SBI : Probationary Officers Examination

Phase-I: Preliminary Examination:

Preliminary Examination consisting of Objective Tests for 100 marks will be conducted online. This test would be of 1 hour duration consisting of 3 sections as follows:

Candidates have to qualify in each of the three tests by securing passing marks to be decided by the Bank. Adequate number of candidates in each category as decided by the Bank (approximately 20 times the numbers of vacancies subject to availability) will be shortlisted for the Main Examination.

Phase – II: Main Examination:

Main Examination will consist of Objective Tests for 200 marks and Descriptive Test for 50 marks. Both the Objective and Descriptive Tests will be online. Candidates will have to answer Descriptive Test by typing on the computer. Immediately after completion of Objective Test, Descriptive Test will be administered.

(I) Objective Test: The Objective Test of 3 hours duration consists of 4 sections for total 200 marks. The Objective Test will have separate timing for every section. The candidates are required to qualify in each of the tests by securing passing marks, to be decided by the Bank.

(ii) Descriptive Test:

The Descriptive Test of 30 minutes duration with 50 marks will be a Test of English Language (Letter Writing & Essay). The candidates are required to qualify in the Descriptive Test by securing passing marks, to be decided by the Bank.

Descriptive Test paper of only those candidates will be evaluated who have scored qualifying marks in the Objective Tests and are placed adequately high as per total marks in Objective Test.

Penalty for Wrong Answers (Applicable to both – Preliminary and Main examination)

There will be penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests. Each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate, one-fourth of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at corrected score. If a question is left blank, i.e. no answer is marked by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.

Phase – III: Group Discussion (20 marks) & Interview (30 marks)

The aggregate marks of candidates qualifying in both the Objective Tests and the Descriptive Test will be arranged in descending order in each category. Adequate number of candidates in each category, as decided by the Bank will be called for Group Discussion and Interview. The qualifying marks in Group Discussion & Interview will be as decided by the Bank.

Candidates qualifying for GD & Interview under ‘OBC’ category would be required to submit OBC certificate containing the ‘Non-Creamy Layer’ clause. Candidates not submitting the OBC certificate containing the ‘Non-Creamy Layer’ clause and requesting to be interviewed under General category will not be entertained.

SBI Clerk Exam Pattern and Syllabus 2016

State Bank of India (SBI) has released the Result of SBI Clerk Prelims 2016. The bank has also released the Call Letter of the candidates qualified for Mains Exam 2016. What lies next now? A well-planned strategy and a good level of preparation are the need of the hour. But how the candidates will prepare for the SBI Clerk Mains Exam 2016 if they don’t have a proper Syllabus for the Mains Exam of SBI Clerk 2016. For the candidates, here we have published the SBI Clerk Syllabus 2016. Getting familiar with the Syllabus of SBI Clerk Mains 2016 is important since it helps the candidates to know what are the topics covered under different sections. The SBI Clerk Mains Exam 2016 is scheduled to be held on 25-26 June 2016. So, pull up your socks and start preparing for SBI Clerk Mains Exam 2016.

Before we move on to the SBI Clerk Syllabus, let’s have a quick look at the exam pattern which will help you understand the syllabus in a better way. The SBI Clerk Mains Exam 2016 will consist of four sections with total 190 questions of 200 marks.The duration of SBI Clerk Main Exam is 2 hours 40 min.

Preliminary Exam Pattern
Name of the Test	No. of Questions	Marks	Duration
English Language	30	30	1 Hour
Numerical Ability	35	35
Reasoning Ability	35	35
Total	100	100
Main Examination
Name of the Test	No. of Questions	Marks	Duration
General/Financial Awareness	50	50	35 Minutes
General English	40	40	35 Minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	50	50	45 Minutes
Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude	50	60	45 Minutes
Total	190	200	2 Hours 40 Minutes
Details of the SBI Clerk Interview 2016 will be released soon after the Main Exam.

Benefits of knowing the SBI Clerk Syllabus 2016

• The syllabus will help candidates strategize their preparation for the exam. The syllabus is a detailed synopsis which mentions all the topics which are asked in the exam. The questions are framed out of the topics covered in the syllabus
• You can track your performance by marking the topics you have covered. Thus, you can tick the topics as you learn and cover them.
• Another benefit is that you can come to know which topics are relatively easy for you and which are tough. Thus, you can prepare the tough yet important ones earlier.
• Syllabus also tells you the subjects and topics of the question paper. You can mark them for preparation.

