Eligibility for the SBI PO post is built on two pillars: an age limit checked as on a fixed cut-off date, and an academic qualification checked as on a separate, later cut-off date. Candidates must satisfy both conditions independently to be considered eligible for this recruitment.

The application fee for SBI PO Recruitment 2026 is Rs 750 for Unreserved (UR), EWS, and OBC candidates, while SC, ST, and PwBD candidates are exempted from paying any fee. This fee is non-refundable once paid and cannot be carried forward or held in reserve for any other examination, so candidates should confirm their category and details before making the payment. SBI PO Previous Year Question Papers: Download PDF Here

Selection for SBI PO Recruitment 2026 follows a three-phase process: Phase-I Preliminary Examination, Phase-II Main Examination, and Phase-III Psychometric Test, Group Exercise & Interview. Candidates must clear each phase to be considered for the next, and only the marks from Phase-II and Phase-III are carried forward to prepare the final merit list. Phase-I: SBI PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2026 The Preliminary Examination is an online objective test carrying 100 marks, to be completed in 1 hour, with separate timing for each of its three sections. There is no sectional cut-off in the Preliminary Exam, but a category-wise merit list is prepared based on the aggregate score, and candidates numbering approximately 10 times the vacancies in each category are shortlisted for the Main Exam. Section No. of Questions Marks Duration English Language 40 - 20 minutes Quantitative Aptitude 30 - 20 minutes Reasoning Ability 30 - 20 minutes Total 100 100 1 hour Phase-II: SBI PO Mains Exam Pattern 2026 The Main Examination is conducted online and consists of an Objective Test of 200 marks and a Descriptive Test of 30 marks, taken together in 3 hours 30 minutes. The descriptive paper is administered immediately after the objective test, and candidates must type their answers directly on the computer. Section No. of Questions Max Marks Duration Reasoning & Computer Aptitude 40 60 50 minutes Data Analysis & Interpretation 30 60 45 minutes General Awareness / Economy / Banking Knowledge 60 60 45 minutes English Language 40 20 40 minutes Objective Test Total 170 200 3 hours Descriptive Test (Email / Situation Analysis / Report or Precis Writing) 3 30 30 minutes Grand Total 230 3 hours 30 minutes Each candidate must score a minimum qualifying mark in every individual section, including the descriptive paper, with sectional cut-offs decided by the Bank based on vacancies. A category-wise merit list is then prepared from the aggregate Main Exam score, and candidates numbering approximately 3 times the category-wise vacancies are shortlisted for Phase-III. There is also a penalty for wrong answers in both the Preliminary and Main objective tests: for every wrong answer, 1/4th of the marks assigned to that question is deducted, while unattempted questions carry no penalty. Phase-III: Psychometric Test, Group Exercise & Interview Shortlisted candidates undergo a Psychometric Test for personality profiling, followed by a Group Exercise (20 marks) and a Personal Interview (30 marks), totalling 50 marks. The Psychometric Test findings are shared with the interview panel to give a fuller perspective on each candidate, and all questions in this test are mandatory. Final Merit List and Normalisation The marks from Phase-II (Main Exam, both Objective and Descriptive) and Phase-III (Group Exercise & Interview) are normalised to 100 marks each before being combined into the final merit list; marks from the Preliminary Exam are not added at this stage. Component Maximum Marks Normalised Marks Main Examination (Objective + Descriptive) 230 75 Group Exercise & Interview 50 25 Total 280 100 If two or more candidates score identical marks at the cut-off point in the final merit list, they are ranked according to age in descending order, meaning the older candidate is placed higher. SBI PO Syllabus 2026: Check Exam Pattern and Syllabus Details Here