SBI PO Syllabus 2020 PDF Download (Prelims & Mains)

The State bank of India has scheduled the preliminary examination for Probationary Officers in January 2021 tentatively. Gear up preparations for the examination by going through the detailed SBI PO Syllabus 2020.

In this post, we have provided the subject-wise SBI PO Exam Syllabus for Prelims and Mains along with important topics and their weightage of questions.

SBI PO Syllabus 2020 PDF

  • The SBI PO Prelims Syllabus consists of three sections: Reasoning Ability, English Language, and Quantitative Aptitude.
  • The SBI PO 2020 Syllabus for Mains Exam consists of four sections: English Language, Data Analysis & Interpretation, Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, and General Awareness.
  • As per the experts, solving SBI PO Previous Year Question Papers will help candidates to know the difficulty level of the paper, exam pattern, marking scheme, and type of questions asked in the exam.
  • Candidates can view or download the SBI PO Syllabus PDF from the link provided below and start their preparation accordingly.
  • Know the important topics of both Prelims and Mains SBI PO 2020 Syllabus in the table provided below.
  • Going through the SBI PO Free Study Materials will save your time and direct your preparation in the right direction.

SBI PO Syllabus

SBI PO Prelims Syllabus 2020

Prelims Exam consists of mainly three sections-Reasoning, Quantitative Ability, and the English language. Go through the SBI PO Exam Pattern to get more understanding about the exam.

  • The Prelims exam will take place in an online mode
  • The medium of questions will be English and Hindi. The candidates will get a bi-lingual question paper
  • Firstly, there are a total of three subjects that have to be covered to crack the exam
  • Secondly, the topics in the table below must be mastered by the candidates
  • Ensure to study each topic as per the SBI PO 2020 Syllabus. Also taking up FREE Banking Quiz regularly can help in analyzing your preparation levels.
Reasoning Quantitative Aptitude English Language
Logical Reasoning Simplification Reading Comprehension
Alphanumeric Series Profit & Loss Cloze Test
Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test Mixtures &Alligations Para jumbles
Data Sufficiency Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices Miscellaneous
Coded Inequalities Work & Time Fill in the blanks
Seating Arrangement Time & Distance Multiple Meaning /Error Spotting
Puzzle Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere Paragraph Completion
Tabulation Data Interpretation
Syllogism Ratio & Proportion, Percentage
Blood Relations Number Systems
Input-Output Sequence & Series
Coding-Decoding Permutation, Combination &Probability

Subject-Wise Weightage of Topics

Check out the topic-wise number of questions asked from each subject. This helps in concentrating on topics that have higher weightage and also studying only important topics.

Weightage of SBI PO Reasoning Topics

Here is the table showing the important topics and weightage of questions of the reasoning section. Attempting FREE Reasoning Quiz regularly can help in understanding each topic better and answer the questions correctly.

Reasoning Weightage
Logical Reasoning  2
Alphanumeric Series  2
Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test  2
Data Sufficiency  2
Coded Inequalities  3
Puzzle and Seating Arrangement  19
Tabulation  3
Syllogism  4
Blood Relations  4
Coding-Decoding  3

Weightage of SBI PO Quantitative Ability Topics

The below table explains the list of important topics and the number of questions asked from each subject. Take up FREE Quant Quiz to know how much you are aware of each topic.

Quantitative Ability Number of Questions
Quadratic Equation 5
Profit & Loss 1
Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices 1
Work & Time 2
Time & Distance 1
Mensuration – Cylinder, Cone, Sphere 1
Data Interpretation 15
Ratio & Proportion, Percentage 2
Missing Number Series 5
Sequence & Series 2
Miscellaneous Word Problem 10

Weightage of SBI PO English Topics

The below table explains the important topics in the SBI PO Syllabus 2020 PDF for English along with the number of questions asked from each topic. Our FREE English Quiz can help candidates to know the difficulty level of the paper and know which type of items can be asked.

English Topics Weightage
Reading Comprehension 5
Cloze Test 5
Match the following based on Sentence Formation 2
Miscellaneous 6
Sentence Correction 5
Multiple Meaning /Error Spotting 6
Single Fillers 7
sentence correction 5

SBI PO Syllabus in Hindi PDF Download 2020

For all aspirants reference, here is the detailed Syllabus PDF in Hindi and English. Download the free SBI PO 2020 Syllabus PDF in Hindi and English below and gear up your preparations for the upcoming examination.

