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For anyone preparing for the SBI PO exam, understanding the syllabus and exam pattern is essential. If you plan to participate in the SBI PO 2025 recruitment process, it’s essential to go through the detailed SBI PO Syllabus 2025 for both the Prelims and Mains exams, as it plays an important role in your selection. Both phases are conducted online and include objective-type questions, while the Mains also features a descriptive section. As several subjects are common to both stages, adopting a strategic and integrated preparation plan is highly recommended. In this article, you’ll discover:
- Subject-wise Latest Syllabus
- Exam Pattern
- Marking Scheme
- Negative Marking
- Details of Descriptive type paper and more.
Latest Update: The SBI PO Exam Date 2025 for prelims has been released, and is scheduled to be conducted on 2, 4, and 5 August 2025.
SBI PO Syllabus 2025
The SBI PO Syllabus checks a candidate’s abilities in subjects like Reasoning, Maths (Quantitative Aptitude), English, Current Affairs, and General Awareness. The exam is divided into different sections to cover all these subjects, and candidates must score the minimum required marks in each part to move to the next stage. The Preliminary exam has only multiple-choice questions and is worth 100 marks. The Main exam is longer and includes both multiple-choice and descriptive questions, with a total of 250 marks.
SBI PO Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2025 – Highlights
Here, we have shared few highlights of the syllabus for the candidates.
Particular | Details |
Exam Conducting Body |
State Bank of India (SBI)
|
Post |
Probationary Officer (PO)
|
Selection Process |
• Prelims
• Mains • Psychometric Test • Interview |
Stage-wise Total Marks |
• Prelims: 100 Marks
• Mains: 250 Marks • Psychometric Test: 50 Marks • Final Selection: 300 Marks |
Duration of Exam |
• Prelims: 1 Hour
• Mains: 3 Hours 30 Minutes |
Marking Scheme |
1 mark for each correct answer in the Online Test
|
Negative Marking |
1/4th of the marks assigned to the question in MCQ
|
Mode of Examination |
Online for both Paper I and Paper II
|
Language of Examination |
Bilingual (English or Hindi)
English Language paper to be attempted in English |
Sectional Cut-Off | • Prelims: No • Mains: Yes |
SBI PO Exam Pattern 2025
SBI has made a few updates to the marking scheme and the use of sectional cut-offs in both the Prelims and Mains exams. All the changes are explained in detail below.
SBI PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2025
The following points are the highlights of the Prelims Exam Pattern:
- There will be no sectional cut-off. However, there will be an overall cut-off.
- There will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer
- Total Duration: 60 minutes, Section-wise Duration: 20 minutes
- A Category-wise merit list will be drawn based on the aggregate marks scored in the Preliminary Exam.
Section | Questions/Marks | Time Duration |
English Language | 40/40 | 20 minutes |
Quantitative Aptitude | 30/30 | 20 minutes |
Reasoning Ability | 30/30 | 20 minutes |
Total | 100/100 | 60 Minutes |
SBI PO Mains Exam Pattern 2025
This main paper will have four sections for a total of 200 marks, and the duration of the Mains Exam will be 3 hours. The Descriptive Test has a duration of 30 minutes with a score of 50 marks. There will be a sectional cut-off. Candidates will get a penalty of 0.25 marks for every incorrect answer. This test is conducted to test the writing skills of candidates via Letter Writing and essay Writing.
Test | Name of the Test | No. of Questions | Max. Marks | Duration |
I | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 50 minutes |
II | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | 60 | 45 minutes |
III | General Awareness / Economy / Banking Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 minutes |
IV | English Language | 40 | 20 | 40 minutes |
Total (A) | 170 | 200 | 3 hours | |
Descriptive Paper | ||||
English Language (Descriptive) | Email Writing | 1 out of 2 | 15 | 30 minutes |
Situation Analysis Writing | 1 out of 2 | 15 | ||
Report Writing/Precis Writing | 1 out of 2 | 20 | ||
Total (B) | 3 | 50 | ||
Total (A + B) | 250 |
3 Hours 30 Minutes
|
Note: The descriptive paper of a candidate will be checked only if they qualify in the Objective test as per the qualifying marks decided by the Bank
SBI PO Descriptive Test
The SBI PO Descriptive Paper, which lasts for 30 minutes and is worth 50 marks, tests the candidate’s English skills through letter writing and essay writing. After passing the preliminary and main exams, candidates move on to the interview phase of the SBI PO exam. The final merit list is determined by the marks obtained in both the main exam and the interview.
SBI PO Prelims Syllabus 2025
The Prelims Syllabus is not very vast, and candidates can cover it easily within a month or two with proper preparation and practice. The subjects included are Reasoning, English, and Quantitative Aptitude. The chapter-wise syllabus for each section has been mentioned below.
