SBI PO Exam and Provision for Normalization of Marks

The State Bank of India (SBI) conducts the Probationary Officer (PO) exam to recruit eligible candidates for the post of PO in its branches across the country. The exam consists of three stages: Preliminary Exam, Main Exam, and Group Exercise & Interview. To ensure fairness in the evaluation process, SBI incorporates a provision for normalization of marks.

What is Normalization of Marks?
Normalization of marks is a process used to account for any variation in the difficulty level of different exam sessions. Since the SBI PO exam is conducted in multiple shifts or sessions, it is possible that the difficulty level may vary slightly between these sessions. To ensure equity in evaluation, normalization of marks is employed.

How is Normalization of Marks Done in SBI PO Exam?
The normalization of marks in the SBI PO exam is performed using an equipercentile method. This method adjusts the scores of candidates based on the difficulty level of their respective exam sessions. The following steps are involved in the normalization process:

1. Calculation of Percentile Scores: The raw scores obtained by candidates in each section of the exam are converted into percentile scores. Percentile scores indicate the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or below a particular score.

2. Calculation of Mean and Standard Deviation: The mean and standard deviation are calculated separately for each section of the exam. The mean represents the average score, while the standard deviation indicates the spread of scores around the mean.

3. Scaling of Scores: The raw scores obtained by candidates in each section are scaled based on the mean and standard deviation calculated in the previous step. This scaling ensures that scores from different sessions are comparable.

4. Calculation of Normalized Scores: The scaled scores of candidates in each section are combined to calculate their normalized scores. These normalized scores are used to prepare the final merit list.

Advantages of Normalization of Marks
- Ensures fairness: Normalization of marks eliminates any advantage or disadvantage that may arise due to the variation in the difficulty level of different exam sessions.
- Merit-based selection: By normalizing the marks, the SBI ensures that candidates are selected based on their relative performance rather than the difficulty level of their exam session.
- Equal opportunity: Normalization provides equal opportunity to all candidates, irrespective of the session they appeared in.

In conclusion, the SBI incorporates a provision for normalization of marks in the PO exam to ensure fairness and equity in the evaluation process. Normalization is done using the equipercentile method, which scales the raw scores based on the difficulty level of different exam sessions. This process helps in creating a level playing field for all candidates and ensures merit-based selection.