State Bank of India recruits its Probationary Officers through its own exam, separate from the IBPS process used by other public sector banks. The rules change from cycle to cycle, so the only safe basis for preparation is the current advertisement. This guide is built on SBI advertisement No. CRPD/PO/2026-27/09, dated 18 June 2026, published on the SBI careers current openings page.
If you are reading an older guide that mentions a 50-mark descriptive paper, a four-attempt limit or a 2025 notification date for the 2026 exam, set it aside. Those details do not match this advertisement.
The 2026 recruitment at a glance
| Item | What the advertisement says |
|---|---|
| Vacancies | 1,500 (1,446 regular + 54 backlog), provisional |
| Online registration and fee | 18.06.2026 to 08.07.2026 |
| Age | 21 to 30 years as on 01.04.2026 (born not later than 01.04.2005 and not earlier than 02.04.1996) |
| Qualification | Graduation in any discipline; final-year students may apply provisionally but must show they passed on or before 30.09.2026 if called for interview |
| Application fee | ₹750 for UR/EWS/OBC; nil for SC/ST/PwBD |
| Posting | Selected candidates may be posted anywhere in India |
Status check (SBI careers page, 9 October 2026): the preliminary exam result has been published and main exam call letters and an information handout were issued. The advertisement's tentative schedule places Phase-III (psychometric test, group exercise and interview) in October/November 2026 and the final result in November/December 2026. Follow the careers page for the actual dates.
Keep preparing
Continue with Document Verification Checklist – Central and Defence Recruitment₹299 — coaching के एक महीने से काफ़ी सस्ता / far cheaper than a month of coachingNumber of chances: a rule many guides get wrong
| Category | Maximum permissible chances |
|---|---|
| UR / EWS | 6 |
| UR (PwBD) / EWS (PwBD) / OBC / OBC (PwBD) | 9 |
| SC / SC (PwBD) / ST / ST (PwBD) | No restriction |
Only appearing in the Main exam counts as a chance; appearing in the Preliminary exam does not. Candidates who have already used their maximum chances are not eligible to apply.
The three phases
Phase-I: Preliminary exam (100 marks, 1 hour)
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 40 | 20 min |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 20 min |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 | 20 min |
The total is 100 marks. There is no sectional cut-off in the prelims. SBI draws a category-wise merit list on aggregate marks and shortlists about 10 times the number of vacancies in each category for the Main exam.
Phase-II: Main exam (230 marks)
| Test | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 50 min |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | 60 | 45 min |
| General Awareness / Economy / Banking Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 45 min |
| English Language | 40 | 20 | 40 min |
| Objective total | 170 | 200 | 3 hours |
| Descriptive: Communication Skills (typed, in English) | 3 | 30 | 30 min |
The descriptive test follows straight after the objective test. Per the main exam information handout, it has three parts of 10 marks each: email writing (one of two options), situation analysis (one of two options), and report writing or précis writing (one of two options). For Data Analysis & Interpretation, the handout says an on-screen calculator will be available.
Unlike the prelims, the Main exam has a minimum score in every test, including the descriptive paper, plus a minimum aggregate. About three times the category-wise vacancies are shortlisted for Phase-III. Wrong answers in objective tests (prelims and mains) cost one-fourth of the marks for that question.
Phase-III: Psychometric test, group exercise and interview
- Psychometric test: used for personality profiling; the findings are placed before the interview panel. All questions are mandatory.
- Group exercise: 20 marks.
- Interview: 30 marks.
Minimum qualifying marks for the group exercise and interview are decided by the bank. You must qualify in Phase-II and Phase-III separately.
How the final merit list is built
Prelims marks are not counted. Main exam marks (objective + descriptive, out of 230) are converted to 75, and group exercise + interview marks (out of 50) are converted to 25, for a total out of 100.
Illustrative example (hypothetical scores):
- Main exam: 160 out of 230 → 160 × 75 ÷ 230 = 52.17
- Group exercise + interview: 34 out of 50 → 34 × 25 ÷ 50 = 17.00
- Final score: 52.17 + 17.00 = 69.17 out of 100
One mark in the Main exam is worth about 0.33 of a final mark (75 ÷ 230), while one mark in Phase-III is worth 0.5 (25 ÷ 50). Phase-III marks therefore carry more weight per mark, which is why the group exercise and interview deserve proper preparation.
A practical tool: your per-question time budget
| Section | Time ÷ questions | Average per question |
|---|---|---|
| Prelims English | 20 min ÷ 40 | 30 seconds |
| Prelims Quant | 20 min ÷ 30 | 40 seconds |
| Prelims Reasoning | 20 min ÷ 30 | 40 seconds |
| Mains Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 50 min ÷ 40 | 75 seconds |
| Mains Data Analysis & Interpretation | 45 min ÷ 30 | 90 seconds |
| Mains General Awareness / Economy / Banking | 45 min ÷ 60 | 45 seconds |
| Mains English | 40 min ÷ 40 | 60 seconds |
| Descriptive | 30 min ÷ 3 tasks | 10 minutes per task |
Use it in mocks: at the halfway point of each section, you should be close to halfway through the questions. Prelims English is the tightest section at 30 seconds a question, so practise reading comprehension under a timer. The descriptive paper gives roughly 10 minutes per task, including typing, so practise typing a short email or précis on a computer, not by hand.
Pay, bond and probation
The advertisement states a starting basic pay of ₹48,480 plus four advance increments in the scale ₹48,480-2,000/7-62,480-2,340/2-67,160-2,680/7-85,920 (Junior Management Grade Scale-I), with DA, HRA, CCA, NPS, medical and other benefits as per bank rules. It gives an approximate CTC of ₹21.97 lakh at the initial scale at the Mumbai centre; the figure will differ by posting location.
Before applying, note two commitments:
- A ₹2 lakh bond to serve the bank for at least three years, invoked if you resign earlier.
- Probation of two years with continuous assessment; confirmation in JMGS-I depends on meeting the bank's standards.
Read the corrigendum, not just the advertisement
The original advertisement contained a clause requiring candidates with adverse credit history (CIBIL) to clear dues or produce lender NOCs by the date of joining. A corrigendum dated 01.07.2026 removed that CIBIL clause "with immediate effect", keeping all other terms unchanged. Any guide that still lists a CIBIL condition for this cycle has missed the corrigendum. It is a good reminder to check every corrigendum on the careers page before acting on a rule.
One document check to do now
Category certificates. OBC certificates must be in the Government of India format, with the non-creamy-layer clause, issued between 01.04.2026 and the interview date. EWS candidates need an Income & Asset Certificate based on FY 2025-26 income. Without the correct format, the advertisement says you will not be allowed to attend the interview. Candidates seeking age relaxation must also submit copies of the supporting certificates at the group exercise/interview.
Before you rely on any guide
- Download the full SBI PO 2026 advertisement and its corrigendum from the careers page.
- Be wary of anyone claiming guaranteed selection or insider influence: the advertisement says SBI does not endorse any such platform or individual and that candidates must rely solely on information on SBI's official career portal.
- For how SBI PO compares with IBPS and RBI recruitment, see our banking exam routes comparison.
SBI PO rewards balanced preparation: speed in a prelims with no sectional cut-off, consistency across every Main exam test including the descriptive, and a Phase-III where each mark counts for more.