SBI PO 2021 Exam Pattern : SBI PO 2021 exam pattern, syllabus, and selection process are provided in this article. SBI PO 2021 exam will be held in 3 stages – Prelim, Main Exam, and Interview. Candidates who have applied for the SBI PO recruitment have to appear in the first stage i.e., SBI PO Prelim exam, qualifying which will make them eligible for the second stage, the Main exam.
Upon qualifying the Main exam, the candidates will be called for a Personal Interview and Group Discussion Exercise, which will be the final stage of the selection process.
Download SBI PO Syllabus 2021 Pdf
SBI PO Important Dates 2021
SBI PO Exam Important dates are tabulated below.
| SBI PO Event | Date (tentative) |
|---|---|
| Last date to apply | Sep 2021 |
| Preliminary Exam | Oct 2021 |
| Preliminary Result | Oct 2021 |
| Main Exam | Nov 2021 |
| Result | Nov 2021 |
| Interview / Group Discussion | Dec 2021 |
| Final Result | Dec 2021 |
SBI PO Exam Pattern
SBI PO Exam will be held in 3 stages,
- Phase I: Prelim Exam
- Phase II: Main Exam
- Phase III: Group Excercise & Interview
SBI PO Prelim Exam Pattern 2021
SBI PO 2021 Preliminary examination will be an online test having 100 multiple choice questions to be solved in a maximum of 60 minutes. The question paper will be divided into three tests and there will be no sectional cut off/ minimum marks for each test. The candidate has to score minimum aggregate marks at this stage to qualify for the Main exam.
| Name of test/section | No. of MCQs | Maximum marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language test | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude test | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 1 hour |
- Stage I Prelim exam will be held online and consist of 3 tests/sections
- The Preliminary exam will only contain 100 objective type MCQs for 100 marks
- Each question carry 1 mark, there will be negative marking for wrong answers, for every incorrect answer 1/4th marks (0.25) assigned to that question will be deducted
- The duration of the Preliminary exam will be 1 hour
- A sectional time limit of 20 minutes for each section is given
- The Prelim exam is qualifying in nature and marks secured in this stage will not be considered for final selection.
SBI PO Main Exam Pattern 2021
SBI PO Main examination will be conducted for 200 marks for the candidates who qualify the Preliminary exam. The Main Exam will consist of objective and descriptive test and both will be held online. On the basis of marks obtained in Phase II/ Main examination, SBI will prepare and release a merit list in Pdf. Phase II shortlisted candidates will have to appear in GD and Interview.
Objective Test
- SBI PO Main Objective tets will be an online test consist of 155 MCQs for 200 marks.
- The test will be of 3 hours’ duration and consist of four sections – Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, Data Analysis & Interpretation, General/economy/banking awareness, and English Language.
- The candidate needs to score minimum aggregate marks to be finalized by SBI in the objective test and there will be no sectional cut-off.
- Each section/test will have separate timing.
| Type of Exam | Name of test/section | No. of MCQs/ Questions | Maximum marks | Time (in minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 | |
| General/economy/banking awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 | |
| English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 | |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 180 ( 3 hours) | |
| Descriptive | English Language (Essay & Letter Writing | 2 | 50 | 30 min |
Descriptive Test
- Just after appearing in an objective test, candidates have to appear in an online descriptive test that contains 2 questions.
- It will be a test of the English language (Essay & Letter Writing) of 50 marks to be finished in 30 minutes.
- Candidates have to score minimum marks to qualify the test. Minimum marks for the descriptive test will be decided by the State Bank of India.
Note: Candidate qualifying in the Main exam objective test will only be considered for descriptive paper evaluation. Other candidates will not be considered for further selection.
