SBI PO Prelims 2026 — Quick Answer
Based on SBI PO Prelims trends from 2019–2025, the exam is typically rated Easy-to-Moderate overall, with Reasoning Ability as the most scoring section — largely because Puzzle & Seating Arrangement alone has accounted for 20–25 of the section's questions in recent years. For targeted practice, Quantitative Aptitude leans heavily on Arithmetic and Data Interpretation, while English Language is increasingly comprehension-driven, dominated by Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, and Para Jumbles. Good attempts across the full 100-question paper have typically landed between 56 and 77, depending on the shift and difficulty level.
SBI PO Prelims Topic-Wise Trend — 2019 to 2025
| Topic | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puzzles & Seating Arrangement | 25 | 20–22 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Syllogism | 3 | 3–5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Inequality | 0–3 | 3–5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Blood Relation | 0–3 | 4–5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Coding-Decoding | 0–2 | – | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Pair Formation / Word-Based | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – |
| Direction Sense | 3 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Total Questions | 30 | 30 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| Topic | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Data Interpretation | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 |
| Caselet DI | 5 | 5 | – | 3 | – | – | – |
| Quadratic Equation | 3 | – | – | 5 | – | – | – |
| Approximation / Simplification | 2–3 | 8–10 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Number Series | 3–4 | 3 | 6 | – | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Total Questions | 30 | 30 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 30 |
| Topic | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 8–10 | 8–10 | 9 | 9 | 7–8 | 7–10 | 7–10 |
| Cloze Test | 6 | 5–7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Error Detection | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Sentence Rearrangement / Para Jumble | 8 | 5 | 4 | – | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Phrase Replacement | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | – | – | – |
| Word Swap | 2–4 | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Double Fillers | 4 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
| Total Questions | 40 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Note: Reasoning and Quant moved from 35 to 30 questions each in 2025, while English moved from 30 to 40 — a real pattern change, not an error. Track this against your official pattern guidelines.
SBI PO Prelims 2026 — Expected Good Attempts
Based on 2019–2025 trends, here's what to expect before official shift data is available. Replace with real Shift 1 numbers the moment they're available — pre-exam predictions lose all value within hours of the first shift.
SBI PO Prelims Exam Analysis — Shift-Wise (1–2 August 2026)
Shift-specific details such as Reading Comprehension passage themes, Data Interpretation caselet parameters, and reasoning puzzle configurations (e.g. Circular vs Floor-based) will be populated live as candidates exit the test center.
Comparative analysis highlighting topic-level shifts and differences between Shift 1 and Shift 2 will be added immediately following the conclusion of Shift 2.
How to Use SBI PO Exam Analysis If You Have a Later Shift
Normalisation Factors
Don't assume your shift will match exactly — SBI normalizes scores across shifts specifically because difficulty varies, so a harder shift isn't a disadvantage in the final merit.
Topic Patterns, Not Questions
Use topic patterns, not exact questions — if Shift 1 had a floor-based puzzle and a Table DI, expect a similar puzzle type, not the same one, in your shift.
Recalibrate Good Attempts
Recalibrate your good-attempt target to the difficulty level reported for shifts closest to your own timing, not the easiest shift of the day.
Later Shift preparation
If your shift is later in the window, spend the time before your exam reviewing puzzle types and DI formats reported from earlier shifts rather than starting new topics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Senior Content Manager – Banking Exams, PrepBanker
Cleared IBPS PO (2021) • 7+ Years Experience • Verified 500+ mock papers
Yashraj Deshmukh has been writing and reviewing banking exam content for 7 years. He cleared IBPS PO in 2021, has a background in banking awareness content for 5+ years, and has reviewed 500+ mock test papers for accuracy against the latest SBI pattern. At PrepBanker, Yashraj tracks every SBI and IBPS notification the day it's released and personally verifies vacancy, salary, and exam-date updates against the official SBI/IBPS PDFs before they go live on this page.
Subject Matter Expert, Quantitative Aptitude, PrepBanker
IDBI Junior Assistant Manager • Bank of Maharashtra Customer Service Associate via IBPS PO
Divya Bhosale has been reviewing quantitative aptitude and banking exam material for PrepBanker. She has cleared the IDBI Junior Assistant Manager exam and served as a Customer Service Associate at the Bank of Maharashtra via IBPS PO, bringing invaluable real-world exam expertise to PrepBanker.