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The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is going to conduct the IB ACIO Exam 2025 for ACIO Grade-II Executive. There are three examination stages and to succeed in the exam, candidates need to understand the IB ACIO Syllabus 2025, which is categorised into five sections: General Studies, Current Affairs, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, and English.
So, start your preparation for this prestigious Government Job today and go through the latest IB ACIO Exam Pattern and Syllabus for Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 stages mentioned below.
IB ACIO Syllabus 2025
IB ACIO Exam aims to select eligible candidates for posting at the Intelligence Bureau of India, and this year, the total vacancy is 3,717. Candidates appearing for this exam have to prepare for both the objective and descriptive papers and strengthen their knowledge base in the subjects mentioned above. The syllabus for the IB ACIO Exam is not very vast, but it requires conceptual clarity and proper management of the questions.
Highlights of IB ACIO Exam Pattern and Syllabus
For a clearer understanding, candidates can also refer to the highlights provided in the table below.
Particular | Details |
Recruitment Authority | Ministry of Home Affairs |
Organization Name | Intelligence Bureau (IB) |
Post | ACIO Grade II/Executive |
Category | Syllabus |
Mode of Examination | Tier 1: Objective Type Tier 2: Descriptive Type |
No. of Questions | Tier 1: 100 questions |
Marks | Tier 1: 100 marks Tier 2: 50 marks |
Official Website | mha.gov.in |
Follow the IB – ACIO 2025 channel on WhatsApp
IB ACIO Exam Pattern 2025
The IB ACIO Written Exam will be held in two phases: Tier I (Objective) and Tier II, (Descriptive). Candidates who will qualify for the Tier 1 and Tier 2 exams will be further called for the Interview round. After all the stages, the final merit list will be prepared, and selected candidates will be given the chance to join the Intelligence Bureau of India as Assistant Central Intelligence Officers.
IB ACIO Tier 1 Exam Pattern
- The IB ACIO Tier I Exam is a Written Exam of 100 Marks.
- For every wrong answer, there will be a negative marking of 1/4 mark.
- The Exam is Objective in nature and consists of MCQs.
- There are five subjects included in the Tier-1 exam.
- The time duration for this exam is 60 minutes.
IB ACIO Tier-1 Exam Pattern | |||
Subjects | No. of Questions | Marks | Time |
Current Affairs | 20 | 20 |
1 Hour
|
General Studies | 20 | 20 | |
Numerical Aptitude
|
20 | 20 | |
Reasoning and Logical Aptitude
|
20 | 20 | |
English Language
|
20 | 20 | |
Total | 100 | 100 |
IB ACIO Tier 2 Exam Pattern
- The phase 2 exam is descriptive.
- The paper is divided into two sections: Essay Writing and English Comprehension.
- The total mark for this paper is 50 marks.
- The exam duration is 60 minutes.
IB ACIO Tier-2 Exam Pattern | ||
Papers | Maximum Marks | Time |
Essay | 20 | 1 Hour |
English comprehension, 2 Long Answer Questions (10 marks each) on Current Affairs, Economics, Socio-political issues | 30 | |
Total | 50 |
IB ACIO Tier 1 Syllabus 2025
There are five main topics in the IB Assistant Central Intelligence Officer 2025 Tier 1 exam. These are:
- General Studies (20 Qs, 20 Marks)
- Numerical Ability (20 Qs, 20 Marks)
- English Language (20 Qs, 20 Marks)
- Quantitative Aptitude (20 Qs, 20 Marks)
- Current Affairs: National and International Current Affairs. (20 Qs, 20 Marks)
General Studies Syllabus
Check the IB ACIO General Studies Syllabus in the table below, which includes topics like History, Geography, Polity, and others.
Topics covered under General Studies | |
History | Biology |
Science & Technology |
Indian Polity & Constitution
|
Geography | Physics |
Current Affairs | Static GK |
Economy & Finance | Chemistry |
Numerical Ability & Reasoning Syllabus
The detailed topic-wise Syllabus has been tabulated below.
