SBI PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026 (1 August) — Shift 1 Difficulty, Good Attempts & Questions Asked

SBI PO Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: Shift 1, 2, 3 & 4 (1st August)

SBI PO Prelims 2026 — Shift Timings (1st August)

SBI PO Prelims Exam Pattern 2026

SBI PO Prelims 2026 — Overall Difficulty Level & Good Attempts (Shift-Wise)

Section-Wise Review — Shift 1 (1st August 2026)

• English Language: Focused on Reading Comprehension and grammar-based questions; overall Easy to Moderate
• Reasoning Ability: Puzzle-intensive, with seating arrangement and puzzle sets forming the bulk of the section; Moderate difficulty
• Quantitative Aptitude: Included arithmetic questions along with Data Interpretation sets; Moderate difficulty
• Overall: A balanced mix of questions across all three sections made the paper Easy to Moderate as a whole

Section-Wise Review — Shift 2 (1st August 2026)

• English Language: Dominated by Reading Comprehension and vocabulary-based questions; relatively balanced and scoring for well-prepared candidates — comparatively easier than Shift 1
• Reasoning Ability: Strong emphasis on puzzles; this section was considered the toughest of Shift 2 due to multiple puzzle-based sets, though overall difficulty stayed Moderate
• Quantitative Aptitude: Arithmetic-heavy with a moderate difficulty level
• Overall: Shift 1 and Shift 2 were nearly equal in overall difficulty. Shift 2’s tougher Reasoning was balanced out by an easier English section, keeping the overall good-attempts range largely similar across both shifts

Section-Wise Review — Shift 3 & Shift 4 (1st August 2026)

• Detailed topic-wise review for Shift 3 (2:00–3:00 PM) and Shift 4 (4:30–5:30 PM) is being compiled from candidate feedback collected immediately after each shift concluded
• Based on the trend seen in Shift 1 and Shift 2, candidates can generally expect a similar structure — Reasoning Ability dominated by puzzles/seating arrangement, Quantitative Aptitude with arithmetic and DI, and English Language centered on Reading Comprehension
• This section will be updated with confirmed good attempts and topic-wise question counts as soon as verified candidate feedback is available — refer to the Important Links section below for the live-update source

SBI PO Prelims 2026 — Memory-Based Topics Asked (English Language)

• Reading Comprehension passage (banking/economy-themed, with word-meaning/vocabulary-based questions such as “evidence,” “spinoff”)
• 2 Vocabulary-based questions and 1 Phrase Replacement question, with the remainder being direct comprehension questions
• Cloze Test
• Sentence Correction / Error Spotting
• Para-jumbles / Sentence Rearrangement

SBI PO Prelims 2026 — Memory-Based Topics Asked (Reasoning Ability)

• Puzzle and Seating Arrangement sets (Linear/Circular/Box-based) — dominant topic across all shifts
• Syllogism
• Inequality
• Blood Relations
• Direction Sense
• Coding-Decoding
• Alphanumeric Series

SBI PO Prelims 2026 — Memory-Based Topics Asked (Quantitative Aptitude)

• Data Interpretation (Tabular/Bar/Line graph based sets)
• Arithmetic Word Problems (Profit & Loss, Simple/Compound Interest, Time & Work, Time-Speed-Distance)
• Number Series
• Quadratic Equations
• Approximation / Simplification

SBI PO Prelims Previous Year Cut-off Trend (Out of 100)

SBI PO 2026 Selection Process — Where Prelims Fits In

• Phase I — Preliminary Examination: 100 marks, qualifying in nature; only an overall cut-off applies (no sectional cut-off)
• Phase II — Main Examination: 250 marks (Objective + Descriptive); tentatively expected in September 2026
• Phase III — Psychometric Test, Group Exercise & Interview: 50 marks; tentatively expected in October/November 2026
• Prelims marks are not added to the final merit — only Mains and Interview marks decide the final selection
• Approximate shortlisting ratio: ~10 candidates per vacancy proceed from Prelims to Mains; ~3 candidates per vacancy proceed from Mains to Interview

Good Attempts vs. Cut-off — What’s the Difference?

• Good Attempts are unofficial estimates prepared by exam experts based on candidate feedback, paper level, question length, and time pressure — they help you gauge your own performance relative to peers
• Cut-off is the official minimum score set by SBI, released only after the exam and evaluation process is complete, based on vacancies, category-wise competition, and overall difficulty across all shifts (after inter-shift normalization)
• Reaching the expected good-attempt range does not confirm qualification — always aim for both a high number of attempts and high accuracy

Preparation Tips for Candidates Appearing in Later Shifts (2nd August)

• Focus on accuracy over speed in Reasoning Ability — puzzles have consistently been the most time-consuming topic across all shifts
• In Quantitative Aptitude, attempt Simplification/Approximation and easier arithmetic questions first before moving to Data Interpretation sets
• In English Language, solve the Reading Comprehension passage first if vocabulary-based, since these tend to be direct and scoring
• Since each section has an independent 20-minute timer, practice full-length sectional mocks to build time-management instinct
• Do not leave too many questions unattempted purely out of fear of negative marking — with 80%+ accuracy, attempting 65-75 questions is generally considered a safe range based on recent trends

Important Instructions for Exam Day

• Carry your SBI PO Admit Card along with a valid original Photo ID Proof (Aadhaar/PAN/Passport/Driving Licence) and its photocopy
• Carry two recent passport-size photographs as specified in the admit card instructions
• Reach the exam centre well before the reporting time — gate closing is strict and no late entry is allowed
• Only transparent water bottles are permitted inside the exam hall; electronic devices, calculators, and any written material are strictly prohibited
• Complete the handwriting sample declaration as instructed at the venue before the exam begins

What Happens After the Prelims — Next Steps

• SBI will release the SBI PO Prelims Result and Scorecard for all candidates on the official careers portal after all 8 shifts (both days) conclude and normalization is applied
• Candidates who clear the overall category-wise cut-off will be shortlisted for the SBI PO Main Examination (250 marks, Objective + Descriptive)
• The unofficial memory-based question paper PDFs and answer keys are typically released by coaching institutes shortly after each shift — these are not official SBI documents and should be used for practice/reference only
• Keep checking sbi.co.in/careers regularly for the official Prelims result date, Mains admit card, and further updates

important links