SBI SO Exam Pattern
How an SBI Specialist Cadre Officer written test is scored, using the 2026-27 Law advertisement as the worked example.
There is no single SBI SO exam pattern. State Bank of India, Central Recruitment & Promotion Department (CRPD) publishes many Specialist Cadre Officer advertisements a year, numbered CRPD/SCO/<financial year>/<serial>, and each one sets its own selection process. Some posts have an online written test, some are filled by shortlisting and interview alone. This page uses one advertisement as a worked example: CRPD/SCO/2026-27/02, the 2026-27 regular recruitment for Assistant Manager (Law) and Deputy Manager (Law). Every number below is that advertisement's rule, not an SBI-wide rule.
In that advertisement the selection has two stages: an online written test worth 100 marks, then an interview worth 100 marks. The written test has an objective part and a descriptive part, and only one objective paper counts for merit. Read your own advertisement before you plan; if its table differs, the advertisement wins.
Objective Test in CRPD/SCO/2026-27/02
Three papers, 110 questions, one mark each. The two General Aptitude papers share one 45-minute block; Professional Knowledge gets its own 45 minutes.
Test of Reasoning (General Aptitude)
Questions
25
Marks
25
Time
45 min, shared with English
Counts for merit?
No, qualifying only
English Language (General Aptitude)
Questions
35
Marks
35
Time
45 min, shared with Reasoning
Counts for merit?
No, qualifying only
Professional Knowledge
Questions
50
Marks
50
Time
45 min
Counts for merit?
Yes
| Paper | Questions | Marks | Time | Counts for merit? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test of Reasoning (General Aptitude) | 25 | 25 | 45 min, shared with English | No, qualifying only |
| English Language (General Aptitude) | 35 | 35 | 45 min, shared with Reasoning | No, qualifying only |
| Professional Knowledge | 50 | 50 | 45 min | Yes |
What Qualifying Means Here
The advertisement marks Reasoning and English with a star: "Qualifying in nature and marks scored will not be reckoned for arriving at the Merit." You must score at least the minimum the Bank decides in each of them, but scoring 35 in English instead of 20 adds nothing to your rank. The only objective marks that rank you are the 50 from Professional Knowledge.
That changes how you spend time. 60 General Aptitude questions in 45 minutes is about 45 seconds a question: enough to clear a floor, not enough to chase every puzzle. Professional Knowledge gives 50 questions in 45 minutes, about 54 seconds each, and every one of them moves your rank.
Descriptive Test in CRPD/SCO/2026-27/02
Part of the same online written examination. The advertisement sets a separate minimum qualifying score for this part, decided by the Bank.
8
Questions to answer
5
Marks
50 (10 x 5)
Time
45 min
| Questions set | Questions to answer | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 5 | 50 (10 x 5) | 45 min |
Puzzles, arrangements, syllogisms and data sufficiency. No signup needed.
How the Marks Add Up
The order the Law advertisement lays out, from the written test to the final list.
- 1
Qualify in every objective paper
Reasoning, English and Professional Knowledge each have a minimum score decided by the Bank. Miss one and the rest does not matter.
- 2
Qualify in the descriptive test separately
The descriptive part has its own minimum. You must clear the objective test and the descriptive test individually.
- 3
Written-test merit is Professional Knowledge plus descriptive
Objective merit marks (50, from Professional Knowledge only) and descriptive marks (50) are added: a written-test score out of 100. General Aptitude marks are not in this total.
- 4
Interview call by category
The Bank calls an "adequate number" of candidates per category, ranked by written-test score, with a cut-off it sets. Those on the cut-off mark are ranked by age, older first. The interview carries 100 marks with its own qualifying score.
- 5
Final merit at 70:30
The advertisement sets the weightage at written test 70%, interview 30%. Written and interview marks are normalised and combined at that weightage. The same age rule breaks ties at the final cut-off.
Negative Marking Depends on the Advertisement
CRPD/SCO/2026-27/02 states: "There will be no negative marks for wrong answers in Online Written Examination." That is this advertisement's rule only. SBI does not publish a common SO rule, and another Specialist Cadre Officer advertisement may deduct marks. Find the line under the pattern table in your own advertisement before deciding whether to guess.
Posts With No Written Test
Not every Specialist Cadre Officer post is tested. In the 2026-27 advertisements read, the senior and contract posts skip the written test entirely.
- Shortlisting and interview
- CRPD/SCO/2026-27/12 (Manager grade HR posts, regular) reads: "The selection will be on the basis of shortlisting and Interview." A shortlisting committee sets its own parameters, calls an adequate number of candidates, and the merit list is built on interview scores alone. Meeting the minimum qualification does not guarantee a call.
- Shortlisting, interview, then CTC negotiation
- CRPD/SCO/2026-27/22 (IT Risk posts, contract) adds a pay negotiation after the interview. There is no paper to prepare for; your CV and experience are the test.
- Online written test and interview
- CRPD/SCO/2026-27/02 (JMGS-I and MMGS-II Law posts, regular) is the format above. In the advertisements read this session, the entry-grade regular posts are the ones with a written test. Treat that as a pattern seen, not a rule.
How the Exam Tests You
The design rewards depth in one subject. General Aptitude is a gate with a floor you must clear; Professional Knowledge is the ranking paper; the descriptive test checks that you can write the subject, not just recognise it. The Law advertisement's indicative syllabus for Professional Knowledge is printed in the advertisement itself and is marked "only indicative and not exhaustive", so the paper can go beyond it.
With no negative marking in that advertisement, an unanswered Professional Knowledge question is a mark given away. In a test where the written score is 70% of your final rank, leaving blanks is the costliest habit to carry in from exams that do penalise guesses.
FAQs
Is there any exam for SBI SO?expand_more
It depends on the post. Some Specialist Cadre Officer advertisements include an online written test, such as the 2026-27 Law posts. Others, including the 2026-27 HR Manager and IT Risk posts, select by shortlisting and interview with no test. Each advertisement states its own selection process.
Is there negative marking in the SBI SO exam?expand_more
Not in advertisement CRPD/SCO/2026-27/02, which states there are no negative marks for wrong answers. SBI publishes no common rule, so check the pattern section of your own advertisement.
Do Reasoning and English marks count in SBI SO?expand_more
In the Law advertisement they do not. Both are qualifying papers: you must clear a minimum score decided by the Bank, but only Professional Knowledge marks and the descriptive test marks build the written-test merit.
What is the weightage of the interview in SBI SO?expand_more
In CRPD/SCO/2026-27/02, 30%. The final merit list combines normalised written-test and interview marks at 70:30. The interview itself is out of 100 marks with a qualifying score set by the Bank.
Is SBI SO conducted every year?expand_more
There is no yearly exam. SBI publishes Specialist Cadre Officer advertisements through the year as posts arise, each with its own dates and process. The careers page on sbi.bank.in lists the open ones.
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