Description of SBI Clerk Syllabus 2016

SBI Clerk syllabus is split into the following sections:

• Quantitative aptitude – Maths of class X level
• Logical reasoning – logical reasoning questions (verbal and non-verbal)
• Marketing – marketing concepts and banking products
• Computers – general knowledge of hardware, software
• Current affairs – general knowledge and current events
• English language – questions from the language and skills of reading, writing

Of these subjects; computers, marketing, and current affairs would be asked in a single section. We have compiled the complete syllabus for you in this article. You are suggested to generate a printout of the syllabus and keep it as a reference.

SBI Clerk 2016 Syllabus

The candidates who have qualified the Prelims Exam of SBI Clerk 2016 will now appear for the Mains Exam. Here, we want to tell the candidates that this year SBI has changed the pattern of Mains Exam of SBI Clerk 2016. There will be a fixed time for each section and the candidates will have to complete their test within the stipulated time-frame. As told earlier, there will be four sections in SBI Clerk Mains 2016 viz General/Financial Awareness, General English, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude.

SBI Clerk Mains Syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude 

• Tables.
• Pie – Charts.
• Bar Graphs.
• Data Analysis.
• Line Graphs.
• Case lets.
• Combined data sets.
• Probability/ Series.
• Roots.
• Average.
• Ratio.
• Time & work.
• Time & separation.
• Rate.
• Benefit & loss.
• Mixture.
• Stocks & shares.
• Partnership.
• Clocks.
• Volume.
• Surface area.
• Height & distances.
• Permutation & combination.
• Simple & compound interest.
• Equations and probability.
• Number System
• Simplification
• Surds & Indices
• Percentages
• Partnership
• Chain rule
• Pipes & Cisterns
• Time & Distances
• Problems on trains
• Boats & streams
• Allegation & mixtures
• mensuration
• permutations& combinations

SBI Clerk Mains Syllabus for Reasoning Ability:

 

• Syllogism.
• Seating Arrangement – Circular table and Line (North & South).
• Puzzle.
• Blood Relation.
• Inequality or Decision Making.
• Data Sufficiency.
• Logical Reasoning.
• Input Output.
• Number series.
• Statement and Argument.
• Passage and conclusion.
• Coding and decoding.
• Order and ranking.
• Making judgments.

SBI Clerk Mains Syllabus for General English

• Vocabulary
• synonyms
• Antonyms
• Word formation
• Sentence completion

Comprehension

• Theme detection
• Deriving conclusions
• Passage completion
• Error detection
• Passage correction
• Sentence correction

Spelling

• Grammar
• Idioms
• Phrases

SBI Clerk Mains for General Awareness

• Knowledge of current events
• Sports , history, geography, culture,Indian constitutions
• News about technology and research
• News on India and its neighboring countries
• News related to Reserve Bank of India.
• Banking Awareness.
• Financial Awareness (Union Budget/ Railway Budget).
• Economics news.
• Current Affairs – Questions can be asked from various fields such as, National, International, Awards, Sports, Defence, Summits, Appointment, Books & Authors and Obituary, etc.

SBI Clerk Mains Syllabus for Marketing Aptitude

• Basics of Marketing.
• Marketing Strategies.
• Market Segmentation.
• Marketing Management.
• Marketing Mix.
• Developing stage of organization.
• Brand.
• Advertising.
• Products Life Cycle.
• 4  P’s and 4 C’s of marketing.

SBI Clerk Mains Syllabus for Computer Awareness:

• Computer hardware & Software
• Operating System concepts
• Shortcut keys
• Ms word, excel
• Ms power point, access
• Internet & networks
• Basic security concepts
• Latest technologies
• Basic of Computer.
• Generation of Computer
• Short forms (Eg. Jpeg, mp3, pdf).
• Android and Apple related news.

Know the section-wise weight age of each topic

The section-wise level of topics, weight age and important topic to study

English Language

• Reading Comprehension
• Scoring, easy to solve, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 10-15 (likely 1 passage of 10 questions, including 4-5 questions on vocabulary)

Topics to focus on: Moral Stories in Indian Context or otherwise, Banking and Economy, Business, Social Issues. Vocabulary based questions include synonyms, antonyms and meanings of phrases. Theme and main idea based questions like tone/ style/ title/ theme of the passage.

• Fill in the Blanks
• Scoring, easy to solve, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 5 questions

Focus: Double blanks (Two blanks in one sentence). Could be grammar based or vocabulary based. Vocab based tests knowledge of words. Grammar based tests knowledge of tenses, prepositions, conjunctions, verbs to mention a few.

• Para Jumbles
• Scoring, moderately time consuming, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 5 questions

Focus: Usually 6 Sentences to be rearranged, Questions based on this single set. Options will tell you if you’re on the right track. The passage is usually a story in the Indian context.

