If you want to prepare for SBI PO in a proper and organized way, it is better to divide your preparation into concept building, practice, mock tests, and revision instead of trying to study everything at once. A consistent 4–6 hour daily routine can work well if you use the time effectively and regularly analyze your mistakes.
In my opinion, beginners should follow this approach:
1. Follow a Fixed Daily Timetable
A simple 5–6 hour schedule can look like this:
- Quantitative Aptitude: 1.5 hours
- Reasoning Ability: 1.5 hours
- English: 1 hour
- Current Affairs/Banking Awareness: 45 minutes
- Revision: 30–45 minutes
- Mock or sectional practice: 30–45 minutes
If you have less time, maintain the same subject rotation but reduce the duration. Consistency is more important than studying for very long hours occasionally.
2. Choose Limited Books and Resources
Avoid collecting too many books because it can create confusion.
Useful resources include:
- Quant: R.S. Aggarwal for fundamentals and a separate DI resource for higher-level practice
- Reasoning: R.S. Aggarwal for basics and dedicated puzzle/seating sets for advanced practice
- English: S.P. Bakshi and Word Power Made Easy
- Banking Awareness: A standard banking-awareness book
- Current Affairs: One reliable monthly current-affairs capsule
- Practice: SBI PO previous-year papers
The important thing is to complete and revise selected resources rather than continuously switching between them.
3. Divide Preparation Into Phases
A structured preparation cycle can be divided into four stages.
Phase 1 – Build Fundamentals
Focus on:
- Basic Quant concepts
- Basic Reasoning
- English grammar
- Vocabulary
- Basic banking awareness
Phase 2 – Topic-Wise Practice
Start solving:
- Arithmetic questions
- Puzzles
- Data Interpretation
- Reading Comprehension
- Previous-year questions
Phase 3 – Speed and Mock Tests
Introduce:
- Sectional tests
- Timed practice
- Full-length mocks
- Previous-year papers
Phase 4 – Revision
Focus on:
- Formulas
- Short tricks
- Vocabulary
- Current affairs
- Banking concepts
- Frequently repeated mistakes
This progression is generally more effective than attempting full mocks before understanding the fundamentals.
4. Use Mock Tests Properly
Don't take mocks simply to see your score.
After every mock, check:
- Which questions were incorrect?
- Which questions took too much time?
- Which topics caused mistakes?
- Did you make calculation errors?
- Did you attempt questions unnecessarily?
- Which section needs more practice?
Maintain an error notebook and revise it regularly. Spending meaningful time analyzing a mock is often more useful than immediately attempting another one.
5. Follow a Weekly Revision Plan
Keep one day or a fixed session each week for revision.
For example:
- Revise Quant formulas
- Revisit difficult Reasoning puzzles
- Review English vocabulary and grammar mistakes
- Revise weekly current affairs
- Reattempt previously incorrect questions
- Take one full-length mock
This prevents topics from being forgotten after completing them.
6. Start Mains Preparation Early
Don't wait until Prelims is over to think about Mains.
Gradually include:
- Advanced Data Interpretation
- High-level Reasoning
- Banking and financial awareness
- Economy-related current affairs
- Descriptive English
- Mains-level mock tests
This is especially useful because Mains requires a different level of practice and preparation.
Simple Summary
A good SBI PO preparation plan should combine 5–6 hours of focused daily study, limited and reliable books, previous-year questions, regular sectional and full-length mocks, and weekly revision. Start with fundamentals, move toward timed practice, and then focus heavily on mock analysis and weak areas. Most importantly, maintain an error notebook and revise it regularly instead of repeatedly making the same mistakes.