The public sector bank, State Bank of India, recently announced a host of changes in the pattern of its Probationary Officers’ exam (SBI PO), 2015. It is best to be prepared and arm yourself with all the information you may need. Here are 10 things you should know about the SBI PO 2015 examination.
10.
SBI announced the introduction of a Preliminary Exam that consists of one hundred questions of duration one hour. Students who qualify this round will be eligible for further rounds. The preliminary phase will be divided into the following sections- English Language (30 marks), Quantitative Aptitude (35 marks), Reasoning Ability (35 marks).
9.
Vacancies and reservations of seats have changed and they are as follows- SC 308, ST 339, OBC 541, GEN 812 bringing the total number of vacancies to 2000. Candidates from OBC have been divided into two layers- Creamy layer and Non Creamy layer. However, Creamy layer OBC candidates will be categorised as General category.
8.
Vacancies have also been introduced for PWD (Persons with Disabilities) candidates and they are as follows- OH 38, VH 24. Vacancies reserved for OH and VH category are reserved horizontally. Vacancies (that also include reserved vacancies) are purely provisional. These vacancies usually vary according to the needs and requirements of the bank.
7.
Candidates, in order to qualify the preliminary round, will have to secure pass marks in each of the aforementioned sections. Pass marks will be decided by the bank. A given number of candidates (around 20 times the number of seats available) will be shortlisted for appearing for the main examination.
6.
The main examination will be an objective paper of a total of 200 marks along with a 50 marks descriptive section. The objective and descriptive tests will both be conducted online- the descriptive test shall follow the objective test. The objective test will be a paper of 2 hours consisting of four sections with the marks split equally. The four sections are as follows-
1) English Language
2) General Awareness, Marketing & Computers
3) Data Analysis and Data Interpretation.
4) Reasoning
5.
The objective test will be followed by, as mentioned before, a descriptive test of 50 marks. This test will also be a test of English Language and will last one hour. The candidates will be required to write several long answers including but not limited to essays and letters. The candidates have to qualify in both the objective and descriptive test to appear for the next round. The pass marks or qualifying marks will be decided by the bank. It should be noted that the Descriptive Paper of only those candidates who have secured a certain qualifying mark or above, will be corrected.
4.
There is also a phase three that is divided into two parts- a group discussion (20 marks) and a personal interview (30 marks). The candidates are arranged in a particular manner as follows- the aggregate marks of both the objective and descriptive tests are taken and arranged from highest to lowest (in each category). Depending on the category, a given number of candidates (decided by the bank) will be called by the bank for group discussion and personal interview.
3.
Marks obtained in preliminary round will not be considered in the final selection. Only the marks for Phase II and the marks obtained in phase III (group discussion and interview) are added for preparing the final list of selected candidates.
2.
The final merit list is prepared by converting the total marks obtained and scaling it- marks obtained in phase II (250 marks in total) are scaled to a total of 75 and marks obtained in phase III (50 marks in total) are scaled to a total of 25. Thus the final merit list consists of candidates who have scored the highest out of 100 keeping the provisions for categorical selection intact.
1.
Important dates for the SBI PO examination have also been released. The last date for applying online is 7th May (was extended), 2015. The online fee payment duration is from 13th April to 7th May, 2015. As of now, the examination date for SBI PO has been placed tentatively in the month of June, 2015.
