LIC AAO Exam Analysis 2025: Shift 1 Prelims Paper Review, Difficulty Level & Questions Asked Today

LIC AAO 2025 Prelims: Basic Exam Pattern (Shift 1)

Before diving into analysis, let’s recap the Prelims structure for LIC AAO 2025:

• There are 3 sections — Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Language. 

• Total questions: 100

• Total marks: 70

  • Reasoning: 35 questions / 35 marks

  • Quantitative Aptitude: 35 questions / 35 marks

  • English Language: 30 questions / 30 marks (qualifying in nature) 

• Duration: 60 minutes (each section gets 20 minutes) 

• Note: The English section is qualifying only — its marks are not counted for the merit ranking. 

With this structure, candidates generally aim to maximize scores in Reasoning and Quant sections while ensuring they cross the English qualifying threshold.

Shift 1: Overall Difficulty & Good Attempts

Based on initial feedback (from aggregators, coaching institutes, and candidate reports), here’s how Shift 1 shaped up:

• The Reasoning section had a fair number of puzzles and seating arrangement sets, which consumed time. 

• Quant was balanced but had a few tricky arithmetic & data interpretation questions.

• English was manageable, with emphasis on comprehension, error detection, and cloze tests.

Overall, a total attempt of 60–70 questions with high accuracy would be considered strong.

Section-wise Review: Questions Asked & Trend

1. Reasoning Ability

This section was a game-changer. Key highlights:

• Puzzles & Seating Arrangements dominated — as usual in banking & insurance exams. 

• Syllogism, Inequalities, and Coding-Decoding also featured. 

• A few miscellaneous or logic-based questions added variety but were not too tough.

Given this trend, students who practiced a wide variety of puzzles would have an edge. Many coaching platforms had circulated “Most Expected Puzzle Questions for LIC AAO 2025” ahead of the exam. 

2. Quantitative Aptitude

Quant was better paced compared to reasoning. Some observations:

• Data Interpretation (DI) – tables, graphs, bar charts — appear in moderate weight.

• Arithmetic topics (Percentages, Profit & Loss, Time & Work, Mixtures) had a fair share.

• Number Series / Sequence questions were placed to test pattern recognition.

• Some Caselet DI / Table DI sets were slightly time-consuming.

Overall, the section leaned moderate with expected topics and some calculative challenges.

3. English Language

Since it’s qualifying, the challenge here is to cross the cut-off rather than score high. Key topics included:

• Reading Comprehension passages

• Cloze tests / Fill in the blanks

• Error detection / Sentence improvement

• Parajumbled sentences & idioms/phrases

Candidates who are solid in basic grammar and reading practice would find this section comfortably doable.

Expected Cut-off for Shift 1

While official cut-offs will vary, past trends help us estimate:

• Prelims cut-off (2023): For UR category, the cut-off was ~55 out of 70. 

• Considering shift difficulty and candidate performance, Shift 1 might see a cut-off in the range of 50–58 (out of 70) for general category.

• For reserved categories, the cut-off would be lower depending on how the section performance shapes.

Because English is just qualifying, the cut-off essentially hinges on Reasoning + Quant scores.

Key Takeaways & Tips for Future Shifts

1. Time Management is Crucial

   • Don’t over-invest time in one difficult puzzle. If a set seems too time-consuming, mark and move on.

   • Clean accuracy matters more than attempting every question.

2. Focus on Variety in Reasoning

   • Given puzzles’ dominance, aspirants should practice multiple types — floor puzzles, box arrangements, binary puzzles, etc.

3. Strengthen Arithmetic Fundamentals

   • Many quant questions stem from basic formulas. Revision of shortcuts and formulae will save precious seconds.

4. Qualify English Safely

   • As English is not scored for merit, aim to just clear the qualifying threshold with accuracy.

5. Use Previous Year Papers

   • Solving LIC AAO past question papers gives insight into recurring patterns and difficulty. 

   • Also check topic-wise weightage (especially in reasoning) to plan focus areas. 

6. Mock Tests & Revision

   • Regular mocks help calibrate attempted questions, accuracy, and pacing.

   • Review errors and track weak zones.

Conclusion

LIC AAO Prelims Shift 1 (2025) emerged as a moderately challenging paper, particularly in the Reasoning sectionbecause of puzzle-heavy sets. Quantitative Aptitude tested standard arithmetic and DI, while English remained manageable with qualifying level expectations.

The estimated cut-off for the general category may hover around 50-58 out of 70, given current trends and performance distributions. But the real benchmark will depend on all shifts, average performance, and final scaling.

For aspirants, the key is clear — master puzzles, refine arithmetic skills, practice regularly with mocks and previous years’ papers, and maintain high accuracy. Use what worked well in Shift 1 and adapt for forthcoming shifts.