SBI EXAMS

SBI Exams are conducted by the State Bank of India to hire eligible candidates for various posts like:

  1. SBI Probationary Officer (PO)
  2. SBI Clerk (Junior Associates)
  3. SBI Specialist Cadre Officer (SCO/ SO)

The State Bank of India conducts recruitment annually, and aspirants are now looking forward to the SBI notification for SO, PO and Clerk for the year 2021. Being the largest public sector bank in India, State Bank of India recruits new resources through the following SBI bank exams every year:

1. SBI PO Exam

It is also known as the SBI Probationary Officer (PO) Exam. The SBI PO exam mainly selects candidates for the management cadre of the Bank. The selected candidates are deputed to the role of Probationary Officers during the training phase. Later, they move on to management roles on completion of their training.

For detailed information on the Bank PO exam, check the linked article.

The SBI PO exam is categorized into three stages:

  • SBI PO Preliminary Exam: The SBI PO Prelims usually skims the candidates from a huge lot for the next stage of the exam. It retains about 2.8% of the total number of applicants for the SBI Mains examination.
  • SBI PO Main Exam: In the SBI PO Mains section, the performance of the candidates is assessed in such a way which helps in determining whether they are eligible to make it to the next stage of the exam. The SBI PO exam paper comprises of two sections:
    • Objective test: In this section, the focus is mainly on core knowledge areas which are required in the modern workplace. The SBI PO exam syllabus consists of Data Analysis & Interpretation, General Knowledge, Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, Economy, Banking Awareness and English.
    • Descriptive test: This test primarily measures the candidates’ ability to use written English language skills in a business setting.
  • SBI PO Group Discussion and SBI PO Interview: Candidates who clear the SBI PO Mains exam are put through group discussion and interview, which is the final stage of selection before a merit list of final selected candidates is listed.

To explore the SBI PO Recruitment at length, check at the linked article.

2. SBI Clerk Exam

The SBI Clerk Exam mainly recruits new employees in the position of Junior Associates for the clerical cadre of the Bank. There are two different stages in this SBI exam:

  • SBI Clerk Preliminary Exam: This exam is also called as SBI Clerk Prelims. This exam is the initial stage of the clerical cadre of the banking giant which filters out candidates for the next level.
  • SBI Clerk Mains Exam: This SBI exam is commonly referred to as the SBI Clerk Mains. In this stage, the marks that candidates secure usually determines the selection status of candidates as clerks in the State Bank.
  • SBI Interview: There is no interview in this stage, and the SBI exam results are announced in a couple of months from the SBI Clerk Mains exam, and the final selected candidates are deputed on merit-basis.

To explore the SBI Recruitment at length, check at the linked article.

3. SBI SO Exam

The SBI SO exam aims to recruit Specialist Officers(SO) for the Bank. SBI Specialist Officer aspirants have to mandatorily fulfil the minimum SBI SO eligibility requirements to appear in the SBI Selection Process set by State Bank of India. The selection process of this exam primarily consists of an interview which emphasizes on the work experience and specialization of the candidates.

SBI Notification

SBI releases the official notification of each competitive exam – Probationary Officer, Clerk and Specialist Officer every calendar year in which it updates about the tentative exam dates, call letter download and application closure dates for its prospective aspirants.

SBI Syllabus 2022 for SBI Exams- SBI PO, SO & Clerk

The State Bank of India (SBI) is one of the largest banks in India. A prospective banking aspirant would consider it a matter of pride and honour to be chosen to work with SBI. Every year State Bank of India conducts different types of examinations for the following posts:

  • SBI Probationary Officer (PO)
  • SBI Clerk
  • SBI Specialist Officer (SO)

Every exam has a different SBI exam pattern and the SBI Syllabus is also slightly different for each of the exams. Although the major subjects remain the same, the difficulty level of questions in each of the exams is different. Knowing the key topics covered in the SBI exam syllabus beforehand can help the aspirants understand the topics covered in the exam better and make the appropriate strategy for the exam preparation.

