SBI PO 2020 Selection Process: Prelims, Main Exam and GD/ Interview
Updated On -
Oct 20, 2020
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SBI PO 2020 is conducted in order to recruit probationary officers in various branches of State Bank of India across the nation. Candidates desired to be appointed as the probationary officer will have to clear all the 3 stages of the SBI PO Exam – prelims, main exam and group discussion & personal interview.
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- First stage of SBI PO Selection Process is the preliminary examination. Candidates have to qualify Prelims in order to proceed on to the next stage.
- Second stage is the Main exam which has one objective test and one descriptive test. In the descriptive test, a letter and an essay have to be written by test takers. Check SBI PO Exam Pattern
- Final stage of SBI PO recruitment exam is Group Discussion/Exercise and Interview round which has a weightage of 25% of the total marks.
Those who qualify all the stages will be called for document verification. It must be noted that the candidate can be appointed in any branch of the bank across India. However, preference is asked by the candidates but that is also based on the SBI PO 2020 Merit List and rank of the candidate.
SBI PO 2020 Selection Procedure
SBI PO selection procedure is done based on the preliminary examination, mains examination, group discussion, and personal interview. The preliminary examination will be held on June 8, 9, 15, and 16, 2020 which will consist of 3 sections (English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability).
After clearing the prelims according to the cut offset by the bank, the candidate will proceed to SBI PO Main exam. This examination will be held on July 20 in both online and offline mode. It carries 2 parts (Objective Test and Descriptive Test).
Candidates will have to qualify in the main test to proceed to the final stage of group discussion and personal interview to get through the final merit list. The final merit will be based on the marks of mains paper and GD+PI. Preliminary test marks are not counted for the final result. Interview carries 30 marks and Group Exercise carries 20 marks. The written tests have a weightage of 75% while GD and PI have a weightage of 25%.
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SBI PO Preliminary Examination
Preliminary examination of SBI PO comprises of 3 sections- English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability. The questions will be asked as multiple choice where the candidate will have to mark 1 correct answer out of 5 given options.
Candidate will be awarded 1 mark for every correct answer but 0.25 marks will be deducted out of each wrong answer, however, no marks will be deducted for an unattempted question. Time allotted to complete Preliminary examination will be 1 hour only.
Following table elaborates on the three sections of preliminary examination of SBI PO Examination 2020
| Sections | No. of Questions | Maximum marks | Sectional Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| English language | 30 Questions | 30 marks | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative aptitude | 35 Questions | 35 marks | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning ability | 35 Questions | 35 marks | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 Questions | 100 marks | 60 minutes |
Check SBI PO 2020 Prelims Cutoff
SBI PO Main Examination
SBI PO Main examination is divided into 2 sections- objective test and descriptive test. Both sections are conducted online. Objective test has a duration of 3 hours duration and the descriptive test has to be completed in 30 minutes.
- The objective test section includes topics such as Reasoning and Computer Aptitude, Data Analysis and Interpretation, General/Economy/Banking Awareness and English Language.
- Candidate’s letter writing and essay writing skills are assessed in the descriptive test.
SBI PO Objective Test
The table below explains the structure that will be followed in the SBI PO Mains Examination- Objective Test
| Sections | No. of Questions | Maximum marks | Time duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning and computer aptitude | 45 Questions | 60 marks | 60 minutes |
| Data analysis and Interpretation | 35 Questions | 60 marks | 45 minutes |
| General/economy/banking awareness | 40 Questions | 40 marks | 35 minutes |
| English language | 35 Questions | 40 marks | 40 minutes |
| Total | 155 Questions | 200 marks | 3 hours (180 minutes) |
SBI PO Descriptive Test
Candidates may note that the descriptive test would begin immediately after the conclusion of SBI PO Objective Test. Descriptive Test will consists of the questions based on English Language (Letter Writing and Essay Writing).
- The descriptive test will also be conducted online.
- The total marks allotted for the descriptive test is 50 marks and the duration of the test is 30 minutes.
