SBI PO Eligibility Criteria 2026, Age, Attempts, and Educational Qualfication

Understanding the SBI PO eligibility is one of the most important steps for any aspirants planning to apply for the Probationary Officer recruitment. This article explains the complete eligibility criteria, including nationality, age limit, age relaxation, educational qualification, PwBD rules, and scribe guidelines. Since the SBI PO 2026 notification is not yet released, all details below are taken from the previous year's official SBI PO notification and are expected to remain similar unless revised.

What is the eligibility for SBI PO?

The SBI PO eligibility refers to the set of rules that candidates must meet regarding nationality, age, education, and physical benchmarks to apply for the exam. Failing to meet even a single criteria will result in the rejection of the application at any stage. The eligibility criteria outlined here are based on the previous official notification and will be updated once the 2026 notification is released.

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Key elements of the SBI PO Eligibility

Here is a quick summary of the key eligibility requirements for SBI PO:

What is the nationality requirement for SBI PO?

To apply for SBI PO, the candidate must be a citizen of India. No other nationality categories are permitted under the official rules. The selected candidates may be posted anywhere at any SBI branch in India.

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What is the age limit for SBI PO?

As per the previous year's official notification, the SBI PO age limit is between 21 and 30 years of age:

• Minimum Age: 21 years
• Maximum Age: 30 years

This means candidates must have been born not earlier than 02.04.1994 and not later than 01.04.2003 (both dates inclusive). These cut-off dates may get updated in the 2026 notification.

SBI PO Age Relaxation

SBI provides upper-age relaxation to candidates from reserved categories as per government norms.

• Cumulative age relaxation is not allowed.
• Valid category certificates must be produced at the time of interview, or they will not be considered.

Note: Candidates seeking age relaxation must submit the relevant certificates at the time of the interview or group exercise. No request for category change will be entertained after SBI PO application submission.

What is the educational qualification for SBI PO?

The basic qualification to appear for the SBI PO exam is graduation in any discipline. It defines the minimum educational credentials required to apply.

• Candidates must have a graduation degree in any discipline from a recognized university.
• Final year/semester students can apply provisionally but must produce proof of graduation on or before the date specified by SBI.
• Professional degrees such as CA, MBBS, and engineering are also accepted.

Note: The date on the mark sheet or provisional certificate issued by the university will be considered the official date of passing.
 

How many attempts are there in the SBI PO exam?

The SBI PO exam has a fixed number of permissible attempts, and the limit varies by category. SBI clearly states that only the main examination is counted as an attempt, while appearing in the preliminary exam does not count. For years in which only a single written exam is held, that exam is counted as one attempt. Once a candidate exhausts the maximum number of attempts allowed for their category, they become ineligible to apply again.

Note: Attempts are counted from the SBI PO exam conducted on 18 April 2010 onwards.

What is the PwBD eligibility for SBI PO?

SBI provides 4% horizontal reservation to candidates with benchmark disabilities (≥ 40%) as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Candidates must possess a valid disability certificate issued by a competent medical authority in the prescribed format.

Guidelines for Scribe and Compensatory Time

The issue guidelines for Scribe are

• Candidates with 40% or more disability who face difficulty in writing are allowed the facility of a scribe and compensatory time.
• The candidate must indicate the requirement of a scribe in the application.
• Candidates using a scribe are eligible for 20 minutes extra per hour of examination.
• Candidates must arrange their own scribe and submit details as per the prescribed pro forma.
• Scribes must have a qualification one level below the candidate's educational level.
• Misuse or violation of scribe rules will lead to disqualification or removal from service.

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SBI PO Category Declaration

For candidates belonging to different categories: 

• Candidates from OBC (Creamy Layer) are not eligible for OBC reservation; they must apply as General (UR).
• Candidates under EWS must provide a valid Income & Asset Certificate in the prescribed format.
• No changes in the category or disability status will be allowed after online registration.

Key Takeaways

Here are the key takeaways:

• The SBI PO eligibility includes nationality, age limit, education, and PwBD conditions.
• The age limit is expected to remain 21–30 years, with standard age relaxations for reserved categories.
• Graduation in any discipline is mandatory, with provisional acceptance for final-year students.
• PwBD candidates receive 4% horizontal reservation as per the RPWD Act.
• SBI PO attempts are limited to 4 for UR/EWS and 7 for OBC, while SC/ST candidates have no attempt restrictions.
• All details provided are based on the previous year's official notification and will be updated once SBI releases the 2026 notification.

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