LIC AAO (Assistant Administrative Officer) Exam Pattern 2026
The full LIC AAO (Assistant Administrative Officer) exam pattern for 2026 — 3 stages, with the sections, question count, marks, duration and negative marking for each, as set by Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). Then take a free LIC AAO (Assistant Administrative Officer) mock in the real pattern below.
Preliminary Examination (Objective, Qualifying)
- Mode
- Online, computer-based test
- Sections
- Reasoning Ability · Quantitative Aptitude · English Language (English carries qualifying marks only and is NOT added to the merit total at Prelims stage)
- Questions
- 100 multiple-choice questions (35 Reasoning + 35 Quant + 30 English)
- Marks
- 70 marks for merit (Reasoning + Quant); English is qualifying only
- Duration
- 1 hour (60 minutes) — 20 minutes per section with sectional timing
- Negative marking
- No negative marking in the Preliminary Examination
Prelims is purely a screening filter. Candidates must clear separate sectional cutoffs in Reasoning, Quant and English, plus an overall cutoff in the merit-counting sections. Roughly 20 times the number of vacancies are shortlisted for the Main Examination from the Prelims merit list. English passing is mandatory — many otherwise-strong candidates fail at the English sectional floor.
Main Examination (Objective merit-deciding + Descriptive qualifying)
- Mode
- Online — objective section computer-based; descriptive section typed online
- Sections
- Objective (4 sections): Reasoning Ability · General Knowledge, Current Affairs · Data Analysis & Interpretation · Insurance & Financial Market Awareness. Descriptive (qualifying only): English Language — Letter Writing and Essay
- Questions
- Objective: 120 questions across 4 sections — Reasoning Ability 30 Q / 90 marks; General Knowledge & Current Affairs 30 Q / 60 marks; Data Analysis & Interpretation 30 Q / 90 marks; Insurance & Financial Market Awareness 30 Q / 60 marks. Descriptive: 2 questions (1 letter, 1 essay) totalling 25 marks
- Marks
- 300 marks objective (merit-deciding) + 25 marks descriptive (qualifying only, NOT added to the merit total)
- Duration
- 2 hours objective + 30 minutes descriptive (sectional timing applies)
- Negative marking
- 1/4 mark deducted per wrong answer in the objective section; no negative marking in descriptive
Mains objective is the merit-deciding stage; the descriptive English paper is qualifying only and is NOT counted in the final merit. Specialist stream candidates write an additional Specialist paper (Insurance & Financial Market Awareness with relevance to Specialist subject — Actuarial, CA, IT, Legal or Rajbhasha). Sectional cutoffs apply for each objective section AND the descriptive paper; failure in any one section disqualifies. Shortlisted Mains candidates are called for Interview in roughly 1:3 ratio against vacancies.
Interview / Personal Interaction
- Mode
- Offline, in-person at LIC regional offices
- Sections
- Personality assessment, awareness of insurance sector and current affairs, motivation for joining LIC, communication skills, situational judgement
- Questions
- Unstructured interview by a panel of LIC officers
- Marks
- Typically 60 marks (varies by notification)
- Duration
- 15 to 25 minutes typical
- Negative marking
- Not applicable
Final merit is computed from the Mains objective marks (300) plus the Interview marks only — the Mains descriptive paper is qualifying and does NOT count towards the final merit. Document verification (educational certificates, caste/PwBD certificates, age proof, photo ID) happens at the Interview stage. A pre-employment medical examination follows final selection. LIC AAO is a permanent Class I officer post with an initial probation period of 1 year extendable up to 2 years.
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