The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) conducts the prestigious IB ACIO exam to recruit candidates for the Assistant Central Intelligence Officer Grade-II Executive position within the Intelligence Bureau. To build a winning preparation strategy, candidates must thoroughly understand the complete IB ACIO 2026 syllabus and the official exam pattern.
IB ACIO Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026
To excel in the IB ACIO Grade-II/ Executive Exam (IB ACIO), mastering the exam pattern and detailed syllabus is essential. This guide breaks down every section to help you streamline your study plan.
| IB ACIO Syllabus 2026- Highlights | |
| Organization Name | Intelligence Bureau (IB) |
| Exam Conducting Body Name | Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) |
| Exam Name | IB ACIO Grade-II/ Executive Examination |
| Post Name | ACIO Grade II/ Executive |
| Vacancies | 3717 |
| Category | Syllabus |
| Total No. of Questions | Tier 1 - 100 questions |
| Total Marks | Tier 1 - 100 marks Tier 2 - 50 marks Tier 3- 100 marks |
| Type of Questions | Tier 1 - Objective Type Tier 2 - Descriptive Type |
| Selection Process | Tier 1- Written Exam Tier 2- Written Exam Tier 3- Interview |
| Official Website | www.mha.gov.in or www.ncs.gov.in |
IB ACIO Final Result 2026 - Click to Check
IB ACIO Cut Off 2026 - Click to Check
IB ACIO Selection Process 2026
The IB ACIO selection process consists of three distinct phases. Tier 1 is an objective-type written exam; those who qualify proceed to the descriptive Tier 2 paper, which requires a minimum of 33% to pass. Final selection is based on the combined performance of Tier 1 and Tier 2, followed by a rigorous interview round.
IB ACIO Tier 1 Syllabus 2026
The IB ACIO Tier-I exam is an objective-type assessment covering five critical sections: General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, Numerical/Analytical Reasoning, English Language, and General Studies.
Review the comprehensive IB ACIO Tier 1 Syllabus 2026 below, which details the topics for Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness & General Studies, Logical/Analytical Reasoning, and the English Language section.
IB ACIO Syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude
| Quantitative Aptitude | |
| Number systems | Percentages |
| Mensuration | Ration and Time |
| Averages | Profit and loss |
| Fundamental Arithmetical Operations | Computation of whole numbers |
| Use of tables and graphs | Decimals |
| Relationship between numbers | Operations Research & Linear Programming |
| Differential Geometry | Dynamics |
| Essential Mathematics | Calculus |
| Real Analysis | Fundamental Arithmetical Operations |
| Computation of Whole numbers | Time and Distance |
| Ration and Proportion | Interest |
| Discount | Algebra |
| Differential Equations | Statistics |
| Time and Work | Fractions |
| Analytical Geometry | Statistics |
| LCM and HCF | Ratios |
| Percentage | Factoring |
| Age | Profit and Loss |
| Missing Numbers | Average |
| Prices and Expenditure Problems | Simple and Compound Interest |
| Time and Work | Mensuration |
| Volume | Time and Distance |
| Fractions | Series Completion |
IB ACIO Syllabus for General Studies
| General Studies | |
| History | Physics |
| Biology | Current Affairs |
| Science & Technology | Static GK |
| Indian Polity & Constitution | Economy & Finance |
| Geography | Chemistry |
IB ACIO Syllabus for Numerical Ability & Reasoning
| Numerical Ability & Reasoning | |
| Alphanumeric series | Reasoning Analogies |
| Artificial Language | Blood Relations |
| Calendars | Cause and Effect |
| Clocks | Coding-Decoding |
| Data Sufficiency | Decision Making |
| Directions | Input-Output |
| Odd One Out | Puzzles |
| Order & Ranking | Statement and Assumptions |
| Statement and Conclusions | - |
IB ACIO Syllabus for English Language
| English Language | |
| Spellings Correction | One Word Substitution |
| Improvement | Verbal Comprehension Passage |
| Adjectives | Detecting Mis-spelt words |
| Idioms and Phrases | Passage |
| Verbs | Clauses |
| Fill in the blanks | Spot the error |
| Synonyms/Antonyms | Vocabulary |
| Grammar | Sentence Structure |
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IB ACIO Tier 2 Exam Syllabus 2026
The IB ACIO Tier 2 exam is a descriptive paper designed to evaluate your writing proficiency and analytical thinking. Key components are outlined below.
- Exam Mode- Offline (Pen and Paper-based)
- Type of Paper- Descriptive
- Total Marks- 50 marks [Essay: 20 marks, English comprehension: 10 marks, & Long answer type questions: 20 marks]
- Duration- 1 hour (60 minutes)
- Medium- English
- Topics- There is no such list of topics released; however, it is expected that the topic can be related to current events. The topics could be related to Current Affairs, Economics, Socio-political issues, etc.
Tips for IB ACIO Tier 2 Preparation:
Essay Writing:
- Candidates must practice writing essays of around 400 to 500 words and analyse the time consumed.
- More focus should be on the structure of writing an essay, following the format: Introduction, Body, Conclusion.
- Stick to facts and balanced arguments.
Long Answer Type Questions:
- Do practice long answers with meaningful information required.
- Maintain the tone and meaning while practising long answer writing.
English Comprehension:
- Candidates can excel in this part by practising reading editorials and answering inference-based questions.
- Candidates must focus on Time management in this section.
IB ACIO Interview Process
Candidates who successfully clear both Tier 1 and Tier 2 exams are invited to the final interview round, worth 100 marks. This stage may include a Psychometric or Aptitude Test as part of the assessment process.
| Interview | Maximum Marks |
| Interview | 100 |
IB ACIO Exam Pattern 2026
- The questions in the Tier 1 Exam will be Objective-type questions, and in the Tier 2, the questions will be descriptive.
- For each incorrect answer in IB ACIO Tier 1, there will be a negative marking of ¼ mark.
- The time duration for each tier is 1 hour.
| IB ACIO Tier-1 Exam Pattern 2026 | |||
| Subjects | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration |
| 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 2026 | ||
| Papers | Maximum Marks | Time |
| Essay Writing | 20 | 1 Hour |
| English comprehension | 10 | |
| Long answer type questions (2 questions of 10 marks each on Current Affairs, Economics, Socio-political issues etc) | 20 | |
| Total | 50 | |
| IB ACIO Previous Year Question Paper | IB ACIO Grade 2/Executive Salary |
| IB ACIO Eligibility | IB ACIO Cut Off [Previous Year] |
FAQs
Ans. The IB ACIO Paper 1 syllabus includes topics from General Studies, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, Analytical Ability, and the English Language.
Ans. The IB ACIO selection process consists of three mandatory stages: Tier 1 (Objective Exam), Tier 2 (Descriptive Exam), and the Interview (Phase 3).
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