The State Bank Of India has invited applications from all eligible candidates to fill in 2000 vacancies for the posts of Probationary Officer (PO) in its various branches across the country. Read on to know about SBI PO Exams 2018.
As per the official notification released by the State Bank Of India, the online registration and the payment of fees have started from 21.04.2018 and will continue until 13.05.2018. The last date for applying is May 13, 2018.
The application process is entirely online and no other modes of application are available. All interested and eligible candidates can apply online from the bank’s official website.
Eligibility Criteria for SBI PO Exam 2018
The candidate must have an Indian citizenship. The following are the main eligibility criteria. You can check the eligibility in detail here.
Essential Academic Qualifications As On 31.08.2018
“Graduation in any discipline from a recognised University or any equivalent qualification recognised as such by the Central Government. Those who are in the Final year/Semester of their Graduation may also apply provisionally subject to the condition that, if called for the interview, they will have to produce proof of having passed the graduation examination on or before 31.08.2018. Candidates having integrated dual degree (IDD) certificate should ensure that the date of passing the IDD is on or before 31.08.2018. Candidates possessing the qualification of Chartered Accountant may also apply.”
Age Limit As On 01.04.2018
Not below 21 years and not above 30 years as on 01.04.2018 i.e. candidates must have been born not later than 01.04.1997 and not earlier than 02.04.1988 (both days inclusive).
To read more about the eligibility criteria, reservation policy and other details, click here.
Selection Procedure for SBI PO Exam 2018
The test is being held by IBPS for the State Bank Of India. The selection procedure for the posts of PO is three tier and will commence in three stages.
Phase-I: Preliminary Examination
The Preliminary Examination will consist of an Objective Type Test for 100 marks and will be conducted online. The test will have 3 sections. Each section will have separate timings.
| S. No. | Name of test | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration |
| 1 | English Language | 30 | Total Maximum Marks are 100 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 20 minutes | |
| 3 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 20 minutes | |
| Total | 100 | 1 hour |
The candidates who are declared qualified after the preliminary exam will be eligible for the second phase of the exam. The number of candidates that are shortlisted in the preliminary will be equal to 10 times the number of vacancies in that category. For example, if the vacancies for the general category are 1500, the total number of candidates that are selected in the merit list of the prelims will be 10×1500 = 15000. These candidates will go ahead with the Phase-II exams.
Phase-II: Mains Examination Test
The selection criteria for the mains will be the merit list of the Phase-I exam or the preliminary test. The merit list will be based on the total marks obtained in all the three sections of the preliminary exam. The exam is an Objective Test of 200 marks and a descriptive test for 200 words.
Both the Objective Test and the Descriptive tests will be online. The descriptive test will be held immediately after the Objective Test.
Objective Test
The test is of 3 hours and will consist of 4 sections carrying a total of 200 marks. Each section will have its own timing.
| S. No. | Name of test | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration |
| 1 | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 45 | Total Max. Marks are 200 | 60 minutes |
| 2 | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 45 minutes | |
| 3 | General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness | 40 | 35 minutes | |
| 4 | English Language | 35 | 40 minutes | |
| Total | 155 | 3 hours |
Following the Objective Test, the Descriptive Test will immediately commence.
Descriptive Test – Letter Writing & Essay
The descriptive test is a test of the English Language and writing ability of the candidate. The test will last for 30 minutes and will carry 50 marks in all. The candidate will have to type in the computer that they are assigned at the exam centre.
Phase – III: Group Exercises & Interview
The candidates who are declared qualified in the Phase – II of the exam are eligible for the GE and Interview phase. Candidates numbering up to 3 times (approximately) of the category wise vacancies will be shortlisted for the Group Exercise & Interview from the top of the merit list subject to a candidate scoring minimum qualifying score in aggregate.
The GE or Group exercises will carry 20 marks while the Interview will have a maximum of 30 marks. Candidates will have to submit their category certificates (if any) during this phase, failing which the candidature will be cancelled.
Penalty For Wrong Answers: Applicable to both – Preliminary & Main Examination
There is a penalty for wrong answers in the objective type sections of preliminary and the mains test. For each wrong answer that the candidate has registered, one-fourth of the marks that the question carries will be deducted.
Final Selection List for SBI PO Exam 2018
The marks that the candidate has obtained in the Phase – I will not be considered for the final merit list for selection. Only the marks obtained in the Phase – II and Phase – III will be used to get the final selection list. The candidates have to qualify Phase – II and Phase – II separately and only then will they be eligible for the final selection process.
Marks obtained in the Phase – II or the Mains (out of 250) will be converted to a base of 75 marks. The Phase – III marks (out of 50) will be converted to a base of 25. So the relative weightage of the Phase – III marks is considerably high and utmost care and seriousness are required.
The final list will be drawn by adding the marks of the Phase – II and Phase – III. SO the final merit list will be out of 100. The selection is made from the top candidates in the merit of each category. The results will be published on the bank’s website.
The candidates can start the application process by clicking on the links in the official notification. The study material for SBI PO, SO, Clerk and other IBPS exams will be soon available on Toppr Guides.
