SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020 | Know Phase I, II, and III Exam Pattern Here!
The State Bank of India conducts the SBI PO Exam in three different stages. The three phases of the Exam Pattern are as follows-Prelims (Phase I), Mains (Phase II), and Group Discussion and Personal Interview (Phase III). Go through the complete article to know more about the various specific details for each phase of the SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020.
SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020
State Bank of India, SBI conducts examination for the recruitment of Bank Probationary Officer (PO) posts. All the interested candidates should know the SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020 really well before starting their preparation because this will make their preparation easier.
- Both the SBI PO Prelims and Mains Exam will be of objective type
- As per the latest update, there will be no sectional Cut Off in the exam
- It is a must that the candidates should know the SBI PO Syllabus 2020 in detail for all the phases beforehand
- As the last round of the SBI PO Selection Process, candidates will be asked to attend Group Discussion & Personal Interview
- Final Merit List will be prepared on the basis of candidate’s performance in Phase I, II, and III exams of SBI PO
- If you are starting to prepare for the exam, read our post on SBI PO Exam Analysis to know the exam better.
Latest SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020
SBI Probationary Officer (PO) exam will consist of 3 stages and one must know the examination pattern for each stage of SBI PO. To make things more clear for you, let’s start by looking at the various stages of the exam. Three stages are mentioned below;
- Preliminary Examination (Phase 1)
- Main examination (Phase 2)
- Group Exercises and interview (Phase 3)
Now, let’s start with Phase I (Prelims exam) for SBI PO-
SBI PO 2020 Exam Pattern for Prelims (Phase 1)
Phase 1 or Prelims exam is the very first stage of the SBI Selection Process. This will be an objective type of test. Candidates who will clear the prelims exam will be eligible to write the SBI PO mains examination.
Now, let’s look at the exam pattern for Prelims to understand the pattern well;
| S.No. | Name of Tests(Objective) | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| 1 | English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| 3 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 1 hour | |
- The first stage will consist of 3 sections; English Language, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability.
- The preliminary exam will last for 1 Hr (60 Minutes).
- There will be a total of 100 questions for 100 marks.
- As per the latest pattern, there is no sectional Cut Off in the Prelims exam. That means you will not have to score minimum marks in each section to get selected for the Mains/ Phase II exam.
- Each correct answer will fetch you 1 mark and every wrong answer has a negative marking scheme of 0.25 marks.
Important Topics (Prelims) – SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020
In the table below, we have mentioned important topics for SBI PO Prelims as per the SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020-
| Sections | Syllabus |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Simplification, Number System, Average, Percentage, Ratio and Proportion, Interest, Number series, Data Interpretation, Profit and Loss, Mensuration, Permutation and Combination |
| Reasoning Ability | Inequalities, Ordering, and Ranking, Directions, and Distances, Coding and Decoding, Blood Relations, Syllogisms, Circular Seating Arrangement, Linear Seating Arrangement, Double Line Up, Grouping, and Selection |
| English Language | Fill in the blanks, Reading, and Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Cloze test, Error spotting, Spellings, Phrase Idiom meaning, |
As we are clear about SBI PO Prelims Exam Pattern, let’s move towards the next rounds of SBI PO examination;
SBI PO 2020 Exam Pattern for Mains (Phase 2)
The candidates who clear sectional cut off and overall cut off can take the mains exam 2020. The main examination will consist of objective tests for 200 marks and descriptive tests for 50 marks for descriptive test. Candidates will have to take an online test and descriptive paper as a part of the SBI PO Recruitment process.
To start with, let’s have a look at the Objective Test Exam Pattern for SBI PO Mains 2020-
Objective Test
Candidates who clear the Preliminary exam will be eligible to write the Mains examination. The objective test is the first stage of the Mains examination process for SBI PO. To understand its pattern more clearly, let’s look at the Structure of the Objective test for Mains.
Structure of the Objective Test
In the table below, we have mentioned the exam pattern for the Objective test for SBI PO Mains exam.
| S.No. | Section | No of Questions | Total marks | Time duration |
| 1 | Reasoning and computer aptitude | 45 | 60 | 60 minutes |
| 2 | Data analysis and Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| 3 | General awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| 4 | English language | 35 | 40 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 155 | 200 | 3 hours |
- This stage will consist of 4 sections; Reasoning and Computer Aptitude, Data Analysis and Interpretation, General Awareness, and English Language.
- The Objective test in the mains exam will last for 3 Hrs (180 Minutes).
- There will be a total of 155 questions for 200 marks.
- Each correct answer will fetch you 1 mark and every wrong answer has a negative marking scheme of 0.25 marks.
Important Topics (Mains 2020)
In the table below, we have mentioned important topics for SBI PO Mains exam-
| Sections | Syllabus |
| Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude | Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Inequality, Syllogism, Input-Output, Coding-Decoding, Verbal Reasoning, Data Sufficiency, Miscellaneous topics, Computer Aptitude |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | Bar graph, Line graph, Pie chart (single or double), Tabular graph, Radar chart, Mixed graphs (a combination of any 2 of the above), Caselet/ Paragraph DI, Missing graphs |
| English Language | Reading Comprehension, Cloze test, Para jumbles, Odd one out/ Theme based questions, Statement and Paragraph Completion, Sentence Connectors |
| General Awareness | Current Affairs, Banking / Financial Awareness, Static Affairs |
SBI PO Mains will also consist of a descriptive section that will carry 50 Marks. Let’s look at the Description section of SBI PO Mains exam, to be more clear about the exam pattern –
SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020 for Descriptive Section
As a part of the SBI PO Mains exam, candidates will also need to appear for the Descriptive Test. This stage of the selection process is to check the writing skills of the candidates. Now, let’s look at few of the important details about SBI PO Mains Descriptive Section;
- There are an objective type questionnaire and a descriptive format.
- The descriptive test pattern is for a duration of 30 minutes and for 50 marks.
- The test will include a letter-writing essay in the English language.
- The test is to screen the writing skills of the candidates
SBI PO Exam Pattern 2020 for Phase 3 (Group Exercises and Personal Interview)
Candidates who clear the cutoff score for the mains exam will be called for the group Exercise and personal interview test where candidates will be interviewed by the interview board. The Group exercise will carry 30 marks, while the interview will carry 20 marks.
SBI PO 2020 Exam Pattern for Group Exercise
Group Discussion on current affairs and the topic of an area. Debate a work-related problem and provide solutions to a particular problem at work. This section will check teamwork and other leadership abilities needed to be a part of the biggest Financial Institution in India.
SBI PO 2020 Exam Pattern for Personal Interview
As the final stage of the SBI PO Selection process, a personal interview will be organized for each candidate where questions will be asked on a 1-on-1 basis. Candidates will be selected for the job based on merit in Phase I, Phase II and Personal Interview and Group Discussion rounds
Important Topics for Group Exercise and Personal Interview – SBI PO 2020 Exam Pattern
In the table below, we have mentioned some of the most important topics for Group Exercise and Personal Interview;
| Topics for Group Exercise and Personal Interview | |
| Is the right to freedom being misused? | Cleanliness should be the fundamental duty of every citizen. |
| What are the merits and demerits of One Rank One Pension scheme? | What measures should be adopted for avoiding NPA? |
| SBI Merger: Pros and cons? | What do you think about reservations in education and jobs? |
| How is Swach Bharat Abhiyan currently important for India? |
NSG is the need of the hour for India. |
| Rail budget should have merged into the general budget much earlier. | Women employment is possible through mass awareness rather than launching programs. |
| Is the government just renaming the old schemes? | Wind power Vs Solar Energy? |
Share your thoughts/queries here!
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