SBI PO Notification 2026: Vacancies, Dates, Eligibility & Exam Rules

The SBI PO notification 2026 is out. The SBI PO exam schedule was officially released through a detailed notification on 18 June 2026 on SBI website.

This SBI PO notification covers 1,500 vacancies for the post of Probationary Officer at State Bank of India. At 1,500 posts, this is the largest SBI PO vacancy count in recent years, around 200% jump from the 541 vacancies in 2025.

This article presents all the important details from the SBI PO official notification 2026.

Important Details of SBI PO Notification 2026

Download the official SBI PO notification 2026.

SBI PO Notification 2026: Important Dates

Here are the important dates of the SBI PO 2026 exam.

How Many SBI PO Vacancies Have Been Announced in 2026?

SBI declared a total of 1500 vacancies in the SBI PO official 2026 notification, out of which 1446 are regular vacancies and *56 are backlog vacancies.

* Backlog vacancies are positions that remain unfilled in the previous recruitment due to a lack of suitable applicants.

Vacancies are provisional. Actual allotment depends on SBI’s requirement at the time of joining.

SBI is the only bank. There is no bank-wise split. All 1,500 posts are within SBI across its branches nationwide.

What Information is Mentioned in the SBI PO 2026 Notification?

Other than exam dates and vacancies, there are other important information that you must know about SBI PO exam.

1. SBI PO Eligibility 2026

Nationality

You are eligible if you are:

• A citizen of India, or
• A subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or
• A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 intending permanent settlement, or
• A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, or Vietnam intending permanent settlement

Candidates in the last three categories need an eligibility certificate from the Government of India.

Age Limit (as on 01 April 2026)

• Minimum: 21 years
• Maximum: 30 years
• Born between: 02.04.1996 and 01.04.2005 (both dates inclusive)

Age Relaxation

Only one type of relaxation applies at a time.

Educational Qualification (as on 30 September 2026)

• Graduation in any discipline from a Government-recognised university
• Any equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government
• All streams eligible: BA, BCom, BSc, BTech, BCA, LLB, MBBS, and others
• No minimum percentage required
• Work experience: not required

Final Year Students

• Can apply provisionally
• Must produce passing proof by 30 September 2026 if called for interview

Attempt Limit

For the complete eligibility rules, read our SBI PO Eligibility 2026 article.

2. SBI PO Exam Pattern 2026

According to the official notification of SBI PO 2026, the selection procedure of the SBI PO General exam is:

1. Phase 1 (Pre)
2. Phase 2 (Mains)
3. Phase 3 (Group Discussion and Interview)

SBI PO Prelims Pattern 2026

Here is the SBI PO 2026 pre pattern:

*No marks bifurcation is given in the official SBI PO 2026 notification. But as per the previous SBI PO prelims exam, and since the SBI PO 2026 exam has 100 questions and 100 marks, we can assume each question is worth 1 mark.

• The SBI PO Phase 1 is an online paper that is qualifying in nature. 
• You can choose either Hindi or English language (except for the English language test).
• There is also 1/4th negative marking, and 0.25 marks will be deducted for every wrong answer, so answer wisely. 
• There will be no sectional cut-off in the preliminary examination.

Important Note: 10 times (approx.) the number of vacancies in each category will be shortlisted for the Main Examination based on their position at the top of the merit list.

SBI PO Mains Pattern 2026

Here is the SBI PO Phase 2 exam pattern:

* You’ll get 1 compulsory email (choose 1 from 2 options), 1 Situation Analysis (choose 1 from 2 options), and either Reports or Precis Writing (choose 1).

• The SBI PO Phase 2 exam consists of online objective and descriptive papers. 
• You can choose either Hindi or English language (except for the English language test and descriptive paper).
• There is a 1/4th negative marking for every wrong answer in the objective paper, so answer wisely.
• There is no penalty for descriptive answers.
• There is a sectional cut-off in the mains examination; you need to clear the cut-off of each mains test, including the descriptive paper.

Important Note: up to 3 times (approx.) the number of vacancies in each category will be shortlisted for the Phase 3 (psychometric test, group exercise, and personal interview, based on their position at the top of the merit list.

SBI PO Interview Pattern 2026

Candidates who qualify in Phase 2 are then shortlisted for group discussion and interview. Here is the SBI PO Phase 3 pattern.

• Candidates need to undergo a psychometric test before appearing for the interview. 
• No marks are allotted for the psychometric test.
• After the psychometric test, there is a group discussion and interview of 20 and 30 marks, respectively.
• In total SBI PO Phase 3 exam is worth 50 marks.
• Candidates may opt for the group discussion and interview either in Hindi or English.

For more details, read our SBI PO Pattern article.

3. SBI PO Syllabus 2026

The official SBI PO 2026 notification does not mention the syllabus for prelims, mains, or interview.

You can go through the SBI PO Detailed Syllabus article which has been prepared after analyzing the previous years’ questions (PYQs)

4. SBI PO Exam Centers 2026

Here are the centers for the SBI PO exam:

SBI PO Prelims Exam Centres 2026

Here are the centres for the SBI PO 2026 Phase 1 (Pre) exam:

SBI PO Mains Exam Centres 2026

Here are the centres for the SBI PO Phase 2 (Mains) exam:

Important Note: Group discussions and interviews will be conducted at some of the Phase 2 centres, details of which will be mentioned in your call letters.

5. SBI PO Salary and Service Conditions

Pay Scale

₹48,480 to ₹85,920 (with structured annual increments).

Starting Basic Pay

₹56,480 per month (SBI awards 4 advance increments at the time of joining, so the effective starting pay is higher than the scale minimum of ₹48,480).