• Cloze Test
• Scoring, moderately time consuming, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 5-10 (1 passage with 5 or 10 blanks)

Focus: Passage could be on any topic, but special emphasis is given on stories. Words are usually easy to moderate but keep your eyes open for that tough word. Understanding of the context will help you score easily. Sometimes the blank might require a word that will test the knowledge of grammar.

• Error Spotting
• Moderately scoring, moderate accuracy possible, moderately time Consuming
• Weightage: 5 questions

Focus: Could be either grammar or vocabulary based. Avoid guessing too much in these questions.

Important Topics: Tenses, Subject-Verb Agreement, Article-Noun Agreement, Correct Part of Speech, Correct use of Prepositions, Parallelism, Phrasal Verbs, Easily Confusable Words, Contextual Usage, Sentence Construction, Degree of Comparison

• Phrase Replacement/Sentence Correction
• Moderately scoring, moderate accuracy possible, moderately time Consuming
• Weightage: 5 questions

Focus: Mostly grammar based. Avoid guessing too much in these questions.

• Numerical Ability
• Simplification
• Scoring, easy to solve, less time consuming, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 5-10 Questions

Focus: Questions on BODMAS Rule, Approximate Rule, Fractions, Decimals, Surds & Indices, Percentages.

• Number Series
• Scoring, easy to solve, less time consuming, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 3-5 Questions

Focus: Problems on completing the series, finding the missing Term, finding the wrong term.

• Average
• Scoring, easy to solve, less time consuming, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 1-2 Questions

Focus: Problems on Average Weight/Height/Age/Marks etc.

• Interest
• Scoring, easy to solve, less time consuming, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 1-2 Questions

Focus: Simple Interest, Compound Interest and Mixed problems of simple and compound interest.

• Mensuration
• Scoring, easy to solve, less time consuming, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 1-2 Questions

Focus: Questions on areas of square, rectangle, circle, semicircle and parallelogram, Cone, Cylinder asked in the past.

• Percentage
• Scoring, easy to solve, less time consuming, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 1-2 Questions

Focus: Calculation oriented basic percentage problems.

• Ratio and Proportion
• Scoring, easy to solve, less time consuming, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 1-2 Questions

Focus: Problems on Simple Ratios, Componendo and Dividendo, Compound Ratio etc.

• Algebra
• Scoring, Easy if concepts clear and steps followed, Could be Tricky, Time Consuming
• Weightage: 3-5 Questions

Focus: Problems with 2-3 statements and 2-3 conclusions. Questions could be asked on whether the conclusions follow or not. Or Linear Equations questions based on ages may be asked.

• Profit and Loss
• Scoring, easy if concepts clear and steps followed, Could be Tricky, Time Consuming
• Weightage: 0-2 Questions

Focus: Questions on Successive Selling, Partnerships, Discount & MP. Problems can also be asked on Dishonest Dealings.

• Time, Speed and Distance
• Scoring, easy if concepts clear and steps followed, Could be Tricky, Time Consuming
• Weightage: 1-2 Questions

Focus: Problems on Relative Speed, Average Speed and Crossing Trains. Questions can also be asked about Boat and Stream.

• Data Interpretation
• Scoring, easy if concepts clear and steps followed, Could be Tricky, Time Consuming
• Weightage: 0-5 Questions

Focus: Can include questions involving Line Graphs, Bar Graphs, Pie Charts, Tables and other miscellaneous info graphics.

• Time and Work
• Tricky or Tough, More Time Consuming, Lesser Chance of Accurate Solving
• Weightage: 1-2 Questions

Focus: Problems on Work Efficiency, Pipe & Cistern, Work and Wages.

• Permutation and Combination
• Tricky or tough, more time consuming, lesser chance of accurate solving
• Weightage: 1-2 Questions

Focus:Basic Selection and Arrangement Problems.

• Mixture Problems
• Very Tricky/Tough, More Time Consuming, Less likely to appear in the paper
• Weightage: 0-1 Questions

Focus: Problems on making a mixture of two or more entities/mixtures.

• Probability
• Very Tricky/Tough, more time consuming, less likely to appear in the paper
• Weightage: 0-1 Questions

Focus: Very basic problems on probability.

• Number System
• Very Tricky/Tough, more time consuming, less likely to appear in the paper
• Weightage: 0-1 Questions

Focus: Problems on Divisibility & Remainder, Multiples & Factors, Integers, LCM & HCF.