- The Main exam will be conducted in online mode
- The Main exam will have 155 objective questions for 200 marks and 2 descriptive questions for 50 marks
- 3 hours will be given to the candidates for answering MCQs (Objective test) in the Main exam and for descriptive type questions additional 30 minutes will be provided
- There will be negative marking for objective type questions, for every incorrect answer 1/4th marks assigned to that question will be deducted
- The candidate should score minimum aggregate marks in an objective test of the Main exam and there is no sectional cut off
- Candidates need to qualify a descriptive section of the Main exam by scoring minimum marks which will be set by the bank and the marks in the descriptive test will be considered for final merit.
SBI PO Group Discussion and Interview
Group Discussion will be held for 20 marks and Interview will be of 30 marks. The minimum passing marks for Group Exercises & Interview will be decided by the State Bank of India.
SBI PO Syllabus 2021
SBI PO Syllabus 2021 is provided in the table below, candidates are advised to prepare accordingly for the exam.
SBI PO Prelim Exam Syllabus
| Reasoning Ability | Quantitative Aptitude | English Language |
|---|---|---|
| Syllogism | Data interpretation | Match the Column |
| Blood Relations | Simplification | Sentence Formation |
| Coding & Decoding | Approximation | Spotting Errors |
| Series | Quantity | Sentence completion |
| Order and Ranking | Quadratic equations | Para Jumble |
| Input and Output | Data sufficiency | Sentence Improvement |
| Direction Sense | Number series | Cloze Test |
| Data Sufficiency | Data interpretation | Reading Comprehension |
| Inequality | Fill in the Blanks | |
| Puzzles | Vocabulary | |
| Seating Arrangement |
SBI PO Main Exam Syllabus
SBI PO Main exam syllabus is as follows.
| Quantitative Aptitude | General Awareness | Reasoning Ability | English Language | Computer Aptitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pie Chart | Books & Authors | Coding and Decoding | Word Association | Computer Software |
| Simplification | Banking and Financial Awareness | Scheduling | Paragraph Completion | Keyboard Shortcuts |
| Surds and Indices | Technology | Ranking/Direction/Alphabet test | Grammar | Computer Fundamentals |
| Caselet | Sports | Course of Action | Error Spotting | Internet |
| Percentage | Awards | Blood Relations | Sentence Improvement | Computer Hardware |
| Radar Graph | General Knowledge | Alphanumeric Series | Vocabulary | Computer Abbreviation |
| Number System | National & International Events | Seating Arrangement | Cloze Test | Memory |
| Mixtures and Allegations | Static Awareness | Puzzle | Verbal Ability | Microsoft Office |
| Line Graph | Awards | Ordering and Ranking | Reading Comprehension | Operating System |
| Mensuration | Financial Awareness | Input Output | Fill in the Blanks | Networking |
| Data Interpretation | Current Affairs | Analytical and Decision Making | Para Jumbles | |
| Ratio and Proportion | Verbal Reasoning | |||
| Simple and Compound Interest | Syllogism | |||
| Data Sufficiency | Data Sufficiency | |||
| Work and Time | Double Line-up | |||
| Bar Graph | Linear Seating Arrangement | |||
| Sequence and Series | Circular Seating Arrangement | |||
| Permutation and Combination | Critical Reasoning | |||
| Probability | Logical Reasoning | |||
| DI | Coded Inequalities | |||
| Profit and Loss | Directions and Distance | |||
| Time and Distance | Tabulation | |||
| Tabular Graph | Coding and Decoding |
SBI PO Group Discussion & Interview Topics 2021
- NPAs
- Digital India
GST and its effects - Economic Slowdown
- Role of effective credit rating
- Why NSG is so important in today’s time?
- The merger of SBI is a good or bad thing?
- What would be the impact if Rail and General Budget had merged much earlier?
- Wind vs. Solar energy
- Ease of doing Business
- Abrogation of Article 370
- Benefits of Mutual fund Investments
- Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
- Reservations in education and jobs
- Do you think people are misusing the right to freedom?
- Should cleanliness be considered a fundamental duty of every citizen?
- Are the old schemes being launched by the Government under different names?
