The SBI SO (Specialist Officer) Exam 2026 is conducted by the State Bank of India to recruit qualified professionals for specialist posts such as IT Officer, Law Officer, Marketing Officer, HR Specialist, Engineer, Data Analyst, Relationship Manager, and more. The SBI SO exam is ideal for candidates with domain expertise who want a banking career in specialized fields. This article covers the SBI SO 2026 exam pattern, syllabus, selection process, preparation tips, and official resources.

🧭 SBI SO 2026 Selection Process

Selection varies by post and may include the following stages:

1️⃣ Written/Online Exam
2️⃣ Shortlisting on merit (for specialist posts without exam)
3️⃣ Interview / Group Exercise
4️⃣ Document Verification & Final Appointment

Candidates must meet the post-wise educational and professional experience criteria to qualify.

📘 SBI SO 2026 Exam Pattern (Post-wise)

📌 SBI SO (IT Officer / Technical / Marketing / Law & Others) — Online Exam Pattern

Section	No. of Questions	Marks	Duration
Reasoning	50	50	90 minutes
English Language	35	35	40 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	35	35	45 minutes
Professional Knowledge (Core Subject)	50	100	45 minutes
Total	170	220	220 minutes

🔸 Negative Marking: 0.25 marks deduction per wrong answer
🔸 Professional Knowledge (PK) is the most scoring and decisive section

📚 SBI SO 2026 Detailed Syllabus by Section

🔹 Reasoning

Coding–Decoding
Blood Relations
Syllogism
Seating Arrangement & Puzzles
Inequality
Logical Reasoning
Data Sufficiency

🔹 English Language

Reading Comprehension
Cloze Test
Error Detection
Sentence Improvement
Para Jumbles
Vocabulary

🔹 Quantitative Aptitude

Arithmetic (Percentages, Profit–Loss, Time–Work, Mixture etc.)
Simplification / Approximation
Data Interpretation
Quadratic Equations
Number Series
Mensuration
Permutation–Combination & Probability

🔹 Professional Knowledge (Post-Specific)

Examples:

Post	Major Topics
IT Officer	DBMS, Operating Systems, Cyber Security, Networks, Algorithms, Cloud Computing
Law Officer	Constitution, Contract Act, Civil & Criminal Law, Banking Regulations
HR Specialist	HRM, Learning & Development, IR, OB, Labour Laws
Marketing Officer	Market Segmentation, Consumer Behavior, Branding, Digital Marketing

🎯 Final Selection & Weightage — SBI SO 2026

Stage	Weightage
Online Exam	70%
Interview	30%

For posts without exam, shortlisting + interview decides final selection

⭐ Practical Preparation Tips for SBI SO 2026

✔ Focus heavily on Professional Knowledge — it decides the merit
✔ Create topic-wise revision notes for your specialization
✔ Follow previous years’ question patterns for accuracy and difficulty idea
✔ Take mock tests weekly to improve time management
✔ Stay updated with banking and financial regulations for interview rounds
✔ Maintain a balance between core subjects + aptitude sections

🔗 Useful Official Resource Links (SBI SO 2026)

Resource	Official Link
SBI Careers Portal	https://sbi.co.in/web/careers
Latest SBI SO Notification PDF (when released)	Available under “Current Openings” on SBI Careers Portal
SBI SO Online Application	Same Careers Portal during application window

🏁 Conclusion

The SBI Specialist Officer Exam 2026 is ideal for professionals aiming for a secure, well-paid banking career in specialized domains. With the right mix of professional knowledge, accuracy & smart preparation, clearing the SBI SO exam becomes achievable.

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🏦 SBI SO 2026 – Specialist Officer Recruitment | Complete Exam Guide