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Is there negative marking in SBI PO?
Yes. The 2026 SBI PO advertisement deducts one-fourth of the marks assigned to a question for every wrong answer, in both the Prelims and the Mains. There is no penalty for a question you leave unanswered.
What a wrong answer costs
The Prelims has 100 questions for 100 marks, so a question is worth about 1 mark and a wrong answer costs about 0.25. The advertisement gives only the Prelims total, not marks per section, so the penalty by section is not stated separately.
The Mains is where the penalty varies. The table assumes marks are spread evenly across each section, so the last column is an average.
| Mains section | Questions | Marks | Average marks per question | Average penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning & Computer Aptitude | 40 | 60 | 1.50 | 0.38 |
| Data Analysis & Interpretation | 30 | 60 | 2.00 | 0.50 |
| General Awareness/Economy/Banking Knowledge | 60 | 60 | 1.00 | 0.25 |
| English Language | 40 | 20 | 0.50 | 0.13 |
Data Analysis & Interpretation is the most expensive section to get wrong: a single question is worth about 2 marks and a wrong answer costs about half a mark. English questions are the cheapest.
Guessing and sectional cut-offs
A guess pays off only if your chance of being right is better than 1 in 5. The Mains also has a sectional qualifying score in each test, including the descriptive paper, so you cannot give up on one section and rely on the others. The Prelims has no sectional cut-off, which is a separate rule covered in sectional cut-off in SBI PO Prelims.
The descriptive paper, "Communication Skills", is typed and evaluated on its own marks, so the wrong-answer rule is about the objective questions only.
Where to go next
Section timings and the descriptive format are in the SBI PO syllabus and exam pattern. How to pick which questions to attempt first is in the SBI PO preparation strategy. If you are comparing with the other major PO exam, see negative marking in IBPS PO.
Source
- SBI PO 2026 detailed advertisement CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 (18 June 2026): marking scheme and section marks. Listed on the SBI current openings page.
Confirm the marking scheme in the notification for the cycle you are applying to. The bank exam hub lists every guide.
Know which section is costing you the cut-off
Take a free bank-exam assessment on PrepMatic. It shows where you stand in Quant, Reasoning and English, then builds a daily study plan and mock tests focused on your weak subjects.
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- SBI PO syllabus and patternSBI PO 2026 pattern and syllabus: prelims English 40, Quant 30, Reasoning 30; mains with the new email and situation-analysis descriptive; 75:25 merit weights.
- 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.
- SBI PO Prelims sectional cut-offSBI PO Prelims 2026 has no sectional cut-off; about ten times the vacancies are shortlisted on total score. IBPS has one. Here is how it works.
- Negative marking in IBPS POYes. IBPS PO deducts one-fourth of the marks assigned to a question for each wrong answer, in Prelims and Mains. See what it costs per section.
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