SBI PO Descriptive Test: Essay and Letter, 30 Marks
Thirty typed minutes most candidates leave for last. The marks are among the easiest in mains to move.
The SBI PO descriptive test is a 30-mark, 30-minute typed paper taken as part of the mains: one essay and one letter. It has no negative marking, and its marks count inside the mains total that carries 75% of final merit, mark for mark equal to the objective sections.
That equality is the point most preparation plans miss. Candidates fight for single marks in DI while leaving a 30-mark paper to the last week, when it is the one part of mains where structured practice converts to marks fastest.
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Descriptive Test Format
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Mode | Online Typing |
| Duration | 30 minutes |
| Tasks | Essay and letter writing |
| Marks | 30 |
| Negative marking | None |
What the Essay Asks
Essay themes lean on banking and the economy: digital banking, NPAs, financial inclusion and similar current topics. The test rewards structure over flourish. An introduction that frames the issue, three developed body points, and a conclusion that takes a position will beat a longer, shapeless piece every time.
What the Letter Asks
Letters are typically formal: a complaint to a bank manager, a representation to an authority, or comparable official correspondence. Marks sit in the format as much as the content: salutation, subject line, structured paragraphs and a proper close. Informal letters appear too, so practise both registers.
Objective sections need reps too. No signup.
A 30-Minute Attempt Plan
The paper is short enough that time allocation is half the score:
- 1
Split the clock before you type
Give the essay the larger share and the letter a fixed, smaller block. Decide the split in practice, not in the exam.
- 2
Outline for two minutes
Three body points for the essay, noted in a line each. Typing without an outline produces drift, and drift reads as weakness.
- 3
Write plainly and finish
An unfinished essay caps its own marks. Plain sentences that complete the argument outscore ambitious fragments.
- 4
Keep two minutes to reread
Typos are cheap to fix and expensive to leave. A final pass catches the errors your typing speed created.
Practise Typed, Not Handwritten
The paper is completed by typing, so handwritten practice trains the wrong skill. Thirty minutes of typed essay-and-letter practice on recent themes, a few times a week in the months before mains, matches the real task exactly.
Descriptive Test FAQs
Is there negative marking in the SBI PO descriptive test?expand_more
No. Negative marking of 0.25 per wrong answer applies only to the objective papers. The descriptive test has none.
What is asked in the SBI PO descriptive paper?expand_more
Two typed tasks in 30 minutes for 30 marks: an essay, usually on a banking or economy theme, and a letter, formal or informal. Both are part of the mains examination.
Do descriptive marks count in the final merit?expand_more
Yes. The 30 descriptive marks sit inside the mains score, and mains carries 75% of the final merit alongside Phase III's 25%.
Next steps
Take a full SBI PO mock testTimed mains practice, including where descriptive fits.