Bharat SainiLast Updated on June 4, 2018 by Bharat Saini
State bank of India (SBI) Probationary Officer (PO) Examination is highly prestigious that is held for recruiting deserving candidates as Probationary Officers / Management Trainees for its various branches and offices across the country.
A banking job in India is a dream career destination for lakhs of aspirants and as such the competition is obviously tough.
The SBI PO Exam Pattern 2018 is in three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. To beat the competition, you need to know the exact syllabus of SBI PO exams. This will help you frame your strategies and implementing the same during the exam.
In both the Prelims & the Mains there is negative marking (penalty) for wrong answers, marks equal to one-fourth of the marks assigned to that particular question will be deducted. However, there is no negative marking for un-attempted questions.
Important changes in the SBI PO exam 2018:
- SBI PO 2018 exam will have sectional timings in Prelims.
- There will be no sectional cutoffs in Prelims.
- Ratio of candidates selected for SBI PO Mains 2018 will be 1:10.
SBI PO Exam Pattern: Prelims – Phase I:
- English Language: 30 Questions, 30 Marks, 20 Minutes
- Quantitative Aptitude: 35 Questions, 35 Marks, 20 Minutes
- Reasoning Ability: 35 Questions, 35 Marks, 20 Minutes
Total 100 Questions, 100 Marks, 60 Minutes
The Preliminary examination is only of qualifying nature and its marks will not be counted towards the final total.
Preparation Tips for Prelims – you are required to clear the prelims in order to be eligible for the mains. So you must give the required attention and time to prepare.
English – This section is one of the easiest to crack. Brush up your basic grammar skills and improve your vocabulary. Also, go through the previous years’ papers to get an idea of the kind of questions asked. The questions are of the nature of comprehension, spotting errors, sentence improvement, Close test, Para jumbles, etc.
Quantitative Aptitude – This section can be the toughest to score. Prepare well for topics like Ratio and Proportion, Average, Speed and Distance, Time and Work, Number Series, Data Interpretation, Quadratic Equations, and Simplification.
Reasoning Ability – Regular practice can help you score high in the reasoning section. Prepare well for logical topics like Syllogism, Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Coding-Decoding, Ranking and Order, etc.
SBI PO Exam Pattern: Mains – Stage Phase II:
SBI PO Mains 2018 will consist of 2 parts: Objective Test: 200 Marks and Descriptive Test: 50 Marks. Both the parts will be online
- Reasoning and Computer Aptitude: 45 Questions, 60 Marks, 60 Minutes
- Data Analysis & Interpretation: 35 Questions, 60 Marks, 45 Minutes
- General Awareness about Economy/ Banking: 40 Questions, 40 Marks, 35 Minutes
- English Language: 35 Questions, 40 Marks, 40 Minutes
Total: 155 Questions, 200 Marks, 3 Hours
Exam Pattern of the Mains Descriptive Test:
English Language will include descriptive paper on Letter Writing & Essay with 50 marks in 30 Minutes duration. You will be needed to secure passing marks to be decided by the Bank to qualify the descriptive Test.
The Descriptive Test paper of only those candidates will be evaluated who have scored qualifying marks in the Objective Tests and are placed adequately high as per total marks in Objective Test.
Preparation tips for Mains – The candidates who pass the prelims can proceed to take on the mains. Preparation for English language, Data analysis & interpretation, and Reasoning sections for mains must be done in a similar manner to the prelims.
Computer Aptitude – Clearly one of the easiest sections to get maximum score, it requires you to have basic knowledge of computer hardware and software. In addition, important topics include Computer Basics, Operating System Functions, Basic Internet Knowledge and Protocols, Network Basics (LAN & WAN) and Basic MS Office.
General Awareness – You must read newspapers and magazines, and watch daily news to score well in this section. Important topics to focus on, in this section include the Indian Economy, Marketing, Awards, Sports, Finance, Indian Constitution, Agriculture, Banking and banking terminologies. You can buy Yearbook 2018 to prepare for this section.
Take Mock Test
Besides these, you must know where you stand, so check your preparations by taking mock tests. Mocks is to analyze where are you are lacking and how can you improve.
SBI PO Exam Pattern: Group Discussion & Interview – Phase III:
Only those who qualify Phase II will be eligible to attend Phase III processes.
Aggregate marks of candidates qualifying in both Objective and Descriptive Tests will be arranged in descending order in each category. A certain adequate number of candidates as decided by the bank will be called for the Group Discussion and Interview.
Group Discussion will carry 20 Marks and Interview will be of 30 Marks: Total 50 Marks
Following the above preparation tips will surely help you in your preparation for the SBI PO 2018 Examination. Remember, determination and hard work goes a long way in helping you achieve your goal. Wishing you Good Luck!
