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IRDAI Assistant Manager Exam Pattern 2026

The full IRDAI Assistant Manager exam pattern for 2026 — 5 stages, with the sections, question count, marks, duration and negative marking for each, as set by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). Then take a free IRDAI Assistant Manager mock in the real pattern below.

Phase I — Preliminary Examination (Objective, Qualifying)

Mode: Online, computer-based test
Sections: Test of Reasoning · Test of English Language · Test of General Awareness · Test of Quantitative Aptitude — common across ALL streams (Generalist, Actuarial, Finance, Law, IT, Research, Accounts)
Questions: 160 multiple-choice questions (40 per section)
Marks: 160 marks total (1 mark per question)
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (90 minutes), composite timing — NO sectional timing
Negative marking: 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer (0.25 marks per wrong question)

Phase I is purely qualifying — marks are NOT carried forward to the final merit. Candidates must clear separate sectional cutoffs in each of the four sections AND an overall cutoff. Roughly 20 times the number of vacancies (across all streams combined) are shortlisted for Phase II. Pattern and difficulty are closer to RBI Grade B / SEBI Grade A Phase I than to bank PO Prelims — the General Awareness section has heavy focus on insurance, banking, financial markets and the Indian economy.

Phase II Paper I — English (Descriptive)

Mode: Online, typed descriptive paper
Sections: Essay · Precis Writing · Comprehension · Business / Office Correspondence (formal letter / memo)
Questions: Typically 3-4 questions covering each of the components above
Marks: 100 marks
Duration: 3 hours (180 minutes)
Negative marking: Not applicable (descriptive)

Tests advanced English usage — formal vocabulary, precis density, comprehension depth and business-correspondence formatting. Marks are carried forward to the final merit (this is NOT a qualifying-only paper). Essay topics typically draw from insurance policy, financial inclusion, Indian economy, regulatory reform or recent macro events.

Phase II Paper II — Economic and Social Issues impacting Insurance

Mode: Online, computer-based test
Sections: Indian economy structure, growth and development · Social issues impacting insurance — poverty, financial inclusion, unemployment, ageing population, urbanisation, healthcare access · Government policies relevant to insurance — PMJJBY, PMSBY, Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, APY, PMFBY, EWS schemes · Globalisation and Indian insurance · Sustainable development and ESG in financial services
Questions: Typically 30-40 objective questions PLUS 1-2 descriptive questions (mixed pattern; verify notification)
Marks: 100 marks
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (90 minutes)
Negative marking: 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer in the objective portion

Common across ALL streams. Tests the candidate's macro understanding of how Indian socio-economic context shapes insurance penetration, density and design. Insurance penetration (premium as percent of GDP) and density (premium per capita) numbers from the IRDAI Annual Report are routinely tested verbatim.

Phase II Paper III — Stream-Specific Specialist Paper

Mode: Online, computer-based test (mixed objective + descriptive)
Sections: GENERALIST: Insurance & Management — Insurance Act 1938 sections, IRDAI Master Regulations, history of insurance, types of insurance products, principles of insurance, management fundamentals. ACTUARIAL: Probability, statistics, financial mathematics, life contingencies, risk theory, IAI CT-1/CT-3/CT-5 syllabus. FINANCE: Financial accounting, financial management, corporate finance, capital markets, financial reporting standards (Ind AS), insurance accounting. LAW: Insurance Act 1938, IRDA Act 1999, IRDAI regulations, Contract Act 1872, Companies Act 2013, Consumer Protection Act 2019, Motor Vehicles Act 1988, tort and contract law. IT: Networking, databases, cybersecurity, cloud computing, IT in insurance (core systems, claims platforms, AI/ML in underwriting). RESEARCH: Statistics, econometrics, research methodology, time-series, regression, hypothesis testing, applied research in insurance. ACCOUNTS: Financial accounting, cost accounting, taxation (direct and indirect), audit, financial reporting standards (Ind AS), insurance-specific accounting (IRDAI Schedule A/B/C disclosures).
Questions: Typically 30-40 objective questions PLUS 1-2 descriptive questions (mixed pattern; verify notification)
Marks: 100 marks
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (90 minutes)
Negative marking: 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer in the objective portion

The single biggest differentiator in IRDAI Assistant Manager selection. Stream-specific depth is high — Actuarial demands IAI CT-1 to CT-5 fluency, Finance demands CA / CFA-level depth, Law demands LLB-level statutory familiarity. Candidates self-select stream at the application stage and cannot switch later.

Interview

Mode: Offline, in-person at IRDAI Head Office, Hyderabad
Sections: Personality assessment, regulatory awareness, knowledge of insurance sector and the candidate's chosen specialist stream, motivation for joining the regulator, situational judgement on policy / supervision scenarios
Questions: Unstructured interview by a panel of IRDAI senior officers
Marks: Typically 60-100 marks (varies by notification)
Duration: 20 to 30 minutes typical
Negative marking: Not applicable

Final merit = Phase II Paper I + Paper II + Paper III + Interview (Phase I marks excluded). Interview probes regulatory thinking — candidates are tested on how they would supervise a non-compliant insurer, draft a circular for a specific market failure, or balance consumer protection with industry growth. Document verification, caste/PwBD certification, age proof and stream-eligibility certification happen here. Pre-employment medical follows final selection.

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