SBI PO (Associate banks) Exam-2014 flagged off on November 09, 2014. The Objective Test was computer based test. Immediately after the online Objective Test, Descriptive Test was administered. Candidates have to write the answers on the answer sheet (Offline) provided to them on Paper/Pen mode.
There were 200 questions in Part A (objective paper), which had to be answered in 120 minutes and Part B (descriptive paper), which had to be answered in 60 minutes. There were four sections in the Objective Test – Reasoning, Data Interpretation, English Language and General Awareness with special reference to Computer Knowledge and Marketing Awareness. All the other sections, except the English language section, were available bilingually, that is, in both English and Hindi. Each question had 5 options. One-fourth or 0.25 of the marks will be deducted for every incorrect answer. The exam is being conducted in two time slots – morning and evening.
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Part A
The detailed break down of the paper is as follows:
Section | Total Questions | Level of difficulty | Good Attempts | Good Score | Approximate time taken |
Reasoning | 50 | Moderate | 34-36 | 30-32 | 35-40 |
General Awareness/Computer/Marketing | 50 | Moderate | 30-32 | 25-27 | 15-20 |
Data Analysis and Interpretation | 50 | Moderate-Difficult | 32-34 | 28-30 | 40-45 |
English Language | 50 | Easy – Moderate | 36-38 | 33-35 | 20-25 |
Total | 200 | Â | 132-140 | 116-124 | 120 |
Expected Cutoffs
Subject | General | SC/ST/OBC |
Reasoning Ability (Out of 50) | 13 – 15 | 9 – 11 |
Data Analysis & Interpretation (Out of 50) | 12 – 14 | 9 – 11 |
General Awareness/Marketing/Computer Knowledge (Out of 50) | 13 – 15 | 9 – 11 |
English Language (Out of 50) | 13 – 15 | 9 – 11 |
Overall Objective Test (Out of 200) | 90 – 100 | 80 – 90 |
Reasoning
This section primarily saw questions that were moderate in terms of difficulty. This section was a bit time consuming. Questions from Data Sufficiency, Statement and Argument, Input & output, Syllogism, Inequality Comparison, Sitting arrangement, all formed a part of this section.
The detail breakup is as follows:
Topics | Number of Questions |
Inequality Comparison | 5 + 3 |
Syllogism | 6 |
Data Sufficiency | 5 |
Statement-Assumption | 2 |
Arrangement+ Comparison (problem based on age) | 5 |
Input-Output | 5 |
Height Arrangement | 5 |
Sitting Arrangement (Circular + Linear) | 11 |
Blood Relation | 3 |
General Awareness/Computer/MarketingÂ
This section consisted of questions from Static G.K. (Banking), Current Affairs, Computer Awareness and Marketing. The section was dominated by General Awareness. Questions based on Computer Awareness were easy. Candidates who have kept themselves abreast with current affairs of the past six months would have easily answered 15-17 questions on General Awareness. Overall difficulty level of the section was moderate.
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Exam Setters focused on all the type of questions to test the exam takers. Majorly questions appeared from Probability, bar charts and pie charts. This section was lengthier and time consuming. A careful internal selection of questions in each set helps a student in answering more questions within the stipulated time. Overall difficulty level of the section was moderate to difficult.
The detail breakup is as follows:
Topic | No. of Questions |
Probability (Set) | 3 |
Number series (Wrong Number) | 5 |
Data Sufficiency (Two statements) | 5 |
Data Interpretation (Bar Graph) | 5 |
Data Interpretation (Pie Chart) | 5 |
Data Interpretation (Table 2 Sets) | 11 |
Data Interpretation (Line Graph) | 6 |
Data Interpretation (Caselet 2 sets) | 10 |
 English Language
The overall level of difficulty of this section was easy to moderate thereby making candidates, who feel it easy to score in this section, anxious. The section comprised of questions based on Phrase Replacement, Error Spotting, Reading Comprehension, FIB (2 blanks), Para-jumbles and Cloze test. While the passages were not difficult to read, the choices were quite close and required careful examination.
The detail breakup is as follows:
Topic | No. of Questions |
Phrase Replacement | 5 |
Sentence Completion (2Â blanks) | 5 |
Error Spotting | 5 |
Reading Comprehensions (2 sets) | 20 |
Para Jumble | 5 |
Cloze test | 10 |
Part B
Part B of the test was descriptive in nature.  There were five different types of questions in this section. Choice of topics was given for most writing tasks. It was also an ‘above average’ paper as the candidates were expected to display not only good grammar and good handwriting but also general awareness and effective expression.
The details of this part are as given below:
Topic | Description | Marks Allotted |
Letter writing | 1 letter with a choice of 3 topics (2 formal and the other informal) | 10 |
Paragraph Writing | 1 task with a choice of 3 topics | 8 |
Précis Writing | 1 passage | 10 |
Reading Comprehension | 1 passage with 5 questions | 10 |
Essay Writing | 1 essay with a choice of 3 topics | 12 |
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Expected Cutoffs
Subject | General | SC/ST/OBC |
Descriptive Test (Out of 50) | 20 – 22 | 18 – 20 |
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Disclaimer: All information on cut-offs, analysis, answer key and scores are based on independent analysis and evaluation made by Career Launcher. We do not take responsibility for any decision that might be taken, based on this information.
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All the Best!
Team CL