In this guide
Most serious bank PO aspirants prepare for SBI PO and IBPS PO together, and they are right to. The bulk of the preparation is shared: the same reasoning, the same DI, the same banking awareness. The part that differs is small, and it is where candidates lose marks, because they practise one exam's formats and walk into the other's.
This guide sets the two exams side by side, explains what each difference means in practice, and gives you a joint plan.
Side by side
| Feature | SBI PO | IBPS PO |
|---|---|---|
| Conducted by | State Bank of India | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) |
| Bank you join | SBI | Allotted among participating public sector banks |
| Age (general) | 21–30 | 20–30 |
| Attempt limit | Yes: 6 for UR/EWS, 9 for OBC and some PwBD categories, none for SC/ST; a mains appearance counts | No cap in recent notifications, within the age limit |
| Prelims | English 40, Quant 30, Reasoning 30; 20 min each | English 30 questions; Reasoning carries the most marks (40), as reported |
| Prelims sectional cut-off | None; shortlisting on aggregate | Usually sectional as well as overall cut-offs |
| Mains objective | 170 questions, 200 marks, 3 hours | 170 questions, 200 marks |
| Mains DI | 30 questions, 60 marks | 40 questions, 60 marks (reported) |
| Mains awareness | 60 questions, 60 marks | 50 questions, 60 marks (reported) |
| Descriptive | Email, situation analysis, report or précis: 30 marks, 30 min | Essay plus letter or comprehension: 25 marks, 30 min (reported) |
| Final stage | Psychometric test (unscored), group exercise 20, interview 30 | Interview (100 marks, reported) |
| Final merit | Mains 75, GE + interview 25 | Mains 80%, interview 20% (reported) |
| Negative marking | One quarter of the question's marks | One quarter of the question's marks |
What the differences mean
English decides more in the SBI prelims
With 40 questions and no sectional cut-off, English is the largest single block of marks in the SBI prelims. In IBPS PO prelims, English is smaller and reasoning carries more marks. A candidate who treats English as a minor section can clear the IBPS prelims and still miss SBI's.
What to do: two 40-question English sectionals a week in the run-up to the SBI prelims, on top of daily reading.
Sectional cut-offs work differently
The SBI prelims is aggregate-only, but the SBI mains has a cut-off in every section and in the descriptive paper. IBPS usually applies sectional cut-offs in both the prelims and the mains. In both exams, then, you cannot abandon a section at the mains stage.
The descriptive tasks are different formats
SBI's descriptive paper is workplace writing: an email to a manager or customer, a situation you must handle, and a short report or a précis. IBPS asks for an essay and a letter or comprehension. The skills underneath are shared (structure, clarity, correct grammar, typing speed), but the formats need separate practice.
| Skill | SBI format | IBPS format |
|---|---|---|
| Formal tone | Letter | |
| Argument and structure | Situation analysis | Essay |
| Summarising | Report or précis | Comprehension or précis-style answers |
SBI adds a group exercise and a psychometric test
The group exercise puts you in a group with a task or topic, watched by assessors. It rewards listening, clear contributions and helping the group reach a conclusion. The psychometric test builds a personality profile that the interview panel sees. Neither can be prepared for in a week. Our Phase III overview explains both.
SBI limits attempts
Under the 2026 SBI notification, every mains appearance uses one of your permissible chances. Sitting only the prelims does not. So do not walk into the SBI mains as a "trial run"; it costs a chance. The eligibility guide has the full rule.
The job and the posting differ
In SBI you join one bank, with an all-India transfer policy. In IBPS PO you are allotted to one of the participating banks, based on your merit and preferences, and that bank decides your postings. Starting pay in both follows the officer scale set by the industry-level wage settlement for public sector banks, but allowances, leased housing and perks vary by bank.
Worked example: splitting a week between the two
Suppose an aspirant has 33 study hours a week and both exams are about four months away. A reasonable split:
| Block | Hours | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| DI and arithmetic | 9 | Both |
| Puzzles and reasoning | 9 | Both |
| Awareness | 6 | Both |
| English: reading, RC and grammar | 5 | Both, with extra English sectionals for SBI |
| Descriptive: SBI tasks one week, IBPS tasks the next | 2 | Each exam's formats |
| Mock (alternating SBI-pattern and IBPS-pattern) | 2 | Timing and selection for each |
That is 9 + 9 + 6 + 5 + 2 + 2 = 33 hours, and about 29 of them (88%) serve both exams. The exam-specific share grows in the final month before each exam.
A joint plan
- Core preparation to PO level: DI, puzzles, English, awareness. This serves both exams and is where most of your hours go.
- English emphasis for SBI: daily reading plus 40-question English sectionals twice a week before the SBI prelims.
- Descriptive practice for both: alternate weeks between SBI tasks (email, situation analysis, report or précis) and IBPS tasks (essay, letter).
- Pattern-specific mocks: in the month before each exam, take mocks only in that exam's pattern. Timers, section sizes and cut-off logic differ enough to matter.
- Phase III early: group discussions with friends once a week from the month before the SBI mains, and interview preparation that works for both.
Timing
The two cycles often run close together, and in some years their stages overlap. Keep one calendar with every notification, prelims, mains and interview date for both exams, and plan full mocks for whichever exam comes next.
Quick check
- Which exam has a psychometric test and a group exercise? SBI PO.
- Does sitting the SBI prelims alone use up an attempt under the 2026 rule? No. Only a mains appearance counts.
- Which exam's prelims has no sectional cut-off? SBI PO.
- What are SBI's three descriptive tasks? Email, situation analysis, and report or précis.
- In the weekly split above, how many hours are exam-specific? About 4 of 33: the descriptive block and the pattern-specific mock.
What to do next
- Download both current notifications and update the comparison table with any changes.
- Put every date for both exams on one calendar.
- Follow the six-month plan as your core, and add the exam-specific blocks above.
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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