Bank aspirants can check the links given below and check the list of subject-wise topics which are included in the SBI bank syllabus and start their preparation accordingly:

Quantitative Aptitude Logical Reasoning
Comprehensive News Analysis Verbal Ability
Computer Knowledge Banking Awareness

SBI PO Syllabus

The syllabus for SBI PO is divided according to the phases of the examination. There are three phases of the SBI PO exam –

  • Preliminary Examination
  • Mains Examination
  • Group Exercise and Interview
SBI PO Syllabus – Overview
Exam Name SBI Probationary Officer (SBI PO)
Conducting Body State Bank of India
Name of Post Probationary Officer
Stages of Exam
  • Prelims
  • Mains
  • Interview
Syllabus
  • Reasoning
  • Quantitative Aptitude
  • English Language
  • Banking Awareness
  • Computer Knowledge
  • General Knowledge
Medium of Exam English and Hindi
Number of Questions

Prelims- 100 Questions

Mains- 157 Questions

Maximum Marks
  • Prelims- 100
  • Mains- 200 (+50 Descriptive)
  • Interview- 50
Time Duration

Prelims – 1 hour

Mains – 3.5-hour

SBI PO Negative Marking 1/4th marks deducted for every wrong answer.

SBI PO Prelims Syllabus: The SBI PO exam’s syllabus is very similar to other bank exams. To ace the preliminary exam, a candidate must prepare for three key sections. The topics covered in the sections include a wide range of subjects. It is advised that applicants glance over the papers from the previous year to get a sense of how much weightage each topic has. 

In the SBI PO Prelims examination, the SBI PO syllabus includes the following subjects:

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

Candidates first need to go through the SBI PO Exam Pattern to better understand the SBI PO syllabus:

S.No. Name of Subjects No. of Questions Maximum Marks Duration
1 Quantitative Aptitude 35 35 20 minutes
2 Reasoning Ability 35 35 20 minutes
3 English Language 30 30 20 minutes
Total 100 100 1 hour

For each detailed topic for each of these subjects, go to SBI PO Prelims Syllabus, in the linked article.

SBI PO Mains Syllabus: In the SBI PO Mains Exam, the syllabus of SBI PO includes the following:

The SBI PO Mains Exam is divided into two parts – Objective and Descriptive.

The Objective type test consists of the following subjects:

  1. Data Analysis & Interpretation
  2. Reasoning Ability and Computer Ability
  3. General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness
  4. English Language

The SBI PO Mains Exam Pattern is as follows:

S.No. Name of Subjects No. of Questions Maximum Marks Duration
1 Data Analysis & Interpretation 35 60 45 minutes
2 Reasoning & Computer Aptitude 45 60 60 minutes
3 General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness 40 40 35 minutes
4 English Language 35 40 40 minutes
Total 155 200 3 hours

For a detailed breakdown and understanding of the SBI PO Mains Syllabus, click on the linked article. Candidates can also download the SBI Syllabus PDF from the attached link.

The Descriptive section comprises writing an essay and letter writing test.

The descriptive paper will test the candidates’ knowledge of the English language and will last 30 minutes and have two questions (Letter Writing & Essay).

Candidates who pass the first two phases of the SBI PO test are then subjected to an interview process in addition to the preliminary exam and the mains exam.

The final merit list is created based on a candidate’s performance in the main exam and interview.

Related Links:

SBI Clerk Syllabus

SBI Clerk Syllabus

For those who desire to pursue a career as a clerk at the State Bank of India, the SBI Clerk Syllabus 2022 is absolutely essential. Before beginning their preparations, it is important for applicants to be familiar with the SBI Clerk syllabus. The first step toward passing the selection process is having a thorough understanding of the syllabus.

The syllabus for SBI Clerk is segregated as per the different phases of the examination. There are two phases of the SBI Clerk exam –

  • SBI Clerk Prelims Examination
  • SBI Clerk Mains Examination
SBI Clerk Syllabus- Overview
Exam Name SBI Clerk
Conducting Body State Bank of India
Name of Post Clerk
Stages of Exam
  • Prelims
  • Mains
  • Selected Language Test
Syllabus
  • Reasoning
  • Quantitative Aptitude
  • English Language
  • Banking Awareness
  • Computer Knowledge
  • General Knowledge
Medium of Exam English and Hindi
Number of Questions

Prelims- 100 Questions

Mains- 190 Questions

Maximum Marks
  • Prelims- 100
  • Mains- 200 
Time Duration

Prelims – 1 hour

Mains – 2 hours 40 minutes

SBI PO Negative Marking 1/4th marks deducted for every wrong answer.