• Data Sufficiency
• Very Tricky/Tough, more time consuming, less likely to appear in the paper
• Weightage: 0-5 Questions

Focus: Data sufficiency problems on almost all the topics mentioned above.

• Reasoning Ability
• Arrangement & Pattern
• Scoring, Easy to Solve, Less Time Consuming, High Accuracy Possible
• Weightage: 2-6 Questions

Focus: Questions on Random Sequence of Alphabets, Number Arrangements, Mixed Series Dictionary or Alphabet based Arrangements etc.

• Analogy
• Scoring, easy to solve, less time consuming, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 0-2 Questions

Focus: Includes meaning based, letter based and number based questions.

• Classification
• Scoring, easy to solve, less time consuming, high accuracy possible
• Weightage: 0-3 Questions

Focus: Includes Letter based and Meaningful Words based questions. Less frequently, GK based and number based questions can be asked.

• Mathematical Inequalities
• Scoring, Easy to Solve, Less Time Consuming, High Accuracy Possible
• Weightage: 0-5 Questions

Focus:Non-coded problems on solving inequalities. Either this or coded inequalities asked.

• Directions & Distances
• Scoring, Easy to Solve, Less Time Consuming, High Accuracy Possible
• Weightage: 0-2 Questions

Focus: Simple problems that can be solved by just drawing all information on paper.

• Coding & Decoding
• Scoring, Easy to Solve, Less Time Consuming, High Accuracy Possible
• Weightage: 1-5 Questions

Focus:Mostly questions on Coding-Decoding in Fictitious Language and Coding by Analogy. Possible questions could also include Coding-Decoding by Letter Shifting, and Coding Letters of a Word.

• Blood Relations
• Scoring, Easy if concepts clear and steps followed, Could be Tricky, Not very Time Consuming
• Weightage: 1-5 Questions

Focus: Family Tree and General Blood Relation Problems.

• Ordering and Ranking
• Scoring, Easy if concepts clear and steps followed, Could be Tricky, Not very Time Consuming
• Weightage: 2-3 Questions

Focus:Questions on arranging by age, floor, rank, order in row etc.

• Coded Inequalities
• Scoring, Easy if concepts clear and steps followed, Could be Tricky, Not very Time Consuming
• Weightage: 0-5 Questions

Focus: Can be asked instead of mathematical inequalities

• Syllogisms
• Scoring, Easy if concepts clear and steps followed, Could be Tricky, Not very Time Consuming
• Weightage: 3-5 Questions

Focus: Problems with 2-3 statements and 2-3 conclusions. Questions could be asked on whether the conclusions follow or not. Possibility based questions can also be asked.

• Input-Output
• Scoring, Easy if concepts clear and steps followed, Could be Tricky, Not very Time Consuming
• Weightage: 0-5 Questions

Focus: Appears less frequently. Use the method shown here.

• Data Sufficiency
• Scoring, Easy if concepts clear and steps followed, Could be Tricky, Not very Time Consuming
• Weightage: 0-2 Questions

Focus: Questions on various topics including Ordering & Ranking, Blood Relations, Coding in Fictitious Language, Circular Arrangements, Directions & Distances, Ages & Birthdates.

• Series
• Scoring, Easy if concepts clear and steps followed, Could be Tricky, Not very Time Consuming
• Weightage: 0-2 Questions

Focus:Complete the Alphabet Series problems asked in the past. But Number Series and Mixed Series questions can also be asked.

• Circular Seating Arrangement
• Tricky or Tough, More Time Consuming, Lesser Chance of Accurate Solving
• Weightage: 5 Questions

Focus: Includes Uni-Directional and Bi-Directional problems. Tough Square/Rectangular/Triangular problems also possible.

• Linear Seating Arrangement
• Tricky or Tough, More Time Consuming, Lesser Chance of Accurate Solving
• Weightage: 5-8 Questions

Focus: Problems involving 2-3 rows facing each other. Can include Double Line-up type problems with information sorting.

• Double Line Up
• Tricky or Tough, More Time Consuming, Lesser Chance of Accurate Solving
• Weightage: 0-5 Questions

Focus: Requires clean charting, proper technique and step-by-step solving.

• Scheduling
• Tricky or Tough, More Time Consuming, Lesser Chance of Accurate Solving
• Weightage: 0-5 Questions

Verbal Reasoning

• Tricky or Tough, More Time Consuming, Lesser Chance of Accurate Solving
• Weightage: 0-2 Questions

Focus: Statement & Assumptions problems asked in the past. But questions on Statement & Arguments, Statement & Inferences, Statement & Conclusions, Critical Reasoning, Course of Action and Cause & Effect also possible.