State Bank of India (SBI) conducts the SBI PO examination every year for candidates who aspire to join the organization as a Probationary Officer. From the lakhs of candidates who appear for this exam, candidates are selected for the vacancies based on their performance in preliminary exam, mains exam and Group Exercise and Interview.
The SBI PO selection process is conducted in three phases- Preliminary, Mains and Group Exercises & Interview. The preliminary and mains exams are conducted in computed-based test mode, wherein candidates need to answer objective type multiple-choice questions and a few subjective questions (Mains exam only).
The final SBI PO merit list will be prepared based on the marks obtained by candidates in Mains exam as well as Group Exercises and Interview. The Mains Exam will be given 75% weightage while the Group Exercises & Interview will be given 25% weightage for the final selection. Marks obtained in the Preliminary exam will not be considered for this purpose. Additionally, candidates need to qualify both in the Mains exam and Group Exercises and Interview separately.
The exam pattern for each phase is detailed below.
In the third stage of selection, an interview is conducted to assess the capabilities, personality, and general banking/economic knowledge of candidates who qualify the mains exam. The marks allotted to the interview are 30, while 20 marks are allotted to the Group Exercises.
The SBI PO 2019 Mains examination was held on 20th July 2019 in two shifts- 9 AM to 12:30 PM and 2 PM to 5:30 PM. The overall analysis of the Mains exam is given below:
The overall paper was moderate to difficult, based on the feedback received from the candidates. Test-takers commented that most of the questions in Data Analysis & Interpretation were difficult and tricky. This year, the Mains paper was relatively more difficult as compared to the Prelims paper. The section-wise difficulty level has been tabulated below:
The detailed SBI PO Mains exam analysis for each section is given below to help candidates understand the relative importance of topics for their preparation.
English Language: The questions in this section were easier compared to last year's exam. Candidates with good comprehension and reading skills could have easily attempted a good number of questions. There were 6 reading comprehenesios. The distribution of questions belonging to various topics has been provided below:
General/Economy/Banking Awareness: Nearly 90% questions in this section were from current affairs. Most of these questions were from the events between March and July 2019. Out of the total questions, nearly 13 were from July current affairs. The questions were from across topics like government schemes, RBI and its functions, Economic Survey of India, Budget and Banking Affairs. Topics from where questions were asked are:
Data Analysis and Interpretation: This was the toughest section of the SBI PO Mains 2019 exam. Topics from where questions were asked are:
Following types of DIs were asked in the exam:
Reasoning and Computer Awareness: This section was moderate to difficult. The distribution of questions belonging to various topics has been provided below:
The SBI PO 2019 Prelims examination was held on 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th June 2019 in four shifts on each day- 9 AM to 10 AM, 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, 2 PM to 3 PM and 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM. The overall analysis of the Prelims exam is given below:
The Prelims exam had a moderate difficulty level overall and 69-74 questions were a good attempt. The difficulty level and good attempt for each section has been tabulated below:
SBI PO Prelims Exam Analysis (Section Wise): The number of questions in each topic across the three sections are provided below so that students can find the most important topics.
English Language
Quantitative Aptitude
Reasoning Ability
Candidates should have completed graduation in any discipline from a recognised university or have any equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government. CAs may also apply. Candidates who are in the final year of graduation can also apply provisionally and must produce proof of having passed the graduation if they are called for the interview process.
Candidates' age should be between 21 to 30 years, as calculated as on the date of application. Relaxation provided for reserved categories: SC/ST- 5 years; OBC (Non-creamy Layer)- 3 years; PwD (SC/ST)- 15 years; PwD (OBC)- 13 years; PwD (Gen/EWS)- 10 years; Ex-servicemen- 5 years; Persons with domicile of J&K between Jan 1, 1980 to Dec 31, 1989- 5 years
Candidates are allowed a maximum number of attempts depending on their category: General/EWS- 4; Gen/EWS (PwD)- 7; OBC- 7; OBC (PwD)- 7; SC/ST/SC (PwD)/ST (PwD)- No restriction
SBI PO result 2020 will be announced online separately for different stages- preliminary, mains and final result. The hard copy of SBI PO result is not sent to candidates by post and candidates can access the merit list in PDF format from the official website.The final result for SBI PO 2019 was announced on October 18 but the result might be delayed this year since the entire exam schedule has been impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The scorecard will be released a few days after the declaration of results, separately for prelims, mains and Group Exercises and Interview. Candidates need to login with registration number or roll number and date of birth or password to download the scorecard, which displays section-wise and overall scores.
The cut off signifies the minimum qualifying marks that candidates must secure to qualify the exam-stage and become eligible for the next round of selection process. The category-wise cut off is released along with the scorecard separately for preliminary exam, mains exam and final selection. Candidates can view the cutoff by logging into the official website. There is no sectional cut off in the SBI PO exam. The cut off marks are determined based on several factors like:
The cutoff trends of the last three years for SBI PO Prelims are given below
SBI PO Prelims Cut off 2019
SBI PO Prelims Cut off 2018
SBI PO Prelims Cut off 2017- Overall Cutoff
SBI PO Prelims Cut off 2017- Sectional Cutoff
The cutoff trends of the last three years for SBI PO Mains are given below
SBI PO Mains Cut off 2019
SBI PO Mains Cut off 2018
SBI PO Mains Cut off 2017
The final cutoff trends of the last three years for SBI PO Group Exercises & Interview are given below
SBI PO Group Exercises & Interview Cut off 2019
SBI PO Group Exercises & Interview Cut off 2017
The final cutoff trends of the last three years for SBI PO are given below
SBI PO Final Cut off 2019
SBI PO Final Cut off 2018
SBI PO Final Cut off 2017
Ques: Is there any bond for candidates selected as SBI PO?
Ans: At the time of joining, candidates will have to execute a bond of Rs 2 lakh to serve the bank for a minimum period of three years.
Ques: Are selected candidates for SBI PO put on probation?
Ans: Yes, the selected candidates have a probation period of two years.
Ques: What is the career progression for a PO?
Ans: Candidates can be promoted from the Middle Management Grade Scale-II (MMGS-II) from Junior Management Grade Scale-I (JMGS-I) based on performance.