SBI Clerk Preliminary Syllabus: The SBI Clerk exam’s syllabus is very comparable to other bank exams. To ace the preliminary exam, a candidate must prepare for three key sections, given below. The topics covered in the sections include a wide range of subjects. The sections have a wide range of topics on which questions are based. You must be familiar with the SBI Clerk Exam Pattern before reading the SBI Clerk Syllabus. 

In the SBI Clerk Preliminary examination, the SBI Clerk syllabus includes the following subjects:

  • Quantitative Aptitude
  • Reasoning Ability
  • English Language

Candidates should check the SBI Clerk Exam Pattern before starting to prepare for the exam and a better understanding of the syllabus.:

S.No. Section No. of Questions Total Marks Duration
1 Quantitative Aptitude 35 35 20 minutes
2 Reasoning Ability 35 35 20 minutes
3 English Language 30 30 20 minutes
Total 100 100 60 minutes

For a detailed breakdown and understanding of the SBI Clerk Preliminary Syllabus, click on the linked article. Download the PDF of the SBI banking exam syllabus from the link attached.

SBI Clerk Mains Syllabus: In the SBI Clerk Mains examination there are four sections, as given below:

  • General English
  • Quantitative Aptitude
  • Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude
  • General/Financial Awareness

To understand the syllabus better, understand the SBI Clerk Exam Pattern for Mains exam:

S. No. Section No. of Question Total Marks Duration
1. General English 40 40 35 minutes
2. Quantitative Aptitude 50 50 45 minutes
3. Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude 50 60 45 minutes
4. General/Financial Awareness 50 50 35 minutes
  Total 190 200 2 hours 40 minutes

Candidates can check the detail of each topic of each section in the SBI Clerk Mains Syllabus, click on the linked article.

The State Bank of India clerk 2022 selection process includes three phases of the exam, i.e. Preliminary exam, the Mains exam, and the test on the specified selected local language. The aspirants do not need to appear for the interview round at the end of these three phases if they apply for the SBI Clerk exam.

Related Links:

SBI SO Syllabus

SBI conducts the SBI SO exam to recruit Specialist Officers for various posts (both regular and contractual roles) such as 

  • Engineers
  • Architects / Product Head
  • Assistant Managers
  • Relationship Managers & Officers
  • Research Analyst
  • Test Lead

The recruiting process is often carried out for manager positions, however, notifications are also made for senior-level positions. The candidates are selected based on the online tests, followed by interviews. However, shortlisting individuals and then conducting in-person interviews are also sometimes used to recruit eligible candidates.

SBI SO Syllabus – Overview
Exam Name SBI Specialist Officer (SO)
Conducting Body State Bank of India
Name of Post SO
Stages of Exam
  • Online Exam
  • Interview
Syllabus
  • Reasoning
  • Quantitative Aptitude
  • English Language
  • Professional Knowledge
Medium of Exam English and Hindi
Number of Questions
  • General Aptitude- 120
  • Professional Knowledge Test- 75
Maximum Marks
  • General Aptitude- 120 marks
  • Professional Knowledge Test- 150 marks 
Time Duration

General Aptitude- 90 minutes

Professional Knowledge- 70 minutes

SBI PO Negative Marking 1/4th mark deducted for every wrong answer.

The SBI SO syllabus is basically divided into two papers as per the exam pattern of the SBI SO exam.

Paper 1 consists of the following sections:

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

Paper 2 consists of the Professional Knowledge section depending on the various posts that the candidates opt for in the SBI SO exam.

Although most of the selections for the SO posts are made by shortlisting and interviewing the eligible candidates, the online exam is conducted for other posts. The exam pattern for the SBI SO exam is given below:

SBI SO Exam Pattern 2022
Test No. of Questions Marks Time
General Aptitude Reasoning 50 50 90 Min
Quantitative Aptitude 35 35
English Language 35 35
Professional Knowledge (PK) General IT Knowledge 25 50 70 Min
Role-based Knowledge 50 100

Candidates qualifying for the online examination are eligible for the next process which is the Interview round. It is to be noted that, the marks scored in Paper I are qualifying in nature and will not be considered in the final merit list.

