How to Join IB (Intelligence Bureau) & RAW in India
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If you are dreaming about how to join IB then you need to explore this article to collect all the required information. This article includes the roles and responsibilities, salary, how to fill the form, syllabus, entrance exam details, selection process, and eligibility criteria.
It’s really a prestigious job with extra parks and allowances. The respect one gets is beyond imagination and worthy of it. Many patriotic Indians aim to serve the country and safeguard it by joining IB & RAW. For such aspiring candidates, this is a guiding article. So stay tuned!
About IB & RAW
The main aim of the Intelligence Bureau is the security of the nation. Being an IB officer is a challenging task and they have to give their best on duty. There are some IB posts like Grade-II/Executive in the Intelligence Bureau and Assistant Central Intelligence Officer (ACIO).
The entrance exam is conducted to hire the personnel for the department. IB and RAW are trending agencies to look into the country’s security and safety. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) is concerned with domestic security, internal intelligence, and counterintelligence. IB is one of the oldest agencies in the government department and is respected greatly.
The interesting about IB is that people have the least idea of their work and position. Even their roles and responsibilities are not known to many. Through this article, many will get to know the structure and pattern of the exam and the duties assigned to them as per their post. The officers are also seen doing ground or fieldwork in a great way.
Full form of IB & RAW
Intelligence Bureau is abbreviated as IB and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is shorted as RAW. RAW helps in providing intelligence to the army and policymakers. IB is the internal intelligence agency, whereas RAW is the external intelligence agency. IB comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs whereas RAW comes directly under the India Prime Minister’s office.
IB Officers Post
The IB Officers Post are divided into 2 categories. The designation that an IB Officer can take is listed below.
1. IB ACIO
Intelligence Bureau Assistant Central Intelligence Officers stands for IB ACIO. The entrance exam for this is held by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs to allocate the post of ACIO which is a Grade-II, Group-C post in the Intelligence Bureau. The exam for the same is announced once a year at the national level. The duty of the ACIO is not limited to office only they have to go for fieldwork also to look into the matter.
2. IB Security Assistant
As a Security assistant, your duty will be to train the security guards and follow the orders of their seniors during emergencies. They have to look into the security types of equipment and safety of another storage device. In case of any theft or robbery, they report to the senior security officers to handle the situation.
How to Join IB (Intelligence Bureau)
To join Intelligence Bureau (IB) you need to apply for CGPE (Combined Graduate Preliminary Exam) that is conducted by SSC (Staff Selection Commission) every year. You have to pass the Tier 1 & Tier 2 exam, and crack the round of interviews. To join RAW you should apply for Group A Civil Service Exam.
Eligibility Criteria
To become a part of Indian National Security that is the International Bureau you need to qualify for some eligibility criteria – Citizenship, Age Limit, Educational Qualification, Entrance Exam. The eligibility criteria to join IB is listed below.
Eligibility Criteria for IB ACIO
The eligibility criteria for IB ACIO include – Educational Qualification, Age Limit.
(a) Educational Qualification
The aspirant needs to have a Bachelor’s or Graduation degree from any authorized university. The minimum mark should be 50% of the total aggregate with good command in Computers.
(b) Age Limit
To join the IB you need to be at least be 18 years. The maximum age limit for General Category is 27 years. But according to the caste category, there is an age relaxation. The age relaxation is mentioned below.
| Categories | Relaxation |
| OBC | 3 years |
| SC/ST | 5 years |
| Departmental Candidates | 13 years (with more than 3 years of service) |
| For women who are divorced, widows, unmarried, or women separated from husbands (General) | 8 years |
| For women who are divorced, widows, unmarried, or women separated from husbands( SC/ST) | 13 years |
| Meritorious Sports persons | 5 years |
For RAW
To become a RAW agent you need to be at an age less than that of 56 years. You should also have experience in such a field of 20 years.
Eligibility Criteria for IB Security Assistant
The eligibility criteria for IB Security Assistant include – Educational Qualification, Age Limit.
(a) Educational Qualification
The aspirant must have a 10th certificate from an authorized board. The candidate must be good in dialect or local language along with field experience.
(b) Age Limit
The age limit for such exams is from 18 years to 27 years. There is age relaxation which is mentioned below according to the category.
| Categories | Relaxation |
| OBC | 3 years |
| SC/ST | 5 years |
| Departmental Candidates | 13 years (with more than 3 years of service) |
| For women who are divorced, widows, unmarried, or women separated from husbands (General) | 8 years |
| For women who are divorced, widows, unmarried, or women separated from husbands( SC/ST) | 13 years |
| Meritorious Sports persons | 5 years |
Other Criteria
To join IB & RAW the candidate need to be a Citizen of India. The candidate applying for any post of IB should not have any type of criminal background.
