SBI PO 2026: Syllabus Guide

The SBI PO syllabus covers English, quantitative aptitude and reasoning in the Preliminary exam, then reasoning with computer aptitude, data analysis, general and banking awareness, English and a typed descriptive test in the Main exam. State Bank of India names these tests in its 2026-27 notification (CRPD/PO/2026-27/09) and its information handouts, but it does not publish a topic-wise syllabus.

The topic lists below are built from the official test names, the sample questions in SBI's handouts and questions asked in previous papers. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list. This page also shows which topics overlap between stages, what changed in 2026 and how to cover everything in a structured plan.

SBI PO Syllabus at a Glance

Marking rules, sectional minimums and the final merit formula are explained on the SBI PO exam pattern page.

Key Changes to Know

• Descriptive test is now 30 marks: the 2026 Mains has three writing tasks of 10 marks each. The 2024-25 handout showed 50 marks, so drop any plan built on the older weightage.

• On-screen calculator in DI: the 2026 Mains handout permits an in-built calculator for the Data Analysis and Interpretation test. The 2025 handout did not mention one. Calculation speed still matters in Prelims, where no calculator is allowed.

• Prelims English is the largest section: 40 of 100 questions, since the 2024-25 cycle. Older pages may still show a 30-35-35 split.

• Computer aptitude sits inside Mains reasoning: there is no separate computer section, but expect a share of questions on computer basics within the 60-mark test.

SBI PO Prelims Syllabus

Prelims is a one-hour screening test with separate 20-minute timers per section. The level is moderate, but speed decides who gets through. If Prelims is your immediate target, the separate SBI PO Prelims syllabus and strategy guide goes deeper.

Puzzles and seating arrangements usually take the largest share of Prelims reasoning, and a single set can carry five questions. In quant, a DI set and a series or equation block tend to be the fastest scoring. In English, reading comprehension is long, so your reading speed shapes your score.

SBI PO Mains Syllabus

Reasoning and Computer Aptitude

• Puzzles at a higher level: floor and flat puzzles, scheduling, box arrangements and combined variables.

• Logical reasoning: syllogism with "only a few" statements, coded inequality, input-output and blood relations in coded form.

• Critical reasoning: statement and assumption, course of action, strengthening and weakening arguments, cause and effect.

• Data sufficiency: deciding whether given statements answer a reasoning question.

• Computer aptitude: hardware and software basics, memory, operating systems, networking, internet terms, MS Office, shortcuts and cyber security basics.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

General Awareness, Economy and Banking Knowledge

• Current affairs: roughly the last six months before the exam, with national and international news, appointments, awards, summits, sports and reports.

• Banking awareness: RBI functions, monetary policy tools, repo and reverse repo rates, CRR and SLR, NPAs, Basel norms, payment systems, financial inclusion schemes and banking regulation.

• Economy: GDP and inflation concepts, Union Budget, Economic Survey highlights, fiscal deficit, taxation and international bodies such as the IMF and World Bank.

• Static awareness: headquarters of financial institutions, important committees and basic facts used in banking questions.

English Language

• Reading comprehension: longer passages on economy, business and society, with inference questions.

• Grammar and usage: error spotting, sentence correction and phrase replacement.

• Vocabulary in context: word swap, fillers with two blanks and odd sentence out.

• Arrangement: para jumbles and connectors.

Descriptive Test

You type the answers in English, with 30 minutes in total and no spellcheck. Topics tend to come from banking, customer service, workplace situations and current economic issues.

Each task has a format the evaluator expects, so learn the structure before you practise content:

• Email: a clear subject line, a formal greeting, a short purpose paragraph, the details or request, and a polite close with your name and designation. Keep it to the point; a branch manager writing to customers or staff is a common setting.

• Situation analysis: state the problem, list the people affected, weigh two or three options and recommend one with reasons. Panels look for balanced, practical judgement rather than long theory.

• Report: title, introduction, findings in short paragraphs or points, and a conclusion or recommendation. Use neutral, factual language.

• Precis: reduce the passage to about one-third of its length in your own words, keep the main argument, drop examples and give it a title.

With about 10 minutes per task, plan for two minutes, type for seven and check for one. Since there is no spellcheck, a habit of rereading for typing errors is worth building early.

Banking Awareness Checklist

Banking questions in Mains reward a clear grasp of terms and institutions more than memorised dates. Work through this checklist and tick each area once you can explain it in two lines.

Computer Aptitude Checklist

Computer questions are usually direct and quick to score once the basics are clear. Cover these areas:

• Fundamentals: generations of computers, input and output devices, CPU components, number systems and conversions.

• Memory and storage: RAM and ROM types, cache, secondary storage and units of data.

• Software: system and application software, operating systems, compilers and interpreters.

• Networking and internet: LAN, WAN, topologies, protocols, IP addresses, browsers and email terms.

• Office tools and security: MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint features, keyboard shortcuts, malware, firewalls and phishing.

Overlap Between Prelims and Mains

Phase III: Is There a Syllabus?

No. The psychometric test, group exercise and interview have no published syllabus. The psychometric test profiles your personality, and its findings go to the interview panel. Interview panels usually ask about your graduation subject, home state, SBI, current banking issues and your reasons for choosing banking. Group exercises tend to use current economic or social topics.

Common Syllabus Mistakes

• Treating Prelims and Mains as separate projects: the shared areas need one study plan, with Mains depth added early instead of after the Prelims result.

• Leaving awareness for the end: 60 Mains marks depend on months of steady reading, and two weeks of cramming rarely covers it.

• Ignoring the descriptive test: it has its own minimum score, and typed writing without spellcheck needs practice.

• Skipping computer aptitude: these are some of the quickest marks in the reasoning test.

• Using old topic lists: check that a resource reflects the 40-30-30 Prelims split and the 30-mark descriptive test.

For awareness reading, primary sources save time and avoid errors: RBI press releases and the monetary policy statements, the Union Budget speech and the Economic Survey summary, and Press Information Bureau releases for schemes.

How to Cover the SBI PO Syllabus

1. Weeks 1 to 6, foundations: arithmetic, basic puzzles, grammar rules and daily reading. Start a banking-terms notebook in week one.

2. From week 3, awareness: 30 to 40 minutes a day on current affairs and banking, with monthly summary notes.

3. Weeks 5 to 10, speed: topic-wise tests and 20-minute sectional tests at Prelims level.

4. Weeks 8 to 14, Mains depth: complex puzzles, caselet DI, critical reasoning, computer aptitude and two typed descriptive answers a week.

5. Final phase, full mocks: Prelims and Mains mocks on alternate days, same-day analysis and error-log revision.

The test names and pattern on this page come from the SBI PO 2026 Main exam information handout.