- Both objective and descriptive test is conducted on the same day.
- It is important to note that the answer sheet of the descriptive test will be checked for those candidates who qualify in the objective test.
Practice as much as possible Previous years questions papers to know more about the exam pattern of SBI PO 2020
Group Discussion and Interview (GD & PI)
Candidates will be called for group discussion after they qualify through the cut offset by the bank with regards to the SBI PO Mains examination 2020. After going through the group discussion session, candidates will be called for personal interview which will test the personality of the candidate along with the qualifications and other qualities.
- Group discussion/Exercise carries 20 marks
- Personal Interview round carries 30 marks.
- Final merit list will be based on the marks obtained in mains and GD/PI round.
- Prelims score will not be counted in the final merit list.
- Final merit list will be prepared after the board conducts all the interviews and candidates will be recruited after their documents have been successfully verified.
Read SBI PO 2020 Preparation Tips
SBI PO 2020 Final Selection Process
Final selection of the candidates will be based on the score obtained in the SBI PO Main Examination and Group Discussion/ Interview session. Final merit list is prepared on the basis of the marks secured in SBI Main and GD & PI. The weightage to written tests and GD/PI is 75% and 25% respectively.
Candidates will be selected only if they successfully pierce through the last 2 stages of SBI PO selection procedure i.e. SBI PO Main Examination and Group Discussion & Interview Session. Marks secured by the candidates in the Written Test (out of 250 marks) will be converted to out of 75 marks and marks secured in Group Discussion and Interview (out of 50 marks) will be converted to out of 25 marks.
Final merit list will be prepared after aggregating converted marks of Written Test and Group Discussion & Interview out of 100 marks for each category. Candidates from top merit rank in each category will be selected.
List of candidates who will qualify in group discussion and interview session will be uploaded on the official website by the Bank.
Important Documents for SBI PO 2020 Selection Process
Candidate will be recruited only after he/she has cleared all the stages of SBI PO Examination and the documents as specified by the bank have been duly verified. Candidate is advised to carry original documents as well as photocopies of the documents (self-attested).
Here is a list of documents that a candidate must carry with him/her for verification:
- Candidate must carry a copy of the printout of Interview Admit Card.
- Proof of Date of Birth (as specified in SSC/class 10th certificate)
- Printout of System generated Online SBI PO Application Form.
- Photo Identity Proof accepted by State Bank of India (Aadhar Card, Driving License, etc.)
- Mark Sheets and Certificates of Graduation or equivalent qualification.
- Caste certificate for SC/ST/OBC category candidates issued by competent authority as designated by the Government of India. Candidates falling under the creamy layer or their name not appearing in the Central List of OBCs can apply under the General category only.
- Disability certificate issued by the District Medical Board in case of persons with a disability must be carried along with the other documents.
- Ex-Servicemen are required to produce a copy of the Service or Discharge book besides pension payment order and documentary proof of rank previously / currently held at the time of the interview.
- Certificate of Experience must be produced.
- Citizens/Subjects of other countries except India /PIOs are required to submit a certificate of eligibility issued by Government of India.
- Candidates seeking age relaxation under the category of Original Jammu & Kashmir residents during the insurgency period from January 01, 1980 to Dec. 31, 1989, are required to submit a domicile certificate issued by District Jurisdiction or any authorized body of Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir during the interview process.
Check Sectional Tests for Prelims before appearing the SBI PO 2020 Exam
Vacancies in SBI PO 2020
Every year State Bank of India releases multiple numbers of vacancies available throughout the nation for the post of Probationary Officer in SBI branches. The following flow chart represents the total vacancies in SBI PO 2020 recruitment:
For the year 2020, the following table shows the expected number of vacancies for general category as well as reserved categories (SC/ST, OBC, and PwD)
| Categories | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| SC | 300 |
| ST | 150 |
| OBC | 540 |
| EWS | 200 |
| General | 810 |
| Total | 2000 |
However, the number of vacancies can be increased or decreased at any point in time during the recruitment process.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.