SBI CBO | 2025
SBI CBO 2025: topic weightage and difficulty analysis
120 questions across 4 sections. Overall difficulty: moderate.
SBI runs the Circle Based Officer online examination across shifts, with a different paper in each. The structure below is from the official advertisement and is the same in every shift: an objective test of 120 questions for 120 marks in two hours, with a separate clock for each of the four sections, and no negative marking. A 30-minute descriptive test of a letter and an essay for 50 marks follows immediately. Because this is a lateral-entry post for serving bankers, the paper tests banking domain knowledge rather than aptitude. The topic counts below are our own compilation from candidate reports across shifts, not official data, and no question text is reproduced anywhere on this page.
Where the questions came from
Sorted by weightage, so the topics worth the most preparation time are at the top of each section.
English Language
English Language
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 22 to 26 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| Reading comprehension Usually one business or economy passage with vocabulary attached. | 27%8 Moderate | |
| Cloze test | 17%5 Easy | |
| Error detection and sentence correction | 17%5 Moderate | |
| Para jumbles | 13%4 Easy | |
| Fillers | 13%4 Easy | |
| Word usage and vocabulary | 13%4 Moderate |
Banking Knowledge
Banking Awareness
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 24 to 30 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| RBI, monetary policy and regulation | 15%6 Moderate | |
| Credit, non-performing assets and the loan process Where a working banker's experience shows, and where fresher-style preparation falls short. | 15%6 Hard | |
| KYC, anti-money-laundering and compliance | 13%5 Moderate | |
| Negotiable Instruments Act and banking law | 13%5 Moderate | |
| Payment systems: NEFT, RTGS, IMPS and UPI | 13%5 Moderate | |
| Banking products and terms | 13%5 Moderate | |
| Priority sector lending | 10%4 Moderate | |
| Basel norms and capital adequacy | 10%4 Hard |
General Awareness and Economy
General Awareness
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 18 to 23 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| Current affairs, weighted to banking and economy The largest block; roughly the previous six months, with a banking and financial slant. | 33%10 Moderate | |
| Indian economy and fiscal policy | 20%6 Moderate | |
| Union Budget and Economic Survey | 13%4 Moderate | |
| Financial institutions: NABARD, SIDBI and SEBI | 13%4 Moderate | |
| Government schemes for financial inclusion | 10%3 Moderate | |
| International bodies: IMF, World Bank and ADB | 10%3 Moderate |
Computer Aptitude
Computer Aptitude
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 15 to 18 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| Computer fundamentals and terminology | 20%4 Easy | |
| Hardware, software and memory | 15%3 Easy | |
| Operating systems and MS Office | 15%3 Easy | |
| Networking and internet | 15%3 Easy | |
| Banking technology: core banking and cyber security | 15%3 Moderate | |
| Database basics | 10%2 Easy | |
| Abbreviations and shortcuts | 10%2 Easy |
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What this means for your preparation
There is no negative marking in the objective test, which is the single most important strategic fact: attempt all 120 questions, because a blank is a guaranteed zero while a guess has upside.
There is no quantitative aptitude or reasoning section. Time spent on puzzles and data interpretation is wasted here; this is the rare banking exam where domain reading beats aptitude drill.
Banking Knowledge and General Awareness together are 70 of the 120 marks. A serving banker covers much of this on the job, but structured reading of RBI master directions beats relying on whatever a branch happens to handle.
Each section has its own clock and cannot be revisited, so pace Banking Knowledge, the 40-mark block, carefully rather than borrowing time from it later.
The descriptive test carries 50 marks against the objective's 120 and follows immediately. A prepared formal letter and a banking essay, practised under a 30-minute clock, protect an otherwise strong score.
The final merit combines the online test and the interview in a 75:25 ratio and is drawn separately for each circle, so the relevant cut-off is the one for the circle you applied to.
See the real paper, officially
- SBI careers portal
Call letters, results and the candidate login are published here. SBI opens a brief window after the objective test to view the question paper, your responses and the answer key with an objection facility.
- SBI current openings
The advertisement, marking scheme and result notices for the current cycle are listed here.
Common questions
- Can I download the SBI CBO Online Examination (objective) 2025 question paper?
- Not from this site. In India an exam question paper is a copyright work owned by the conducting body, and reproducing it commercially is infringement. What you can do is view your own paper and responses through the official portal during the objection window after the exam, and the links to do that are on this page.
- Are these topic counts exact?
- No, and we would rather say so. The exam runs across multiple shifts with a different paper in each, and the conducting body does not publish a topic-wise breakdown. The section structure, marks and timing are official. The topic counts are our compilation from candidate reports and describe the typical shape of the paper.
- How should I use a weightage analysis?
- To decide what to study next and what to skip. If one block is a third of a section, practising it has several times the payoff of a topic that carries two questions. It also tells you which questions to leave in the exam itself, which matters more than most candidates think.