SBI PO Previous Year Question Paper with Answers PDF: Quick Answer
The honest answer first: SBI does not publish official previous year question papers for the Probationary Officer exam. What exists are memory-based papers, reconstructed from what candidates remember after the exam, and compilations of those papers as PDFs by preparation sites. On this site you can attempt two playable memory-based papers from the SBI PO 2025 Prelims, 4 August 2025, Shift 1 and Shift 2, with 100 questions each and answers. There are no official SBI PO papers on this site, because SBI does not release them, and any page that calls a memory-based paper "official" is overstating what it is. As of 7 November 2026, no memory-based paper from the 2026 cycle has been added here yet: the 2026 Prelims were held in August 2026 and the Mains in September 2026, and the cycle has moved on to Phase 3.
Key takeaway: A memory-based paper is a very good reconstruction, not a photocopy of the paper. The strong parts are usually the reasoning puzzles, the data interpretation sets and the distinctive English questions, because candidates remember those. The weak parts are exact wording, the order of questions and sometimes one or two options. Treat every paper on this page — and every PDF on the internet — as memory-based, and check any doubtful answer against the concept, not against the source's confidence.
What SBI Releases and What It Does Not
SBI publishes the recruitment advertisement, the call letters, the results, the scorecards and the cut-off marks for each stage. It does not publish the question papers or the answer keys. That is different from SSC, which does release question papers with answer keys, and it is the single biggest reason SBI PO preparation depends on memory-based papers.
The 2026 cycle is a good example of what SBI does publish. The advertisement is CRPD/PO/2026-27/09, dated 18 June 2026, for 1,500 vacancies. The Prelims were held in August 2026, the Mains in September 2026, and the Mains result was declared on 14/15 October 2026, shortlisting 4,367 candidates for Phase 3. The psychometric test was held on 31 October 2026, and the group exercise and interviews are scheduled to start from 18 November 2026. Every one of those facts comes from SBI's own notices or from convergent reporting of them. None of it is a question paper — and no question paper from any of those stages has been published by SBI.
SBI PO Previous Year Papers You Can Attempt on This Site
| Paper | Date and shift | Questions | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBI PO 2025 Prelims Memory-Based Paper, 4 August, Shift 1 | 4 August 2025, Shift 1 | 100 | Memory-based, with answers |
| SBI PO 2025 Prelims Memory-Based Paper, 4 August, Shift 2 | 4 August 2025, Shift 2 | 100 | Memory-based, with answers |
Both papers carry 100 questions in 60 minutes, matching the Prelims format: English Language 40, Quantitative Aptitude 30 and Reasoning Ability 30, with 20 minutes per section. They are labelled memory-based in their own metadata, and this page labels them the same way. They are the only SBI PO previous-year papers on this site as of 7 November 2026. There are no Mains memory-based papers here yet, and no paper from the 2026 cycle. If you need Mains practice in the current pattern, use the SBI PO Mains full mock test 01; it is a practice paper built to the 2026 pattern, not a previous-year paper, and it is labelled as practice.
SBI PO Previous Year Papers Year by Year
| Exam held | Stage | What is available |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 cycle (Prelims 4 August 2025) | Prelims | Two memory-based papers on this site (above), Shift 1 and Shift 2 |
| 2025 cycle (Mains, September 2025) | Mains | No paper on this site. Memory-based compilations circulate as third-party PDFs |
| 2026 cycle (Prelims August 2026, Mains September 2026) | Prelims and Mains | No paper on this site yet. Memory-based compilations exist on preparation sites as third-party PDFs; they were not opened or verified for this page |
Two warnings about the year-wise picture. First, several preparation sites label their compilations with the year the recruitment was notified rather than the year the exam was held, so a paper marked "2025" can be the Prelims held in August 2025 or a paper from a different cycle entirely. Check the exam date and shift on the paper itself, not just the headline. Second, do not trust cut-offs quoted on previous-year-paper pages: the SBI PO Mains cut-off for 2026 has not been officially released, and this page deliberately publishes no cut-off figure.
