It is important that before the candidates appear for the exam, they become conversant with the rounds of the same. There are three main stages of SBI Po examination. The preliminary stage, the main exam and following the main exam, the candidates can appear for interview and group discussion round.

• SBI PO Prelims Exam Pattern:

1. The preliminary exam is an online entrance test.
2. The duration of the exam is one hour only.
3. The questions asked in this exam are objective type and consists of 100 marks.
4. The questions asked in the paper are divided into three categories namely Quantitative aptitude, Reasoning ability and English Language.

There is a negative marking system as well. For every wrong response, 1/4^th of your mark, that is 0.25 mark is deducted.

• SBI PO Mains Exam Pattern:

1. Candidates who succeed in the preliminary exam will then appear for the next round of examination which is the main exam.
2. The main exam comprises of both objective type question as well as descriptive type question.
3. This exam is also held online, and the duration of this exam will be 3 hours and the descriptive test is for 30 minutes.

The sections in objective type question, the marks each section carries, the time duration allotted for each section and the number of questions, are as stated under:

Descriptive Test:

The descriptive test is designed to check the command of the candidate over English language. The test contains two questions of essay writing and letter writing. This is the only section that does not contain any negative marking system.

• Group Discussion and Interview:

The aggregate of the marks obtained in the objective as well as the descriptive test while appearing in the Main exam will be calculated for each candidate. The Bank will decide the number of candidates that will be summoned for group discussion and interview, in each category. The marks for Group activities will be allotted out of 20 marks while that for interview will be allotted from 30 marks in total.

Preparation for SBI PO Examination:

Due to heavy competition you need to be well prepared to reach the final round and secure your dream job. Here are a few tips you may follow:

• Stay well informed of the entire selection process.
• Assign significant time to each section. Stick to your plan and DO NOT procrastinate your time table.
• Pick up previous year question papers and solve them.
• Pick books which can prepare you for SBI PO exams.

The key to success is hard work alone. There is no escalator to reaching heights of success, you must climb each step to get there.