The State Bank of India is yet to release the official notification for the Probationary Officer 2021 examination. It is one of the most sought after banking sector examinations in the country and the recruitment is conducted annually.
SBI, being the largest public sector bank in India releases close to 2000 vacancies every year for which lakhs of applicants fill in the application form. With a decent job profile, exceptional salary and perks, and multiple opportunities for growth, the SBI PO post is highly competitive among aspiring candidates.
Discussed below is everything that you need to know about the SBI PO 2021 examination. Candidates who are willing to apply for the first time can refer to all these details and accordingly start their preparation for the upcoming recruitment.
SBI PO Notification
The recruitment process starts once the official notification is released on the State Bank of India website. This comprises all the details like the important dates, salary structure, eligibility criteria, probation period, application form requirements, etc.
Each candidate must carefully go through the contents of the notification to keep themselves updated with the revised exam pattern or syllabus and then kickstart their preparation.
Online Application Process
The next step is online registration and filling up the application form. Here candidates need to enter their personal information, contact details, category information, exam centre choice, academic qualification and other specific information.
This registration form must be filled in carefully as any error on the form may result in the cancellation of the candidate’s candidature. The application process is complete once the application fee is paid by the candidate. There is only an online mode to apply for the exam.
Exam pattern & Syllabus
There are three stages in the selection scheme for a Probationary Officer:
- Prelims
- Mains
- Interview/Group Discussion
Given below is the exam pattern and syllabus in brief:
SBI PO Exam Pattern | |||
Preliminary Exam | Subjects | Marks | Duration |
Quantitative Aptitude | 100 marks | 60 minutes (20 minutes for each section) | |
Reasoning Ability | |||
English Language | |||
Mains Examination | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 250 marks | 3 hours 20 minutes |
Reasoning Ability | |||
English Language | |||
General & Banking Awareness | |||
English (Descriptive Test) | |||
Group Discussion | — | 20 | — |
Interview | — | 30 | — |
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates applying for the SBI PO exam should not be below 21 years and not above 30 years
- Must hold a Graduate degree in any discipline. Prospective applicants who are in the Final Year/ Semester of their Graduation may also apply on a provisional basis
- The applicant must be an Indian citizen
Admit Card Release
A hall ticket is released before each stage of the examination. Candidates need to carry this call letter to the examination centre along with identity proof. This acts as proof that the candidate has completed the registration process and is eligible to sit for the examination.
Candidates require the registration number and the password sent on their respective contact numbers at the time of filling the application form to download their admit cards from the official SBI website. No candidate is allowed to enter the exam venue without the hall ticket.
Conduct of Examination
The prelims and mains are the two examinations that are conducted online. Specific time is devoted for each section and the shortlisting of candidates for the next phase of the examination are done based on the marks scored in the online examinations.
Result Declaration & Cut Off Marks
The preliminary examination is only qualifying in nature, the final merit and provisional allotment of candidates are done based on the marks scored in the mains and Interview stages of the recruitment.
It must be noted that SBI has removed the sectional-cut off in 2019 and the shortlisting of candidates is done only based on their overall scores.
Salary Structure for SBI PO
As per the SBI PO notification 2020, the basic pay of a Bank Probationary Officer is Rs. 27,620/- with the pay scale of 23700-980/7-30560-1145/2-32850-1310/7-42020. The total compensation per annum on a CTC basis is a minimum of Rs.8.20 lakhs and a maximum Rs.13.08 lakhs depending on the place of posting and other factors.
Probation Period
On joining, the selected candidates will be designated as “Probationary Officers” and maybe on probation for two years. Those candidates who qualify in the assessment as per standards determined by the Bank from time to time will be confirmed in the Service of the Bank in Junior Management Grade Scale-I (JMGS-I).
For detailed information about all the above-mentioned aspects of the recruitment and to download the official notification, candidates can refer to the SBI PO Notification page.
In 2020, the notification was released in the month of October, candidates can expect this year’s recruitment to also tentatively start around the same time. Thus, candidates awaiting the notification must start their preparation now.