The SBI PO exam notification was released in April this year for recruitment to the bank’s various vacancies and it introduced a few changes in the exam pattern. Here are all the important changes in the SBI PO 2018 exam process that you should know. The SBI PO 2018 exam is scheduled to start on July 1st. Below is also a table of all the important dates regarding the SBI PO 2018 exam.
Major changes in SBI PO 2018 exam pattern
- For the Preliminary and online part of the Main SBI PO exams, there will be sectional timings. This is to say that there will be separate timings for each section. This means that those taking the SBI PO exam this year will have to finish the sections within the allotted time periods.
- There won’t be sectional cut-offs. This means that a category-wise merit list will be drawn based on the aggregate marks scored in the Prelim exam. This means that even if you are weak in one particular section, you can make up for it by scoring well in another section.
Another change in this year’s SBI PO exam is that however many vacancies SBI has for its Probationary Office posts, approximately 10 times that number of candidates will be selected for the Main exam, from the top of the Prelim exam merit list.
One important detail of the SBI PO 2018 exam to keep in mind is that there will be negative marking for each wrong answer. For each wrong answer selected, candidates will be deducted 0.25 marks (or 1/4th mark). However, no negative marks will be awarded if a question is not attempted.
SBI PO Prelim exam pattern (Phase I)
This test will carry a total of 100 marks.
| Section of exam | Name of test | Number of questions | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English Language | 30 | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 20 minutes |
| 3 | Reasoning Ability | 35 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 1 hour |
SBI PO Main exam pattern (Phase II)
(i) Objective test
This test will carry a total of 200 marks.
| Section | Name of test | Number of questions | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 45 | 60 minutes |
| II | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 45 minutes |
| III | General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness | 40 | 35 minutes |
| IV | English Language | 35 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 155 | 3 hours |
(ii) Descriptive test
This will be a Test of English Language (Letter Writing & Essay). It will carry 50 marks, comprise of 2 questions and be of 30-minute duration.
SBI PO Interview exam pattern (Phase III)
| Test | Marks |
|---|---|
| Group discussion | 20 |
| Interview | 30 |
| Total | 50 |
SBI PO important exam dates
| Activity | Dates |
|---|---|
| Online registration and payment of fees | Up to May 13th |
| Call letter for Prelim exam | June 18th onwards |
| Prelim exam dates | July 1st, 7th and 8th |
| Prelim exam result | July 15th |
| Call letter for Main exam | July 20th |
| Main exam date | August 4th |
| Main exam result | August 20th |
| Call letter for interview | September 1st |
| Group exercises and interview dates | September 24th to October 12th |
| Final result declaration date | November 1st |
This year, SBI is recruiting more than 2,000 candidates for various job vacancies for Probationary Officer (PO). Online applications are now being accepted.
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