State Bank of India (Central Recruitment & Promotion Department) · Probationary Officer, Junior Management Grade Scale-I, State Bank of India
SBI PO: Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility, Age Limit & Mock Tests
State Bank of India recruits Probationary Officers directly, through its own three-phase process: Prelims, Mains with a descriptive test, and a psychometric test, group exercise and interview. Everything about the exam on one page, from the official 2026 advertisement.
SBI PO latest updates
New SBI PO notifications, admit cards, answer keys and results appear here as soon as they are posted. Browse Govt Jobs →
What's new in SBI PO 2026
- A corrigendum of 1 July 2026 removed the CIBIL (credit history) clause from the advertisement.
Important dates
Dates for the next SBI PO cycle (notification, last date, admit card, exam and result) appear here when they are announced. See the exam calendar →
Check your eligibility
- ✓Probationary OfficerAge 21–30 +3
SBI PO vacancies
Total, category-wise and post-wise vacancies appear here when the SBI PO notification is released.
Eligibility and age limit
| Posts | Qualification | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Probationary Officer | Graduation in any discipline (final-year/semester students may apply, and must pass by 30 September 2026 if called for interview) | 21–30 |
| Category | Age relaxation |
|---|---|
| OBC (non-creamy layer) | 3 years |
| SC / ST | 5 years |
| PwBD (General/EWS / OBC / SC-ST) | 10 / 13 / 15 years |
| Ex-servicemen, ECOs / SSCOs with 5 years’ service | 5 years |
Age is counted as on 1 April of the recruitment year.
Relaxations are not cumulative.
Number of chances: General/EWS 6; OBC and General/EWS PwBD 9; SC/ST no limit. Only appearing in Mains counts as a chance.
Selected candidates sign a ₹2 lakh bond to serve at least three years.
Application fee
Selection process
- 1PrelimsOnline · 100 marks · 1 hour · about 10× vacancies to Mains
- 2MainsObjective 200 marks + descriptive 30 marks · up to 3× vacancies to Phase-III
- 3Phase-IIIPsychometric test · group exercise 20 + interview 30 marks
- 4Final meritMains scaled to 75 + Phase-III scaled to 25
SBI PO exam pattern
Prelims 1 hour (20 minutes per test) · 100 questions · 100 marks · −1/4 per wrong answer · no sectional cut-off
| Test | Questions |
|---|---|
| English Language | 40 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 |
| Total (100 marks) | 100 |
Mains 3 hours objective + 30 minutes descriptive · −1/4 per wrong answer · sectional minimum in each test
| Test | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 50 min |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | 60 | 45 min |
| General Awareness / Economy / Banking Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 min |
| English Language | 40 | 20 | 40 min |
| Descriptive: email, situation analysis, report or précis | 3 | 30 | 30 min |
| Grand total | 173 | 230 | 3 h 30 min |
The descriptive answers are typed on the computer right after the objective test. Prelims marks are not added to the final merit. Phase-III: the psychometric test is not marked but its findings go to the interview panel; group exercise and interview carry 50 marks.
SBI PO syllabus
Subject by subject. The number on a topic is how many practice questions we have for it.
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude
Prelims 30 questions · Mains 40 questionsQuantitative Aptitude / Data Analysis
Prelims 30 questions · Mains 30 questionsEnglish Language
Prelims 40 questions · Mains 40 questions + descriptiveGeneral Awareness / Economy / Banking
Mains 60 questions · 60 marksSBI PO cut-offs
Year-wise official cut-offs for every category appear here once they are published.
SBI PO salary by post
| Level / group | Posts | Pay scale |
|---|---|---|
| JMGS-I | Probationary Officer (on probation for two years) | Starting basic ₹48,480 plus 4 advance increments; scale ₹48,480-2,000/7-62,480-2,340/2-67,160-2,680/7-85,920 |
Pay as printed in the SBI PO 2026 advertisement. DA, HRA, CCA, PF, NPS, LFC, medical and other benefits are as per SBI rules.
SBI PO mock tests and previous year papers
Exams with a similar syllabus
Your SBI PO preparation already covers most of these exams.
SBI PO articles
Preparation strategy, syllabus breakdowns and cut-off analysis for SBI PO are on the way. Read the blog →
SBI PO frequently asked questions
How many vacancies are there in SBI PO 2026?
1,500: 1,446 regular and 54 backlog vacancies. SBI says they are provisional and may vary.
What is the age limit for SBI PO?
21 to 30 years as on 1 April 2026. OBC get 3 more years, SC/ST 5, PwBD 10, 13 or 15 by category, and eligible ex-servicemen 5. Relaxations are not added together.
How many attempts are allowed in SBI PO?
General and EWS candidates get 6 chances; OBC and General/EWS PwBD candidates 9; SC and ST candidates have no limit. Appearing in Mains counts as a chance, Prelims does not.
Is there negative marking in SBI PO?
Yes. One fourth of the marks of a question is deducted for each wrong answer in the Prelims and Mains objective tests. A blank question has no penalty.
How is the SBI PO final merit made?
Mains (objective and descriptive, 230 marks) is scaled to 75, and group exercise and interview (50 marks) to 25. Prelims marks are not added.
What is the salary of an SBI PO?
The starting basic pay is ₹48,480 plus 4 advance increments in the scale 48,480-2,000/7-62,480-2,340/2-67,160-2,680/7-85,920 of Junior Management Grade Scale-I, with DA, HRA and other allowances.
When was SBI PO Mains 2026?
On 12 September 2026, as stated in the Main exam information handout. The advertisement gives October / November 2026 for Phase-III.
Sources: SBI PO advertisement CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 · SBI PO corrigendum (01-07-2026) · SBI PO 2026 Main exam information handout (checked 14 Sept 2026). Always confirm in the official notice before applying.