As many candidates appear for the annual SBI Probationary Officers exam, it becomes challenging to drill down to the ideal candidate. This is where the SBI PO Cut Off score comes into play. SBI PO Cut off is the minimum qualifying mark required for candidates to qualify for the next round. This cut-off is decided by the State Bank of India Central Recruitment & Promotion Department.
SBI PO Cut Off score is designed to select the deserving candidates for the post of PO from the particular batch. For a candidate to qualify, the score should be equal to or greater than the cut-off marks as even a slight difference can affect a candidate’s selection.
An understanding of SBI PO Cut-offs is essential for candidates appearing for this bank exam as it will help them plan an effective strategy to achieve the set cut-off.
There is no sectional cut-off for the SBI PO exam as notified in 2018 by SBI. This cut-off varies from year to year and for candidates belonging to different categories. The exam conducting authority considers various factors that help determine the SBI PO Cut Off. Some of these factors are given below:
- Number of Vacancies
One of the critical factors which determine the SBI PO Cut off is the number of vacancies. When the number of vacancies is higher, the cut-off will be low, while when the number of vacancies is less, the cut-off will be higher.
- Number of Candidates
The total number of candidates appearing for this exam is another factor determining the cut-off of the exam. When the number of candidates appearing for this exam is high, the cut-off will be increased.
- The Difficulty Level of Exam
SBI PO Cut Off will also be decided depending on the difficulty level of questions in the exams. If the question paper is difficult, then the cut-off may not be very high. The examination authority considers the difficulty level of the set question paper to arrive at the right calculation basis.
- Performance of Candidates
If the candidates have performed well in the exam, the cut-off will go higher and vice versa. Depending on the performance of candidates, the examination authority creates a grading procedure to obtain the cut-offs.
- Previous Year’s Cut Off Trends
The previous year’s cut-off trends is another factor that will determine the SBI PO cut off. Also, the cut-off doesn’t need to increase every year. The cut-off will either be an increase or decrease of the previous year’s cut-off score. However, the previous year’s cut-off serves as a good indication and projection for the subsequent years’ cut-offs.
- Category of Candidates
The cut-off will be different for each category of candidates. These categories are General, SC, ST, OBC, and EWS. The number of candidates in each category will also influence the cut-offs for each category.
The various factors that affect the cut-offs are not the same for each year. The SBI PO cut-off is usually released along with the declaration of the SBI PO result. Candidates can check the cut-offs for the various rounds of SBI PO i.e., Preliminary exam, Mains exam, and the GD-PI, along with the results on the official website (sbi.co.in).
For candidates, it is mandatory to qualify for the cut-off score of the SBI PO Preliminary examination to appear for the SBI PO Mains examination. Similarly, candidates need to be eligible for SBI PO Mains cut off to qualify for the SBI PO recruitment process, which is the Group Discussion and Personal Interview.
While preparing the final list for recruitment, candidates’ performance in the SBI PO Mains exam is given more weightage, and preliminary exams are not considered. Candidates appearing for this bank exam can analyze the previous year’s cut-off to forecast the SBI PO Cut off for the upcoming exam.