The 2026 cycle needs one more clarification. The Mains pattern changed in one place this year: the descriptive test is now 30 marks (3 questions) instead of 50, so the Main exam is out of 230, not 250. The objective paper is still 170 questions for 200 marks in 3 hours. Any paper or guide that shows a 155-question Mains, or a 250-mark Main exam, is describing an older pattern. Old Prelims papers are unaffected by this change — the Prelims is still 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes — but old Mains papers need to be read with the new descriptive marks in mind.
SBI PO Prelims and Mains Pattern: What the Papers Test
Prelims pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 40 | 40 | 20 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes |
Each question carries 1 mark and a wrong answer costs one-fourth of a mark. There is no sectional cut-off in Prelims: SBI draws a category-wise merit list on the aggregate score only, and about 10 times the vacancies in each category are shortlisted for Mains. Prelims marks do not count in the final merit.
Mains pattern
| Test | Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 50 minutes |
| II | Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| III | General / Economy / Banking Awareness | 60 | 60 | 45 minutes |
| IV | English Language | 40 | 20 | 40 minutes |
| Objective total | 170 | 200 | 3 hours | |
| Descriptive: Communication Skills | 3 | 30 | 30 minutes | |
| Grand total | 230 | 3 hours 30 minutes |
The descriptive paper is one email, one situation analysis, and either report writing or précis writing, typed on the computer immediately after the objective test. Phase 3 — psychometric test, group exercise (20 marks) and interview (30 marks) — follows, and the final merit uses a 75:25 weight between the Mains and Phase 3. The full pattern, with the topic list, is in the SBI PO syllabus and exam pattern note.
How to Use Memory-Based Papers Without Fooling Yourself
Attempt them timed, in one sitting, with the sectional timers. A memory-based paper only teaches you exam temperament if you take it the way the real exam runs: 20 minutes per Prelims section, no pausing, no looking up a formula mid-section. If you take it untimed, the score tells you about your knowledge, not about your readiness.
Score sectional accuracy, not just the total. SBI PO Prelims has no sectional cut-off, so a weak section does not fail you on its own — but Mains has a minimum score in each of Tests I–IV and the descriptive paper separately, plus a minimum aggregate. After each attempt, write down three numbers per section: attempted, right and wrong. The wrong count matters more than the right count in a one-fourth-negative-marking exam.
Review every wrong answer the same day, from the concept. Memory-based answers are sometimes wrong. If an explanation looks doubtful, work the question from first principles or check a standard source before accepting it. A wrong memorised answer is worse than no answer, because it survives into the real exam.
Do not rank yourself against other candidates' claimed scores. Memory-based papers circulate with claimed cut-offs, claimed "good attempts" and claimed scores from strangers. None of those is verified. The only verified benchmark is the official cut-off released with the scorecards, covered in the SBI PO cut off 2026 note.
Use old papers for question types, new mocks for the current pattern. The 2025 papers show you what SBI actually asked: the puzzle styles, the DI formats, the English question types. The current-pattern mock tests show you how the Mains sectional timings and the new 30-mark descriptive change your time allocation. You need both, and neither replaces the other.
Third-Party PDF Collections: What to Check Before You Trust One
Most SBI PO previous year papers on the internet are PDF compilations by preparation sites such as CareerPower, Testbook, Prepp and BankersAdda. They are third-party documents, not SBI publications. None of them was opened or verified for this page, so this page does not vouch for any particular PDF. Before you rely on one, check four things: the exam date and shift printed on the paper itself; whether it is labelled memory-based or presented as something it is not; whether the answers come with explanations or are bare keys; and whether the question counts match the pattern of that stage (100 for Prelims, 170 plus descriptive for Mains). A PDF that fails any of those checks is still usable for practice, but do not treat its keys as final.