How to Fill Exam Form
To fill the application form follow the process mentioned below.
Step 1
Visit the official website of the Ministry of Home Affairs and click on the website here www.mha.gov.in
Step 2
When the exam dates are out the notification will pop up.
Step 3
With the help of notification, you need to click on the application form and fill it carefully.
Step 4
Fill in the details to pay the fee for the examination.
Step 5
After the payment, you are allowed to upload your photograph and signature in the form and proceed.
Step 6
After completing all the required queries, submit the form you will get a message in the registered number.
Selection Process for IB Officers
Selection Process for IB ACIO
- To get appointed as IB executives or other posts, the aspirant has to crack an entrance exam. The exam is named Tier-I, Tier-2, and Interview.
- Tier-I has objective questions with four sections. After cracking the first phase of the exam with a cutoff mark the aspirant is eligible to appear for the Tier-2 test.
- Tier-2 compromises comprehension and the essay with a duration of one hour. After this comes the final round that is the interview round which is based on a personality test and results of Tier-1 and Tier-2.
- After the interview, the results are declared on the official site.
Selection Process for IB Security Assistant
The exam is conducted or held in three stages.
- The tier-1 exam is based on objective and is of 2 hours.
- The tier-2 exam is for one hour and is appeared after Tier-1 is cracked.
- The final round of exams is an interview that is held after the Tier-2 exam is cracked.
Exam Pattern & Syllabus
The entrance exam that is held for IB is CGPE (Combined Graduate Preliminary Exam) that is conducted by SSC (Staff Selection Commission) every year.
For being a RAW agent the aspirant needs to crack the Group A Civil Services exam under the Central Staffing Scheme.
a. For IB ACIO
Let us first see the exam pattern and syllabus for IB ACIO.
Exam Pattern for IB ACIO
To become an IB ACIO the candidate has to know the exam pattern more in detail. The IB ACIO entrance exam includes two tires – Tier 1 & Tier 2. The Tier 1 exam is a total of 100 marks. Whereas the Tier 2 exam is of 50 marks. After qualifying for these 2 tier exams the candidate is selected for the interview.
ACIO Exam Pattern
| Exam Patterns | Marks | Duration of Exam | Mode of the exam | Negative Marking |
| Tier-1 includes General Awareness, Logical and analytical, English language and quantitative aptitude of 25 Questions each | 100 | 60 minutes | Online | One wrong answer will deduct 1/4th of the mark. |
| Tier-2 includes Essay and comprehension | 50 | 60 minutes | Online | Qualifying in nature |
Syllabus for IB ACIO
The entrance exam is divided into 2 tiers. Let us know the syllabus of both the Tires more in detail.
Tier 1
Tier 1 exam is of objective type and also carries the negative marking. The syllabus for the Tier 1 exam is listed below.
| Subjects | Topics |
| Maths | Average, Ages, Arithmetic (Number Theory), Number Systems, Mixture and Allegation, Square and Cube Roots, Menstruation, Fractions and Decimals, Time and distance, H.C.F. and L.C.M., Time and Work, Wages, Discounts, Simplification, Profit and loss, Ratio and Proportion, Logarithms, Pipes and christen, Boats and Streams, Percentage, Clocks and Calendars, Mixture and Allegation, Problems on Trains, Unitary Method, and Wages, Simple and Compound Interest, Percentage, Partnership |
| English Language | Synonyms and Antonyms, Sentence Completion, Spelling Test, Jumble Words and sentence, Idioms and Phrases, Close test, Comprehension, One Word Substitution, Sentence Improvement, Sentence Reconstruction, Common Errors, |
| Reasoning | Analytical Reasoning, the odd man out, Direction and Distance Test, Data Interpretation, Series Test, Linear Arrangement Test, Data Interpretation and sufficiency, Complex Arrangement Test, Analogy, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relationships, Syllogism, Symbols and Notations, Alphabet Test, Problems Based on Symmetry, Problems Based on Visual Ability |
| General Awareness | Famous Personalities, General Studies, countries and currencies, Books And Authors, Solar system, Inventions, And Discoveries, Various Forms of Dances, Sanctuaries, World Organizations, Sports, Polity, Prizes And Awards, Famous Places, Environment and Ecology, Pollution, Geography, History, Economics, Miscellaneous |
Tier 2
Tier 2 is the subjective type and does not carry any negative marking. The Tier 2 exam is of 50 marks and the duration is that of 1 hour.
| Topics | Marks |
| Essay | 30 |
| English Comprehension & Precis writing | 20 |
The candidate after clearing both the Tiers is called for the round of an Interview.
b. For IB Security Assistant
Exam Pattern
To become an IB Security Assistant the candidate has to know the exam pattern more in detail. The IB ACIO entrance exam includes two tires – Tier 1 & Tier 2. The Tier 1 exam is a total of 100 marks. Whereas the Tier 2 exam is of 50 marks. After qualifying for these 2 tier exams the candidate is selected for the interview.
