SBI SO Syllabus 2026: Post-Wise Topic Guide

The SBI SO syllabus is not one fixed list. State Bank of India recruits Specialist Cadre Officers through separate advertisements, and the 2026-27 advertisements show three kinds of selection: an online written test plus interview (Law and Bank Medical Officer posts), an interview with a presentation (some senior technology posts), and shortlisting plus interview (most other posts). So the right syllabus depends on the post you are applying for.

This page tells you what SBI officially states, then gives a working topic checklist for each post group, an overlap table and a week-wise plan. Check the advertisement for your post on the SBI careers site before you finalise your plan.

SBI names the tests in its advertisements but does not publish a topic-wise syllabus. The topic lists below are built from the test names in the official advertisements and from the subject knowledge each role needs. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list.

Table of Contents

• SBI SO syllabus at a glance

• Key changes to know

• Qualifying papers: reasoning, quantitative aptitude and English

• Law posts: Professional Knowledge

• Bank Medical Officer: Professional Knowledge

• Interview-only posts: what to prepare

• Overlap between stages

• How to cover the syllabus

SBI SO syllabus at a glance

For marks, timing and weightage, see the SBI SO exam pattern page.

Key changes to know

• No single annual written exam: Most 2026-27 advertisements, including the large Wealth Management one, have no written test at all.

• Qualifying papers do not add to merit: In the Law and Medical Officer advertisements, only Professional Knowledge counts, but you must still clear the qualifying marks in the other papers.

• Older pages can mislead you: Older pages may still show a common syllabus for every SBI SO post. Follow the official advertisement for your post.

Qualifying papers: reasoning, quantitative aptitude and English

These papers are qualifying in the advertisements we checked. The bank sets the minimum marks and does not disclose them, so aim for a comfortable margin instead of a bare pass. Law posts have Reasoning and English. The Medical Officer test adds Quantitative Aptitude.

Spend most of your effort here on speed. A short daily reading habit helps English, and 20-minute sectional timers help with reasoning.

Law posts: Professional Knowledge

The Law advertisement lists a Professional Knowledge paper of 50 questions and a descriptive test of 50 marks. Both test your command of law as used in a bank. The checklist below is a working one.

Core law and procedure

• Constitution of India: Fundamental rights, directive principles, writs and remedies.

• Contract and commercial law: Indian Contract Act, Sale of Goods Act, Negotiable Instruments Act, Specific Relief Act.

• Property and limitation: Transfer of Property Act, mortgage and charge, registration and stamp duty, Limitation Act.

• Civil procedure: Code of Civil Procedure, injunctions, execution, jurisdiction.

• Criminal law: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, which replaced the earlier criminal codes.

Banking and recovery law

• Banking regulation: Banking Regulation Act and Reserve Bank of India Act.

• Recovery: SARFAESI Act, debt recovery tribunal procedure and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

• Other laws a bank uses: Arbitration and Conciliation Act, Companies Act, Information Technology Act, and consumer and anti-money-laundering provisions.

Start with contract, negotiable instruments, SARFAESI and civil procedure, because they connect most directly to everyday bank legal work. Keep recent amendments and landmark judgments in a separate revision sheet.

Descriptive test

The descriptive test asks you to answer any 5 of 8 questions, each worth 10 marks, in 45 minutes. Practise legal notes, short opinions and drafting. Write a clear first line, give the legal basis, and finish within the time.

Bank Medical Officer: Professional Knowledge

The Medical Officer test has a Professional Knowledge paper of 50 questions carrying 100 marks. The advertisement does not list topics, so treat the following as a working checklist at MBBS level.

• Core clinical subjects: General medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics.

• Preventive and community health: Epidemiology, national health programmes, occupational and public health.

• Basic and applied sciences: Pharmacology, pathology, microbiology and forensic medicine.

• General practice skills: Emergency care, first aid, common outpatient conditions and drug use.

Because the paper carries 100 marks for 50 questions, accuracy matters. Revise standard textbooks and solve questions from a clinical angle.

Interview-only posts: what to prepare

Most advertisements, including Wealth Management, trade finance, marketing, IT risk, AI and cyber security posts, have no written paper. The interview carries 100 marks and the merit list is based only on those marks. Some senior technology and marketing posts also ask for a 5 to 10 minute presentation.

There is no separate syllabus for the interview. Interviewers test the experience you claimed in your application, so know every line of your resume.

Overlap between stages

How to cover the syllabus

1. Weeks 1 to 4: Read the advertisement closely, list your subjects and finish the core chapters of Professional Knowledge.

2. Weeks 3 to 6: Add reasoning, quantitative aptitude and English in daily short sessions. Keep a monthly sheet of banking and legal updates.

3. Weeks 6 to 9: Take topic-wise tests, write descriptive answers on a timer and prepare short revision notes.

4. Final weeks: Take full-length mocks, analyse the same day and revise your error log. For interview posts, hold mock interviews and rehearse your presentation.

The official advertisements are on the SBI careers page.