PrepMaticExam questions answered · Bank exams
Do Prelims marks count in the final selection of a bank PO?
No. In IBPS PO, SBI PO and RBI Grade B, the first exam is only a qualifier. Your Prelims (or Phase I) marks decide whether you reach the next stage, but they are not added to the final merit.
How final merit is calculated
| Exam (2026 cycle) | First stage | What forms the final merit |
|---|---|---|
| IBPS PO | Prelims, qualifying only | Mains 80 : Interview 20 |
| SBI PO | Prelims, not counted | Mains (230 marks, scaled to 75) plus group exercise and interview (50 marks, scaled to 25) |
| RBI Grade B | Phase I, not counted | Phase II (300 marks) plus Interview (75 marks) |
| IBPS Clerk (CSA) | Prelims | Mains marks only |
| SBI Junior Associate | Prelims | Mains aggregate only |
For IBPS PO the Personality Test carries no marks, though attending is mandatory. For RBI Grade B the Personality Assessment before the interview also carries none.
What follows from this
Prelims is a gate, and the sensible aim is to clear it comfortably, not to maximise the score. The marks that decide your rank come later. In the SBI PO Mains, 75% of the final merit rides on the Mains; in IBPS PO it is 80%.
There are three practical consequences:
- Do not stop at the Prelims cut-off. Once Prelims is secure, move your hours to Mains-level reasoning, data analysis and awareness.
- Mind the gate itself. IBPS PO's Prelims has a sectional cut-off in each of its three tests. SBI PO's has none, and shortlists about ten times the vacancies on total score.
- Start Mains preparation before Prelims results arrive. In the 2026 schedules the gap was weeks, not months.
A note on tie-breaks
In IBPS PO, if candidates end with the same marks, the older candidate ranks higher.
Plan your sequence with the IBPS PO preparation strategy and the SBI PO preparation strategy. The bank exam mock test strategy explains how to use mocks for Prelims and Mains separately, and the list of bank exams shows the stages of each. The interview marks for RBI Grade B are covered in RBI Grade B interview marks.
Source
- IBPS CRP PO/MT-XVI detailed notification (30 June 2026)
- SBI PO 2026 detailed advertisement (18 June 2026)
- RBI Services Board advertisement RBISB/DA/01/2026-27
Weightage can change between cycles. Confirm it in the latest notification.
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- Bank exams listEvery major bank exam in India in one list: IBPS PO, Clerk, SO, RRB, SBI PO and Clerk, RBI Grade B and Assistant, NABARD, with qualification and exam windows.
- Bank exam mock testsBank exam mock test strategy for IBPS and SBI: how many mocks to take, when to start, prelims vs mains mocks, sectional timing and a mock analysis method.
- IBPS PO strategyA section-wise IBPS PO strategy built on the 2026 marks: where the marks sit, how to split sectional time, the prelims-to-mains switch and mock cadence.
- SBI PO preparation strategyHow to prepare for SBI PO: what differs from IBPS PO, a 24-week plan, mains-level DI and reasoning, the new descriptive test, and interview prep.
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