Paper 2 consists of the Professional Knowledge section depending upon the various posts as per the SBI SO Notification. Given below are some of the topics under this section:

  1. Object-oriented Programming
  2. Compiler Design
  3. Data Structure
  4. Software Engineering
  5. Chartered Accounting
  6. Data Communication and Networking
  7. Law & Statistics
  8. Operating System
  9. Database Management System

Over the years, bank exams have become more competitive in nature than ever before. Therefore, it is imperative for banking aspirants to prepare well if they wish to crack the upcoming SBI exams in the first attempt and secure a job in the banking sector.

Other than the State Bank of India Exam Syllabus, candidates looking forward to applying for other Government exams can get the best Preparation Strategy for Competitive Exams in the linked article. Here, they can find the tips to have the correct approach, steps to make notes and tips to sort out a study plan for their exam preparation.

Join the HUB OF COMPETITIVE’S Bank Exam Learning Program and get acquainted with the updated study materials which are comprehensive in nature and provide you with an edge to ace the respective SBI bank exam with flying colour’s.

About SBI

The State Bank of India (SBI) was established on June 2, 1806 as Bank of Calcutta. It is considered as one of the largest banks by asset size. It has the highest number of domestic branches spread across the length and breadth of India and has a strong international presence too.

SBI is regarded as the prime banker to Digital India and a market leader in providing internet banking services to almost 2.5 crores(approx.) users. SBI has also championed in providing loans to farmers and is contributing its bit towards the Green Revolution. It has sparked an academic revolution by providing scholar loans too in the rural sector of the country.

Takeaway

In India, working in SBI is considered as an attractive employment opportunity. Hence, candidates who wish to benefit from this opportunity need to prepare themselves in such a way so that they can beat the competition and be one among the millions to make it to the final list of selected candidates.

Need some guidance to kick-start your bank exam preparation? HUB OF COMPETITIVE  has designed well-structured courses and study materials which empowers candidates to kick-start their SBI bank exams preparation with ease and embark on a highly enriching and fulfilling banking career.

Frequently Asked Questions on SBI Syllabus

Q 1. What is the syllabus for the SBI Clerk exam?

Ans. There are mainly four subjects which are a part of the SBI syllabus for the clerical cadre examination. These include Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and English Language.

Q 2. Is the SBI syllabus for all posts the same?

Ans. No, there is a slight difference between the SBI Syllabus for all three posts.

Q 3. What is the selection process for the SBI PO exam?

Ans. The selection process for the SBI PO exam comprises three phases:

  • SBI PO Prelims
  • SBI PO Mains
  • Interview

Q 4. How to prepare for the SBI exams?

Ans. Given below are a few tips which may help candidates prepare for the SBI exams:

  • Strategies for a study plan
  • Solve mock tests and previous year’s papers
  • Dedicate equal time for the preparation of each section
  • Practice time management
  • Analyze the syllabus and exam pattern
  • Look for your strengths and weaknesses in the SBI syllabus

Q 5. Is there a sectional cut-off in SBI exams?

Ans. No, there is no sectional cut-off in SBI exams.

Q 6. For which posts are the bank exams conducted?

Ans. The bank exams are conducted for three posts mainly:

Q 7. What is the structure of the SBI PO Descriptive Test?

Ans. Ans. The description test is based on the English Language, in which a candidate has to write a Letter and an Essay for 50 Marks.

Q 8. What is the SBI Clerk Syllabus 2022 for mains?

Ans. The SBI Clerk Mains syllabus 2022 comprises topics from General/Financial Awareness, General English, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability, and Computer Aptitude.

Q 9. Which subjects are asked in the SBI SO exam?

Ans. The subjects that candidates are supposed to prepare for include Reasoning, Quantitative aptitude, English and General Knowledge. Other than this candidates need to prepare the specialized subject (Professional Knowledge) for the post they are applying for.

Q 10. Will SBI Clerk Exams have an interview?

Ans. No, The selection of SBI Clerk Post on the basis of marks scored in Mains Examination as there is no further interview round.