SBI-PO-Prelims State Bank of India Probationary Officer Prelims
Banking · UG · All India
Overview
Eligibility
The State Bank of India’s Probationary Officer recruitment begins with a preliminary examination.
- Degree: a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university. Final-year students may apply, subject to producing proof of passing by the stated date.
- Age: between 21 and 30 on the cut-off date stated in the advertisement, with the published relaxations for OBC, SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen candidates.
- Attempts: limited by category, and the limit is stated in each advertisement. Appearing at the preliminary examination counts as an attempt.
Exam Pattern
Syllabus
English Language
About 30%Reading comprehension, cloze test, para-jumbles, error spotting, fill in the blanks, sentence improvement.
Quantitative Aptitude
About 35%Data interpretation, simplification and approximation, number series, quadratic equations, and arithmetic — percentages, ratios, time and work, profit and loss.
Reasoning Ability
About 35%Puzzles and seating arrangement, syllogism, inequality, blood relations, coding-decoding, direction sense.
How to Apply
The application is an online form on the SBI careers portal. Everything below is done in one sitting or saved and returned to; nothing is done on paper.
Register
Create an account on the SBI careers portal with an email address and mobile number you will still have months from now -- every notice, the admit card and the result reach you there. A registration number is issued; keep it.
Fill the form
Personal details, academic record from class 10 onwards, category, and work experience where it applies. The academic figures must match your marksheets exactly, because they are verified later against the originals.
Choose test cities
Cities are given in order of preference and allotted on availability, so the first choice is not guaranteed. Pick somewhere you can reach the morning of the exam without an overnight journey.
Upload photograph and signature
Both have to meet the format, size and background stated in the notification. A rejected upload is the most common reason a form is left incomplete past the deadline.
Pay the fee
Online, through the official portal only. The amount is set afresh in each year’s notification and is lower for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Keep the payment receipt.
Submit, then check
Print the completed form. A correction window usually opens afterwards -- it is limited, and it rarely covers every field, so it is a repair, not a second chance.
Apply only through the official portal. No agent can register you, and nobody can change a score once it is declared.
Selection Process
- Preliminary examination — qualifying only. It decides who sits the Main examination; the marks go no further.
- Main examination — objective papers plus a descriptive test of writing, both counted.
- Psychometric test, taken by candidates who clear the Main examination and used as an input to the interview.
- Group exercise and interview.
- The final merit list is struck on the Main examination and the interview stage together.
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