The State Bank of India (SBI) has released the admit cards for the 2026 Bank Probationary Officer (PO) Preliminary Examination, marking the start of one of India's biggest banking recruitment drives. The preliminary exam, scheduled for August 1 and 2, will see an estimated 12 lakh (1.2 million) candidates compete for 1,500 Probationary Officer vacancies.
That works out to roughly 800 applicants for every seat, and the odds are tighter than they look. SBI nearly tripled this year's vacancies from 541 in 2025 to 1,500, yet demand still outpaced the increase by a wide margin, making 2026 one of the most competitive SBI PO cycles in recent years.
Candidates can now download their call letters to check important details such as their exam centre, reporting time, and shift. With the exam just days away, the admit card offers the first picture of what to expect before stepping into the examination hall. If you're one of them, here's what's on your call letter, when your shift starts, and what the exam looks like.
Damilare Odedina
What Candidates Should Check Before Exam Day
Downloading the admit card is only the first step. Candidates should log in to the official SBI careers portal using their registration or roll number and password or date of birth to access the document.
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