The SBI PO 2025 recruitment is one of the most sought-after opportunities in India’s banking sector, attracting thousands of aspirants each year.

To succeed, candidates must clearly understand the exam’s structure, stages, and syllabus. The recruitment process involves three phases—Prelims, Mains, and Interview—each designed to test specific skill sets.

In this article, we break down the complete exam pattern and detailed syllabus for both Prelims and Mains to help you prepare strategically and confidently.

SBI PO 2025 Prelims Exam Pattern

Type: Objective (Multiple Choice Questions)

Negative Marking: 0.25 marks for each wrong answer

Note: This round is qualifying in nature and scores won’t count towards the final merit.

SBI PO Prelims: Detailed Syllabus

Prelims is a screening test; marks are not counted in the final merit list. Prepare each section within a 20-minute time limit:

English Language (40 Questions / 20 Mins):

• Reading Comprehension
• Cloze Test
• Para Jumbles & Sentence Rearrangement
• Error Spotting & Fill-in-the-Blanks
• Vocabulary-based questions

Quantitative Aptitude (30 Q / 20 Mins):

• Simplification & Approximation
• Number Series, Ratio & Proportion
• Time, Speed & Distance; Time & Work
• Data Interpretation, Profit & Loss
• Mensuration, Permutation & Combination, Probability

Reasoning Ability (30 Q / 20 Mins):

• Puzzles & Seating Arrangements
• Coding-Decoding, Syllogism
• Blood Relations, Inequalities
• Input-Output, Data Sufficiency

SBI PO 2025 Mains Exam Pattern

A. Objective Test

B. Descriptive Test

Negative Marking: 0.25 for each wrong answer in Objective Test.

Note: Descriptive Paper is conducted immediately after the Objective Test.

Descriptive Format may include updated tasks like email writing, situation analysis, or precise writing, as per new SBI guidelines.

SBI PO Mains: Detailed Syllabus & Descriptive Tasks

Objective Test (170 Q / 2h 50m)

Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Q / 60 M / 50 Mins):

• Logical & Verbal Reasoning (Syllogism, Direction, Ranking)
• Puzzles, Coding-Decoding, Analytical Reasoning
• Basic Computer Fundamentals: MS Office, Networking, Logic Gates

Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 Q / 60 M / 45 Mins):

• Graphs (Pie, Bar, Line), Tables, Caselets
• Data Sufficiency, Probability, Permutation & Combination

General / Economy / Banking Awareness (60 Q / 60 M / 45 Mins):

• Current Affairs (last 6 months)
• Banking Sector, Regulatory Bodies, Insurance, Financial Policies
• Static GK (Awards, Capitals, Authors, etc.)

English Language (40 Q / 20 M / 40 Mins):

• Advanced RC passages
• Grammar & Vocabulary-based questions
• Para Jumbles, Error Spotting, Cloze Test

Descriptive Test (50 Marks / 30 Mins):

Candidates must complete:

• Email Writing
• Report Writing
• Situation Analysis or Precis Writing

These tasks evaluate professional communication skills and clarity of thought.

Preparation Tips

• Prelims Focus: Accuracy and speed across sectional timings
• Mains Strategy: Build depth in Data, Reasoning, and GK
• Descriptive Precision: Write practice tasks—emails, reports, précis—with proper structure
• Use official syllabus PDFs and previous year papers for practice

The Road Ahead

• Prelims Exam: 2, 4 & 5 August 2025
• Mains Exam: September 2025
• Interview & Group Exercise: October–November 2025

Final selection is based on Mains (Objective + Descriptive) + Interview scores (Final merit ratio: Mains 75%, Interview 25%).