Probationary Officer is perhaps the most competitive and sought-after banking exam in India conducted by State Bank of India. Thousands of aspirants appear for the exam every year and wish to get a good high-end position in the banking sector. And cracking the SBI PO exam needs an ideal preparation strategy, approach, and above all, the right books. Books are very important for building up your knowledge and enhancing your skills. In this blog, we are going to discuss the best books for SBI PO exam preparation that will help you ace your exam with confidence. For starting your SBI PO exam preparation, it is very much necessary to choose the best books that cover all the important topics as per the exam pattern.
A well-planned study plan, combined with the right resources, will help you to tackle each section effectively. In this blog, we will give you an exhaustive list of books for each section of the exam, making sure that you are adequately equipped with material to prepare you better and boost your chances of getting a good result.
Getting to Know the SBI PO Exam Pattern
Before diving into books for SBI PO exam preparation, it is important to know about the pattern of the exam. Knowledge of the pattern helps you know which topics to focus on and accordingly allocate time. The exam has three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interview, each with particular sections. Knowing the pattern will guide you in picking up the best books that align with every phase, ensuring effective and focused preparation.
SBI PO Exam Pattern
The SBI PO exam is divided into three phases: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Knowledge of the SBI PO Pattern will assist proper preparation. It makes way for the right type of books and gives an area of focus for each one to ensure a comprehensive study process:
1. Preliminary Examination (Phase 1)
The Preliminary test of the SBI PO test tests your knowledge and your basic abilities. It is divided into three parts: the English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability. Use the best study materials corresponding to the exam pattern.:
- English Language: 30 questions, 30 marks
- Quantitative Aptitude: 35 questions, 35 marks
- Reasoning Ability: 35 questions, 35 marks
- Total: 100 questions, 100 marks
2. Main Exam Test (Phase II)
The Mains exam is more diverse and looks at how one could analytically manage a tricky problem. The areas have been broken into the following:
- Reasoning & Computer Aptitude :45 questions, 60 marks
- Data Analysis & Interpretation:35 questions, 60 marks
- General/ Economic/ Banking Awareness :40 questions, 40 marks
- English Language: 35 questions, 40 marks
- English Language (Descriptive Test ):2 questions, 50 marks
- Total :155 questions, 200 marks
3. Interview (Phase 3)
The interview phase of the SBI PO exam is a personality test that checks your communication skills, confidence, and general knowledge. It is conducted for candidates who have cleared both the Preliminary and Mains exams. To prepare for this, one needs to improve his interview skills through mock sessions and relevant books. Best books for current affairs and general knowledge will help answer questions confidently and align with the exam pattern.
Why are Books a Prerequisite for SBI PO Exam Preparations?
Books are the main source of study with depth about all subjects since the pattern of the examination goes for detailed study. The best book includes exhaustive explanation along with practice questions and techniques through which one can build strong basics and will be helped through every section so that no single topic is omitted. Thus, a properly chosen list of books builds self-confidence, and chances for passing the SBI PO exam improve.
- Structured Learning: Books offer systematic and organized learning. They take care of all topics that have to be covered based on the syllabus, so you will be able to understand the concepts very clearly.
- In-depth understanding: Books make you go deep into the concepts, theories, and techniques of problem solving, which are the most important areas to master the SBI PO exam syllabus.
- Practice Questions: All good books will offer you variety practice questions, previous years papers, and mock tests. In order to check your understanding, these things are quite important also for increasing speed and precision.
- Topic-wise Coverage: Books are designed to bring to you a comprehensive detailed coverage of each topic given in the syllabus. During preparation, it helps you never miss any part of that syllabus.
Now that you understand why books are important, let’s look at the best books for preparation for SBI PO, arranged according to sections of the test.
Best Books for SBI PO Exam Preparation
The books best for the preparation of the SBI PO exam have been selected based on patterns so that every required material of the section will get covered. A list of comprehensive books helps one with preparation of all the sections separately- reasoning, quant, English, and general awareness. This book selection method can help one get well-planned preparation of an examination and build concepts stronger by making more practice as their problem-solving ability to help prepare the SBI PO exam well.
1. English Language
The English Language section tests your proficiency in grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and other language skills. The following books are highly recommended for this section:
| Book Title | Author/Publisher | Key Features |
| Objective General English | S.P. Bakshi (Arihant) | Has complete grammar, vocabulary, and practice questions. |
| High School English Grammar & Composition | Wren & Martin | Very handy while revising basic grammar and grammatical concepts. |
| Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis | Helps in building vocabulary. |
| English Grammar & Composition | S.C. Gupta (Arihant) | Ideal for grammar and composition. Perfect to prepare grammar, a well-structured book helps develop your composition. |
Why these books?
- These books comprise a wide variety of topics, such as grammar and vocabulary along with reading comprehension, while they also comprise hundreds of practice questions, providing you with a good grasp of English.
