English and Communication
Not publishedof exam
Prelim English: 40 questionsMain English: 40 questionsDescriptive communicationTopic weight unpublished
Quantitative Aptitude and Data
Not publishedof exam
Prelim quant: 30 questionsMain DI: 30 questionsArithmetic foundationsTopic weight unpublished
Reasoning and Computer Aptitude
Not publishedof exam
Prelim reasoning: 30 questionsMain combined: 40 questionsLogic and digital conceptsTopic weight unpublished
Banking, Economy and Awareness
Not publishedof exam
Main awareness: 60 questionsBanking foundationsEconomy connectionsTopic weight unpublished
Exam and Selection Strategy
Not publishedof exam
Three-phase processSectional timingNegative markingFinal merit rules
Quick Facts
- Current Notice
- CRPD/PO/2026-27/09
- Selection
- Three phases
- Preliminary
- 100 questions; 60 minutes
- Main Objective
- 170 questions; 200 marks
- Descriptive
- 3 questions; 30 marks
- Wrong Answer
- Minus one-fourth assigned marks
- Final Split
- Phase II 75; Phase III 25
- Prelim Cutoff
- Aggregate; no sectional cutoff
- Domain Weights
- Not published by SBI
Three Communication Tasks
Email | Situation | Report-or-Precis
Choose one email optionChoose one situation optionWrite report or precisType within thirty minutes
Report vs Precis
Report
- Addresses a purpose
- Organized findings
- May recommend action
Precis
- Condenses supplied text
- Preserves original meaning
- Adds no opinions
Analyze task vs compress source
Reading Question Workflow
- Question asks detail?→Locate supporting lines
- Question asks inference?→Require textual support
- Question asks tone?→Track repeated diction
- Option sounds extreme?→Check scope carefully
- Two options survive?→Choose better passage fit
Descriptive Structure
- Format
- Typed on computer
- Time
- Thirty minutes
- Total
- Three questions; thirty marks
- Choose one of two
- Situation analysis
- Choose one of two
- Final task
- Report or precis
Reading PROOF
Purpose | Reference | Options | Outside? | Fit
Purpose: identify question typeReference: locate evidenceOptions: eliminate distortionsOutside: reject added claims
English Controls
- Subject–verb agreement
- Match true subject number
- Pronoun reference
- Keep antecedent unmistakable
- Parallelism
- Match grammatical forms
- Modifier
- Place beside intended word
- Tense
- Follow timeline and context
- Connector
- Match logical relationship
- Vocabulary
- Use meaning in context
Reading and Writing
- Main idea
- Passage-wide central claim
- Detail
- Return to supporting lines
- Inference
- Choose necessary implication
- Tone
- Track attitude and diction
- Precis
- Compress without new ideas
- Report
- Purpose, findings, recommendations
- Subject, purpose, action, close
Simple vs Compound Interest
Simple
- Original principal only
- Linear growth
- P × R × T
Compound
- Interest earns interest
- Exponential growth
- Use compounding periods
Fixed base vs growing base
DI Set Workflow
- Set looks dense?→Read questions first
- Units differ?→Normalize the units
- Data is narrative?→Build a clean table
- Options are far apart?→Estimate before calculating
- Answer is close?→Calculate precisely
- One item stalls?→Use other set questions
Arithmetic Core
- Percentage
- Part / whole × 100
- Percentage change
- Change / original × 100
- Average
- Sum / number of values
- Ratio share
- Part ratio / total ratio
- Profit percentage
- Profit / cost × 100
- Discount percentage
- Discount / marked price × 100
- Simple interest
- P × R × T / 100
- Compound amount
- P(1 + R/100)^T
Rates and Mixtures
- Distance
- Speed × time
- Average speed
- Total distance / total time
- Work rate
- Work / time
- Combined work
- Add individual rates
- Alligation ratio
- Cross-differences of target
- Partnership share
- Capital × time
- Train crossing
