Intelligence Bureau: Assistant Central Intelligence Officer – Grade-II / Executive Examination-2025 : Overview
The Intelligence Bureau (Ministry of Home Affairs), Government of India, has invited online applications from Indian Nationals for direct recruitment to the post of Assistant Central Intelligence Officer, Grade-II/Executive (ACIO-II/Exe). Candidates are advised to thoroughly review the detailed advertisement on the MHA website (www.mha.gov.in) to ensure they meet all eligibility criteria and requirements before applying.
Intelligence Bureau (IB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a short notification announcing the recruitment of approximately 3717 vacancies for the post of Assistant Central Intelligence Officer Grade-II (Executive). The detailed official notification PDF is expected to be released on July 19, 2025, at the official website mha.gov.in.1
IB ACIO Recruitment 2025 : Key Details
- Post Name: Assistant Central Intelligence Officer Grade – II/Executive (ACIO-II/Exe)
- Classification: General Central Service, Group ‘C’ (Non-Gazetted, Non-Ministerial)
- Pay Scale: Level 7 (Rs. 44,900-1,42,400) in the pay matrix, plus admissible Central Govt. allowances.
- Special Security Allowance: 20% of basic pay in addition to other Govt. allowances.
- Cash Compensation: In lieu of duty performed on holidays, subject to a ceiling of 30 days.
- Total Vacancies: 3,717
- UR: 1,537
- EWS: 442
- OBC: 946
- SC: 566
- ST: 226
- Service Liability: The post involves All India Service Liability, meaning candidates must be willing to serve anywhere in India.
- Provisional Vacancies: The number of vacancies is provisional and subject to change.
- PwBD Candidates: The post is not reserved for any category of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD), so they should not apply.
IB ACIO Recruitment 2025 : Eligibility Criteria
- Essential Qualifications: Graduation or equivalent from a recognized university.
- Candidates must possess the essential qualification by the closing date, i.e., August 10, 2025 (till 2359 hours).
- Desirable Qualifications: Knowledge of computers.
- Age Limit: 18-27 years as on August 10, 2025.
- Relaxations in Upper Age Limit:
- SC/ST candidates: 5 years
- OBC candidates: 3 years
- Departmental candidates: Upto 40 years of age, for those who have rendered 3 years of regular and continuous service.
- Widows, divorced women, and women judicially separated from their husbands and not remarried: Upto 35 years for UR, 38 years for OBC, and 40 years for SC/ST.
- Ex-servicemen: As per Central Government instructions.
- Meritorious sportspersons: Upto a maximum of 5 years as specified in DoP&AR O.M. No. 14015/1/76-Estt. (D), dtd 4.8.1980, with the required certificate.
- Relaxations in Upper Age Limit:
- Determination of Eligibility: Eligibility (age, educational qualification, caste/category) will be determined on the closing date.
IB ACIO Recruitment 2025: How to Apply
- Application Mode: Online only. Applications submitted through any other mode will not be accepted.
- Websites for Application: www.mha.gov.in or www.ncs.gov.in
- Application Portal Operational Dates: From July 19, 2025, to August 10, 2025 (2359 hours). Registrations outside this period will not be accepted.
IB ACIO Recruitment 2025 : Examination Fee
- Components: Examination Fee: Rs. 100/- & Recruitment Processing Charges: Rs. 550/-
- Fee Structure:
- All candidates: Recruitment Processing Charges (Rs. 550/-)
- Male candidates of UR, EWS, and OBC categories: Examination Fee (Rs. 100/-) in addition to Recruitment Processing Charges (Rs. 550/-), totaling Rs. 650/-.
- Exemptions:
- All SC/ST candidates, female candidates, and eligible Ex-Servicemen are exempted from the Examination Fee (Rs. 100/-) but must pay the Recruitment Processing Charges (Rs. 550/-).
- Ex-servicemen who have already secured employment in the civil side under the Central Govt in Group ‘C’ posts on a regular basis after availing reservation benefits must pay both the examination fee (Rs. 100/-) and recruitment processing charges (Rs. 550/-).
- Payment Mode: Online via SBI EPAY LITE (Debit Cards, Credit Cards, Internet Banking, UPI, SBI challan).
- Do not press back or refresh during online payment to avoid double charges.
- Payment once made will not be refunded.
- Online payments can be made only until the last date of application submission.
- Payments through SBI challan generated on the last day can be submitted in the bank until August 12, 2025 (during banking hours).
- Banking Charges: If applicable, banking charges will be borne by the candidate.
IB ACIO Recruitment 2025 : Selection Process
The selection process involves three tiers:
- Tier-I Exam (Written Examination):
- Type: 100 Objective type MCQs
- Duration: 1 hour
- Marks: 100
- Sections: Divided into 5 parts, each with 20 questions of 1 mark:
- Current Affairs
- General Studies
- Numerical Aptitude
- Reasoning/Logical Aptitude
- English
- Negative Marking: 1/4 mark for each wrong answer.
- Cut-off Marks (out of 100): UR-35, OBC-34, SC/ST-33 & EWS-35. All Ex-Servicemen will be treated in their own category.
- Shortlisting for Tier-II: Candidates will be shortlisted @ 10 times the number of vacancies based on their Tier-I performance and normalized marks, provided they meet the minimum cut-off.
- Tier-II Exam (Descriptive Type Paper):
- Duration: 1 hour
- Marks: 50
- Sections:
- Essay (20 marks)
- English comprehension (10 marks)
- Long answer type questions (2 questions of 10 marks each on Current Affairs, Economics, Socio-political issues, etc. – 20 marks)
- Shortlisting for Tier-III/Interview: Candidates will be shortlisted @ 5 times the number of vacancies based on their combined performance in Tier-I and Tier-II, provided they secure a minimum of 33% marks (17 out of 50) in Tier-II.
- Tier-III/Interview:
- Marks: 100
- Final Merit List: Prepared based on the combined performance in Tier-I, Tier-II, and Tier-III/Interview, in accordance with the number of vacancies. A waiting list will also be prepared.
City of Examination
- Candidates must carefully choose five (5) examination city options from the list provided in the detailed advertisement.
- The chosen examination city cannot be changed under any circumstances.
- Candidates may be shifted to another city in case of over/under subscription at a particular city.
- Candidates will be accommodated in one of their five chosen cities for the Tier-I examination.
Important Dates
- Application Portal Operational: July 19, 2025, to August 10, 2025 (2359 hours)
- Closing Date for Application: August 10, 2025 (2359 hours)
- Last Date for SBI Challan Payment: August 12, 2025 (during banking hours only)
General Instructions
- Candidates are advised to refer to the detailed advertisement on www.mha.gov.in for all other information, including eligibility, relaxations, selection scheme, resolution of tie cases, how to apply, fee payment, and other instructions.
- Apply Only Through Official Websites: Candidates are advised to apply only through www.mha.gov.in or www.ncs.gov.in.
Reference and Notification Links
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/ib-acio-recruitment-2025-short-notice-out-for-3717-vacancies-at-mha-gov-in-check-steps-to-apply-and-more/articleshow/122567093.cms ↩︎
Disclaimer
The information provided here is based on official notifications and announcements and it is for general information purposes only. These information should not be construed as official notifications. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, human errors may occur. Readers / Candidates are strongly advised to verify details from the respective official sources. We strongly recommend that you check the full texts of the official notifications and announcements issued by the Government Organisations, Institutions, Companies etc. while applying for jobs and before taking decisions of not to apply for any job vacancy/ies. We cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies.