- Pros and cons of One Rank One Pension Scheme
SBI PO Preparation Tips 2021
Candidates can greatly benefit if they incorporate the following habits or points into their preparation routine
- Time management – create a schedule for study and other activities
- Take online mock tests
- Practice various reasoning exercises, which can be easily found online
- Read “The Economist” to prepare for passage comprehension
- Read basic grammar rules so you can spot the errors easily
- Try solving jumble paragraphs and find the context
- Read in free time to improve vocabulary which will be helpful in answering fill in the blanks questions
- Attempt to answer previous year question papers
- Solve logical puzzles
- Practice classifying things into categories using Venn diagrams
- Try solving numerical equations
- Follow the news to get current affairs and information about the latest trends in computer technology
Books To Prepare For SBI PO
The following books will prove very useful for the candidates preparing for SBI PO Exam.
| Books | Author / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Bank PO Previous Year Solved Paper | Dhankar Experts Group |
| SBI Probationary Officers' Exam | V.V.K. Subburaj (Author) |
| Fast Track Objective Arithmetic | Rajesh Varma (Arihant Publishers) |
| Practice Book By Disha Experts | Disha Experts 3rd Edition |
| New Pattern English Language for SBI PO Exam | By Disha Experts |
| Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations | R.S Aggarwal (S.Chand Publisher) |
| Target SBI Bank PO Preliminary & Main Exam | Disha Experts 7th Edition |
| Data Interpretation | Arun Sharma (THM Publication) |
| Magical book on Quicker Mathematics | M Tyra (BSC Publication) |
| Quantum Cat | Sarvesh Kumar Verma |
| Fast Track Objective Arithmetic | Rajesh Verma |
SBI PO Exam Date 2021
SBI PO Preliminary Exam is expected to be held in October 2021 and the Main exam will most probably be conducted in November 2021. Candidates interested in appearing for SBI PO Exam should keep in touch with the official website @ https://www.sbi.co.in/careers/ to get the latest information about the exam dates.
SBI PO Selection Process 2021
SBI PO Selection process will be consist of the following 3 stages
Preliminary Exam
SBI PO Preliminary Exam will be conducted for all the candidates who successfully apply for the recruitment process. The preliminary exam will consist of objective type questions and it will only serve as a screening test for the Main exam.
Main Exam
Those who qualify the Preliminary exam will be invited to appear in the Main exam which will be conducted for 250 marks that include the Objective and Descriptive test.
Group Discussion & Interview
Group Discussion and Interview will be the final stage of the selection process. Qualifying candidates of the Main exam will be called for Group Discussion and Interview, which will be conducted for 20 and 30 marks respectively.
Final Selection
- SBI PO final selection will be made on the basis of marks obtained by the candidates in the Main exam and Group Discussion and Interview stages only
- Marks scored in the Preliminary exam will not be taken into consideration while preparing the final merit list
- Marks will be normalized, 250 marks of the Main exam will be converted into 75 and the 50 marks of GD and interview will be converted into 25
- The Final cut off will be determined according to aggregate marks of the Main exam and GD & Interview i.e. 100 marks
- Those who score more or equal marks to the cut off will be appointed as SBI PO
SBI PO Exam Pattern & Selection Process 2021 FAQs
Q. When SBI PO Prelims Will Be Conducted?
A. SBI PO 2021 Prelims shall be conducted in October 2021.
Q. How Many Questions Are Given In SBI PO Preliminary Examination?
A. There will be 100 multiple choice questions in the SBI PO Preliminary examination.
Q. What Are The Type Of Questions Given In the SBI PO Prelim Examination?
A. SBI PO Prelim examination consists of only objective type questions.
Q. Is There Main Examination For SBI PO?
A. Yes, there will be the Main examination to be conducted after Prelims only for those who manage to qualify Preliminary examination.
Q. How Many Questions Will Be There In SBI PO Main Exam?
A. There will be 155 objective type questions in SBI PO Main Exam.