State Bank of India conducts the PO exam every year to recruit Probation Officers into various State banks across India. Aspirants find this exam comparatively tougher than other bank exams, conducted by different organizations.
The foremost thing that attracts aspirants is the lucrative salary offered along with multiple other benefits such as medical insurance, travel allowances, house rent allowances and many more.
Aspirants should chalk out a well-planned preparation strategy to crack the SBI PO exam in the first attempt.
This article lists all the relevant preparation strategies to help aspirants score well in this exam.
Important Tips to Crack PO Exam
Aspirants preparing for the PO exam should understand the scheme of the exam pattern and the concepts in the syllabus very well. The PO exam pattern undergoes revision from time to time. Therefore, it is essential that aspirants stay updated and always prepare according to the latest exam pattern.
The SBI PO Exam Pattern is given below:
| 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 |
The PO Prelims syllabus is given below:
| Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus | Reasoning Syllabus | English Syllabus |
| Simplification, Profit & Loss | Alphanumeric Series | Reading Comprehension |
| Mixtures & Alligations | Logical Reasoning | Fill in the blanks |
| Permutation, Combination & Probability | Data Sufficiency | Cloze Test |
| Work & Time, Sequence & Series | Ranking/Directions/Alphabet Test | Para jumbles |
| Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices | Seating Arrangement | Vocabulary |
The PO Mains syllabus is given below:
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | Reasoning | Computer Aptitude | General/Economy/Banking Awareness | English Language |
| Tabular Graph | Syllogism | Internet | Current Affairs | Reading Comprehension |
| Line Graph | Verbal Reasoning | Memory | Financial Awareness | Grammar |
| Bar Graph | Circular Seating Arrangement | Computer Abbreviation | General Knowledge | Verbal Ability |
| Charts & Tables | Linear Seating Arrangement | Keyboard Shortcuts | Static Awareness | Vocabulary |
| Missing Case DI | Double Lineup | Computer Hardware | Banking Terminologies Knowledge | Sentence Improvement |
| Radar Graph Caselet | Scheduling | Microsoft Office | Banking Awareness | Word Association |
Important Preparation Tips for PO Exam
- Understand the exam pattern and syllabus – Aspirants should have clarity on the topics mentioned in the syllabus and should be aware of the latest exam pattern set by the State Bank of India.
- Create a time table – Setting a planned time table helps to allocate study hours for individual concepts and preparation thereby becomes easier.
- Collection of notes and study material – Aspirants should collect important study material and notes way ahead of the exam. This helps in clearing doubts on topics and developing strong concept knowledge, well in advance.
- Practising previous year question papers and mock tests – Aspirants should practice previous year questions numerous times to understand the marking scheme better. Taking mock tests on a regular basis helps to build strong subject knowledge.
Aspirants should follow the above-mentioned tips to crack these type of bank exams in the first attempt.