- CareerPower: SBI PO previous year question papers PDF, memory-based papers (third-party collection)
- Testbook: SBI PO previous year question papers, download Prelims and Mains papers PDF (third-party collection)
- Prepp: SBI PO previous year question paper with solutions, download PDF (third-party collection)
- BankersAdda: SBI PO previous year question paper with solution, download PDF (third-party collection)
Be especially careful with PDFs that promise "all shifts" in one file. Shifts differ, and a compilation that merges shifts without labelling them will show you the same question twice with different numbers, or two different questions presented as one. Attempt one shift at a time, and keep a note of which shift each attempt was. Also be careful with pages that mix the 2025 and 2026 cycles: a paper labelled only "SBI PO 2026" with no date may be from the August 2025 Prelims, not the August 2026 Prelims.
Common Mistakes with SBI PO Previous Year Papers
- Calling a memory-based paper "official". SBI publishes no question papers. Any page that says otherwise is wrong, and any preparation built on that claim is built on sand.
- Practising Mains from a pre-2026 pattern. The descriptive test is 30 marks now, not 50. A Mains paper scored out of 250 misleads you about the weight of the descriptive section.
- Treating a memory-based key as final. One or two answers per paper are commonly wrong. If an explanation conflicts with a standard result, trust the standard result.
- Comparing scores across shifts. Shifts differ in difficulty, and SBI normalises. A 72 in Shift 1 and a 72 in Shift 2 are not the same performance.
- Ignoring the descriptive paper. It is 30 of the 230 Main exam marks, and Mains has a separate minimum in the descriptive paper. Candidates who practise only the objective paper arrive unprepared for the one section that cannot be guessed.
Memory Tricks for SBI PO Papers
- "SBI sells no papers." If a site claims an official SBI PO paper, it is memory-based with a better headline. Check the date and shift, then practise.
- 100–170–230. Prelims 100 questions, Mains objective 170 questions, Main exam total 230 marks (200 objective + 30 descriptive). The three numbers are the whole pattern.
- 40–30–30. Prelims is English 40, Quant 30, Reasoning 30. English is the biggest Prelims section, and it is the one most candidates under-practise.
- 75:25. Final merit is 75% Mains and 25% Phase 3. A strong Mains score is a cushion, not a guarantee.
SBI PO Previous Year Paper FAQs
Does SBI release official SBI PO previous year question papers?
No. SBI does not publish question papers or answer keys for the PO exam. The papers available anywhere are memory-based reconstructions or compilations of them. This site labels its two 2025 papers as memory-based, and you should distrust any source that calls an SBI PO paper "official" without showing an SBI publication.
Are memory-based papers reliable enough to practise on?
Yes, for question types, difficulty and timing. They are less reliable for exact wording and for one or two answers per paper. Use them timed, review wrong answers from the concept, and do not treat a memory-based key as final when it conflicts with a standard result.
Which year should I start with?
Start with the most recent paper you can attempt under timed conditions, which on this site is the 4 August 2025 Prelims. Then work backwards one cycle at a time for question-type coverage, and finish with current-pattern mock tests so the Mains sectional timings and the 30-mark descriptive are fresh.
Are there SBI PO Mains previous year papers on this site?
Not yet, as of 7 November 2026. The Mains practice available here is a full mock test built to the 2026 pattern, labelled as practice. Mains memory-based compilations exist as third-party PDFs, with the cautions given above.
How is the SBI PO exam scored?
Prelims: 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes, one-fourth negative marking, qualifying only, no sectional cut-off. Mains: 170 objective questions for 200 marks plus a 30-mark descriptive test, 3 hours 30 minutes total, one-fourth negative marking, with a minimum in each section. Phase 3 is 50 marks (group exercise 20 + interview 30), and the final merit uses a 75:25 weight between Mains and Phase 3.
When will 2026 papers appear here?
Only when a memory-based paper for the 2026 cycle has been checked question by question and labelled honestly. No date is promised. The 2026 Prelims were held in August 2026 and the Mains in September 2026.
Practice Questions
Q1. Does SBI publish official SBI PO previous year question papers? (A) Yes, on sbi.co.in (B) Yes, with every result (C) No — only memory-based papers exist (D) Yes, but only for Mains Answer: (C) No — only memory-based papers exist. SBI publishes the advertisement, call letters, results and cut-offs, but not the question papers or answer keys.