- Combined length / relative speed
Data Interpretation Controls
- Base year
- Identify before comparing
- Units
- Standardize before calculating
- Approximation
- Use only when options allow
- Pie sector
- Value × angle / 360
- Weighted average
- Σ(value × weight) / Σweight
- Missing value
- Translate condition into equation
- Caselet
- Build table before solving
Puzzle GRID
Given | Restrict | Integrate | Deduce
Given: record fixed factsRestrict: mark exclusionsIntegrate: combine linked cluesDeduce: test remaining slots
Inference vs Assumption
Inference
- Derived from facts
- Must logically follow
- No outside knowledge
Assumption
- Unstated support
- Required by argument
- Test with negation
Follows after vs supports before
Reasoning Core
- Syllogism
- Test only forced conclusions
- Inequality
- Chain only compatible signs
- Seating arrangement
- Anchor fixed clues first
- Floor puzzle
- Create ordered slot grid
- Blood relation
- Draw generations and gender
- Direction sense
- Map turns on axes
- Data sufficiency
- Judge statements, not answer
Logic Checks
- Assumption
- Required unstated support
- Inference
- Must follow from facts
- Conclusion
- Follows from stated premises
- Cause
- Precedes and explains effect
- Course of action
- Practical response to problem
- Coding pattern
- Confirm across all examples
Computer Foundations
- CPU
- Executes program instructions
- RAM
- Volatile working memory
- ROM
- Non-volatile stored instructions
- Operating system
- Manages hardware and software
- Browser
- Retrieves and renders web content
- Phishing
- Fraudulent credential capture
- Encryption
- Transforms readable data securely
CRR vs SLR
CRR
- Cash reserve
- Maintained with RBI
- Liquidity control
SLR
- Specified liquid assets
- Maintained by banks
- Statutory liquidity buffer
RBI cash vs bank assets
Banking Policy Tools
- Repo rate
- RBI lends against collateral
- Standing Deposit Facility
- RBI absorbs liquidity uncollateralized
- MSF
- Emergency overnight bank borrowing
- CRR
- Cash reserve with RBI
- SLR
- Liquid assets held by banks
- OMO purchase
- Usually injects system liquidity
- OMO sale
- Usually absorbs system liquidity
Repo vs SDF
Repo
- RBI lends funds
- Eligible collateral used
- Adds liquidity
SDF
- RBI accepts deposits
- No collateral required
- Absorbs liquidity
Injection vs absorption
Banking Products and Risk
- CASA
- Current plus savings deposits
- Term deposit
- Fixed maturity deposit
- NPA
- Non-performing loan asset
- Provision
- Expense against expected loss
- Capital adequacy
- Capital relative to risk
- KYC
- Customer identity due diligence
- Priority sector
- Directed eligible lending categories
Payments and Economy
- NEFT
- Electronic account transfer system
- RTGS
- Real-time gross settlement
- IMPS
- Immediate interbank transfer
- UPI
- Instant interoperable payment interface
- GDP
- Domestic final output value
- CPI
- Retail consumer price measure
- Fiscal deficit
- Borrowing need before debt receipts
Preliminary 40–30–30
English 40 | Quant 30 | Reasoning 30
Each section: twenty minutesTotal: one hundred questionsTotal: one hundred marksNo sectional cutoff
Preliminary vs Final Merit
Preliminary
- Shortlisting stage
- Aggregate merit
- No sectional cutoff
Final merit
- Phase II counts
- Phase III counts
- Normalized out of 100
Qualify first; score later
Objective Item Triage
- Know the method?→Solve directly
- Two options eliminated?→Compare expected value
- No clear setup?→Leave temporarily
- Section time is low?→Take only quick wins
- Answer remains uncertain?→Respect negative marking
- Question is blank?→No penalty applies
Official Phase Map
- Phase I
- Online preliminary objective test
- Phase II
- Main objective plus descriptive
- Phase III
- Psychometric, group exercise, interview
- Prelim purpose
- Shortlisting only