2. Quantitative Aptitude
The Quantitative Aptitude section tests the mathematics-related skills and capability towards numerical data. For preparation, these books come very handy:
| Book Title | Author/Publisher | Key Features |
| Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations | R.S. Aggarwal | It contains practice exercises for all types of quantitative problems. |
| How to Crack Test of Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Exams | Arun Sharma | Best for the practice of mastering the difficult topics in Quantitative Aptitude. |
| Fast Track Objective Arithmetic | Rajesh Verma (Arihant) | Ideal for quick and accurate solving of arithmetic problems. |
| Magical Book on Quicker Maths | M. Tyra | Ideal for learning shortcuts and quick calculations. |
Why these books?
- These books make even the most basic and advanced topics clear. They are suitable for beginners as well as to hone up your skills.
3. Reasoning Ability
This deals with reasoning power and the candidate’s thinking mind while solving the problem in the Logical Reasoning ability in SBI PO. Thus, while studying, refer to best books that are aligned as per the exam pattern; thus they should have an entire list which would be there in order to read out:
| Book Name | Author/Publications | Key Features |
| A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal | Knowledge proper regarding verbal as well as non-verbal reasonability. |
| Analytical Reasoning | M.K. Pandey | Focused towards increasing the candidate’s logical as well as analytical thinking skill. |
| Logical Reasoning | Arun Sharma | These books contain several puzzles based on reasoning techniques. |
Why these books?
- These books provide insight into the reasoning concept, offering plenty of practice exercises to strengthen your reasoning skills.
4. Data Analysis & Interpretation
The DI section tests your ability to analyze data and solve problems related to graphs, charts, and tables. Some of the top books for this section are:
| Book Title | Author/Publisher | Key Features |
| Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency | R.S. Aggarwal | It covers DI problems and their solutions in an all-round manner. |
| How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT | Arun Sharma | Focuses on both basic and advanced DI problems. |
| The Pearson Guide to Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | Dinesh Khattar | Good for DI concepts and practice exercises. |
Why these books?
- These books have well-organised chapters and a wide variety of DI problems, that will help you improve your data interpretation skills.
5. General/Economic/Banking Awareness
This is General Awareness which tests knowledge on current affairs, terminologies of banks and trends of economics. Some of the best books to refer are given below,
| Book Name | Author/Publisher | Main Features |
| Manorama Yearbook | Mammen Mathew | This book comprises general knowledge of all the present affairs and events. |
| General Knowledge 2024 | Disha Experts | This book is good for overall comprehensive study of General Knowledge for any competitive examination. |
| Banking Awareness | R. K. Gupta | This specifically caters for knowledge of banks and financial terms. |
Why these books?
- These books would provide you with a whole view of general and banking knowledge that would keep you up-to-date with the developments in the economy and the banking sectors.
How to Utilize These Books for Optimal Benefit?
Similar to how the right best books are important for SBI PO exam preparation, so is the implementation of it. However, the way one must use these books is in a structured approach that goes with the test pattern. The best concept should start from basic to advanced concepts step-by-step. Your set of books requires constant revisions of practice questions. Regular revision of concepts and mock tests shall help make your conceptual understanding sound and improve your performance in the SBI PO exam.
- A study Plan will do: Plan your study timetable according to your syllabus, and give proper time for each section and regularly revise.
- Practice daily: “Practice is the root to success” Practice, practice, practice on more practice questions and sample tests to increase speed and accuracy of scores.
- Focus on Weak areas: Spend more time in those topics where you need to concentrate. In the long run, it might increase your percentage as well.
- Refer to Previous Years’ Papers: It is beneficial for practicing from previous years’ papers so that one can understand which types of questions were asked in that exam and learn how to practice well.
- Stay Consistent: Consistency is the key to cracking the SBI PO exam. Prepare for your exams consistently and keep on revising so that knowledge gains a stronghold in you.
Role of Mock Tests in SBI PO Exam Preparation
The most recommended books in preparation of the SBI PO are not without the best-in-use mock tests. Though a set of mock tests may create a close-to-live examination atmosphere, it keeps helping you practice time management along with spotting the needed improvements in certain areas of performance. ixamBee presents some very well-defined, carefully-crafted sets of SBI PO, tailor-made to help better yourself by getting the sense of where you stand.
Why Mock Tests Matter:
- Simulate Real Exam Conditions: You feel how the types of questions would occur, the time constraint would be, and how you are going to be under pressure.
- Keep Track of Progress: You figure out how good your preparation is by gauging through mock tests and progress over time.
- Identify Weak Areas: Mocking tests regularly helps determine the kind of areas where you will need improvement, thus ensuring productive study sessions.
Conclusion
It is a very important step in the preparation for the SBI PO exam, choosing the right books. You would be able to enhance your skills by making use of the best books for every section and then using them. Remember, success comes only with preparation, and you would surely crack the SBI PO exam flying colors if you prepare hard with the right approach.
Check out ixamBee to know expert advice and resourcefulness through complete online courses and mock tests designed specifically for SBI PO exams.
Best of luck with your preparation and all the very best in your SBI PO exams!
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Also read:
How to Prepare for General Awareness for SBI PO?