Banking · Official Source: State Bank of India
SBI PO Mains 2026
Strategy, previous-year cutoff analysis & full test series built from 10-year paper patterns.
⚖️ Official Marking Scheme
- Positive: Variable (1.0 or 2.0 marks) per correct.
- Negative: 25% (-0.25 or -0.50) per wrong.
- Rules: Reasoning & DI have 2-mark questions (-0.50 negative) and 1-mark questions (-0.25 negative).
- Duration: 180 min · 4 sections.
⏱️ Sectional Breakdown
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude40 Qs · 50 min
Data Analysis & Interpretation30 Qs · 45 min
General/Economy/Banking Awareness50 Qs · 45 min
English Language35 Qs · 40 min
🎯 Exam-Cracking Intelligence & Trend Analysis
📖 Open Full Textbook & Study Notes →SBI PO Mains 2026 — Master Strategy & Topic Weightage
Compiled from 10-year official paper patterns and previous-year shift analysis. Review the exact topic weightage below to decide your attempt sequence and study focus.
🏆 The Topper 3-Step Execution Plan
1. Master the 20-Minute Speed Funnel
SBI PO has no sectional cutoffs, but overall cutoffs (58–65) require high-tempo banking of non-puzzle & formulaic math marks in the first 8 minutes.
2. Mains High-Weightage Multipliers
In SBI PO Mains, Data Analysis and Reasoning contain 2-mark questions. Triage questions by marks-per-minute value rather than serial order.
3. General Awareness Mastery (60 Marks)
GA carries 60 marks in Mains. Focus on RBI balance sheets, banking ratios, and regulatory amendments from the last 6 months.
Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Qs / 50 Marks)
38–49 Qs
Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 Qs / 50 Marks)
29–36 Qs
General & Financial Awareness (50 Qs / 60 Marks)
45–57 Qs
English Language (35 Qs / 40 Marks)
32–39 Qs
📊 Topic-Wise Previous Year Weightage & Attack Strategy
Work top-down inside each section. ① Must-Do topics form 60–70% of your passing score.
| Section | Topic | Expected Qs | Priority Tier | Topper Attack Technique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Qs / 50 Marks) | High-Level Puzzles & Seating (Multi-Attribute, Floor-Flat, Circle Mixed) | 18–22 | ① Must-do | Scan all sets first, solve the 2-3 with most definite clues. Skip any set not cracked in 90s of setup. |
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Qs / 50 Marks) | Critical & Analytical Reasoning (Statement & Assumption/Argument) | 6–8 | ② High yield | Drill this Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Qs / 50 Marks) topic to under 45s per question; revise its shortcut weekly. |
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Qs / 50 Marks) | Machine Input-Output (Shifting & Step Logic) | 4–5 | ② High yield | Infer the rule from step 1→2, then jump straight to the asked step — don't write every step. |
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Qs / 50 Marks) | Coded Inequalities & Coded Direction Sense | 4–5 | ③ Solid marks | Chain the signs, check direction. Watch either-or pairs. Under 30s each. |
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Qs / 50 Marks) | Computer Aptitude, Flowcharts & Binary Logic | 3–5 | ③ Solid marks | Drill this Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Qs / 50 Marks) topic to under 45s per question; revise its shortcut weekly. |
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (40 Qs / 50 Marks) | Data Sufficiency (Reasoning 2/3 Statements) | 3–4 | ④ If time permits | Never fully solve — only decide if it's solvable. Check each statement alone first. |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 Qs / 50 Marks) | Missing Value Table & Mixed Graph DI (Table + Pie / Bar + Line) | 10–12 | ① Must-do | Pick the set with clean numbers first. Approximate early; exact-value questions last. |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 Qs / 50 Marks) | Caselet DI (Arithmetic & Logical Passages) | 8–10 | ② High yield | Pick the set with clean numbers first. Approximate early; exact-value questions last. |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 Qs / 50 