SBI PO Prelims Answer Key 2026

State Bank of India (SBI) released the provisional answer key and response sheet for the 2026 Probationary Officer Preliminary Examination on 12 October 2026. Candidates who appeared in the examination can sign in through SBI’s official careers website to check their responses, estimate their score and raise a supported challenge if they believe an answer is incorrect.

The SBI PO recruitment notification, Advertisement No. CRPD/PO/2026-27/09, announced 1,500 vacancies, comprising 1,446 regular posts and 54 backlog posts. Applications were accepted online from 18 June to 8 July 2026; the recruitment process includes Preliminary and Main examinations, followed by a psychometric test, group exercises and interview. The provisional answer key is available online, while the objection window is described as a prescribed period; no closing date for challenges is specified in the available notice.

Important Dates

Vacancy Details

The notification identifies vacancies across the UR, OBC, EWS, SC and ST categories, but the available details do not provide a category-by-category count.

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

Applicants for the SBI PO recruitment were required to hold a graduation degree in any discipline from a recognised university. Students in the final year of their degree could apply provisionally, on the condition that they passed on or before 30 September 2026.

Age Limit

Candidates had to be between 21 and 30 years old as of 1 April 2026. The stated date-of-birth range was 2 April 1996 to 1 April 2005, inclusive. Upper-age relaxation is available to eligible reserved-category candidates under Government norms; the supplied notice does not give the individual relaxation periods.

Application Fee

The notice says an objection fee may apply when challenging an answer but does not state an amount. Check the objection portal for any applicable charge before submitting a challenge.

How to Apply

1. Open SBI’s official website at sbi.bank.in or sbi.co.in, then go to the Current Openings section.
2. Find Advertisement No. CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 for recruitment of Probationary Officers and select the Preliminary Answer Key link.
3. Sign in using your roll number or registration number and date of birth, then complete the CAPTCHA verification.
4. Submit the details and download the answer key and response sheet. Save a copy so you can review your recorded answers.
5. To challenge an answer, open the objection facility, select the question in dispute and upload supporting evidence from a standard textbook or another authentic source.
6. Pay an objection charge if the portal requires one, submit the challenge before the prescribed deadline and retain the confirmation. Challenges without valid evidence or submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

The answer key can be used to estimate a tentative score. The Preliminary paper has 100 questions for 100 marks: English Language has 40 questions, Quantitative Aptitude has 30, and Reasoning Ability has 30. Each correct answer earns one mark, each wrong answer carries a deduction of 0.25 marks, and an unanswered question earns no marks. Calculate an estimate as: correct answers × 1, minus wrong answers × 0.25. For example, 70 correct responses and 12 incorrect responses give an estimated score of 67. The three sections are allotted 20 minutes each, for a total examination duration of one hour.

Salary & Pay Scale

The stated starting basic pay for a selected Probationary Officer is INR 48,480, with four advance increments. The JMGS-I pay scale is INR 48,480–85,920. The approximate annual cost to company at Mumbai is INR 21.97 lakh.

Selection Process

The recruitment has three phases. Phase I is the Preliminary Examination, carrying 100 marks. Phase II is the Main Examination, carrying 230 marks across objective and descriptive components. Phase III comprises a psychometric test, group exercises worth 20 marks and a personal interview worth 30 marks. The provisional Preliminary answer key allows candidates to check their responses and submit evidence-backed objections; SBI will review legitimate challenges and issue a final answer key, which will be used to calculate the result. The result was listed as forthcoming in the source notice.

Candidates who appeared in the Preliminary examination can use the official SBI careers links to review their answer key and response sheet. Check the portal for the objection deadline and submit any supported challenge within the stated period.