The State Bank of India, SBI, PO Prelims Exam 2026 was conducted across four multiple shifts on August 1, 2026 and will be conducted on August 2, 2026 as well. Those candidates who appeared for the exam will be eagerly awaiting the expected qualifying marks to check their chances of advancing to the SBI PO Mains Exam 2026. While the State Bank of India will publish the official cut-off marks alongside the prelims results, the expected cutoff marks for the SBI PO Prelims Exam 2026 will be based on the candidates' feedback of the exam, the difficulty level of the exam and other factors which determine the cutoff marks for the exam.
SBI PO Prelims Expected Cutoff Marks 2026
The State Bank of India will release the cutoff marks for the State Bank of India PO prelims exam 2026 with the release of the result. These cutoff marks are based on various factors like the number of shifts, the total number of dates the exam was conducted, the normalisation process, etc. Given below are the expected cutoff marks, category-wise, for the SBI PO Prelims Exam 2026:-
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Category of the Candidate
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Expected Cutoff (Out of 100)
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General (UR)
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72-75
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EWS
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69-73
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OBC
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65-69
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ST
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58-62
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SC
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57-61
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Important Note:- These expected cutoff marks are based on the initial analysis of the first day of the exam. The official cutoff may differ slightly post normalisation process across all exam shifts.
Important Factors Influencing the SBI PO Prelims Cutoff 2026
Below are the expected cutoff marks for the SBI PO Prelims cutoff marks 2026:-
- Level Exam Difficulty:- The overall difficulty level of the exam will play an important role in deciding the cutoff marks.
- Normalisation Process:- The normalisation process that will be used by the State Bank of India plays a significant role in deciding the cutoff marks. This is done to take a balanced approach.
- Level of Competition:- As this exam is the most sought-after exam, there is a huge number of applicants who appear for this exam, and the cutoff marks for this exam are also generally high because of the level of competition.
- Total Number of Vacancies:- The total number of vacancies released for this exam also plays a major role in determining the cutoff marks.
What Candidates Should Do Next After the SBI PO Prelims Exam 2026?
If the candidates have calculated their scores as per the marking scheme and feel that their scores fall near or above the expected range, then it is recommended that the candidates start their Mains Exam preparation without waiting for the official Prelims Result 2026.
- The Mains syllabus of the SBI PO Exam 2026 tests the candidates' deep understanding of the General and Banking Awareness, Descriptive Writing (Letter and Essay) and Data Analysis and Interpretation.
- Unlike the Prelims and Mains paper evaluates the candidate's endurance and strategic question selection.
What Will Safe Score for the SBI PO Prelims Exam 2026?
Determining a safe score for the SBI PO Prelims Exam 2026 is important for candidates to gauge their potential to qualify for the upcoming Mains Stage. While the State Bank of India will finalise the official cutoff marks only after the normalisation process, these safe score estimates are derived from the exam’s difficulty level, etc.
- For the candidates belonging to the General Category, a good attempt between 70-74+ marks is expected, with 100 per cent accuracy.
- For candidates belonging to the EWS category, a score of 69+ marks can make them stand a strong chance of clearing the threshold.
- For the candidates belonging to the OBC category, a safe score of 70+ marks is considered safe.
- For candidates belonging to the SC and ST categories, a safe score between 58 and 60+ marks is considered safe.