Exam Pattern for IB Security Assistant
| Exam patterns | Marks | Mode of Exam | Negative Marking | Duration of exam |
| Tier-1 includes General Awareness, Analytical Ability, Quantitative Aptitude | 100 | Online | One wrong answer will deduct 1/4th of the mark. | 2 hour |
| Tier-2 includes passage translation of 500 words from local language to English and vice-versa and spoken ability | 50 | Online | Qualifying in nature | 1 hour |
Syllabus
Tier 1
Tier 1 exam is of objective type and also carries the negative marking. The syllabus for the Tier 1 exam is listed below.
| Subjects | Topics |
| General Awareness | Famous Personalities, General Studies, countries and currencies, Books And Authors, Solar system, Inventions, And Discoveries, Various Forms of Dances, Sanctuaries, World Organizations, Sports, Polity, Prizes And Awards, Famous Places, Environment and Ecology, Pollution, Geography, History, Economics, Miscellaneous |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Average, Ages, Arithmetic (Number Theory), Number Systems, Mixture and Allegation, Square and Cube Roots, Menstruation, Fractions and Decimals, Time and distance, H.C.F. and L.C.M., Time and Work, Wages, Discounts, Simplification, Profit and loss, Ratio and Proportion, Logarithms, Pipes and christen, Boats and Streams, Percentage, Clocks and Calendars, Mixture and Allegation, Problems on Trains, Unitary Method, and Wages, Simple and Compound Interest, Percentage, Partnership |
| Logical Reasoning | Analytical Reasoning, the odd man out, Direction and Distance Test, Data Interpretation, Series Test, Linear Arrangement Test, Data Interpretation and sufficiency, Complex Arrangement Test, Analogy, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relationships, Syllogism, Symbols and Notations, Alphabet Test, Problems Based on Symmetry, Problems Based on Visual Ability |
| English Language | Synonyms and Antonyms, Sentence Completion, Spelling Test, Jumble Words and sentence, Idioms and Phrases, Close test, Comprehension, One Word Substitution, Sentence Improvement, Sentence Reconstruction, Common Errors, |
Tier 2
Tier 2 is the subjective type and does not carry any negative marking. The Tier 2 exam is of 50 marks and the duration is that of 1 hour. The syllabus of the Tier 2 exam is listed below.
| Topics | Marks |
| Translation ( From Local Regional Language to English) | 40 |
| Communication Skills (Spoken Ability tested in Interview) | 10 |
The candidates who pass both the tiers are qualified for the interview process.
Books & Study Material
The study material that one needs to follow during the preparation of the exams is mentioned below.
Keep reading newspapers on daily basis.
- A book named a plinth to Paramount by Neetu Singh
- To upgrade the vocabulary by word power made easy
- A book named a mirror of common errors by A.K Singh
- Pratiyogita Kiran
- Arihant publication by Manohar Panday
- Quantitative Aptitude by R.S Aggarwal, Tarun Goyal, and Arun Sharma
- Analytical ability by MK Pandey, Edgar Thorpe, R.S Aggarwal, Peeyush Bhardwaj, and BS Sijwali and Indu Diwali
- For the English language by AK Singh, Neetu Singh, and Wren and Martin
Also Read
Role & Responsibilities of IB Officers
IB ACIO
- He/She coordinates with senior-level management of the IB.
- He/She needs to assist and report Central Intelligence officer.
- He/She handles several field units and headquarters that come under the control of the Joint or Deputy Director.
IB Security Assistant
- The role of IB ACIO is to gather all the secret information from secret sources that may threaten the security and rights of the people.
- He/ She execute counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence works.
- He/ She is surrounded by other external intelligence responsibilities.
Salary of IB Officers & RAW Agents
The salary of the IB Officers & RAW Agents differs according to the designation. The salary of the IB officers is as per the designation & the job profile is mentioned below.
| Posts | Salary |
| IB Security Assistant | Rs 26, 176 initially |
| IB ACIO | Rs 62, 485 |
| RAW Agents | Rs 1.3 lakhs per month |
Conclusion
To sum up, this was all about How to join IB. Hope the process to join IB is clear and easy to follow now. If any more related queries in the simple step to step guide of How to Join IB then you can ask me by commenting in the comment box. I will get back to you with a proper answer.
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