SBI PO Mains Exam Analysis 2026: SBI PO Mains Examination 2026 has been conducted, and candidates who appeared for the exam can now check the detailed SBI PO Mains Exam Analysis 2026 based on the feedback shared during the post-exam analysis session. The overall paper was reported to be moderate to difficult, with the Quantitative Aptitude section being comparatively tough.
As per the student and faculty feedback, the English Language section was moderate for candidates with good reading habits, while the Reasoning Ability section was reported to be easy to moderate for well-prepared candidates. The Quantitative Aptitude section, however, was considered tough.
The detailed SBI PO Mains Exam Analysis 2026 covers the difficulty level, topics asked, types of questions, and overall section-wise review.
The SBI PO Mains 2026 paper included questions from English Language, Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude and other sections. Based on the initial candidate feedback, the difficulty level varied across sections.
| Particulars | SBI PO Mains Exam Analysis 2026 |
| Exam Date | 12 September 2026 |
| Shift | Single Shift |
| Exam Stage | Mains |
| Objective Questions | 170 |
| Descriptive Test | 50 Marks |
| Total Exam Duration | 3 Hours 30 Minutes |
The SBI PO Mains Exam Review 2026 will help candidates understand the level of the paper and assess their performance. The review covers all major sections of the examination, including Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, Data Analysis & Interpretation, English Language, General/Economy/Banking Awareness and the Descriptive Test.
As the SBI PO Mains examination is a competitive stage, the number of good attempts should not be considered a direct indication of qualification. Accuracy, difficulty level, overall score and the final cut-off will also play an important role.
Based on the initial feedback shared in the analysis session, the overall difficulty of the SBI PO Mains 2026 examination can be summarised as follows:
| Section | Reported Difficulty |
|---|---|
| English Language | Moderate |
| Reasoning Ability | Easy to Moderate |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Tough |
| General Awareness | To be Updated |
| Overall Paper | Moderate to Difficult |
The overall difficulty may vary from candidate to candidate depending on preparation level, question selection and time management.
The English Language section was reported to be Moderate in difficulty.
According to the candidate feedback discussed in the analysis session, candidates with a regular reading habit were able to attempt the section more comfortably. However, candidates with limited reading practice could find some questions challenging.
One candidate reportedly attempted around 27–28 questions in the English section.
Approximately 7–8 questions were asked from the Cloze Test.
The questions were primarily based on vocabulary and the context of the passage. Some questions were considered directly doable, while others required candidates to understand the context carefully.
The Reading Comprehension section reportedly contained around 6–7 questions.
The questions included different formats, such as:
The passage was considered manageable for candidates with good reading habits.
Around 2 Para Jumble questions were reported in the examination.
Candidates were required to arrange multiple sentences in the correct sequence to form a meaningful paragraph.
The questions involved understanding the logical flow and connection between different sentences.
The English section also included Column-Based Questions.
Candidates had to match sentence parts from two columns to form meaningful and grammatically correct sentences.
These questions could be approached using:
Error Detection was another important topic in the English section.
The reported format was different from the conventional error-detection questions. Candidates were given four separate sentences and had to identify the incorrect sentence.
The questions were based on various grammar concepts, including:
Overall, the English Language section was Moderate.
Candidates with strong reading habits and regular practice could find the section manageable, whereas beginners could find it comparatively difficult.
The Reasoning Ability section was reported to be Easy to Moderate for candidates who had prepared at the required SBI PO level.
The section included several puzzles and miscellaneous reasoning questions. Some puzzles were time-consuming and involved multiple possibilities.
Based on candidate feedback, around five major puzzles were identified.
The reported puzzle types were:
One of the puzzles involved 16 people arranged in three rows.
The reported structure was:
The pattern was considered familiar to candidates who had practised similar high-level reasoning arrangements.
Another puzzle involved 8 flats and 8 floors with variables.
This puzzle was considered somewhat time-consuming because candidates needed to explore different possibilities.
Candidates who were comfortable with possibility-based puzzles could solve it with proper practice.
An uncertain linear arrangement involving North and South-facing directions was also reported.
The puzzle involved several possibilities but did not contain an additional variable. Candidates with sufficient practice and patience could attempt it.
A month-based puzzle involving State and Colour variables was also reported.
This puzzle involved multiple possibilities and required candidates to carefully process the conditions.
The combination of Circular Arrangement and Blood Relation was considered one of the trickier questions in the Reasoning section.
The analysis suggested that this type of question was more suitable for candidates who had specifically practised combination-based puzzles.
Candidates who were not confident with such questions could have saved time by leaving them.
The Reasoning section also included an Input-Output question.
The input reportedly consisted of 12 words, with each word containing approximately four letters.
The question involved a double arrangement, with words being arranged on both sides.
According to the feedback:
The question could therefore be viewed as a combination of Input-Output and Coding-Decoding logic.
Coding-Decoding questions were also asked.
The questions involved symbols and numbers. As per the analysis, the symbol represented the first letter, while the number represented the total number of letters plus one.
The Coding-Decoding questions were considered easy for the SBI PO Mains level.
Around 8–10 questions were reported from Critical Reasoning.
Questions covered multiple concepts, including:
Candidates who had developed a clear approach to different Critical Reasoning question types were likely to find these questions manageable.
A Meaningful Word question was also reported.
The question involved arranging letters based on their positions from the left and right sides. Some positions were not directly confirmed, requiring candidates to use vocabulary knowledge to determine the meaningful word.
This type of question is commonly seen in higher-level banking reasoning sections.
Around 2–3 Coded Inequality questions were reported.
These questions were considered relatively easy in comparison with some of the puzzle-based questions.
Overall, the Reasoning Ability section was rated Easy to Moderate.
The analysis indicated that not every puzzle needed to be attempted. Some puzzles were doable with proper practice, while the more complicated possibility-based questions could be skipped if they consumed too much time.
The Quantitative Aptitude section was reported to be Tough.
According to the initial faculty feedback, candidates received a challenging Quantitative Aptitude section. The section was described as one of the tougher parts of the SBI PO Mains examination.
A detailed topic-wise analysis of the Quantitative Aptitude section will be updated after more detailed candidate feedback becomes available.
The detailed General Awareness analysis was not available in the initial session.
The faculty member responsible for the GA review was interacting with candidates at the examination centre. Therefore, the exact topics and questions asked in the General Awareness section are expected to be updated after detailed candidate feedback is collected.
The exact SBI PO Mains good attempts cannot be finalised solely on the initial feedback because the Mains examination involves multiple sections and overall attempts depend heavily on accuracy and question selection.
One candidate whose feedback was discussed reportedly attempted around 27–28 questions in English.
Candidates should therefore avoid comparing their attempts directly with another candidate without considering accuracy and the difficulty of the questions attempted.
The major takeaways from the initial SBI PO Mains exam review are:
