Exam Pattern
LIC AAO Exam Pattern
Life Insurance Corporation of India: Assistant Administrative Officer (Generalist)
The LIC AAO exam pattern below is checked stage by stage, so one stage cannot inherit another stage's scoring rules.
Prelims
Official AAO (Generalist) Recruitment 2025-26 pattern| Questions | 100 |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0 per wrong answer |
| Sections | Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, English Language |
| Test | Qs | Marks | Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 |
| English Language | 30 | 30 | 20 |
Timing: 20 minutes per section.
English Language is a qualifying section only: it is scored, but those marks are not added to the Prelims ranking. Only Reasoning Ability and Quantitative Aptitude (70 marks combined) decide who advances to Mains, and there is no negative marking for a wrong answer anywhere in the paper.
Official source · checked 6 August 2026The LIC AAO Prelims exam pattern is 100 questions carrying 100 marks, to be answered in 60 minutes. That works out to about 36 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 3 sections are Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude and English Language. All 3 sections are separately timed, so time saved in one cannot be carried into another. You cannot bank minutes by rushing an easy section.
LIC AAO Prelims marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1 mark.
- There is no negative marking, so leaving a question blank can only cost you: an unattempted question and a wrong one score the same zero. Attempt everything.
- Worked example: attempt 80 of the 100 questions and get 60 right and 20 wrong, and you score 60 out of 100.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 36 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free LIC AAO mock test to see where your time actually goes.
Mains
Review pendingConfirmed via multiple independent current secondary sources: the Mains objective test is 120 questions for 300 marks in 120 minutes, across Reasoning Ability (30Q/90 marks/40 min, 3 marks/question), Data Analysis and Interpretation (30Q/90 marks/40 min, 3 marks/question), General Knowledge and Current Affairs (30Q/60 marks/20 min, 2 marks/question), and Insurance and Financial Market Awareness (30Q/60 marks/20 min, 2 marks/question). There is no negative marking anywhere in the paper for the Generalist post, matching Prelims. This site's Mains content covers Reasoning Ability, Data Analysis and Interpretation, and Insurance and Financial Market Awareness (90 of 120 objective questions); the Insurance and Financial Market Awareness section is built since its content (policy types, insurance/financial terminology, IRDAI, LIC's own history, financial-market basics) is stable and definitional rather than current-events. General Knowledge and Current Affairs is not built, since it needs current, fact-checked content. A separate Descriptive Test (2 questions/25 marks/30 minutes, essay and letter writing) follows the objective test; it is non-MCQ, evaluated only if the objective cutoff is cleared, and is excluded here as it cannot be auto-graded.
LIC AAO exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in LIC AAO?
LIC AAO has no negative marking. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in LIC AAO?
LIC AAO has 100 questions. That leaves about 36 seconds per question in LIC AAO.
What are the total marks in LIC AAO?
LIC AAO is out of 100 marks.
How long is the LIC AAO exam?
LIC AAO runs for 60 minutes.
Does LIC AAO have a sectional time limit?
Yes. LIC AAO times its sections separately, so time left over in one section cannot be spent on another. Plan a per-section budget before you sit it.