State Bank of India conducts an entrance examination to recruit candidates for the position of probationary officer across the country. Many individuals desire to clear the exams as it is one of the most sought-after career options. SBI PO exams have two stages: prelims and Mains.
Aspirants can commence the exam preparations after analysing the exam pattern and SBI PO syllabus of both prelims and main exams. It is essential to know that candidates clearing the Preliminary exams are qualified for the main exams. This article contains detailed information about the revised syllabus and exam pattern. If you are gearing up for the exams, check these before commencing the learning phase.
SBI PO exam pattern – Overview
The State Bank of India conducts the SBI Probationary Officer exam, and the candidates appearing for the exams should clear three stages (Prelims, Mains and interview). You can take up the exams in either Hindi or English medium.
You will have 100 questions in the preliminary exams, and every correct answer will be given one mark. However, you should also be aware of the negative marking; an incorrect answer will result in a 0.25 mark deduction.
You will have one hour to finish the SBI PO prelims, whereas candidates appearing for the mains exams will have 3.5 hours. There are a total of 157 questions, and you will be writing for two hundred marks along with 50 marks for descriptive papers. Finally, the interview round is conducted for fifty marks.
Prelims exam pattern
The exam pattern incorporates three essential topics: English language, Reasoning Ability and Quantitative aptitude. It is better to check the SBI PO syllabus to evaluate the critical topics that you should learn to secure the best marks.
You will have nearly thirty questions in the English language, whereas the remaining sections will have thirty-five each. As the duration is only sixty minutes, you can use twenty minutes for every section. However, the thirty questions English language sections can be finished soon as you don’t have to do any calculations. Saving time in that section will allow you to utilise it under challenging sections.
Mains exam pattern
The recent update about the mains exam pattern is that the weightage of the General Awareness section has been increased. You will have both objective and descriptive questions. There are four sections in the SBI Mains exam pattern, such as
- Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (questions:40 & marks:50)
- Data Analysis & Interpretation (questions:30 & marks:50)
- General/Banking Awareness (questions:50 & marks:60)
- English language (questions:35 & marks:40).
The descriptive paper has two questions and a total of fifty marks.
SBI Probationary Officer Interview
Once you complete the SBI PO exams, prepare for the interview round. The final round comprises two sections, such as group exercise and discussion.
Wrapping up
The SBI PO exam pattern is precisely explained in the above article, and you should be able to finish the preparations effectively. Once you go through the syllabus and exam pattern, curate the preparation strategy. Always ensure that you revise the previous years’ question papers. Get a precise understanding of basic and complex topics in the syllabus. Take up as many tests as possible and elevate your exam preparation without any doubts. Utilising the right educational resources will help every candidate secure the highest SBI PO examination scores.