The syllabus for the SBI Probationary Officer exam is set by the State Bank of India which is the conducting body for this exam. For bank exam aspirants, this exam is one of the biggest opportunities to enter the banking sector.
Every year around 6 to 7 lakh candidates apply for this exam and only a few thousand are able to qualify. This increased competition has ultimately resulted in an increased level of examination and complex type of questions.
However, there are certain topics under each section of the PO syllabus which are extremely important and questions based on them are asked every year. Further below in this article, we shall discuss such topics from each section which are important from the exam point of view.
Candidates who are looking forward to applying for the post of SBI Probationary Officers post can get all the relevant information about the examination like eligibility, selection process, exam dates, etc. are the SBI PO exam page.
SBI PO Exam Pattern
The exam is conducted in three stages. These include:
- Preliminary Exam
- Mains Exam
- Interview and Group Discussion
Given below is a brief exam pattern for the candidate’s reference before we start discussing the syllabus:
| SBI PO Exam Pattern | ||||
| Preliminary Exam | Subjects | Number of Questions | Marks | Duration |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes | |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 minutes | |
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes | |
| Mains Examination | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 35 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 45 | 60 | 60 minutes | |
| English Language | 35 | 40 | 40 minutes | |
| General & Banking Awareness | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes | |
| English (Descriptive Test) | 2 | 50 | 30 minutes | |
| Group Discussion | — | — | 20 | — |
| Interview | — | — | 30 | — |
Section-wise List of Important Topics in SBI PO Syllabus
Given below are the section-wise list of important tips which are included under each subject and are most frequently asked in the PO exam every year. Special attention must be given to such topics and more questions must be practised based on the same.
1. Quantitative Aptitude
- Data Interpretation
- Missing/ Wrong Number Series
- Approximation/ Simplification
- Quadratic Equations
- Problems on Ages
- Speed Distance & Time (Boat, Train, etc.)
- Probability
- Average
- Profit and Loss
- Simple and Compound Interest
2. Reasoning Ability
- Puzzles
- Seating Arrangement
- Syllogism
- Blood Relations
- Direction Test
- Alphanumeric Series
- Coding-Decoding
- Order and Ranking
- Statement – Assumption/ Conclusion
- Data Sufficiency
- Machine Input and Output
3. English Language
- Reading Comprehension
- Cloze Test
- Fill in the Blanks
- Match the columns
- Sentence Rearrangement
- Para Jumbles
- Grammar/ Vocabulary
- Synonyms and Antonyms
4. General Awareness
- Banking Awareness
- History of Banking in India
- Financial Awareness
- Economic Awareness
- Current Affairs
- Static GK
- Reserve Bank of India & its Policies
- Government Schemes
The topics mentioned above are based on the analysis from the previous year question papers. Maximum part of the section is covered with questions based on these topics and it makes it necessary for candidates to emphasize a bit more on them.
To get the detailed SBI PO Syllabus, candidates can visit the linked article.
With SBI PO 2020 notification awaited, candidates must start focussing on every small aspect of the examination which may help them crack it in their very first attempt. Thus, referring to these topics may surely prove to be extremely useful for the upcoming Probationary Officer exam.