1. Introduction
The State Bank of India (SBI) conducts the Specialist Officer (SO) exam annually to recruit professionals for various specialist roles like IT Officer, Law Officer, HR, Relationship Manager, and more. Unlike Probationary Officer (PO) or Clerk posts, the SBI SO exam is targeted at candidates with professional qualifications and experience.
In this blog, we’ll cover the complete details of SBI SO 2025 including notification, eligibility, exam pattern, syllabus, salary, and preparation tips.
2. SBI SO 2025 Notification
The official SBI SO 2025 notification is expected to be released on the SBI careers website around April–May 2025. The notification will include:
- Number of vacancies
- Post-wise eligibility criteria
- Application process
- Exam dates & interview schedule
Aspirants are advised to keep checking the SBI careers portal for the latest updates.
3. SBI SO Posts
Some of the common posts recruited under SBI SO include:
- IT Officer (Developer, Data Scientist, System Manager, Cyber Security Expert)
- Law Officer
- HR/Personnel Officer
- Relationship Manager (Wealth Management)
- Risk Officer
- Economist
- Marketing Officer
4. SBI SO Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility varies as per the post, but generally includes:
- Educational Qualification:
- IT roles → B.Tech/M.Tech/MCA in Computer Science/IT.
- Law Officer → Degree in Law (LLB).
- HR → MBA/PGDM in HR.
- Risk/Finance → MBA (Finance), Chartered Accountant (CA), CFA, or FRM.
- Age Limit:
- Usually between 21 – 35 years, depending on the role.
- Age relaxations apply as per government rules.
- Work Experience:
- Most specialist posts require 2–5 years of relevant professional experience.
5. SBI SO Selection Process
The selection process may differ by post but generally includes:
- Shortlisting (based on application & experience)
- Online Written Exam (for certain roles)
- Personal Interview
For senior-level specialist positions, SBI often conducts only shortlisting + interview, without a written test.
6. SBI SO Exam Pattern
For posts with a written test, the exam pattern is:
| Section | No. of Questions | Marks |
| Reasoning | 50 | 50 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 |
| English Language | 35 | 35 |
| Professional Knowledge | 50 | 100 |
| Total | 170 | 220 |
Note: Professional Knowledge is the most important section, carrying maximum weightage.
7. SBI SO Syllabus
- Reasoning
- Puzzles, Seating Arrangement
- Coding-Decoding
- Blood Relations
- Syllogism, Inequalities
- Input-Output
- Quantitative Aptitude
- Simplification & Approximation
- Data Interpretation
- Number Series
- Profit & Loss, Ratio, Percentage
- Time & Work, Time & Distance
- English Language
- Reading Comprehension
- Cloze Test
- Para Jumbles
- Error Spotting
- Vocabulary (Synonyms, Antonyms)
- Professional Knowledge (Varies by Post)
- IT: Networking, Databases, Cyber Security, Operating Systems, Programming
- Law: Banking & Company Law, Contract Act, RBI guidelines
- Finance/Risk: Financial Management, Risk Analysis, NPA norms, Capital Market
- HR: HRM concepts, Labour Laws, Organizational Behaviour
8. SBI SO Salary & Benefits
- Basic Pay: ₹23,700 – ₹59,170 (varies by post & grade).
- Additional Perks: HRA, DA, Medical benefits, Pension, Leave Travel Concession.
- Overall CTC: ₹8–15 LPA, depending on position and experience.
9. Preparation Tips for SBI SO
- Focus on Professional Knowledge as it carries maximum marks.
- Revise core concepts from your specialization field (IT/Law/Finance/HR).
- Practice reasoning & quant through mock tests.
- Keep up with banking awareness and current affairs.
- For interview: be ready with your work experience details and recent industry developments.