Allowances

• Dearness Allowance (DA): revised quarterly
• House Rent Allowance (HRA): based on posting city
• City Compensatory Allowance (CCA): applicable at select centres
• National Pension System (NPS) contributions
• Leave Fare Concession (LFC)
• Medical facility for self and dependents
• Newspaper allowance
• Lease rental facility

Approximate CTC at Mumbai

₹21.97 Lakh per annum.

Probation Period

• 2 years from the date of joining.
• Continuous assessment during probation.
• Confirmation in JMGS-I requires meeting SBI’s performance standards.

Bond

• ₹2 lakh bond to serve for a minimum of 3 years.
• If resigned before 3 years, ₹2 lakh is recovered.

6. SBI PO Application Process

Here is the process to register for SBI PO exam:

1. Go to sbi.bank.in/web/careers/current-openings.
2. Click the SBI PO link under Current Openings.
3. Click “Apply Online”.
4. Enter: name, date of birth, email ID, mobile number.
5. Provisional registration number and password are displayed and sent to email and mobile.
6. Upload all required documents (listed below).
7. Capture a live photograph via webcam or mobile. This is mandatory.
8. Fill in all personal, educational, and category details.
9. Review every field carefully before final submission.
10. Submit and pay the fee online.
11. Download the e-receipt and application form printout.

Documents Required

• Scanned passport-size photograph
• Scanned signature
• Scanned left-hand thumb impression (right hand accepted if left is unavailable)
• Scanned handwritten declaration

SBI PO Application Fee

Here is the application fee to apply for the SBI PO exam:

• You can only pay online for the SBI PO 2026 application fee by using a debit card/ credit card/ Internet Banking.
• Upon successful payment, you’ll receive an e-receipt from the website for your records.
• Be sure to save this e-receipt along with your application form.

Is There a Correction Window for SBI PO 2026?

No formal correction window is provided for SBI PO exam registration after you submit the form.

For the complete step-by-step guide, read our SBI PO Registration 2026 article.

7. SBI PO Reservation and PwBD Provisions

Documents required for reserved-category candidates at interview:

• OBC (NCL): OBC certificate in Government of India format, with Non-Creamy Layer clause. Must be issued between 01.04.2026 and the date of interview. Creamy layer candidates must apply as UR.
• EWS: Income and Asset Certificate issued by a Competent Authority for Financial Year 2025-26 (valid for 2026-27). Must be produced at document verification.
• SC / ST: Caste certificate from a Competent Authority in the prescribed format.
• PwBD: Disability certificate from a Competent Authority. Must show minimum 40% benchmark disability.

PwBD Provisions

• 4% horizontal reservation across all categories.
• Age relaxation of 10 to 15 years (based on category).
• Compensatory time: 20 additional minutes per hour of examination.
• Scribe facility available if needed.

Eligible Disabilities

• Visually Impaired (VI): Blindness or Low Vision
• Hearing Impaired (HI): Hard of Hearing (60 to 70 dB loss)
• Locomotor Disability (LD): CP, Dwarfism, Acid Attack Victims, Spinal Deformity
• d and e: ASD-Mild, Mental Illness, Multiple Disabilities

Candidates with temporary disabilities (certificate stating “likely to improve”) are not eligible for PwBD reservation.

Scribe Provisions

• Compensatory time of 20 minutes per hour applies whether or not a scribe is used.
• Eligible if benchmark disability is 40% or more and writing is physically restricted.
• Candidate must arrange the scribe at their own cost.
• Scribe cannot be a candidate appearing in the same SBI PO exam.
• Both candidate and scribe must submit a signed undertaking with passport-size photograph at the exam centre.

10 Details You Should Not Miss in SBI PO Notification 2026

The SBI PO latest notification contains several rules that directly affect your application, exam experience, and joining. These are easy to overlook.

1. Bond of ₹2 Lakh for 3 Years

Every selected candidate must execute a bond of ₹2 lakh at the time of joining. This means:

• You must serve SBI for at least 3 years from the date of joining.
• If you resign before 3 years, SBI recovers ₹2 lakh from you.
• This applies regardless of reason for leaving.

2. Graduation Result Must Be Declared by 30 September 2026

Final year students can apply provisionally. But:

• If called for interview, you must show proof of passing graduation by 30 September 2026.
• If result is not declared by then, candidature is cancelled.
• No exceptions are made for delayed university results.

3. No Formal Correction Window Announced

SBI allows editing before final submission during the application period. Once finally submitted, no correction/change is entertained.

4. OBC Certificate Must Be Issued After 01 April 2026

OBC (NCL) candidates must produce a certificate issued between 01 April 2026 and the date of interview. Older certificates are not accepted. The certificate must include the Non-Creamy Layer clause.

5. Live Photograph Mandatory During Registration

A live photograph via webcam or mobile must be captured during registration. Old or static photos cannot be uploaded in its place. The same appearance must be maintained from application to interview.

6. Credit History Checked Before Joining

SBI checks your CIBIL credit history before the joining date. If adverse records exist, the appointment may be delayed or withdrawn. Candidates with no credit history are not affected. Those with outstanding loans may need NOCs from lenders.

7. Pre-Joining Online Course is Mandatory

Selected candidates must complete a basic banking knowledge online course before their joining date. This is SBI-specific. It is not optional. Failure to complete it can delay joining.

8. Psychometric Test is Mandatory but Non-Scoring

A Psychometric Test is now part of Phase III. It does not contribute to your marks. But you must appear for it. If you skip it, you become ineligible for the Group Exercise and Interview. The psychometric profile is placed before the interview panel.

9. Stamped Prelims Call Letter Required at Mains

Your Prelims call letter gets authenticated/stamped at the Prelims centre. That same stamped copy must be produced at Mains. Do not lose it after the Prelims exam. Without it, you may be denied entry at Mains.