Reasoning | Quantitative Aptitude | English Language |
Logical Reasoning | Simplification | Reading Comprehension |
Alphanumeric Series | Profit & Loss | Cloze Test |
Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test | Mixtures & Allegations | Para jumbles |
Data Sufficiency | Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices | Miscellaneous |
Coded Inequalities | Work & Time | Fill in the blanks |
Seating Arrangement | Time & Distance | Multiple Meaning/Error Spotting |
Puzzle | Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere | Paragraph Completion |
Tabulation | Data Interpretation | Vocabulary |
Syllogism | Ratio & Proportion, Percentage | Sentence Improvement |
Blood Relations | Number Systems | Word Association |
Input-Output | Sequence & Series | Error Spotting |
Coding-Decoding | Permutation, Combination &Probability | Verbal Ability |
SBI PO Mains Syllabus 2025
The SBI PO Mains Syllabus 2025 comprises four sections:
- Data Analysis & Interpretation
- Reasoning & Computer Aptitude
- General/Economy/Banking Awareness
- English Language
- The SBI PO Mains Syllabus 2025 comprises a descriptive test as well. The descriptive test consists of two questions, one letter writing, and one essay, each of 25 marks, making a total of 50 marks.
- Candidates need to score passing marks in the descriptive test as well to qualify for the SBI PO mains exam.
The complete syllabus is discussed below:
Data Interpretation and Analysis Syllabus for Mains
The following topics are covered under the Data Analysis section:
- Tabular Graph,
- Line Graph,
- Pie Chart,
- Bar Graph,
- Radar Graph Case-let,
- Missing Case DI,
- Let it Case DI,
- Data Sufficiency,
- Probability,
- Permutation and Combination
Reasoning Syllabus Syllabus for Mains
The following topics are covered under the Reasoning section:
- Verbal Reasoning,
- Syllogism,
- Circular Seating Arrangement,
- Linear Seating Arrangement,
- Double Lineup,
- Scheduling,
- Input-Output,
- Blood Relations,
- Directions and Distances,
- Ordering and Ranking,
- Data Sufficiency,
- Coding and Decoding,
- Coded Inequalities,
- The course of Action,
- Critical Reasoning,
- Analytical and Decision Making
English Syllabus For Mains
The following topics are covered under the English Language section:
- Reading Comprehension,
- Grammar,
- Vocabulary,
- Verbal Ability,
- Word Association,
- Sentence Improvement,
- Para Jumbles,
- Cloze Test,
- Error Spotting,
- Fill in the blanks
General Awareness/ Economy/ Banking Awareness Syllabus for Mains
The following topics are covered under the Economy section:
- Financial Awareness
- Current Affairs
- General Knowledge
- Static Awareness
- Banking and Financial Awareness
Computer Aptitude Syllabus for Mains
The following topics are covered under the Computer Aptitude section:
- Internet,
- Memory,
- Keyboard Shortcuts,
- Computer Abbreviation,
- Microsoft Office,
- Computer Hardware,
- Computer Software,
- Operating System,
- Networking,
- Computer Fundamentals/ Terminologies
SBI PO Interview 2025
Psychometric Test – The bank may hold a psychometric assessment to evaluate the personality traits of candidates shortlisted for Phase III. The results of this test might be shared with the interview panel to provide deeper insights into each candidate. This is the final stage of the SBI PO selection process for those who clear the first two phases. In this round, the Group Discussion carries 20 marks, and the Interview carries 30 marks.
Candidates who pass both the Objective and Descriptive Tests will have their total marks compiled and ranked in descending order within their respective categories. Based on this merit list, a specified number of candidates from each category, determined by the Bank, will be shortlisted for the Group Exercises and Interview round. The minimum qualifying marks for the Group Discussion and Interview will also be set at the discretion of the Bank.
SBI PO Syllabus PDF Download
The candidates who are going to appear in the examination must download the SBI PO Syllabus 2025 PDF to understand the complete structure of the examination and the subject-wise topics they need to prepare. The direct link to download the syllabus PDF has been mentioned below for the ease of the candidates.
SBI PO Selection Process 2025
The SBI PO selection process consists of three phases: Preliminary Exam, Main Exam, and Interview round, which also includes Group Discussion and a Psychometric Test. While the Preliminary Exam serves only as a qualifying stage, the final merit list is compiled based solely on the marks secured in the Main Exam and Interview round.
SBI PO Final Selection
The final score for the SBI PO Exam is determined based on the following criteria:
- Marks obtained in the Preliminary Exam (Phase 1) are not included in the final selection.
- Candidates must qualify in both Phase 2 (Mains) and Phase 3 (Group Discussion and Interview) individually to be considered.
- Scores from the SBI PO Mains Exam, which are out of 250, are scaled down to 75 marks.
- Similarly, the scores from the Group Exercises and Interview, totalling 50 marks, are scaled down to 25.
- These converted scores (75 from Mains and 25 from GD/PI) are combined to form a final score out of 100.
- This overall score is used to prepare the final merit list for each category, and candidates with the highest ranks in their respective categories are selected.
SBI PO Marking Scheme 2025
The details of the SBI PO Marking Scheme 2025 have been mentioned in the table given below for the candidates.
SBI PO Marking Scheme 2025 | |
Section |
Marking Scheme
|
Objective Test |
|
Descriptive Test |
|
Links Related to SBI PO | |
SBI Cut Off | SBI PO Salary |
SBI PO Score Card | SBI PO Selection Process |
SBI PO Mock Test 2025 | SBI PO Exam Date 2025 |