and group exercise and interview.

    Q: Can a B.Sc graduate apply for SBI PO exams?
    A:

    B.Sc. graduates are eligible to apply for SBI PO 2026 provided the graduation is done from a recognized university.

    Q: What are the stages in the SBI PO 2026 exam?
    A:

    There are three stages in the SBI PO exam 2026 - preliminary, mains and personality test.

    Q: Is there negative marking in the SBI PO exam?
    A:

    Yes there is negative marking in the SBI PO exam preliminary as well as mains stage for objective type questions.

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    Questions related to SBI PO

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to SBI PO ?

    Hello Dear Student,

    Yes, you will generally be allowed to write the exam. Exam center invigilators focus primarily on your photograph, signature, and roll number on the admit card, and minor discrepancies or the addition of a surname where IDs show only a first name rarely result in a bar

    Hello Dear Student,
    Yes, you can absolutely clear the SBI PO Prelims in 15 days, especially since you have already completed the syllabus. Success in this stage is heavily driven by speed, accuracy, and mock analysis. The Prelims exam is only qualifying, meaning your focus should be entirely on maximizing

    Hello Aspirant,

    Generally, having vitiligo does not prevent you from working in a bank like SBI as a PO or Clerk, or in other banks.

    Bank eligibility primarily focuses on:

    • Educational qualification

    • Age limit

    • Nationality

    • General good health

    Vitiligo is a skin condition that affects pigmentation and is not typically

    If your parents’ income exceeds the OBC NCL limit this year, you should apply under the General category for IBPS PO and SBI PO recruitment. Previous years' applications under OBC NCL do not affect the current year's eligibility if income criteria change.

    Hello aspirant ,

    I hope you are doing well. As per your mentioned query , practising previous year question papers helps you to find the difficulty level of an exam . You also get to know about the exam pattern , important topics as well. It will boost your preparation.