SBI PO 2021 Selection Process: Prelims, Main Exam and GD/ Interview

SBI PO 2021 will be conducted in order to recruit probationary officers in various branches of State Bank of India across the nation. Candidates who desire 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.

• First stage of SBI PO Selection Process is the preliminary examination. It is a qualifying 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 of the candidates is asked and is also based on the SBI PO 2020 Merit List and rank of the candidate.

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SBI PO 2021 Selection Procedure 

The 2021 SBI PO preliminary examination will be held tentatively on June 2021 and it consists of 3 sections (English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability). After clearing the prelims according to the cut offset by the bank, the candidate can proceed to SBI PO Main exam. This Mains 2021 exam is likely to be August 2021. 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%.

Check SBI PO 2020 Result

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 for 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

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

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.

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 2021. 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.

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SBI PO 2021 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.

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Important Documents for SBI PO 2021 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 10^th 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.

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Vacancies in SBI PO 2021

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: