IB ACIO Exam Pattern 2025, Marking Scheme & Question Distribution

The highlights of IB ACIO exam pattern for Executive post are given below.

Exam name	IB ACIO
Stages of exam	Tier I, II and Interview
Mode of exam	Tier-I Online Tier-II: Offline
Nature of questions	Tier I: Objective Type Tier II: Descriptive Type
Total marks	Tier I: 100 Tier II: 50 Interview: 100
Duration of the test	Tier I: 60 Tier II: 60
Negative marks	1/4

The selection of candidates for this post is done based on shortlisting and interview. The GATE score of 1000 will be accepted for the recruitment process. The interview carries 175 marks. The interview is aimed to assess the candidate's traits on two parameters, i.e. subject knowledge in relevant fields and communication skills.

The Tier II exam comprises descriptive tasks involving comprehension, precis writing, and essay composition. Candidates are given a duration of 1 hour to complete this section, which holds a total weightage of 50 marks.

IB ACIO Exam Pattern Tier II
Section	Marks	Total Time
Essay Writing	30	1 Hour
Comprehension and Precis Writing	20
Total	50

The Tier 1 of IB ACIO exam comprises questions from General Studies, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, Analytical Ability, and English Language. The total marks allotted to the test are 100.

IB ACIO Exam Pattern Tier I
Sections	Total Questions	Total Marks	Time
General Awareness	20	20	60 Minutes
Quantitative Aptitude	20	20
Analytical Ability	20	20
English Language	20	20
General Studies	20	20
Total	100	100

IB ACIO exam pattern is given below.

Written Examination	Description of the Examination	Time	Marks
	Tier I Exam: 100 Objective type MCQs, divided into 5 parts containing 20 questions of 1 mark each on.   Current Affairs, General Studies, Numerical Aptitude, Reasoning/Logical Aptitude, English	1 Hour	100
	Tier II: Descriptive type paper of 50 marks essay (30 marks) and English comprehension and precis writing (20 marks)	1 Hour	50
Interview	Tier 3: Interview	–	100

The marking scheme of IB ACIO is given below:

• There will be a negative marking of ¼ mark for each wrong answer in the Tier I exam
• For a correct answer in Tier I, candidates will get one mark
• No marks will be awarded for un-attempted questions

For a correct answer in Tier I, candidates will get one mark. For incorrect answers, 1/4 marks are deducted. The total marks in the exam are calculated based on the correct and incorrect answers. 

The Intelligence Bureau wants personnel who look ordinary and think extraordinary. It wants persons of normal physique and normal health. After the final selection, the Bureau asks the selected candidates to get a health Certificate from the District Medical Officer or the District Surgeon. If there is no objectionable comment on the health report, the Bureau would induct him and trains him in order to build up his strength, health and confidence.

The subjects that are included in the Intelligence Bureau Security Assistant Syllabus are Reasoning, Arithmetic, General Knowledge, General Studies, and General English . General Awareness & General Studies: Current Affairs (5-6 months), Indian Polity & Constitution, Science & Technology, Physics Economy & Finance, Geography, History, Chemistry Biology and Static GK. Reasoning: Logical Venn diagram, Missing Number, Paper-cutting & folding, Embedded figures, Figure Formation & Analysis, Series, Alphabet Test, Analogy, Arithmetic Reasoning, Blood Relation, Classification, Coding decoding, Distance direction test, Matrix, Cube & Dice, Mirror Image, Water Image, Pattern Completion, Counting of figures. Quantitative Aptitude Speed, Distance & Time, Profit loss, Discount, Ratio Proportion, Average, Boat & Stream, CI & SI, LCM & HCF, Mixture & Allegation, Partnership, Percentages, Complementary angles, Pipes & Cistern, Problem on Ages, Time & Work, Mensuration Data Interpretation, Standard Trigonometry Identities, Heights and Distances (Basic), Histogram, Frequency polygon, Bar diagram & Pie chart. General English . Synonyms & Antonyms, Spotting Error, Para Jumble, Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test Sentence Improvement, fill in the blanks, Idiom & Phrase, One-word Substitution, Active & Passive Voice, and Preposition. For more details, you may visit the Shiksha Intelligence Bureau exam page. (https://www.shiksha.com/exams/ib-acio-exam-syllabus). I hope this will help you.

The topics given in IB ACIO Analytical Ability assess a candidate's ability to think logically. IB ACIO syllabus for Analytical Ability is given below.

Blood Relation Test	Series Completion
Analogy	Character Puzzles
Classification	Series
Analytical Reasoning	Pattern Completion
Chart Logic	Image Analysis
Data Sufficiency	Logical Sequence of Words
Seating Arrangement	Direction Sense Test

IB ACIO syllabus for General Awareness is given below.

General Studies	Current Affairs
Polity and Indian Constitution Indian history Science and Technology Geography Physics Biology Chemistry Economics and Finance Computer Science	National News International News New Schemes Eminent Personalities Financial Schemes Nobel Prize Winners Awards

IB ACIO syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude is given below.

Advance	Arithmetic
Mensuration Trigonometry Height and Distance Triangle Circle Polygon Tangent	Ratio and Proportion Mixture and Allegation Missing Numbers Age Time and Work Boat and Stream Volume LCM and HCF Percentage Profit and Loss Simple and Compound Interest Time and Distance Average Fractions Series Completion

Women candidates can apply for IB ACIO exam. A married woman can apply for IB ACIO. IB provides age relaxations for widows, divorced women and women judicially separated from their husbands and not remarried. Any graduate candidate can apply for IB ACIO exam. Candidates need to fulfil the age limit prescribed by the examination authority. The selection process of IB ACIO exam comprises Tier 1, 2 and interview.

 

IB Security Assistant Selection Process: The selection process for the post of Security Assistant or Executive at the Intelligence Bureau of India comprises the following 3 stages: Tier I - Objective Test Tier II - Descriptive Test Tier III - Interview/ Personality Test IB Security Assistant Application Process 2023: 1- Register yourself through the Maharashtra official website or NCS Portal only. 2- After Registration, log in with your credentials to fill out the Intelligence Bureau Security Assistant or Executive Application Form. Enter all required details and complete the Intelligence Bureau application. 3- Upload the Intelligence Bureau required documents in the prescribed format. 4- Pay the Online Intelligence Bureau Application fee. 5- Submit the application form. Take a printout of the application form for future use. For more information, you may visit the Shiksha IB exam page. (https://www.shiksha.com/exams/ib-acio-exam). I hope this will help you.

The full form of IB ACIO is Intelligence Bureau Assistant Central Intelligence Officer. It encompasses a role that plays a crucial part in safeguarding the security and integrity of the nation. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) is India’s premier internal intelligence agency, and the ACIOs are an integral part of its operational framework. The exam is conducted annually and comprises three-stage selection process Tier 1, 2 and 3.