SBI PO Quantitative Aptitude syllabus
See the full SBI PO syllabus for the exam pattern and other sections.
SBI PO Prelims gives Quantitative Aptitude 30 questions in a locked 20 minute section, five fewer than IBPS PO does. That is forty seconds a question, against a paper where a single data interpretation set can absorb six minutes. At Mains the subject returns in a harder form as Data Analysis and Interpretation, built almost entirely around sets rather than standalone arithmetic.
Pattern
| Stage | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims, Quantitative Aptitude | 30 | 30 | 20 minutes |
| Mains, Data Analysis and Interpretation | As stated in the advertisement | As stated in the advertisement | Separate section clock |
A wrong answer costs one fourth of the marks assigned to the question, which is 0.25 marks at Prelims. SBI publishes no topic wise question split, so the distribution below is reconstructed from past papers.
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Topics
- Data Interpretation, covering tables, bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, mixed graphs and caselets
- Simplification and Approximation
- Number Series, missing term and wrong term
- Quadratic Equations and quantity comparison
- Percentage
- Ratio and Proportion
- Average
- Profit, Loss and Discount
- Partnership
- Simple Interest and Compound Interest
- Mixture and Alligation
- Problems on Ages
- Time and Work, including Pipes and Cisterns
- Time, Speed and Distance, including Trains, Boats and Streams
- Mensuration, two dimensional and three dimensional
- Permutation, Combination and Probability
- Data Sufficiency
- Number System, including HCF and LCM
What is not in the syllabus
- No trigonometry, calculus or coordinate geometry
- No advanced statistics beyond averages and basic probability
- No calculator. All calculation is mental or on the rough sheet
- No published topic wise question count
How to spend the time
Thirty questions in twenty minutes means the section is won before the first question is answered, during the thirty seconds spent scanning what is on offer. Data interpretation sets vary enormously in difficulty, and the difference between the easiest set and the hardest one on the same paper is often four minutes.
Simplification, approximation, number series and quadratic equations are the fast block. They are formula light, they come as standalone questions with no set to decode, and a candidate who is fluent in squares to 30, cubes to 20 and fractional equivalents to one twentieth clears them at speed. Securing that block first is what makes the rest of the section affordable.
Arithmetic word problems sit in the middle. They are worth attempting when the numbers are friendly and worth leaving when they are not, because the same mark is available either way.
Approximation deserves separate practice from exact calculation. A large share of questions ask which option is nearest rather than what the value is, and candidates who compute to the decimal place lose time they never needed to spend.
Common mistakes
- Preparing on the IBPS PO weighting of 35 questions rather than SBI's 30
- Opening the first data interpretation set on the page instead of scanning all of them
- Calculating to full precision on questions that only ask for the nearest option
- Learning formulas without building calculation speed, which is the actual constraint
- Leaving mensuration and probability untouched on the assumption they rarely appear
- Guessing blind across five options at minus 0.25
- Expecting unused time from English to be available here, which the section lock prevents
Quant across the stages of SBI PO
| Feature | Prelims Quantitative Aptitude | Mains Data Analysis and Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 30 | As stated in the advertisement |
| Time | 20 minutes | Separate section clock |
| Weight in merit | None, qualifying only | Counted |
| Question style | Mixed arithmetic and lighter DI | Set heavy, multi step, data led |
| Negative marking | Yes | Yes |
Frequently asked questions
How many quant questions are in SBI PO Prelims?
Thirty, carrying 30 marks, in a locked 20 minute section.
Why does SBI give quant fewer questions than IBPS PO?
SBI weights its Prelims toward English, which carries 40 questions, and takes five questions each from Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning to pay for it.
Is a calculator allowed?
No. All calculation is mental or on the rough sheet provided at the centre.
Is geometry asked?
Only mensuration, covering areas, volumes and surface areas. Coordinate geometry and trigonometry are not part of the paper.
How much data interpretation appears?
SBI publishes no split. Past papers usually carry two or more sets, which together account for a substantial share of the 30 questions.
What is the fastest scoring topic?
Simplification, approximation, number series and quadratic equations, because they are standalone and formula light. Speed there is what funds the harder sets.
Is there negative marking?
Yes. One fourth of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for a wrong answer.
Does Prelims quant count toward the final merit list?
No. Prelims is qualifying only. The merit list is built from Mains and Phase III.
Should I memorise tables and squares?
Yes. Tables to 20, squares to 30, cubes to 20 and common fractional equivalents remove most of the arithmetic overhead at this pace.
How do I practise for a 40 second per question pace?
Timed sectional papers rather than untimed topic work, since pace under a fixed clock is the thing being trained. Try a free SBI PO mock.