SBI Probationary Officer (PO) Main Examination Syllabus 2026
State Bank of India (SBI)
The SBI Probationary Officer (PO) Main Examination is the second stage of the SBI PO recruitment process. It consists of an Objective Test and a Descriptive Test conducted online. The Objective Test evaluates candidates in Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, Data Analysis & Interpretation, General/Economy/Banking Awareness, and English Language. The Descriptive Test assesses English writing skills through essay and letter writing. Candidates shortlisted in the Main Examination are called for the Psychometric Test, Group Exercise, and Interview. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Duration
Objective Test: 3 Hours Descriptive Test: 30 Minutes
Marking
* Objective Test: 200 marks. * Descriptive Test: 50 marks. * The Descriptive Test is conducted immediately after the Objective Test and is evaluated only for candidates meeting the objective test cutoff.
Negative marking
0.25 (one-fourth) of the marks assigned to a question are deducted for every incorrect answer in the Objective Test. There is no negative marking for the Descriptive Test.
Exam Pattern
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 60 |
| General / Economy / Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 |
| English Language | 35 | 40 |
| Descriptive Test (Essay & Letter Writing) | 2 | 50 |
Subject-wise Syllabus
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude
### Reasoning Ability, Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations, Direction Sense, Syllogism, Inequality, Input-Output, Data Sufficiency, Logical Reasoning, Critical Reasoning, Statement & Assumption, Statement & Conclusion, Course of Action, Machine Input, Ranking & Order, Alphabet & Number Series, ### Computer Aptitude, Computer Fundamentals, Computer Hardware, Software, Operating Systems, Internet, Networking, MS Office, Computer Memory, Input & Output Devices, Cyber Security, Computer Abbreviations, Digital Banking
Data Analysis & Interpretation
Tabular Data Interpretation, Bar Graph, Line Graph, Pie Chart, Radar Graph, Caselet DI, Missing DI, Data Sufficiency, Probability, Permutation & Combination, Quantity Comparison, Arithmetic Word Problems
General / Economy / Banking Awareness
Current Affairs, Banking Awareness, RBI Functions & Monetary Policy, Financial Awareness, Indian Economy, Budget & Economic Survey, Banking Terms, Government Schemes, Static General Knowledge, National & International News, Capital Market, Financial Institutions
English Language
Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Error Detection, Fill in the Blanks, Sentence Improvement, Para Jumbles, Sentence Rearrangement, Word Swap, Phrase Replacement, Vocabulary, Synonyms & Antonyms, Idioms & Phrases
Descriptive Test
Essay Writing, Formal Letter Writing, Business Letter Writing, Email Writing
Preparation Tips
- Master high-level puzzles and seating arrangement questions.
- Practice Data Interpretation sets daily, especially caselets and missing DI.
- Read newspapers and banking magazines for Economy and Banking Awareness.
- Revise RBI circulars, banking terminology, and current financial events.
- Practice essay and formal letter writing regularly.
- Attempt full-length mock tests and analyze mistakes after every test.
- Solve previous years' SBI PO Main papers to understand the latest difficulty level and question trends.