The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) conducts the IB ACIO exam to recruit for the post of Assistant Central Intelligence Officer (ACIO) Grade - II/ Executive in the Intelligence Bureau (IB). It is a Group ‘C’ and non-ministerial job.
The MHA has announced vacancies for 3,717 ACIO Grade-II/Executive posts for the year 2025. It released the notice for the same on 14th July, 2025 in the Employment Newspaper. The online application for these posts will begin from 19th July, 2025 on (http://www.mha.gov.in)
To gain a quick understanding of the exam, go through the overview table given below.
IB ACIO Requirement 2025: Overview
|
Aspect |
Detail |
|
Organisation |
Intelligence Bureau |
|
Conducting body |
Ministry of Home Affairs |
|
Post Name |
Assistant Central Intelligence Officer Grade II/ Executive |
|
Total Vacancies |
3,717 |
|
Selection Process |
Tier 1 (Objective Test), Tier 2 (Descriptive Test), Tier 3 (Interview) |
|
Registration Dates |
19th July to 10th August 2025 |
|
Educational Qualification |
Graduation |
|
Age Limit |
18-27 years |
|
Salary |
Rs. 44900/- to Rs. 142400/- |
|
Official Website |
Important Dates for IB ACIO 2025:
|
Events |
Dates |
|
Notification Release Date |
14th July |
|
Online Application starts |
19th July |
|
Last Date for Applying Online |
10th August |
|
Last Date for Application Fee Payment |
10th August |
|
Exam date |
To be announced |
IB ACIO Requirement 2025: Details
|
Category |
Vacancies |
|
UR |
1,537 |
|
SC |
556 |
|
ST |
226 |
|
OBC |
946 |
|
EWS |
442 |
|
Total |
3,717 |
Eligibility Criteria for IB ACIO 2025
-
Candidates need to be citizens of India
-
They need to be a graduate from any recognised university
-
They need to be between the ages of 18-27 years old.
Upper Age Limit Relaxation
|
Category |
Age Limit Relaxation |
|
OBC |
3 years |
|
SC/ST |
5 years |
|
Departmental candidates |
Up to 40 years for those who have rendered 3 years of regular and continuous service |
|
Meritorious sportsperson mentioned in the notice DoP&AR O.M. No. 14015/1/76-Estt.(D), dated 4/8/1980 |
5 years |
|
Widows, divorced women and women judicially separated from their husbands but not married |
UR- 35 years SC/ST- 40 years |
IB ACIO Requirement 2025: Selection Process
In order to be selected for IB ACIO Grade II/Executive posts, candidates have to pass through all three stages of the selection process.
-
Under Stage 1 (Tier-I), candidates sit for an objective-type test of 100 multiple-choice questions to be answered in one hour with a negative marking of 1/4 marks for every wrong answer.
-
The minimum marks required for eligibility are:
-
UR – 35
-
OBC – 34
-
SC/ST – 33
-
EWS – 35.
-
The candidates are selected for Tier-II according to their performance and the normalization of marks in Tier-I.
-
Stage 2 (Tier-II) is a descriptive paper consisting of essay writing, English comprehension, and précis writing.
-
Those candidates who perform well in Tier-I and Tier-II are subsequently shortlisted for Stage 3 (Tier-III), which is a personality and communication skills interview round.
Application Process and Fees
-
To apply for IB ACIO 2025, candidates need to visit the official website: https://mha.gov.in.
-
Click the ‘apply online” link for IB ACIO 2025 on the main page of the website.
-
Fill in your details and upload the documents asked for.
-
Pay the application fee and ‘submit’ your application.
|
Category |
Fees |
|
UR/EWS/OBC |
Rs. 550/- |
|
SC/ST/Females/ExSM |
Rs. 450/- |
IB ACIO Requirement 2025: Exam Pattern
The IB ACIO 2025 is divided into a 3 tier exam pattern. Tier 1 is Objective Type while Tier 2 tests candidates through descriptive questions. There is a negative marking of ¼ for every incorrect answer in the Tier 1 exam but there is no negative marking for the Tier 2 exam. The last Tier is the interview round.
