IBPS PO vs SBI PO
IBPS PO/MT: Common Recruitment Process for Probationary Officers / Management Trainees and SBI Probationary Officers (PO) compared using the official notifications: how the papers are built, how marks are given, and how much you can prepare for both at once.
At a glance
| At a glance | IBPS PO | SBI PO |
|---|---|---|
| Conducted by | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) | State Bank of India, Central Recruitment & Promotion Department |
| Question paper languages | English, Hindi | English, Hindi |
| Number of stages | 4 | 4 |
| Last checked against official sources | 2026-10-14 | 2026-10-14 |
Exam pattern
Every stage with its duration, questions, total marks and negative marking.
IBPS PO
Online Preliminary Examination
60 min · 100 questions · 100 marks · negative marking 0
Online Main Examination (objective)
160 min · 170 questions · 200 marks · negative marking 0
Descriptive Paper (Essay and Comprehension)
30 min · 2 questions · 25 marks · negative marking 0
Personality Test and Interview
Document check, medical or interview stage
SBI PO
Phase-I: Preliminary Examination
60 min · 100 questions · 100 marks · negative marking 1/4
Phase-II: Main Examination (objective)
180 min · 170 questions · 200 marks · negative marking 0
Phase-II: Descriptive Paper (Communication Skills)
30 min · 3 questions · 30 marks · negative marking 0
Phase-III: Psychometric Test, Group Exercise and Interview
Document check, medical or interview stage
Shared and unique syllabus
Topics below the subject level that appear under the same name in both syllabi.
- Topics in both
- 61
- Only in IBPS PO
- 2
- Only in SBI PO
- 3
Subjects in both: English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation, Reasoning Ability, General, Economy and Banking Awareness, Descriptive writing (English)
Show shared topics (61)
Reading comprehension · Comprehension passages · Vocabulary in context · Grammar · Error detection · Sentence improvement · Fillers (single and double) · Verbal ability · Cloze test · Para jumbles / sentence rearrangement · Word usage, word swap, phrase replacement · Arithmetic · Simplification and approximation · Number series (missing / wrong number) · Quadratic equations (comparison of roots) · Percentage · Ratio, proportion, partnership · Averages and ages · Profit and loss · Simple and compound interest · Time and work, pipes and cisterns · Time, speed and distance; boats and streams; trains · Mixture and alligation · Mensuration · Permutation, combination and probability · Data interpretation and analysis · Tabular DI · Bar, line and pie chart DI · Caselet DI · Data sufficiency · Puzzles and seating arrangement · Linear seating arrangement · Circular and square seating arrangement · Floor, box and scheduling puzzles · Logical reasoning · Syllogism · Inequalities · Blood relations · Direction and distance · Order and ranking · and 21 more
Topics are matched by name. The same ground covered under a different name is not matched, so treat the shared count as a minimum.
Official sources
Confirm every date and rule on the official website before you apply.