In this guide
SBI's notification tells you the names of the sections and how many questions each has. It does not list topics. So "the SBI PO syllabus" is really a map drawn from recent papers: which question types appear, how often, and at what level.
This guide gives that map section by section, ranks topics by priority, shows one solved sample of the main question types, and ends with a tracker you can copy into your notebook.
The sections at a glance
| Stage | Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims | English Language | 40 | 40 |
| Prelims | Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 |
| Prelims | Reasoning Ability | 30 | 30 |
| Mains | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 |
| Mains | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | 60 |
| Mains | General / Economy / Banking Awareness | 60 | 60 |
| Mains | English Language | 40 | 20 |
| Mains | Descriptive (email, situation analysis, report or précis) | 3 tasks | 30 |
The prelims and mains test the same three skills (English, numbers and reasoning), so the mains adds depth, not new subjects. The only genuinely new areas at the mains are awareness, computer aptitude and descriptive writing.
English (prelims and mains)
| Priority | Question types | How they are asked |
|---|---|---|
| High | Reading comprehension | Passages on economy, banking, technology, society; fact, inference, tone and vocabulary questions |
| High | Cloze test | A passage with blanks; choose the best word for each |
| High | Error spotting | Find the part of a sentence with a grammatical error |
| Medium | Para jumbles, including fixed-sentence types | Rearrange sentences into a coherent paragraph |
| Medium | Phrase replacement, fillers, word usage, column matching | Short, rule-based items |
| Lower | Connectors, paragraph completion, odd sentence out | Appear in some papers |
English has 40 questions in the prelims, more than either quant or reasoning. In the mains it carries only 20 marks, but it still has a sectional cut-off. Mains passages are usually longer and denser. The English plan turns this list into a weekly routine.
Quantitative Aptitude and Data Analysis
| Priority | Prelims | Mains (Data Analysis & Interpretation) |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | Simplification or approximation; number series; quadratic comparisons | Table, bar, line and pie-chart DI; caselets; missing-data DI |
| High | One or two DI sets | Data sufficiency; quantity comparison |
| Medium | Arithmetic word problems: percentage, ratio, average, profit and loss, interest, time and work, speed | The same arithmetic, embedded inside DI sets |
| Lower | Mensuration, permutations and combinations, probability | Probability and P&C, often inside a caselet |
Every arithmetic chapter matters twice: once as a standalone prelims question and again inside mains DI. Learn the chapters properly once and you are covering both stages.
Reasoning
| Priority | Prelims | Mains |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | Puzzles and seating arrangements | Multi-variable puzzles and seating; often two or three large sets |
| High | Inequality (direct and coded), syllogism | Input–output, coded inequality, data sufficiency |
| Medium | Coding–decoding, blood relations, direction, order and ranking, alphanumeric series | Critical reasoning: assumptions, inferences, strengthening and weakening arguments, cause and effect, courses of action |
| Mains extra | None | Computer aptitude |
Computer aptitude (mains)
Computer aptitude sits inside the reasoning section, so its questions share the same 50-minute timer. The questions are usually factual and quick:
- Computer fundamentals: hardware, software, memory types, input and output devices
- Operating systems and file basics
- MS Office: Word, Excel and PowerPoint features and shortcuts
- Networking and the internet: types of networks, protocols, common terms
- Cybersecurity: malware types, phishing, firewalls, encryption basics
- Databases and number systems at an introductory level
Because these are fast marks, many candidates answer them first. The computer aptitude guide lists what to learn.
General / Economy / Banking Awareness (mains only)
Sixty questions in 45 minutes: this is the largest section by number, and it is pure recall.
| Area | What to cover |
|---|---|
| Current affairs | Roughly the six months before the exam, weighted towards banking, economy, government schemes, appointments, awards and international events |
| Banking | RBI and its functions; monetary policy tools; banking laws and regulation; payment systems (UPI, NEFT, RTGS, IMPS); NPAs and their resolution; Basel norms; financial inclusion |
| Economy | GDP and growth, inflation, fiscal deficit, the Union Budget and Economic Survey, the external sector |
| Financial markets and institutions | SEBI, stock exchanges, money market instruments, insurance and pension regulators |
| Static GK linked to finance | Headquarters and heads of international financial bodies, currencies, important organisations |
Descriptive test (mains)
Three tasks in 30 minutes, 30 marks, typed:
- Email: a formal workplace or customer-facing email, one of two options.
- Situation analysis: a workplace or social situation; what you would do and why, one of two options.
- Report writing or précis writing: one of two options.
The descriptive paper has its own cut-off, so it cannot be left to the last week.
Phase III
- Psychometric test: a personality profile, not scored, shared with the interview panel.
- Group exercise (20 marks): a group task or discussion observed by assessors.
- Interview (30 marks): yourself, your education and background, banking and the economy, current issues and situational questions.
What the question types look like: six solved samples
- Approximation. 24.98% of 399.7 + 15.02 × 6.97 ≈ ? Round each number: 25% of 400 = 100, and 15 × 7 = 105. Answer ≈ 205.
- Number series. 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, ? Each term is double the previous plus 1 (3 × 2 + 1 = 7, 7 × 2 + 1 = 15 and so on). Next term: 63 × 2 + 1 = 127.
- Quadratic comparison. I: x² − 7x + 12 = 0. II: y² − 9y + 20 = 0. The roots are x = 3 or 4, and y = 4 or 5. Compare every pair: 3 < 4, 3 < 5, 4 = 4, 4 < 5. Answer: x ≤ y.
- Inequality. Statement: P > Q ≥ R = S < T. Conclusion I: P > S. Conclusion II: T > R. From P > Q ≥ R = S, P > S holds. From R = S and S < T, T > R holds. Both follow.
- Error spotting. "Neither the manager nor the clerks was present at the meeting." With "neither… nor", the verb agrees with the nearer subject, "clerks". Correct: "were present".
- Banking awareness. Who decides the policy repo rate in India? The Monetary Policy Committee of the RBI.
Where to start
- Calculation speed and arithmetic: tables, squares, percentages and fractions first; they feed every quant topic.
- Reasoning puzzles, daily: one or two sets a day from the first week.
- English reading, daily: an editorial or a long article, then a set of RC questions.
- Awareness, daily from month one: banking basics and a short current affairs note.
- Descriptive writing, weekly from month two: one email and one situation analysis, typed.
A topic tracker
| Section | Topic | Learnt | Practised | Revised |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Reading comprehension | |||
| English | Cloze test | |||
| English | Para jumbles | |||
| Quant | Simplification and approximation | |||
| Quant | Table and bar-graph DI | |||
| Quant | Caselet DI | |||
| Quant | Data sufficiency | |||
| Reasoning | Floor and box puzzles | |||
| Reasoning | Circular and linear seating | |||
| Reasoning | Critical reasoning | |||
| Reasoning | Computer aptitude | |||
| Awareness | Monetary policy | |||
| Awareness | Payment systems | |||
| Descriptive | ||||
| Descriptive | Situation analysis | |||
| Descriptive | Report or précis |
Extend it with every topic in the tables above. Gaps become obvious once they are on paper.
What to do next
- Copy the tracker and mark every topic you have already studied.
- Take one full prelims mock to find your weakest section, then read the prelims strategy.
- Start a one-page daily awareness note today.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the State Bank of India website .
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