Exam Pattern
SBI PO Exam Pattern
State Bank of India: Probationary Officer
The SBI PO exam pattern below is checked stage by stage, so one stage cannot inherit another stage's scoring rules.
Prelims
Official CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 pattern| Questions | 100 |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0.25 per wrong answer |
| Sections | English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability |
| Test | Qs | Marks | Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 40 | 40 | 20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 | 20 |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 | 30 | 20 |
Timing: 20 minutes per section.
Candidates must qualify each of the three separately timed sections. Prelims marks are used only for shortlisting; the final merit list is decided by Mains.
Official source · checked 4 August 2026The SBI PO Prelims exam pattern is 100 questions carrying 100 marks, to be answered in 60 minutes. That works out to about 36 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 3 sections are English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability. All 3 sections are separately timed, so time saved in one cannot be carried into another. You cannot bank minutes by rushing an easy section.
SBI PO Prelims marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1 mark.
- A wrong answer deducts 0.25 marks; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 20% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. A blind guess between four options is right 25% of the time, which is already above that line, so an educated guess is clearly worth making rather than leaving the question blank.
- Worked example: attempt 80 of the 100 questions and get 60 right and 20 wrong, and you score 55 out of 100.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 36 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free SBI PO mock test to see where your time actually goes.
Mains
Review pendingConfirmed via SBI's own CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 notification, consistently corroborated by multiple independent current secondary sources: Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40Q/60 marks/50 min), Data Analysis and Interpretation (30Q/60 marks/45 min), General/Economy/Banking Awareness (60Q/60 marks/45 min), and English Language (40Q/20 marks/40 min), totalling 170 objective questions for 200 marks in 180 minutes, followed by a separately timed Descriptive Test (revised to 30 marks/30 min for the 2026 cycle, a computer-based typing test). This site's Mains content covers Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, Data Analysis and Interpretation, and English Language only (110 of the 170 objective questions); General/Economy/Banking Awareness needs current, fact-checked content and is not yet built, and the Descriptive Test is not multiple-choice and cannot be auto-graded.
SBI PO exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in SBI PO?
SBI PO deducts 0.25 marks for a wrong answer. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in SBI PO?
SBI PO has 100 questions. That leaves about 36 seconds per question in SBI PO.
What are the total marks in SBI PO?
SBI PO is out of 100 marks.
How long is the SBI PO exam?
SBI PO runs for 60 minutes.
Does SBI PO have a sectional time limit?
Yes. SBI PO times its sections separately, so time left over in one section cannot be spent on another. Plan a per-section budget before you sit it.