Current Affairs Questions for SBI PO

Banking and Financial Current Affairs

This is the highest priority area for SBI PO. Questions come from RBI policy decisions, repo rate changes, new banking regulations, digital payment milestones, and bank merger or acquisition news. SBI-specific news such as new product launches, MD and CEO changes, and financial results also appear. Think of this as your home ground — SBI PO loves to test aspirants on the very institution they are applying to join.

• Track RBI Monetary Policy Committee meetings — repo rate, reverse repo rate, CRR, SLR announcements
• Watch for new RBI guidelines on digital lending, NBFC regulations, and UPI milestones
• Note appointments: RBI Governor, Deputy Governors, MD and CEOs of major banks
• Bank merger updates — which PSU banks merged, effective dates, and new entity names
• India Post Payments Bank, NPCI, and SEBI news are frequently tested
• SBI-specific news: new schemes, financial inclusion initiatives, overseas branches

Government Schemes and Policies

Central government flagship schemes appear in almost every SBI PO paper. Focus on schemes related to financial inclusion, agriculture, housing, digital India, and skill development because they connect directly to the banking sector. The exam tests launch dates, nodal ministries, target beneficiaries, and budget allocations. Do not try to memorize every scheme — focus on schemes launched or updated in the last 6-12 months plus the evergreen big ones.

• Know nodal ministry for each major scheme — PM Jan Dhan, PM Awas Yojana, PM Mudra Yojana, Ayushman Bharat
• Budget 2024-25 announcements: new schemes, revised allocations, and renamed programs
• PLI scheme sector expansions and manufacturing targets
• Digital India and fintech-related policy updates
• State government schemes that made national news — especially related to banking or welfare
• Focus on launch year and objective rather than memorizing every small detail

International Summits, Agreements, and Organizations

SBI PO regularly tests G20, BRICS, SCO, UN summits, bilateral agreements, and India's international trade or defence deals. Since India hosted G20 in 2023, expect follow-up questions about outcomes and declarations. Questions usually ask the host city, theme, or a key outcome. India's membership in new groupings or signing of new trade agreements also features here.

• G20, G7, BRICS summits — host country, theme, and key decisions
• India-specific bilateral meetings and MoUs signed during PM-level visits
• UN reports and indices: Global Hunger Index, Human Development Index, Ease of Doing Business
• IMF and World Bank growth forecasts for India
• New multilateral groupings or trade corridors India joined — like IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Corridor)
• Defence deals and military exercises with names and partner countries

Awards, Appointments, and Sports

This category is high-frequency but easy to score if you maintain a consistent list. Padma awards, Nobel Prizes, Oscar wins by Indian-origin personalities, Bharat Ratna, and Dadasaheb Phalke awards are tested every year. For appointments, focus on constitutional posts, heads of international organizations, and top positions in PSUs. Sports news around Olympics, World Cups, and Indian cricketers breaking records is also common.

• Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri — especially first-time or notable recipients
• Nobel Prize 2024 winners across all six categories
• Bharat Ratna — who received it and why they are significant
• Chief Justice of India, Election Commissioner, CAG appointments
• Paris Olympics 2024 — India's medal winners, total count, and record-breakers
• ICC and BCCI awards, cricket world cup winners, and Indian record holders

Economy, Infrastructure, and Technology

India's GDP growth rate, inflation data (CPI and WPI), export-import figures, and major infrastructure project inaugurations appear in SBI PO GA. Technology news such as India's space missions (ISRO launches), defence indigenization milestones, and digital payment records also feature. Connect each piece of news to a number or date — that is what the question will test.

• India's GDP growth rate projections by RBI, IMF, World Bank for current fiscal
• CPI inflation targets and actual data — RBI's 4 percent target with 2 percent band
• ISRO missions: Chandrayaan, Gaganyaan progress, PSLV and GSLV launches
• Major infrastructure inaugurations: expressways, airports, metro lines with city names
• UPI transaction milestones and India's rank in global digital payments
• India's current account deficit, forex reserves, and trade balance updates

• Studying only national news and ignoring banking-specific current affairs — SBI PO has heavy emphasis on RBI, SEBI, and financial sector news that many aspirants skip
• Memorizing scheme names without knowing the nodal ministry or launch year — questions almost always ask for one of these two details
• Confusing similar-sounding awards or summit themes — for example, mixing up G20 theme with SCO summit theme from the same year
• Ignoring state-level news entirely — SBI PO sometimes picks news from states where major banking or infrastructure events happened
• Studying current affairs only from one source and missing important events — cross-check at least two reliable monthly GK digests or sources

• UseBASIST framework to organize your daily news: Banking, Awards, Summits, Indices, Schemes, Technology and Sports — covers nearly all question types
• For government schemes, remember the 4W trick: Who launched it, What is it for, Which ministry runs it, When was it launched
• Link international summits to a location map in your head — visualize the country and flag when you read the summit name, it creates a stronger memory hook
• For appointments, make a small mental org chart: Constitutional posts at top, then RBI and SEBI heads, then PSU CEOs — fill in names as you read news

• SBI PO Mains GA section has 40 questions in 35 minutes — you have less than a minute per question, so recall must be instant. Do not study for understanding here, study for rapid recognition
• The last 6 months before the exam date carry the heaviest weightage. Prioritize recent news but do not ignore evergreen topics like RBI rates and major schemes
• Banking and economy current affairs together account for roughly 40-45 percent of GA questions in SBI PO historically — this is your highest ROI area
• SBI PO sometimes includes a static GK question disguised as current affairs — for example, asking the headquarters of an organization that was recently in the news. Always note the HQ and founding year when you read about any organization
• In the descriptive paper, current affairs are used in essay and letter writing topics. Recent government schemes, economic challenges, and digital banking developments are common essay prompts — knowing current affairs in depth gives you an edge there too