- Main shortlist
- About ten times vacancies
- Phase III shortlist
- Up to three times vacancies
Main Marks 60–60–60–20
Reasoning 60 | DI 60 | Awareness 60 | English 20
Reasoning plus computerData analysis and interpretationGeneral, economy, banking awarenessEnglish carries twenty marks
Main vs Phase III
Main
- Objective plus descriptive
- Maximum 230 marks
- Normalized to 75
Phase III
- Psychometric profile
- GE plus interview
- Normalized to 25
Written 75; assessment 25
Selection Progression
- Taking Preliminary?→Maximize aggregate score
- Checking sectional cutoff?→None applies in Preliminary
- Taking Main?→Qualify every section
- Main aggregate qualifies?→Compete for Phase III
- At Phase III?→Complete all components
- Computing final merit?→Use 75 plus 25
Preliminary Structure
- English Language
- 40 questions; 20 minutes
- Quantitative Aptitude
- 30 questions; 20 minutes
- Reasoning Ability
- 30 questions; 20 minutes
- Total
- 100 questions; 100 marks
- Section timing
- Twenty minutes each
- Sectional cutoff
- None in preliminary
Accuracy vs Attempts
Accuracy
- Protects corrected score
- Rewards verified methods
- Reduces penalty damage
Attempts
- Raises score ceiling
- Consumes section time
- Needs controlled risk
Attempt when evidence supports
Main Objective Structure
- Reasoning + Computer
- 40 questions; 60 marks; 50m
- Data Analysis
- 30 questions; 60 marks; 45m
- Awareness
- 60 questions; 60 marks; 45m
- English Language
- 40 questions; 20 marks; 40m
- Objective total
- 170 questions; 200 marks
- Objective time
- Three hours
Selection and Scoring
- Wrong objective answer
- Deduct one-fourth assigned marks
- Blank objective answer
- No penalty
- Main sections
- Each requires qualifying score
- Main aggregate
- Also requires qualifying score
- Main normalization
- 230 becomes 75
- Phase III normalization
- 50 becomes 25
- Final merit
- Normalized total out of 100
Phase III Structure
- Psychometric test
- Mandatory personality profiling
- Psychometric marks
- No separate marks published
- Group exercise
- Twenty marks
- Interview
- Thirty marks
- Phase III total
- Fifty marks
- Qualifying marks
- Decided by SBI
Common Traps
Unofficial Topic Weights
SBI publishes stage structures ≠ Topic weights remain unpublished
Preliminary Carryover
Preliminary qualifies candidates ≠ Its marks do not carry
Penalty Base
Penalty uses assigned marks ≠ Not always a fixed amount
Main Section Cutoffs
Each Main section must qualify ≠ Aggregate must also qualify
Percent Change Base
Divide by original value ≠ Reversing change is asymmetric
Average Speed Shortcut
Use total distance over time ≠ Do not average blindly
Possible vs Necessary
Inference must follow ≠ Possibility alone is insufficient
Precis Additions
Preserve source meaning ≠ Do not add opinions
Current Rate Memorization
Policy rates can change ≠ Verify near exam day
Last Minute
- 1.Confirm notice CRPD/PO/2026-27/09
- 2.Preliminary: 100 questions; 60 minutes
- 3.English 40; Quant 30; Reasoning 30
- 4.Preliminary has no sectional cutoff
- 5.Main objective: 170 questions; 200 marks
- 6.Main descriptive: 3 questions; 30 marks
- 7.Main requires every section cutoff
- 8.Wrong answer: minus one-fourth assigned marks
- 9.Blank answer: no penalty
- 10.Final normalization: 75 plus 25
- 11.Preliminary marks do not carry
- 12.Memorize percentage and interest formulas
- 13.Standardize units before DI calculations
- 14.Build grids for reasoning sets
- 15.Demand textual support for inference
- 16.Keep descriptive answers structured
- 17.Review RBI and banking terminology
- 18.Verify current affairs near exam day
- 19.Protect section-specific time
- 20.Carry required call-letter documents
Same family resources
Explore More India Banking & Financial Sector Exams
Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.