SBI PO 2020 Syllabus PDF Download Here

SBI PO Prelims Question Type

It is obvious that candidates are worried about the type of questions asked in the exam. Hence, for the aspirant’s reference, we have provided what type of questions are asked from each subject.

Type of Questions asked in the Reasoning Section

Generally, the following type of questions has been asked from each topic of the SBI PO Reasoning section.

  • Syllogism – Conventional, Coded, and Reverse questions
  • Ordering and Ranking – Mostly Puzzle on ordering by age, floor, and
  • Inequalities – General & Coded inequalities
  • Coding & Decoding – Coding by Fictitious Language, Coding by analogy, coding by words, coding-decoding by letter shifting, etc.
  • Blood Relations – Family tree and Blood relation problems
  • Direction & Distance – Problems based on Turns, stops, and angles
  • Puzzles – Seating Arrangement, Double Line up Arrangement, Floor Puzzle, Scheduling, Boc Based, etc.
  • Data Sufficiency – Coding-Decoding, Scheduling, Seating Arrangement, Direction & Distance, Blood Relation, etc.
  • Input and Output – Less likely to appear. Conventional or Coded
  • Arrangement and pattern – Less likely to appear. Number and Letter Based(Based on Series & Groups)

Type of Questions asked in the Quantitative Section

Let us have a look at the type of questions asked from each topic of the quantitative section.

  • Simplification – BODMAS, Approx.
  • Ratio & Proportion – Simple Ratios, Compound Ratios
  • Mixture Problems – Questions based on Mixture of two or three quantities and their ratio
  • Number System – LCM, HCF, Integers, Rational Irrational Numbers
  • Algebra – Quadratic Equations and Linear Equations
  • Profit & Loss – Problem-related to Dishonest Dealings, Successive Selling, Partnership & Discount, and M
  • Average – Average Weight/Height/Age/Marks, Average Money Expenditure, Average Temperature, etc.
  • Percentage – Calculation-oriented basic percentage Questions
  • Time & Work – Work Efficiency, Work & wages, Pipe & Cistern
  • Interest – Simple Interest, Compound Interest, Simple a7 Compound Interest both & Installments
  • Speed, Time & Distance – Problems on Trains, Boats, Rivers, Relative Speed, Average Speed, and Partial Speed
  • Permutation & combination – Problems based on Basic selection and Arrangement Problems
  • Probability – Very Basic problems on Probability
  • Mensuration – Problems related to Area, surface area & volume of various geometrical shapes
  • Number Series – Finding the missing term and wrong term
  • Data Sufficiency – Data Sufficiency problems
  • Data Interpretation – Pie Chart, Line chart, bar graph, table & caselet
  • Comparison of Quantities – General Arithmetic topics

Type of Questions asked in the English Section

Go through the type of questions asked from each topic of the English section in the SBI PO Exam.

  • Reading Comprehension – The passage will focus on topics like moral stories, humanities, social issues, economy, and business. Vocabulary based and Idiom based questions.
  • Cloze Test – Questions based on a passage containing a particular idea
  • Error Detection – Questions based on finding an error in a sentence
  • Fill in the Blanks – Questions covering vocabulary and Grammar
  • Verbal ability – Questions based on para jumbles, Match the following, etc.

SBI PO Mains Syllabus 2020

The SBI PO Syllabus for Mains consists of five sections-Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, English Language, General Awareness, Data Analysis.

Data Analysis & Interpretation Tabular Graph Line Graph/Bar Graph Probability
Data Sufficiency Permutation and Combination Pie Charts
Reasoning Verbal Reasoning Syllogism Circular Seating Arrangement
Linear Seating Arrangement Blood Relations, Critical Reasoning Input-Output, Analytical and Decision Making
Data Sufficiency Coding-Decoding, Course of Action Critical Reasoning
Computer Aptitude Internet Memory Computer Abbreviation
Keyboard Shortcuts Computer Hardware Number System
Networking Operating System
General/Economy/Banking Awareness Current Affairs Financial Awareness General Knowledge
Static Awareness Banking Terminologies Knowledge Banking Awareness
English Language Reading Comprehension Grammar Verbal Ability
Vocabulary Error Spotting Cloze Test
Fill in the blanks

Weightage off SBI PO Mains Reasoning

Check out the below table to know the SBI PO Detailed Syllabus for Reasoning and also the number of questions asked from each topic.