TIER 1: OBJECTIVE PAPER
|
Subjects |
No. of Questions |
Total Marks |
Time Duration |
|
Current Affairs |
20 |
20 |
|
|
General Studies |
20 |
20 |
|
|
Numerical Aptitude |
20 |
20 |
|
|
Reasoning and Aptitude |
20 |
20 |
|
|
English Language |
20 |
20 |
|
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
1 hour |
TIER 2: DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS
|
Section |
Marks |
Duration |
|
Essay Writing |
20 |
|
|
English Comprehension |
10 |
|
|
2 Long Answer Questions (Current Affairs/ Socio-Political/ Economic Issues) |
20 |
|
|
Total |
50 |
1 hour |
Syllabus for IB ACIO 2025
-
In order to succeed in the exam, it is crucial that students have a thorough understanding of the syllabus. It includes the topics - current affairs, descriptive writing and comprehension. Awareness of the syllabus helps one prepare for the exam in an effective manner.
-
The detailed syllabus for both Tier 1 and Tier 2 is given below in a downloadable PDF format.
Preparation for IB ACIO 2025
Preparing for IBO involves going through multiple sets of practice questions from different topics mentioned in the syllabus. It is crucial to practice PYQs (previous year questions) to gain an understanding of the exam pattern and improve one’s time management skills. Disha’s Guide for IB ACIO is a comprehensive exam guide for the Tier 1 of IB ACIO 2025. It includes detailed theory with solved examples along with PYQs. It is always recommended to solve past papers but often times candidates struggle to find pa
Tier 1 of the exam demands quick question solving skills from the candidates. This can only be gained through continuous practice of question. Disha offers 15 practice sets with 100% solutions so that candidates can check their performance and accuracy.
IB ACIO Requirement 2025: Cut off
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will publish the IB ACIO 2025 cut-off marks after every stage of the selection process.
The cut off for the previous exam which was held in 2017 is given below.
|
Category |
Tier 1 (Out of 100) |
Tier 2 (Out of 100) |
|
UR |
65 |
30 |
|
OBC |
60 |
25 |
|
SC |
50 |
20 |
|
ST |
50 |
20 |
Admit Card for IB ACIO 2025
-
The Ministry of Home Affairs will release the admit card a few days before the IB ACIO 2025 examination.
-
To download their admit cards, candidates will need their date of birth and registration number.
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The admit card will have all important details such as the examination date, shift time, reporting time, exam centre location and details of the candidate.
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Without the admit card candidate won’t be allowed to give the exam.
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Candidates should visit the official website regularly for information related to admit card release.
Answer Key Release
The answer key for both the Tier 1 and Tier 2 exam will be released a few days after the date of examination. Through the answer key, candidates can evaluate their performance and get a sense of their score.
How to Download the Answer Key ?
-
Visit the official website: https://mha.gov.in.
-
Select the ‘What’s New’ section on the homepage.
-
Click on the link labelled 'IB ACIO Answer Key 2025'.
-
The answer key PDF will be displayed on your screen.
-
Save the file and match your answers with it to approximate your score.
How to view the results for IB ACIO 2025
Candidates can view their results on the official website . Visit the ‘results’ section on the website. Download the result PDF. If your roll number is found in the list, you are shortlisted for the ACIO Grade II/Executive position.
FAQs
Q1. What is the IB ACIO exam ?
The Ministry of Human Affairs organises the IB ACIO (Intelligence Bureau Assistant Central Intelligence Officer) exam.
Q2. How to apply for IB ACIO 2025 exam ?
To apply online for the IB ACIO exam candidates need to visit the websites:
-
www.mha.gov.in
-
www.ncs.gov.in
The application will begin from July 19 and will end on August 10, 2025
Q3. What is the application fee for different categories?
-
General/OBC/EWS: Rs.550
-
SC/ST/PwD: Rs.450
Q4. What is the exam pattern ?
The IB ACIO exam is conducted in 3 stages. The first test is a 100 marks Objective test. The second test is a 50 marks descriptive test. The last stage is the interview round.
Q5. Is there negative marking in the exam ?
Yes, 0.25 marks is deducted for every wrong answer in Tier 1.
