IB ACIO
Ministry of Home Affairs (Intelligence Bureau)Closed
Assistant Central Intelligence Officer Grade-II/Executive Examination, 2025 — notification released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (Intelligence Bureau) on 18–19 Jul 2025 for 3,717 posts (General 1,537 / OBC 946 / EWS 442, remainder SC/ST per category-wise breakup).This is the most recent IB ACIO cycle; its application window closed long ago and the full selection process has since concluded (Tier-I: 16–18 Sep 2025 · Tier-II: 11 Jan 2026 · Interviews: Apr 2026 · Final result: 3 Jun 2026) — included as the latest cycle per IB ACIO's known irregular/multi-year notification pattern, not as a currently live exam.
Important Dates
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Vacancies & Posts
Some details below are not confirmed — check the official notification ↗
Total Vacancies3,717Reported pay Not confirmed
Not taken from an official pay circular — treat as approximate.
| Pay Level | Pay Band | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Level 7 | ₹44,900 – ₹1,42,400 (basic, 7th CPC Pay Matrix, General Central Service, Group C Non-Gazetted, Non-Ministerial) | Assistant Central Intelligence Officer (ACIO) Grade-II/Executive — Intelligence Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs; carries a 20% Special Security Allowance plus other admissible central government allowances per secondary-source summaries (not independently verified against the primary notification text) |
Level 7 and the 20% Special Security Allowance figure are repeated consistently across secondary sources but were not cross-checked against the primary MHA PDF directly — treat the allowance percentage as provisional pending direct verification.
Who Can Apply
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Application fee
What You Need
Some details below are not confirmed — check the official notification ↗
- 📷 Photonot confirmed · 100–200 KB · JPG/JPEG — Recent scanned passport-size photograph.Exact cm dimensions not found in accessible secondary sources;MHA's ACIO application flow is upload-based (not live-capture) per secondary sources — direct notification PDF text not independently retrieved to confirm cm specs. Not confirmed
- ✍️ Signaturenot confirmed · 80–150 KB · JPG/JPEG — Scan of the signature area only (not the full page).KB range from coaching-site summaries (rrbapply and other secondary sources), not independently verified against the primary MHA notification PDF. Not confirmed
- 💳 Application FeeTotal for General/EWS/OBC male candidates is Rs 650 (Rs 100 exam fee + Rs 550 recruitment/processing charge).For women (all categories), SC, ST, and Ex-Servicemen, the Rs 100 exam fee is waived but the Rs 550 processing charge still applies (total Rs 550).Note this differs structurally from SSC exams, which usually waive the entire fee for these categories — IB ACIO only waives the "exam fee" portion, not the separate processing charge.
How to Apply
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View Official Notification ↗- Step 1: Register on the MHA recruitment portal (mha.gov.in) or via www.ncs.gov.in
- Step 2: Fill personal, educational and category details in the online application
- Step 3: Upload scanned photograph and signature per the notice specifications
- Step 4: Pay the application fee online
- Step 5: Submit and retain the confirmation/printout for reference; selection proceeds via Tier-I (objective), Tier-II (descriptive) and an Interview
Exam Pattern
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Tier I: 1 hour (60 minutes). Tier II: 1 hour (60 minutes). · Negative Marking: Tier I: -0.25 (1/4 mark) per wrong answer. Tier II: no negative marking (descriptive paper). · Passing Marks: N/A — merit-based ranking, no fixed qualifying %. Tier I is used to shortlist for Tier II; Tier II in turn qualifies candidates for the Interview (Tier III), each stage typically has a category-wise cutoff decided after results, not a fixed universal percentage.
| Section | Details |
|---|---|
| Tier I (single paper) | 100 questions, 100 marks — General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, English, General Studies (combined into one objective paper, not separately sectioned/timed) |
| Tier II: Essay | 20 marks, descriptive |
| Tier II: English Comprehension | 10 marks, descriptive |
| Tier II: Two long-answer questions | 20 marks combined, descriptive |
Syllabus
A verified, topic-by-topic syllabus for this exam isn't published yet — browse other exams with a syllabus, or check the official notification above.
Browse Syllabus Directory →Selection Process
Tier I is Computer-Based/Objective;Tier II is a descriptive (pen-and-paper or typed) written test;Tier III is an Interview.This entry covers Tier I and Tier II, the two written stages.
Career
No official promotion timeline was found in available sources — don't treat any schedule as confirmed.
Source & Verification
FAQs
Is IB ACIO's fee waiver the same as SSC's for women/SC/ST candidates?
Not quite — SSC exams typically waive the entire application fee for women, SC, ST, and PwBD candidates. IB ACIO only waives the Rs 100 "examination fee" portion; a separate Rs 550 "recruitment/processing charge" is payable by everyone, including exempted categories.
What kind of writing does the Tier II descriptive paper actually test?
It's a 50-mark paper combining a 20-mark essay, a 10-mark English comprehension passage, and two 20-mark long-answer questions — essentially testing your ability to write coherently and comprehend English at a level suited to an intelligence-analyst role.
Since Tier II has no negative marking, should I attempt every question?
Tier II is descriptive, so there's no "wrong answer" penalty the way there is in Tier I's objective format — but leaving sections blank still costs you all the marks for that section, so attempting every part (even partially) is generally advisable.
Does scoring well in Tier I guarantee a good final rank?
No — Tier I is only a screening/shortlisting stage for Tier II; your final merit combines Tier II (descriptive) and Interview performance, not your Tier I score, so a strong Tier I score alone doesn't secure the post.
Important Links
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