Topic Number of Questions
Direction – Symbol based 3
AR (Linear Seating Arrangement 5
AR (Circular/Pentagon Seating Arrangement) 5
AR (Data Arrangement – Stacks A, B, C based) 5
AR (Concentric Square-based) 1
Direction – Puzzle based 1
Data Sufficiency 1
Coding-Decoding 5
Input-Output 5
Logical Reasoning (Statement-Inference, Critical Reasoning, Course of Action, etc.) 9

Weightage of SBI PO Mains Quantitative Aptitude

Go through the below table to know the number of questions asked from the SBI PO Maths Syllabus.

Topics Number of Questions
Data Interpretation (Table – Time and work-based) 3
Data Interpretation (Caselet – Probability-based) 5
Data Interpretation (Funnel Shape) 5
Data Interpretation (Caselet) 4
Data Interpretation (Scattered Graph) 3
Comparison of quantities – Quantity I. Quantity II and Quantity III 3
Data Sufficiency 3
Number Series 2
Profit, Loss & Discount 1
Mensuration 3
Ages 1
Miscellaneous 2

Weightage of SBI PO Mains English Language

Know the important topics of SBI PO English Syllabus for Mains here and the number of questions asked from each topic.

Topics Number of Questions
Reading Comprehension 20
Phrase Replacement 5
Para jumbles /Sentence Rearrangement 5
Fill in the blanks – Double FIB 5

SBI PO Mains Syllabus for the Computer Awareness Section

Here is the table consisting of important topics from SBI PO Syllabus for computers and the weightage of questions.

Computer Awareness Weightage
Internet 5
Memory 2
Keyboard Shortcuts 2
Computer Abbreviation 2
Microsoft Office 1
Computer Hardware 3
Computer Software 3
Operating System 4
Networking 3
Miscellaneous 8

SBI PO Syllabus – Group Discussion & Interview

Group Discussion & Interview is the final stage of the selection process of the SBI PO Exam 2020. Candidates who qualify in both prelims and Mains exams are called for the final selection process of the exam. Candidates will receive the Letter of Appointment from SBI after clearing all the phases of the exam. The Letter of Appointment contains joining formalities, joining date, place of joining, etc.

SBI PO Exam pattern

Before going through the SBI PO syllabus, it is important for candidates to check the SBI PO Exam Pattern in order to get more understanding about the exam. The three phases of the Exam Pattern of the SBI PO Exam is as follows:

  • Prelims (Phase-1)
  • Mains (Phase-2)
  • Group Discussion and Interview (Phase-3)

Go through the detailed pattern of the SBI PO 2020 Exam to know the number of questions asked form each section, marking scheme, and sectional time limit. SBI PO Syllabus

SBI PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2020

The following table has the detailed Exam Pattern for SBI PO Prelims 2020:

  • Firstly, the exam lasts for 1 hour
  • The Question paper comes in Objective type
  • There is also negative marking of 1/3 for every wrong answer
Mode of Exam Online
The medium of Question Paper English / Hindi
Type of Exam Online
Duration 1 hour
Type of Questions Objective Type
Total Number of Questions 100
Marks Obtained for Correct Answer +1
Marks Deducted for Incorrect Answer -0.25
Sections in the exam English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability
Weightage of English Language 25-30 Questions
Weightage of Quantitative Aptitude 30-35 Questions
Weightage of Reasoning Ability 30-35 Questions

The following table has the Section-wise Exam Pattern for Prelims exam:

  • The candidates have to complete the exam in 1 hour
  • Secondly, there would be questions from three subjects: English, Maths, and Reasoning
  • There would be a total of 100 questions and each question carries equal marks.
Section Name No. of Questions Total Marks
English Language 30 30
Quantitative Ability 35 35
Reasoning Ability 35 35
Total 100 questions 100 marks

SBI PO Mains Exam Pattern 2020

The following table has the detailed SBI PO Exam Pattern of Mains exam:

Section Objective Test Descriptive Test
Exam-duration 3 hours or 180 minutes 30 minutes
Total Questions 155 questions Letter Writing/ Essay Writing
Maximum marks 200 marks 25 marks
Negative Marking 1/3 marks will be deducted for every wrong answer NA
Exam-mode Hindi and English (Hindi will not be applicable for English language section) English

The following table has the Section-wise Exam Pattern of the SBI PO Mains Objective Exam:

  • Firstly, the exam lasts for 3 hours
  • There is negative marking of 1/3 for every wrong answer
  • There will be a total of 155 questions in the exam
Section Total Questions Maximum Marks Duration (minutes)
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude 45 60 60
Data Analysis & Interpretation 35 60 45
General Awareness (Economy & Banking) 40 40 35
English Language 35 40 40
Total 155 Questions 200 Marks 3 hours

SBI PO Preparation Tips 2020

Go through the detailed experts suggested preparation tips for the SBI PO Preliminary examination below.

