
IB ACIO 2025 Exam Pattern Overview
The IB ACIO Tier 1 Exam is an objective-type test with 100 questions carrying 1 mark each.
| Section | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | 20 | 20 | |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 20 | |
| Logical/Analytical Ability | 20 | 20 | 1 hour |
| English Language | 20 | 20 | |
| General Studies | 20 | 20 |
Total Questions: 100
Total Marks: 100
Negative Marking: 0.25 marks per wrong answer
IB ACIO 2025 Exam Analysis – 16 September
The 16 September exam was conducted in multiple shifts. Based on feedback from aspirants and subject experts, here’s the overall analysis:
Overall Difficulty Level: Moderate
Good Attempts: 70 – 76 questions
Time Management: Candidates reported that managing time was crucial due to tricky reasoning and lengthy quantitative aptitude questions.
Section-Wise IB ACIO 2025 Paper Analysis
1. General Awareness (GA)
Difficulty Level: Moderate to Difficult
Question Trend: Mostly current affairs from the past 6–8 months, along with static GK.
Topics Covered:
G20 Summit & India’s role
BRICS 2025 expansion
Recent Government Schemes (PM Suryodaya Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission updates)
Sports (Paris Olympics 2024 medal tally, Cricket T20 World Cup winners)
Indian Polity (Articles, Constitutional Amendments)
Good Attempts: 12 – 14
2. Quantitative Aptitude
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Nature of Questions: A mix of arithmetic and advanced topics, some questions lengthy but solvable.
Topics Covered:
Percentage & Profit-Loss
Simple & Compound Interest
Speed, Distance, and Time
Data Interpretation (bar graph-based, 4 questions)
Algebra & Trigonometry basics
Good Attempts: 13 – 15
3. Logical/Analytical Ability
Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
Question Pattern: Straightforward reasoning questions with a few tricky puzzles.
Topics Covered:
Syllogism
Blood Relations
Coding-Decoding
Seating Arrangement (linear and circular)
Odd-One-Out
Good Attempts: 14 – 16
4. English Language
Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
Nature of Questions: Balanced mix of grammar and comprehension-based questions.
Topics Covered:
Reading Comprehension (topic: Climate Change, 5 questions)
Synonyms & Antonyms
Error Detection
Fill in the Blanks (Vocabulary-based)
Sentence Rearrangement
Good Attempts: 15 – 17
5. General Studies
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Nature of Questions: Mostly factual and concept-based.
Topics Covered:
Indian Economy – Union Budget 2025 highlights
Science & Technology – Chandrayaan-3 & Aditya L1 mission
Geography – Rivers & Tributaries, Climate zones
History – Indian Freedom Movement (Quit India Movement, 1942)
Good Attempts: 12 – 14
Overall Good Attempts – 16 September IB ACIO Exam
| Section | Good Attempts |
|---|---|
| General Awareness | 12 – 14 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 13 – 15 |
| Logical Reasoning | 14 – 16 |
| English Language | 15 – 17 |
| General Studies | 12 – 14 |
👉 Total Good Attempts: 70 – 76
Expected IB ACIO Cut-Off 2025 (Tier 1)
Based on the difficulty level and past year trends, the expected cut-off range is:
| Category | Expected Cut-Off (out of 100) |
|---|---|
| General (UR) | 68 – 72 |
| OBC | 65 – 70 |
| SC | 60 – 65 |
| ST | 55 – 60 |
| EWS | 64 – 68 |
Student Feedback on IB ACIO Exam 2025 (16 September)
Many candidates found Quantitative Aptitude lengthy, especially DI questions.
English and Reasoning were scoring sections with direct and simple questions.
General Awareness questions were current affairs-heavy, requiring regular newspaper reading.
Overall, candidates rated the paper as Moderate, and with good time management, a score above 70+ is achievable.
Conclusion
The IB ACIO 2025 Exam (16 September) was overall moderate in nature, with Reasoning and English being the easiest sections, while General Awareness posed the biggest challenge. With 70–76 good attempts, candidates stand a strong chance of clearing the cut-off for Tier 1.
Aspirants must now focus on preparing for the IB ACIO Tier 2 Exam, which is descriptive in nature and tests essay writing, comprehension, and English skills.
📌 Stay tuned to the official website mha.gov.in for official answer keys, cut-off marks, and result announcements.

