Every year SBI announce thousands of vacancies for Probationary Officer but it is very difficult to Crack SBI PO in First Attempt. In this article we will explain complete strategy for preparation of SBI PO.
As we know SBI PO is one of the most prestigious job in India, so if you are preparing for this job you have to face tough competition but with right strategy, smart preparation and consistent practice can make it easy to crack SBI PO in First Attempt.
Understand the SBI PO Exam Pattern
Exam pattern of SBI PO is very easy to understand, it is completed in three phases:
Phase-I: Preliminary Examination: It is an objective test of 100 marks, it has three sections. It is qualifying in nature and work as entry gate of main examination.
Phase-II: Main Examination: Main examination has two parts. Part one is an objective test of 200 marks and four sections. Maximum time duration for part one is 3 hours. Part two is an descriptive test of 30 minutes and having 30 marks, this test is basically based on Email Writing /Situation Analysis/ Report Writing or Precis Writing. So the total time for main examination is 3 hours 30 minutes and total 200 marks.
Phase-III: It is Comprise of Psychometric Test, Group Exercise & Personal Interview. Psychometric test is for personality profiling for those candidates who will be shortlisted for Phase III process.
Final Selection: The marks obtained by the candidates in Phase-II (Main Examination both Objective & Descriptive Tests) and Phase-III (Group Exercise & Interview) will be normalized to 100 marks and final list of selection is made according to the normalizes marks.
Know the Complete Syllabus
After understanding the SBI PO Exam Pattern go through the syllabus of preliminary and main examination. It will help you to understand the difficulty level of each subject and you can easily identify strong and weak subject according to your primary screening. It will help you tom make timetable.
Best Books to Crack SBI PO in First Attempt
To crack SBI PO in first attempt you have to choose good study material, here we have suggested some books for preparation.
Quantitative Aptitude
- Quantitative Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal
- Fast Track Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma
Reasoning Ability
- Analytical Reasoning by M.K. Pandey
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal
English
- Objective General English by S.P. Bakshi
- Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
Banking Awareness
- Banking Awareness by N K Gupta
- Banking Awareness by Arihant
Time Table to Crack SBI PO in First Attempt (Prelims + Mains)
Time table is designed for serious aspirants who can study 6-8 hours daily. Strategy need to follow for 5-6 months.
Phase 1 (First 60 Days) – Build Strong Fundamentals
Monday to Saturday
| Time | Subject | Focus |
| 6:00 – 6:30 AM | Newspaper | The Hindu/Indian Express + Banking News |
| 6:30 – 7:30 AM | English | Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading |
| 7:30 – 8:30 AM | Quantitative Aptitude | Number System, Simplification, Arithmetic |
| 8:30 – 9:00 AM | Breakfast | |
| 9:00 – 10:30 AM | Reasoning | Seating Arrangement, Puzzle, Coding |
| 10:30 – 11:00 AM | Break | |
| 11:00 – 12:00 PM | Current Affairs | Daily Notes + Banking Awareness |
| 12:00 – 1:00 PM | Computer Awareness | Basics, MS Office, Internet |
| 1:00 – 2:00 PM | Lunch | |
| 2:00 – 3:30 PM | Quant Practice | Topic-wise Questions |
| 3:30 – 5:00 PM | Reasoning Practice | Puzzle Marathon |
| 5:00 – 6:00 PM | Rest/Exercise | |
| 6:00 – 7:00 PM | English RC + Cloze Test | Practice |
| 7:00 – 8:00 PM | Previous Year Questions | SBI PO + IBPS PO |
| 8:00 – 9:00 PM | Dinner | |
| 9:00 – 10:00 PM | Revision | Formula + Vocabulary |
Sunday
- Full-Length Prelims Mock Test
- Analyze every mistake
- Revise weak topics
- Read one Editorial
Phase 2 (Next 60 Days) – Advanced Practice
Daily Schedule
| Subject | Time |
| Puzzle & Seating | 1.5 Hours |
| Arithmetic + DI | 2 Hours |
| English RC + Vocabulary | 1 Hour |
| Current Affairs | 1 Hour |
| Banking Awareness | 45 Minutes |
| Computer | 30 Minutes |
| Mock Test Analysis | 2 Hours |
Weekly Target
- 4 Full-Length Prelims Mocks
- 2 Sectional Tests (Each Subject)
- 500 Quant Questions
- 400 Reasoning Questions
- 15 Reading Comprehensions
Phase 3 (Last 45 Days) – Prelims + Mains Together
| Time Slot | Focus |
| Morning | Full Mock Test (Alternate Days) |
| Afternoon | Analyze Mock |
| Evening | Mains Level Questions |
Apart from above mentioned schedule you should also do practice of below mention topics.
- Data Interpretation
- High-Level Puzzles
- Descriptive Writing
- Banking Awareness
- Computer Awareness
- Editorial Reading
Final 15 Days Before Prelims
Last 15 days are very important for preparation so follow the time table mentioned below.
| Task | Daily |
| Full Mock | 1 |
| Previous Year Paper | 1 |
| Current Affairs Revision | 1 Hour |
| Formula Revision | 30 Minutes |
| Vocabulary | 30 Minutes |
| Weak Topic Practice | 2 Hours |
After Clearing Prelims (Mains Strategy – 30 Days)
Daily Schedule
| Subject | Hours |
| Reasoning & Computer | 2 |
| Quant & DI | 2 |
| English | 1 |
| Banking Awareness | 2 |
| Current Affairs | 1.5 |
| Descriptive Writing | 45 Minutes |
| Mock Analysis | 2 |
Daily Current Affairs Routine
| Activity | Time |
| Read Banking News | 20 Minutes |
| RBI Updates | 15 Minutes |
| Economy News | 15 Minutes |
| Government Schemes | 15 Minutes |
| International News | 15 Minutes |
| Awards, Sports & Books | 20 Minutes |
| Total Time | 1 Hour 30 Minutes (90 Minutes) |
Mock Test
Attempt regular mock tests as per given time table. Mock tests are very important to improve speed and accuracy. By giving regular mock test you can easily identify your common mistakes and you can work to improve them.
Time Management
Time management during exam is very important aspect. It can be improve by regular mock test.
Q1. How much time required to prepare for SBI PO?
Ans: As per our strategy you need 5-6 months to prepare for SBI PO.
Q2. How many hours should I study daily to crack SBI PO in first attempt?
Ans: A sincere and hardworking candidate need to study 6-8 hours to crack SBI PO in first attempt.
Q3. What is the best strategy to crack SBI PO in the first attempt?
Ans:An effective strategy includes:
- Prepare Current Affairs daily.
- Understand the latest exam pattern and syllabus.
- Build strong concepts.
- Practice topic-wise questions daily.
- Attempt regular mock tests.
- Analyze every mock test.
- Revise weekly.
Q4. How can i find my weak areas and common mistakes?
Ans: Mock tests are the best way to identify the weak areas and common mistakes. Regular mock test also improve your speed and accuracy.
Q5. What are the common mistakes to avoid during SBI PO preparation?
Ans: To crack SBI PO in first attempt it is very important to identify and remove common mistake during preparation some of them listed below:
- Studying from too many sources and not making proper notes.
- Skipping mock tests.
- Ignoring Current Affairs.
- Neglecting weak subjects.