Intelligence Bureau Preparation Tips: How to Prepare for IB ACIO Exam 2022

Before proceeding further, we recommend you to go through the IB ACIO detailed notification, ACIO selection procedure, and syllabus & updated exam pattern for IB ACIO (Assistant Central Intelligence Officer) recruitment exam. 

The IB ACIO will be conducted in three stages: Tier 1, Tier 2 and Interview. So, start the preparation for IB ACIO Exam Tier 1 topic-wise. Basically, the IB ACIO Tier 1 Exam Pattern is similar to the SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam. Earlier the Exam Pattern and Syllabus were different, so the below strategies are according to the IB ACIO New Pattern and Syllabus.

Reasoning Ability

• This section consists of 25 questions and 1 mark for the correct answer while 0.25 marks will be deducted for the wrong answer.
• The pattern and difficulty level of this section are similar to the SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam.
• You can easily score in this section.
• If you have already prepared for SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam, then you need to revise this section only.
• If you have not prepared for SSC CGL Exam, then start your preparation for this exam according to the syllabus of IB ACIO Exam.
• Focus more on General Mental Ability Section.

Quantitative Aptitude

• This section also comprises 25 questions and 1 mark will be provided for each correct answer and 0.25 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer.
• The pattern is similar to SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam but the syllabus is different from SSC CGL tier 1.
• The difficulty level of this section will be moderate.
• You have to focus more on the Arithmetic Section.
• You can skip advanced mathematics but do not forget to cover Mensuration.
• In Mensuration also, you have to give more focus on 2D diagrams.
• In addition to the syllabus, 2-3 questions from Statistics and Probability are asked.

English Section:

• In this section, 25 questions will be asked, the level will be the same as SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam.
• The number of questions from each topic is not known as the exam pattern has changed. But it is expected to be the same as SSC CGL Exam.
• Do not skip any topic in this portion as it will be the game changer in this exam.

General Awareness

The level of this section will be different from the SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam.  In this section, questions will not be asked directly. They will give you information and ask depth info. Questions will be tricky. Repeating again, questions will be tricky.

You have to cover this section in-depth. We suggest you cover all the parameters of each and every section. Let’s discuss it one by one.

Current Affairs

• Awards: Both National & International related to Sports, Literature, Science and Technology, Film and Festival.
• Defence: Bilateral Agreement between India & Other Countries.
• Books and Authors, Sports (National & International), Current Events, Banking, and Economy

Geography

Read both Indian and World Geography. Questions related to Oceans, Volcanoes, Soil, Countries.

Polity

• Making of Indian Constitution
• Amendments
• Parliament
• Courts
• Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles and State Policy

History

More focus should be on Medieval and Modern History.

Science

Questions related to daily uses of science are asked. Read all three Biology, Physics and Chemistry in detail.

Static GK

• Important Organizations (United Nations)
• First, Oldest, Largest, Smallest Events
• Countries, Capital and their Currencies
• Important Dates and Days

The preparation of this exam should be done in steps:

Step 1: Complete the syllabus once. While covering the topics take quizzes related to that topic from gradeup.

Step 2: After the completion of the syllabus start taking mock tests. The quality of mocks is a serious concern, therefore first complete mocks of gradeup.

Step 3:  Analysis of mocks and point out your grey areas.

Step 4: Invest some more times in your grey areas, understand concepts well and take an ample number of quizzes to improve it.

Step 5: Keep on revising and practising questions, quizzes, and mocks.

The approach of completing syllabus should be that first categorize the topics into certain categories according to your acumens as given below:

• Easy level Topics.
• Moderate level Topics.
• Hard Level Topics.

Start with easy level and gradually reach to hard level questions. It will build your confidence and you will be able to secure cut off marks. Once you are able to cross the border, stretch yourself up-to your limits and try to gain as many marks as you can. And also, daily read one news article or other relevant articles for the descriptive exam.

While completing the syllabus follow a timetable and allocate time to all four sections genuinely. You can take an idea from the time distribution given below and customize it as per your level of comfort with different sections:

After knowing when to read and what to read, you should also know the exact level and structure of sections up to which you have to reach. This exam has a higher priority for certain topics in terms of weight-age. The section-wise strategy of covering topics is given below:

The most important thing is to take mock tests. Keep in mind the following points:

• Take mock tests in online mode only.
• Take mock tests of good quality only, as the content matters. The mock tests should be matching the level of the exam, neither very easy nor very difficult. It should be balanced with different levels of questions.
• Do the proper analysis of mocks. Try to identify that area where you still need improvements.
• Try to implement various permutations of taking the test to know which particular sequence suits you most.

Now the next important thing is to follow a strategy during the exam. The exam is divided into four sections. To attempt these four sections, you have only 60 minutes. Therefore, smart time allocation is a must. The time allocation followed by toppers is given below. You can take an idea and customize it as per your strength and weakness.

Also, keep in mind these points:

• Don’t waste time on one question. Try to attempt the easy questions first. It will help you to secure the cut off marks.
• In exam selection of question is a vital task. If in case you are not able to comprehend questions in the first 10 seconds, it’s better to leave the question and move to other questions.
• Don’t presume or target number of questions to be attempted prior to the exam. It may result in unnecessary psychological pressure.
• Keep on moving don’t mess with tough questions, these are speed barkers which are meant to be ignored.
• Don’t mark the answer in haste, as the options may be confusing and similar in that case you may end up marking the wrong option although you solved it correctly.

Keep on practising and optimizing your grey areas. The more you practice more you gain in the exam. If you wish to be updated regarding the upcoming exams, their patterns, syllabus, and other details, you can try BYJU'S Exam Prep App. It provides free study material, updates of upcoming exams, and mock tests for various competitive exams.