How to Prepare for Reasoning Section?

  • Before starting their preparation candidates are advised to separate the easy topics and tricky topics.
  • First, start with easy topics and then proceed to tricky topics.
  • Focus on the more difficult concepts in Syllogism and that will help you score maximum marks in the exam.
  • While solving direct & distance problems, try to solve more difficult questions on your own without searching for solutions.
  • Daily solve at least 10-15 puzzles.
  • Also, be sure to solve the easier questions first in the exam and do not waste spending more time on topics like syllogism, coding-decoding, inequalities, analogies, etc.

How to Prepare for Quantitative Ability Section?

  • It is important for candidates to learn all the basic mathematical formulae.
  • candidates are advised to take out at least 3-4 hours daily to devote to the Maths section.
  • Try solving and understanding the questions and concepts from the book titled Quantum CAT by Sarvesh K Verma.
  • Practice as many as sample papers to get a clear idea about the type of questions asked in the Maths section and the difficulty level of the questions.
  • Solve SBI PO Mock Tests and on a daily basis and try to analyze the question from these test series.
  • Do not cramp all the formulas in a single day.

How to Prepare for English Section?

  • If the students have a clear concept on the use of basic elements such as prepositions and adjectives, they can easily get through this section with a heavy score.
  • Candidates can brush up their grammar and vocabulary skills by reading newspapers, magazines daily.
  • Try to learn at least 20 new English words daily and note down the meaning of each word you find unfamiliar or difficult to remember.
  • Try to make sentences out of the idioms/phrases. This trick will help remember what was learned.
  • One of the easiest ways to remember vocabulary is the use of mnemonics, which means creating shortcuts to remember more complex words.
  • Revise all the words you have learned on a weekly basis.

SBI PO Syllabus – Group Discussion & Interview

Candidates who clear the cutoff score for the mains exam will be called for the group discussion 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. Candidates are advised to go through the topics mentioned below that help them to clear the SBI PO Group Discussion and Personal Interview round easily.

  • Impact of COVID-19 in the World
  • Reservation System in Government Jobs.
  • Water disputes
  • FDI in India
  • Gold Monetisation Scheme
  • Women Empowerment
  • Impact of Brexit
  • Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal
  • Digital India
  • Should cryptocurrency be made legal?

SBI PO Final Selection

The final selection of the candidate will be based on the points discussed below:

  • Candidates must qualify in both the Phase-2 and Phase-3 rounds in order to get shortlisted in the final merit list.
  • Marks secured by the candidates in the SBI PO Mains Exam (out of 250 marks) are converted to out of 75 and marks secured in Group Exercises & Interview (out of 50 marks) are converted to out of 25. This makes the new total score (Mains + GD/PI) to be 100
  • The aggregate score out of 100 is used for the final merit list for each category.
  • Candidates with top merit rank in each category are finally selected.
  • As parents must note that those who clear all the rounds of the exam will receive the letter of appointment from SBI that contains joining formalities, joining date, place of joining, etc.

SBI PO Preparation Books

The candidates always search for the best pile of books they can prepare from. We have personalized some books for the candidates. Candidates can check the SBI PO Preparation Books form the table below and better prepare for the exam.

Book Name Author/Publisher
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations RS Aggarwal
Shortcuts in Quantitative Aptitude with 4 eBooks for Competitive Exams Disha Experts
Bank PO Quantitative Aptitude Chapter-wise Solved Papers Arihant Experts
Chapter-wise Solved Papers 2000-2015 Bank PO QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE Arihant Experts

SBI PO Preparation Tips 2020

Once you are aware of the syllabus, follow the expert’s SBI PO Preparation Tips to crack the exam in one attempt.

  • Go through the detailed exam pattern and syllabus for SBI PO Exam 2020.
  • Make a proper study plan and begin your preparation.
  • Study each and every topic by referring to the right SBI PO Books.
  • Ensure to complete studying the topics planned for each day without fail.
  • Take up the SBI PO Mock Test Series regularly to analyze your preparation.
  • Solve previous year papers to know the difficulty level of the paper and estimate the different types of questions.

