State Bank of India is accepting applications for 1,500 Probationary Officer posts under its PO Recruitment 2026 notification, with the window closing on July 8.
The drive covers 1,446 regular vacancies and 54 backlog vacancies. The break-up by category stands at 588 for Unreserved candidates, 390 for OBC, 234 for SC (including 18 backlog), 144 for ST (including 36 backlog), and 144 for EWS, with a 4% horizontal reservation for persons with benchmark disabilities. SBI has also removed the CIBIL credit-history clause that appeared in the original notification, meaning candidates no longer need to meet any credit-score condition to apply, and those who already registered do not need to reapply.
Applications opened on June 18 and candidates have until July 8 to register through SBI’s careers portal. Graduates from any discipline are eligible, including final-year students who can apply provisionally, and the age bracket is 21 to 30 years as on April 1, 2026, with the usual relaxations for OBC, SC and ST candidates, PwBD candidates and ex-servicemen. The application fee is ₹750 for General, OBC and EWS applicants, while SC, ST and PwBD candidates are exempt.
Selection runs across three stages: a qualifying preliminary exam tentatively scheduled for August, followed by a mains exam in September, and a final round combining a psychometric test, group exercise and interview. Selected officers join in Junior Management Grade Scale-I with four advance increments built into the starting basic pay of ₹ 48,480 a month, taking the total annual cost to the company to around ₹ 21.97 lakh in metro postings once dearness allowance, house rent allowance, city compensatory allowance and other benefits are added. The package also carries NPS-based pension, medical cover and leave fare concession.
SBI PO remains one of the most heavily contested recruitment exams in Indian banking each year, drawing lakhs of graduate applicants for a role that offers a defined progression path within the country’s largest public sector bank. With the application window closing within days, candidates yet to apply have a narrow runway left to complete registration before attention shifts to prelims preparation in August.
