The State Bank of India (SBI) has begun conducting the Preliminary Examination for Probationary Officers (SBI PO) 2025, and the first shift concluded today, on Monday, August 4.

News reports suggest that, as per early student reactions, the overall difficulty level was rated easy to moderate.

While some candidates found certain sections time-consuming, most agreed that the paper was manageable, and offered a balanced mix of topics, mentioned a report by Times Now.

Here's a quick breakdown of how aspirants rated the sections:

• English Language: Easy to moderate

• Quantitative Aptitude: Moderate

• Reasoning Ability: Easy to moderate

Exam pattern and structure

The SBI PO Prelims follows a one-hour format, divided equally among three sections:

English Language

• No of questions: 30

• Time allotted: 20 minutes

Quantitative Aptitude

• No of questions: 35

• Time allotted: 20 minutes

Reasoning Ability

• No of questions: 35

• Time allotted: 20 minutes

Total

• Questions: 100

• Duration: 60 minutes

Each question carries one mark, making the paper worth a total of 100 marks.

This year, SBI is conducting the recruitment drive to fill 541 probationary officer vacancies across the country.

What’s next?

According to the official schedule, the SBI PO Prelims 2025 result is expected to be declared by late August, or early September.

The selection process is conducted in three phases:

• Phase I: Preliminary exam

• Phase II: Main examination

• Phase III: Psychometric test, group exercise & interview

Only candidates who clear each phase are eligible to move forward in the recruitment process.

The SBI PO exam is conducted annually by the State Bank of India. It recruits eligible candidates for the role of probationary officers, who are later placed in managerial roles at various SBI branches across the country.