SBI PO Exam Analysis 2020

On the day of the exam, by taking the feedback from students, a detailed SBI PO Exam Analysis is prepared. The analysis helps candidates to know the difficulty level of the exam, the number of good attempts, and also which questions were asked in the exam. Go through the brief information about SBI PO 2019 Paper Analysis below and enhance your preparations.

SBI PO Paper Analysis 2019

  • Reasoning & Computer Aptitude was the toughest section while English was the easiest section.
  • The Reasoning & Computer Aptitude section involved many new questions.
  • Also, a new type of Data Interpretation question dominated the Data Analysis & Interpretation section.
  • Most of the questions in the English Language section were from Reading Comprehension.
  • In the General Awareness section, 35 questions were asked from current affairs related to economy and finance world while only 5 questions were asked from static GK.
Sections Good Attempts
Data interpretation and analysis 14-15
Reasoning and computer amplitude 15-18
English language 24-28
General/Economy/Banking Awareness 30-32
Overall good attempts 74-84

Section-Wise Exam Analysis

Go through the topic-wise number of questions asked and difficulty level for each subject tabulated below:

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Topics No. of Questions Difficulty level of Questions
Data Interpretation 20 Difficult
Data Sufficiency 2 Moderate
Number Series 2 Moderate
Statement Condition 2 Difficult
Mensuration 3 Moderate
Probability 5 Moderate
Ages 1 Difficult

Reasoning and Computer Aptitude

Topics No. of Questions  Difficulty level of Questions
Puzzle and Seating Arrangement 25 Difficult
Data Sufficiency 3 Moderate
Logical Reasoning 8 Moderate
Input-Output 3 Easy
Direction sense 2 Moderate
Coding-Decoding 4 Difficult

English Language

Topics No. of Questions Difficulty level
Reading comprehension 15 Moderate-Difficult
Para jumbles 8 Moderate
Fillers 6 Moderate
Miscellaneous 3 Moderate-Difficult
Phrase replacement 3 Easy

General Awareness

Topics No. of Questions Difficulty level
Budget 7 Moderate-Difficult
Government Schemes 8 Moderate
RBI and Banking 12 Moderate
Sports 5 Moderate-Difficult
Corporate news 8 Easy

SBI PO Syllabus FAQ’s

Q) What is the weight of the Reasoning section in the SBI PO Preliminary Exam?

Around 30-35 questions will be asked in the Reasoning section of the SBI PO Preliminary Exam. Candidates have to focus on topics like Verbal/Non-Verbal Reasoning, Syllogism, Circular & Linear Seating Arrangement, Data Sufficiency, Coding, and Decoding, etc to score more marks in the exam.

Q) How many subjects are there in the SBI PO 2020 Prelims Exam?

The SBI PO Prelims Exam comprises three subjects and those are as follows:

  1. Quantitative Aptitude
  2. Reasoning Ability
  3. English Language

Q) What are the topics that need to prepare under the English section of the SBI PO Syllabus 2020 of the Prelims Exam?

The important topics that need to prepare under the English Section of the SBI PO Prelims Exam as follows: Reading Comprehension, Grammar, Vocabulary, Fill in the blanks, Multiple Meaning /Error Spotting, Paragraph Completion, Miscellaneous, and Grammar.

Q) What is the SBI PO Syllabus for the Mains Exam?

The SBI PO 2020 syllabus for Mains Exam consists of five sections: Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, English Language, General Awareness, Data Analysis.

Q) How can I better prepare for SBI PO Exam?

Candidates have to follow expert preparation tips to score more marks in the exam. Before starting your preparation, go through the detailed exam pattern and syllabus for SBI PO Exam 2020 and make a proper study plan. Study each and every topic by referring to the right SBI PO Books and ensure to complete studying the topics planned for each day without fail. Take up Mock Test Series regularly to analyze your preparation and Solve previous year papers to know the difficulty level of the paper and estimate the different types of questions.

Q) Which is the best book for the preparation of SBI PO Syllabus of Quantitative aptitude questions?

Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by RS Aggarwal is the best book for preparing SBI PO Quantitative Aptitude Questions.

Q) How many questions are asked from the English section in the SBI PO Prelims Exam?

As per the exam pattern, 30 questions will be asked from the English section in the SBI PO Prelims Exam. To score more marks in this section, candidates are advised to solve as many mock tests as possible.

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