IB ACIO 2025 Selection Process: In India, people are looking for prestigious jobs. If you are one of them, then the Intelligence Bureau is an ideal one for you. Among all prestigious government jobs in India, the IB jobs are always at the top of the list. If you are ready to crack your dream job in the Intelligence Bureau, this guide is for you.
I’ll guide you in detail about the selection process, how to prepare, what to study, and more that can help you to crack your dream career. This is one of the toughest jobs in our country. So, you need to prepare strategically. So, let’s start with a brief overview.
Overview of IB ACIO Recruitment 2025
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) appoints IB ACIO (Assistant Central Intelligence Officer) Grade-II/Executive. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has released the IB ACIO Recruitment 2025 notification for 3717 Assistant Central Intelligence Officer (ACIO) Grade-II/Executive posts. The notification was published in the Employment Newspaper (19–25 July 2025). The online application process will begin on 19 July and continue till 10 August 2025 on the official website
Also Read: IB ACIO Recruitment 2025 for 3717 Vacancies, Intelligence Bureau Executive Notification Out
IB ACIO 2025 Selection Process at a Glance
Hope you are excited to know the selection process. The selection process of the IB ACIO recruitment is very simple. It has these three stages. Every stage is connected to the other, so you have to clear every stage to qualify for the next. Here are the stages:
- Tier 1 – Objective-type Written Exam (MCQ)
- Tier 2 – Descriptive Written Test (English)
- Tier 3 – Personal Interview
Let’s clear everything in detail.
Tier 1: Objective-type Written Exam (MCQ)
Here is a brief overview of Tier 1, MCQ. With proper planing you can easily crack it and appear for the next Tier.
● Type: MCQ
● Total Marks: 100
● Duration: 1 hour
● 0.25 marks as Negative Marking
| Subject | Marks | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 20 | 20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 20 |
| Logical/Analytical Ability | 20 | 20 |
| English Language | 20 | 20 |
| General Studies | 20 | 20 |
Do you know almost 2.5 lakhs candidate apply for this job, but surprisingly only around 15% qualify for the Tier 1. In the IB ACIO 2020–21 cycle, the Tier 1 cut-off for the General category was around 66–70 marks. For OBC, it was slightly lower, around 60–65. As the IB exam is competitive, your target must be to score at least 75+ in Tier 1.
Tier 2: Descriptive Test
After clearing Tier 1, you can appear for Tier 2. It is mainly based on your written and control over English. The format is descriptive. So, you have to make a habit of writing every day.
● Total Marks: 50
● Time: 60 minutes
● Type: Descriptive (pen-paper mode)
| Component | Marks |
|---|---|
| Essay Writing | 30 |
| Precis Writing | 20 |
Start from day 1. Read editorials from leading newspapers every day. The best practice is to start writing school-level writings from the NCERT or any board’s books.
Tier 3: Interview/Personality Test
Before selection, the interview round is the final stage. Many people call it as personality test. Why? As an IB officer, you must have a dashing personality and intelligence. After getting good marks in the second Tier, you’ll be called for the interview. Here is a brief about the interview.
● Marks: 100
● Mode: Face-to-face interview
When you are ready for the interview, you must know what to check and why. In the interview, they check your
● General awareness
● Current affairs
● Mental alertness
● Communication skills
● Decision-making ability
● Overall suitability for intelligence work
Develop your personality with all the above for the interview round. Why? According to a stat, each year, only 1000 candidates (approx) are finally selected from 3500 interviewees (approx). Just think about the ratio.
Also Read: IB ACIO Grade 2 Exam Pattern and Syllabus 2025, What to Expect?
Subject-wise Details for IB ACIO Tier 1
Tier 1 consists of five sections, each carrying 20 marks.
1. General Awareness (20 Marks)
General Awareness tests your knowledge of the world around you.
What to Prepare
- Current affairs (last 8 months)
- Important government schemes and policies (both central and state)
- Indian history, polity, and geography
- Awards and honours (focus on recent trends)
- Books & authors (focus on recent)
- important national and international events (focus on every government summits)
2. Quantitative Aptitude (20 Marks)
Quantitative Aptitude tests your mathematical and logical calculation skills.
What to Focus
- Number system, simplification
- Percentage, profit & loss, SI/CI
- Time, speed, distance; time & work
- Averages, ratios & proportions
- Data interpretation (bar graphs, pie charts)
3. Logical/Analytical Ability (20 Marks)
Logical/Analytical Ability checks your reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Topics to focus on
- Coding-decoding, number/letter series
- Blood relations, direction sense
- Venn diagrams, syllogism
- Puzzles, classification, analogy
- Order and ranking
4. English Language (20 Marks)
English Language tests your command of basic English.
