Introduction
Understanding the exam pattern and syllabus will help the candidates in devising effective preparation strategies. Speed/Time management is vital in obtaining a good score in any competitive exam and hence, analysis of exam pattern and syllabus is very crucial to be able to complete the exams in the stipulated time.
The SBI PO selection process has three phases. The first two phases (Preliminary exam and Main exam) are written exams (conducted online). The third phase has Group Exercises followed by an Interview.
Pattern
SBI PO Preliminary exam is an online exam, which consists of 3 sections as shown in the table below and has a total of 100 marks. The composite time for the prelim exam is 1 hour. The cut-off or minimum passing marks for each section is decided by the bank each year depending on the difficulty level of the test. The section-wise division of questions and marks is given below:
Selection criteria for Main Examination: Category wise merit list will be drawn on the basis of the aggregate marks scored in the Preliminary Examination. Candidates numbering approximately 10 times the numbers of vacancies in each category will be short listed for the Main Examination from the top of the merit list.
| S.No. | Name of Test | Number of Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English language | 30 | Total Maximum Marks 100 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 20 minutes | |
| 3 | Reasoning ability | 35 | 20 minutes | |
| Total | 100 | 1 hour |
Note: Penalty for Wrong Answers.
There will be penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests. For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate one fourth of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at corrected score. If a question is left blank, i.e. if no answer is marked by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.
Main Examination will consist of Objective Tests for 200 marks and Descriptive Test for 50 marks. Both the Objective and Descriptive Tests will be online. Candidates will have to answer Descriptive test by typing on the computer. Descriptive Test will be administered immediately after completion of the Objective Test.
i. Objective Test:
The objective test of 3 hours duration consists of 4 Sections for total 200 marks. The objective test will have separate timing for every section.
ii. Descriptive Test:
The Descriptive Test of 30 minutes duration with two questions for 50 marks will be a Test of English Language (Letter Writing & Essay).
| S.No. | Name of Test | Number of Questions | Mark | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 45 | Total Max. Marks 200 | 60 minutes |
| 2 | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 45 minutes | |
| 3 | General/Economy/Banking Awareness | 40 | 35 minutes | |
| 4 | English Language | 35 | 40 minutes | |
| Total | 155 | 3 Hours |
Note: Descriptive Test paper of only those candidates will be evaluated who have scored qualifying marks in the Objective Tests and are placed adequately high as per total marks in the objective test.
Note: Penalty for Wrong Answers.
There will be penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests. For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate one fourth of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at corrected score. If a question is left blank, i.e. if no answer is marked by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.
Category wise merit list will be drawn on the basis of the aggregate marks scored in the Main Examination. Candidates numbering up to 3 times (approximately) of the category wise vacancies will be shortlisted for the Group Exercise & Interview from the top of the merit list subject to a candidate scoring minimum qualifying score in aggregate.
Candidates qualifying for GE & Interview under 'OBC' category would be required to submit OBC certificate containing the 'Non Creamy layer' clause. Candidates not submitting the OBC certificate containing the 'Non Creamy layer' clause and requesting to be interviewed under General category will not be entertained.
| Test | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|
| Group Exercises | 20 |
| Interview | 30 |
| Total | 50 |
The marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination (Phase-I) will not be added for preparing the final merit list for selection. Only the marks obtained in Main Examination (Phase-II), both in Objective Test and Descriptive Test, will be added to the marks obtained in GE & Interview (Phase-III) for preparing the final merit list. The candidates will have to qualify both in Phase-II and Phase-III separately.
Marks secured by the candidates in the Main Examination (out of 250 marks) are converted to out of 75 and marks secured in Group Exercises & Interview (out of 50 marks) are converted to out of 25. The final merit list is arrived at after aggregating converted marks of Main Examination and Group Exercises & Interview out of 100. The selection will be made from the top merit ranked candidates in each category.
Results of the candidates who qualify for Main Examination and Group Exercise & Interview as well as the final select list will be made available on the Bank's website.