Marks) | Probability, Permutation & Modern Maths DI | 4–5 | ② High yield | Drill this Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 Qs / 50 Marks) topic to under 45s per question; revise its shortcut weekly. |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 Qs / 50 Marks) | Data Sufficiency (Quant 3-Statement Comparison) | 4–5 | ③ Solid marks | Never fully solve — only decide if it's solvable. Check each statement alone first. |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 Qs / 50 Marks) | Quantity I vs Quantity II Comparisons | 3–4 | ③ Solid marks | Drill this Data Analysis & Interpretation (30 Qs / 50 Marks) topic to under 45s per question; revise its shortcut weekly. |
| General & Financial Awareness (50 Qs / 60 Marks) | Banking & Economic Current Affairs (Last 6 Months) | 15–18 | ① Must-do | Last 6 months only. Banking/economy news outranks general news for this exam. |
| General & Financial Awareness (50 Qs / 60 Marks) | RBI Circulars, Monetary Policy & Regulatory Norms | 12–15 | ② High yield | Know current rates + who decides them. Highest-frequency GA topic. |
| General & Financial Awareness (50 Qs / 60 Marks) | Government Schemes, Union Budget & Outlays | 8–10 | ② High yield | Launch year, ministry, target group, benefit amount — that's what gets asked. |
| General & Financial Awareness (50 Qs / 60 Marks) | NPA, Basel III, Capital Adequacy & IBC 2016 | 6–8 | ③ Solid marks | Officer-level depth: know the why, not just the name. Rank-deciding area. |
| General & Financial Awareness (50 Qs / 60 Marks) | Static Banking, Headquarters & Financial Terms | 4–6 | ③ Solid marks | Drill this General & Financial Awareness (50 Qs / 60 Marks) topic to under 45s per question; revise its shortcut weekly. |
| English Language (35 Qs / 40 Marks) | Reading Comprehension (2 Deep Analytical Passages) | 12–14 | ① Must-do | Read questions first, then skim. Do vocab and fact questions before inference. |
| English Language (35 Qs / 40 Marks) | Sentence Connectors & Synthesis | 4–5 | ② High yield | Drill this English Language (35 Qs / 40 Marks) topic to under 45s per question; revise its shortcut weekly. |
| English Language (35 Qs / 40 Marks) | Para-Completion & Odd Sentence Out | 4–5 | ② High yield | Drill this English Language (35 Qs / 40 Marks) topic to under 45s per question; revise its shortcut weekly. |
| English Language (35 Qs / 40 Marks) | Word Usage, Contextual Vocabulary & Swap | 4–5 | ③ Solid marks | Drill this English Language (35 Qs / 40 Marks) topic to under 45s per question; revise its shortcut weekly. |
| English Language (35 Qs / 40 Marks) | Advanced Error Spotting & Sentence Improvement | 4–5 | ③ Solid marks | Check subject-verb, then tense, then preposition — in that order. |
| English Language (35 Qs / 40 Marks) | Cloze Test (Advanced Grammar & Collocations) | 4–5 | ④ If time permits | Read the whole passage once for tone, then fill. Collocation beats grammar rules here. |
⏱️ Minute-by-Minute Hall Execution
Plan 1English (20 min): Error spotting & vocab in 7 min, Cloze in 5 min, RC in 8 min.
Plan 2Quant (20 min): Quadratic equations & number series in 6 min (10 Qs), then 2 DI sets (10 Qs in 9 min), Arithmetic singles 5 min.
Plan 3Reasoning (20 min): Inequalities, Syllogisms & Direction in 6 min (12 Qs), then 2 most solvable puzzles in 14 min.
🎯 Cutoff-Beating Safe Target Bands
Target 1Prelims safe zone: 65–72 attempts at 90%+ accuracy.
Target 2Mains target: 95–108 / 200 marks + 35+ in Descriptive Test.
Target 3Skip rule: Never spend more than 2 minutes on any single Quant word problem.
📊 Previous Year Cutoffs (2021 - 2024)
| Exam Year | UR | EWS | OBC | SC | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 88.93 | 84.6 | 80.96 | 72.83 | 69.58 |
| 2022-23 | 88.93 | 84.6 | 80.96 | 72.83 | 69.58 |
| 2021-22 | 94.85 | 90.01 | 86.54 | 77.32 | 75.01 |
Sectional note: No Sectional Cutoffs in SBI PO Mains. Cutoff figures shown as historical record; future cutoffs are predictions with ranges, never guarantees.
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