Topics you must prepare
- Reading comprehension
- Synonyms/antonyms
- Error spotting & sentence correction
- Fill in the blanks & cloze test
- Para jumbles
5. General Studies (20 Marks)
General Studies is advanced General Awareness. Prepare accordingly.
Things to focus on
- Indian Constitution and political system
- Geography (rivers, climate, soil types)
- Economic basics (GDP, inflation, banking)
- Science (everyday physics, chemistry, biology)
- Defence exercises, space programs, inventions
For the above 5 topics, you must use these to prepare:
- For general awareness, read leading newspapers every day.
- For quantitative aptitude, follow RS Aggarwal or Fast Track Arithmetic.
- For logical ability, appear in
- mock tests and solve previous year questions
- For the English language, follow Wren & Martin or any school-level grammar books.
- For general studies, read Lucent GK or NCERT books (Class 6–10)
Tier 2: Essay and Precis Writing Suggestions
Descriptive writing tests your analytical skills and research work. It focuses on two major scales – essay and precis writing.
Essay Writing (30 Marks)
In our school, we used to write essays on various topics. So, it is not new to you. You just need to practice properly. Though this is just a suggestion, you can focus more on writing regularly.
Common Essay Themes:
- National security (e.g., Cyber terrorism in India, Role of Intelligence Agencies)
- Government policies (e.g., Make in India, Digital India)
- International relations (e.g., India-China Border Issues)
- Women’s empowerment (e.g., Women in Armed Forces)
- Social issues (e.g., Drug abuse, Unemployment)
Essay Writing Guideline
- Structure your essay: Introduction → Body → Conclusion
- Keep paragraphs short and ideas clear
- Add stats/facts to strengthen arguments (e.g., NCRB crime rate, Budget allocation)
- Practice writing 3 essays every week
Here is an assignment for you.
Topic: “Cybersecurity threats in India”
Fact: India witnessed over 15 lakh cyber incidents in 2024 (CERT-In Report)
Precis Writing (20 Marks)
Summarization of a large test is a precis. Here you have to use your own words, important keywords, and follow a simple but effective structure. In our school days, we used to practice precis and summary writing. So, this is not unknown to you. You just need to practice at least 3 précis a week.
Through Precis writing, you can easily show your:
- Ability to capture key ideas
- Language clarity and grammar
- Keeping within the word limit (usually 1/3rd of the original)
- Avoiding repetition and personal opinions
Follow these guidelines:
- Read the full passage first, then identify and mark the core idea
- Write in third person (formal tone)
- Practice with editorial pieces from newspapers
- Always include a suitable title for the precis
Here is an assignment for you:
Original Passage Word Count: 300
Required Precis Word Limit: 100
Title Example: “Need for Data Privacy in India”
How your IB ACIO Final Merit will be Calculated
As the exam is of 3 tiers, so, the final merit will be calculated according to that. The whole exam is 250 marks.
| Tier | Marks |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 (MCQ) | 100 |
| Tier 2 (Descriptive) | 50 |
| Tier 3 (Interview) | 100 |
| Total | 250 |
So, your combined score out of 250 is the final merit score.
Just remember, your Tier 1 performance helps you get shortlisted. So, first, be shortlisted. The Tier 2 and Interview are almost the same in value.
Expected Competition Level for IB ACIO 2025
| Year | Applicants (Approx) | Vacancies | Selection Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 9–10 lakh | 2000+ | 1:500 |
| 2023 | 5–6 lakh | 995 | 1:600 |
| 2025 | 7–8 lakh (Expected) | 1000+ | 1:600+ |
The competition is rising every year. Start your preparation as early as possible.
Final Suggestions
Hope you understand what you need to focus for cracking IB ACIO. Here in this guide, I’ve covered every detail about the 3 Tiers. This valuable information on how to prepare for the interview is for you. Master Tier 1 basics with daily mock tests. Practice and improve your essay and precis skills for Tier 2. Appear for both mock tests (Tier 1, 2) and interviews (Tier 3) and stay updated with current affairs.
FAQs
Q1. How many stages are there in IB ACIO 2025?
Ans: Three — Tier 1 (MCQ), Tier 2 (Descriptive), and Interview.
Q2. Is there negative marking in Tier 1?
Ans: Yes, 0.25 marks will be deducted for every wrong answer.
Q3. What is a safe score in Tier 1?
Ans: Try to score 75+ for a better chance to get shortlisted.
Q4. Is Tier 2 important for final selection?
Ans: Yes. Marks from Tier 2 and Interview directly affect your merit rank.
Q5. How competitive is the IB ACIO exam?
Ans: Highly competitive — the selection ratio is nearly 1 out of 600 candidates.