SBI PO cheat sheet

"One of + plural noun" takes a singular verb: "One of the officers is on leave."

With "either...or" and "neither...nor", the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.

Use "since" with a point of time, "for" with a duration, and "from" only when paired with "to".

"Comprise" takes no "of" ("The panel comprises five members"); use "is composed of" instead.

"Superior", "inferior", "senior", "junior" and "prefer" take "to", never "than".

Correlative pairs are fixed: "hardly/scarcely...when", "no sooner...than", "not only...but also".

In para jumbles, the opening sentence is normally the one with no unexplained pronoun and no forward-looking connector.

In reading comprehension, an inference is unstated but logically implied; an option that only repeats a printed line is not an inference.

"All A are B" is not reversible; "Some A are B" and "No A is B" are reversible.

Either-or in syllogism needs a complementary pair on the same subject-predicate with both conclusions individually not definite.

Order and ranking: total persons = (rank from left + rank from right) − 1.

Circular arrangement facing the centre: a person's left is clockwise and right is anticlockwise; reverse both when facing outward.

In coded blood-relation puzzles, decode gender symbols first, then draw a generation-wise family tree.

Direction sense: a right turn is 90 degrees clockwise, a left turn is 90 degrees anticlockwise, so four turns return to the original heading.

In inequality questions, either-or arises when conclusions on the same pair are complementary, such as A ≥ B and A < B.

Data sufficiency asks whether the data is sufficient, not what the answer is; test each statement alone before testing them together.

Compound interest: A = P(1 + r/100)^n; for half-yearly compounding use rate r/2 and periods 2n.

Simple interest: SI = (P × R × T)/100, where T is in years.

If A alone takes a days and B alone takes b days, together they finish the work in ab/(a + b) days.

Two successive discounts of a% and b% give a net discount of a + b − (ab/100) percent.

Alligation: ratio of two quantities = (mean price − cheaper price) : (dearer price − mean price).

Relative speed is the sum of speeds when bodies move in opposite directions and the difference when they move in the same direction.

Train crossing a pole: time = length of train / speed; crossing a platform: time = (train length + platform length) / speed.

Combinations: nCr = n! / [r!(n − r)!], used where the order of selection does not matter.

In data interpretation, percentage change = (new value − old value) / old value × 100; always confirm the units given in the table header.

Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends short-term funds to banks against government securities under the liquidity adjustment facility.

CRR is the share of a bank's Net Demand and Time Liabilities held as cash with the RBI, and it earns no interest.

SLR is the share of NDTL a bank must hold in cash, gold or approved government securities.

DICGC insures deposits up to Rs 5 lakh per depositor per bank, covering both principal and interest.

The Monetary Policy Committee has six members, must meet at least four times a year, and targets CPI inflation of 4% within a 2% to 6% band.

Domestic commercial banks must lend 40% of Adjusted Net Bank Credit to priority sectors such as agriculture, MSME and education.

Regulators: RBI for banks and payment systems, SEBI for securities markets, IRDAI for insurance, PFRDA for pensions.

Basel III prescribes a minimum capital adequacy ratio of 8%, while the RBI requires 9% for Indian banks.

Negotiable instruments under the 1881 Act are of three kinds: promissory note, bill of exchange and cheque.

Formal letter order: sender address, date, receiver address, subject, salutation, body, complimentary close, signature.

Use "Dear Sir/Madam" with "Yours faithfully"; use "Dear Mr Sharma" with "Yours sincerely".

The subject line is a short noun phrase placed after the receiver's address and before the salutation.

The SBI PO descriptive paper allots 30 minutes for a letter of about 150 words and an essay of about 250 words.

A complaint letter states the facts, the inconvenience caused and the specific remedy sought, in that order.

An essay structure of introduction, two or three body paragraphs and conclusion keeps the argument linear and readable.

Formal writing avoids contractions, slang, and rhetorical questions; prefer passive voice only where the doer is unknown.

The concluding paragraph restates the thesis in fresh words and offers a forward-looking suggestion without raising new arguments.