LIC AAO: next exam date, pattern, syllabus and how to apply
LIC AAO is the Life Insurance Corporation of India's recruitment of Assistant Administrative Officers. This guide covers the Generalist post. The last recruitment (32nd batch) was notified on 16 August 2025 for 350 Generalist vacancies, with the main examination on 8 November 2025. As of 20 October 2026 the LIC careers page lists only that 2025 recruitment and no new AAO notice. Below: the exam pattern, the qualifying marks, the syllabus, how to apply and a plan for the months before the next notice.
LIC AAO at a glance
| Conducting body | Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) |
| What it is for | Assistant Administrative Officer (Generalist), an officer post |
| Mode | Online test at a centre named on the call letter |
| Stages | Preliminary, Main (objective and descriptive), interview, pre-recruitment medical |
| Preliminary | 100 questions, 1 hour, three tests of 20 minutes each; ranking out of 70 |
| Main | Objective tests of 300 marks in 2 hours, then 30 minutes of descriptive English |
| Marking | No negative marking for the Generalist post (2025 notice) |
| Languages | English tests in English; the other tests in English and Hindi |
| How often | Notified by LIC when it recruits; the last notice was dated 16 August 2025 |
| Official website | licindia.in careers |
LIC AAO exam date
The next LIC AAO notice is not announced as of 20 October 2026: the LIC careers page (checked 20 October 2026) lists the 2025 recruitment of AAO (Generalists, Specialists, Assistant Engineers) and no later one. For reference, the 2025 Generalist notice was dated 16 August 2025 and the Phase II (main) examination was held on 8 November 2025.
LIC gives the dates only in each recruitment's own notice, so do not rely on dates from other sites. When it comes, the dates will be on the careers page and in the notice itself; we add them to our LIC AAO exam dates page.
How to apply for LIC AAO
- When a new recruitment appears on the LIC careers page, open the Generalist notice and read it in full. In 2025, Generalist and Specialist posts were separate notices and a candidate could apply for one post only.
- Check eligibility. In 2025: a bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised Indian university, and age 21 to 30 on 1 August 2025, with the relaxations in the notice.
- Register online through the link in the notice, upload the photograph, signature and other scans, and pay the fee shown in that notice.
- Download the call letters for each phase when LIC posts them.
Keep ready: your degree certificate and mark sheets, category and PwBD certificates, a valid email and mobile number, and any post-graduate certificate (in 2025 it broke ties in the final merit).
A point to weigh before applying: the 2025 notice said most posts are in mofussil branches, with a minimum of five years in a mofussil branch outside the home zone, and a four-year service undertaking backed by liquidated damages of Rs 5,00,000.
LIC AAO exam pattern
From the 2025 Generalist notice and the Phase II information handout:
| Stage and test | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims: Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 min |
| Prelims: Quantitative Aptitude | 35 | 35 | 20 min |
| Prelims: English Language (qualifying) | 30 | 30 | 20 min |
| Mains: Reasoning Ability | 30 | 90 | 40 min |
| Mains: General Knowledge, Current Affairs | 30 | 60 | 20 min |
| Mains: Data Analysis and Interpretation | 30 | 90 | 40 min |
| Mains: Insurance and Financial Market Awareness | 30 | 60 | 20 min |
| Mains: English descriptive (qualifying) | 2 | 25 | 30 min |
Minimum qualifying marks in the 2025 notice (others / SC, ST, PwBD):
| Test | Others | SC/ST/PwBD |
|---|---|---|
| Prelims Reasoning, Prelims Quant | 18 each | 16 each |
| Prelims English | 10 | 9 |
| Mains Reasoning, Data Analysis | 45 each | 40 each |
| Mains GK, Insurance | 30 each | 27 each |
| Mains descriptive | 10 | 9 |
LIC also sets an aggregate cut-off. About 20 times the vacancies are called for the Main and about three times for the interview of 60 marks (qualifying 30, or 27 for SC/ST/PwBD). Final merit is the Main total out of 300 plus the interview. Preliminary marks and the English papers are not counted for ranking.
LIC AAO syllabus
LIC does not publish a topic-wise Generalist syllabus; the 2025 syllabus file covers specialist papers only. The usual scope, by test:
- Reasoning: puzzles and seating, syllogism, inequality, coding, input-output, blood relation, direction, ranking.
- Quantitative Aptitude / Data Analysis: simplification, series, arithmetic, and in the Main mostly tables, bar and line graphs and caselets.
- English: grammar, vocabulary and comprehension; in the Main, emails, reports, situation analysis and precis.
- General Knowledge, Current Affairs: national and international events, history, geography, polity, economy.
- Insurance and Financial Market Awareness: premium, sum assured, nomination, regulators, market and banking terms.
See the full list on our LIC AAO syllabus page.
A plan for the months before the notice
- Months 1 to 2: Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude to Preliminary speed. With no negative marking, every question should get an answer, so practise finishing all 35 in 20 minutes, guessing the last few.
- Month 3: Data Analysis and Interpretation (90 Main marks), in timed sets of 30 table and caselet questions in 40 minutes.
- Throughout: 20 minutes a day on insurance and financial-market terms and the news. The two awareness tests are 120 of the 300 Main marks and take only 40 minutes together.
- Weekly: one full LIC AAO Preliminary mock test and one typed email or precis.
Since there is no penalty here, the guessing rules of most bank exams do not apply; our mock test method explains how to spend the rest of each mock week.
Useful links
- LIC careers page (new notices and apply links)
- AAO (Generalist) notice, 16 August 2025 and the Phase II information handout
- Free LIC AAO mock tests
- LIC AAO syllabus
- LIC AAO exam dates
- LIC Assistant guide, the clerical recruitment
- RBI Grade B guide, another officer-level exam
Frequently asked questions
When is the next LIC AAO exam date?
Not announced as of 20 October 2026. The careers page lists only the 2025 recruitment, whose notice was dated 16 August 2025. LIC will publish the next dates in its own notice.
Is there negative marking in LIC AAO?
Not for the Generalist post under the 2025 notice: a wrong answer takes nothing away in the Preliminary or the Main. The Specialist and Legal preliminary in the same batch did deduct one fourth, so check the next Generalist notice.
What is the LIC AAO Prelims qualifying mark?
In 2025, 18 in Reasoning and in Quantitative Aptitude and 10 in English (16, 16 and 9 for SC/ST/PwBD), plus an aggregate cut-off that LIC decides.
What is the LIC AAO age limit?
In 2025, 21 to 30 years on 1 August 2025, with the relaxations in the notice.
Do LIC AAO Prelims marks count in the final merit?
No. Final merit is the Main examination total out of 300 plus the interview of 60 marks.
Can I write LIC AAO in Hindi?
Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and the Main objective tests are in English and Hindi. The English Language test and the descriptive paper are in English only.