Topics covered under Numerical Ability & Reasoning | |
Alphanumeric Series |
Artificial Language
|
Calendars | Clocks |
Data Sufficiency | Directions |
Odd One Out |
Order & Ranking
|
Statement and Conclusions |
Reasoning Analogies
|
Blood Relations |
Cause and Effect
|
Coding-Decoding | Decision Making |
Input-Output | Puzzles |
Statement and Assumptions | — |
English Language Syllabus
English is one of the easiest sections to score. The IB ACIO English Language Syllabus has been tabulated below for the convenience of the candidates.
Topics covered under English Language | |
Spellings | Correction |
Improvement | Adjectives |
Idioms and Phrases | Verbs |
Fill in the blanks |
Synonyms/Antonyms
|
Grammar |
One Word Substitution
|
Verbal Comprehension Passage |
Detecting Mis-spelt words
|
Passage | Clauses |
Spot the error | Vocabulary |
Sentence Structure | — |
Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus
The Quantitative Aptitude section, if practised well, can be one of the easiest and best-scoring sections in the IB ACIO Exam. Check the detailed Syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude in the table below.
Topics covered under Quantitative Aptitude | |
Number systems | LCM and HCF |
Mensuration | Percentage |
Averages | Age |
Fundamental Arithmetical Operations | Missing Numbers |
Use of tables and graphs | Prices and Expenditure Problems |
Relationship between numbers | Time and Work |
Differential Geometry | Volume |
Essential Mathematics | Fractions |
Real Analysis | Ration and Time |
Computation of Whole Numbers | Profit and loss |
Ration and Proportion | Decimals |
Discount | Operations Research & Linear Programming |
Differential Equations | Dynamics |
Analytical Geometry | Calculus |
Ratios | Time and Distance |
Factoring | Interest |
Simple and Compound Interest | Algebra |
Series Completion | Statistics |
IB ACIO Tier 2 Syllabus
The IB ACIO Tier 2 is a descriptive paper, comprising an Essay Writing section (20 marks) and an English Comprehension and Precis Writing section (30 marks). The topics for the Essay will be based on current affairs or any other news-related topics. Candidates can go through the IB ACIO Previous Year to get an idea of the Syllabus or topic for Tier 2. However, the most important topics are:
- Current Affairs
- Economics
- Socio-Political Issues
IB ACIO Interview 2025
Candidates who will clear the cut-off for Phases 1 and 2 of the IB ACIO Exam will be called for the final stage of selection which is the IB ACIO Interview 2025. The Interview is held for 100 marks. The interview aims to assess the candidate’s suitability for a career in the Intelligence Bureau and evaluates the candidate’s personality, communication skills, and overall demeanor.
IB ACIO Selection Process 2025
The IB ACIO 2025 selection process involves three stages: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 (Interview). Candidates are required to qualify in each stage to progress to the next, and the final selection is determined by their cumulative performance and overall suitability for the position.
Tier | Details |
Tier 1 |
Objective (MCQ-based): Written test covering various subjects to assess general knowledge.
|
Tier 2 |
Descriptive Written Exam: Requires essay-type answers; minimum 33% needed to qualify.
|
Tier 3 |
Interview: Assesses personality, communication, and overall suitability for the role.
|
Important Note:
- Candidates will be shortlisted for Tier-II based on their performance and normalised marks in Tier-I. Around 10 times the number of total vacancies will be selected.
- Based on combined scores in Tier-I and Tier-II, candidates will be shortlisted for Tier-III (Interview) at 5 times the number of vacancies. To qualify for the interview, candidates must score at least 33% marks (17 out of 50) in Tier-II.
- The final merit list will be prepared based on the total marks obtained in Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III (Interview), according to the number of available vacancies.
Links Related to IB ACIO | |
IB ACIO Apply Online 2025 | IB ACIO Previous Year Question Paper |
IB ACIO Salary | IB ACIO Cut Off |
IB ACIO Eligibility |