Q2. How many questions are in the SBI PO Prelims paper? (A) 170 (B) 100 (C) 200 (D) 150 Answer: (B) 100. English 40, Quant 30, Reasoning 30, in 60 minutes.
Q3. What is the total of the SBI PO Main exam in 2026? (A) 230 (B) 250 (C) 200 (D) 280 Answer: (A) 230. Objective 200 marks plus descriptive 30 marks. The old 250 total belonged to the 50-mark descriptive.
Q4. Which of these is a memory-based paper available on this site? (A) SBI PO 2026 Mains official paper (B) SBI PO 2024 Prelims official paper (C) SBI PO 2026 Prelims official paper (D) SBI PO 2025 Prelims, 4 August, Shift 1 Answer: (D) SBI PO 2025 Prelims, 4 August, Shift 1. The other three do not exist — SBI publishes no official papers.
Q5. Why should you not treat a memory-based key as final? (A) The keys are always wrong (B) One or two answers per paper are commonly wrong (C) SBI changes the keys (D) The papers have no keys Answer: (B) One or two answers per paper are commonly wrong. Memory-based papers are reconstructions; check doubtful answers against the concept.
Q6. What is the final merit weight between Mains and Phase 3? (A) 50:50 (B) 80:20 (C) 75:25 (D) 60:40 Answer: (C) 75:25. Mains 75%, Phase 3 25%.
Q7. How many vacancies did the SBI PO 2026 advertisement list? (A) 1,500 (B) 1,000 (C) 2,000 (D) 5,000 Answer: (A) 1,500. Advertisement CRPD/PO/2026-27/09, dated 18 June 2026.
Q8. What should you check first before trusting a third-party SBI PO PDF? (A) The file size (B) The number of pages (C) The website's logo (D) The exam date and shift printed on the paper itself Answer: (D) The exam date and shift printed on the paper itself. Papers are often mislabelled by notification year; the date and shift are what identify the paper.
Q9. How many candidates were shortlisted for SBI PO Phase 3 in 2026? (A) 1,500 (B) 4,367 (C) 15,802 (D) 10,000 Answer: (B) 4,367. Shortlisted after the Mains result of 14/15 October 2026.
Q10. Which Mains section carries 60 questions in SBI PO? (A) English Language (B) Reasoning & Computer Aptitude (C) General / Economy / Banking Awareness (D) Data Analysis & Interpretation Answer: (C) General / Economy / Banking Awareness. 60 questions for 60 marks in 45 minutes.
Practice Next for SBI PO Previous Year Papers
- Pattern: SBI PO syllabus and exam pattern
- Cut-off: SBI PO cut off 2026
- Salary: SBI PO salary 2026
- Result: SBI PO result 2026
- Admit card: SBI PO admit card 2026
- Compare: SBI PO vs SBI Clerk 2026, IBPS PO vs SBI PO
- Practice: SBI PO 2025 Prelims memory-based paper 4 August Shift 1, SBI PO 2025 Prelims memory-based paper 4 August Shift 2, SBI PO Prelims full mock test 16, SBI PO Mains full mock test 01
Sources: house SBI PO syllabus note citing advertisement CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 (18 June 2026, 1,500 vacancies; Prelims 100Q; Mains 170Q/200 + 30-mark descriptive = 230; Phase 3 50 marks; 75:25 final weight); house SBI PO Phase 3 admit card note (Mains result 14/15 October 2026, 4,367 shortlisted, psychometric test 31 October 2026, GE and interviews from 18 November 2026 tentative); the two memory-based test files' own metadata (paperType memory-based, isPYP true, exam date 4 August 2025); CareerPower, Testbook, Prepp and BankersAdda SBI PO previous year paper collections for third-party PDF availability, as listed in search results (not opened or verified). No SBI question paper or answer key was read directly, because SBI does not publish them. As of 7 November 2026.