LIC Assistant: exam date, pattern, syllabus and how to apply
LIC Assistant is the Life Insurance Corporation of India's recruitment of Assistants for clerical work in its branch offices: cashier, single-window operator and customer service. The most recent Assistant recruitment still published on licindia.in is the divisional exercise notified on 17 September 2019, and as of 20 October 2026 the LIC careers page shows no newer Assistant notice. This guide sets out the pattern from that last recruitment, how to apply when a new one opens, and how to prepare in the meantime with exams of the same shape.
LIC Assistant at a glance
| Conducting body | Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), by division |
| What it is for | Assistant (clerical) posts in LIC branch offices |
| Mode | Computer-based test at an examination centre |
| Stages | Preliminary, Main, pre-recruitment medical; a State-language test where needed |
| Preliminary | 100 questions, 60 minutes, three tests of 20 minutes each |
| Main | 200 marks in 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Marking | No penalty in the Preliminary (as the 2019 handout was quoted); 1/4 mark off for a wrong Main answer |
| Languages | English or Hindi language test by choice; other tests in English and Hindi |
| How often | Only when LIC notifies a recruitment; the last was in September 2019 |
| Official website | licindia.in careers |
LIC Assistant exam date
There is no LIC Assistant exam date announced as of 20 October 2026. The LIC careers page (checked 20 October 2026) lists the 2025 recruitment of Assistant Administrative Officers and no Assistant recruitment. The 2019 Assistant page is still online for reference.
The last notice was in 2019, so there is no recent cycle to go by: watch the careers page. When a notice comes out, we will add its dates to our LIC Assistant exam dates page. Do not trust dates or vacancy figures from other sites until LIC publishes them.
How to apply for LIC Assistant
These steps follow the 2019 recruitment; the next notice may change them.
- Open the LIC careers page and find the Assistant recruitment.
- Choose your division. Recruitment is by division, each with its own notice and vacancies, and you are appointed in the division you apply for.
- Read that division's notice for eligibility (degree, age, the State's official language), fees and the Main pattern your division uses.
- Register online, upload the photograph, signature and other scans, and pay the fee.
- Download the call letter and information handout for each phase.
Keep ready: degree certificate and mark sheets, category and PwBD certificates, and, if your State's official language is neither Hindi nor English, your Class 10 or 12 proof of having studied it (otherwise you take a qualifying language test).
LIC Assistant exam pattern
Preliminary (2019 notices):
| Test | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language or Hindi Language (qualifying, your choice) | 30 | 30 | 20 min |
| Numerical Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 min |
| Reasoning Ability | 35 | 35 | 20 min |
Shortlisting for the Main uses Numerical Ability and Reasoning (out of 70), provided you clear the language minimum, up to about 20 times the vacancies. Minimum qualifying marks in 2019 were 12 in the language test and 14 in each of the other two (11 and 13 for SC/ST/PwBD).
Main, which differed by division:
| Part A and B divisions | Part C divisions |
|---|---|
| General/Financial Awareness: 40 Qs, 30 min | General/Financial Awareness: 50 Qs, 35 min |
| General English: 40 Qs, 30 min | General English: 40 Qs, 35 min |
| Quantitative Aptitude: 40 Qs, 30 min | Quantitative Aptitude: 50 Qs, 40 min |
| Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude: 40 Qs, 30 min | Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude: 60 Qs, 40 min |
| Hindi Language: 40 Qs, 30 min | no Hindi test |
Each question is 1 mark, 200 in all, with 0.25 taken off for a wrong answer. Every test has a minimum mark and there is an aggregate cut-off. Only Main marks decide the final ranking.
LIC Assistant syllabus
- English / Hindi Language: comprehension, cloze, error spotting, fillers, synonyms, idioms, sentence order.
- Numerical Ability / Quantitative Aptitude: simplification, series, quadratic comparison, percentage, profit and loss, interest, ratio and partnership, time and work, distance, data interpretation.
- Reasoning: puzzles and seating, syllogism, inequality, coding, blood relation, direction, alphanumeric series; in the Main, computer basics too.
- General/Financial Awareness: banking and financial terms, insurance basics, economy and static GK.
The full list is on our LIC Assistant syllabus page.
A plan while you wait for the notice
Because no date is set, prepare in a way that also serves other clerical exams with the same 30-35-35 Preliminary:
- Weeks 1 to 4: daily timed sets of Numerical Ability and Reasoning, 35 questions in 20 minutes. These two tests decide the shortlist.
- Weeks 5 to 8: add General/Financial Awareness, with insurance terms, 20 minutes a day.
- Every week: one full LIC Assistant Preliminary mock test, then a review of every wrong and skipped question, as in how to analyse a mock test.
- Alongside: sit the clerical exams that have dates, such as SBI Clerk and RBI Assistant, which use the same Preliminary shape.
Useful links
- LIC careers page (new notices and apply links)
- Recruitment of Assistants 2019 and the Main examination information handout
- Free LIC Assistant mock tests
- LIC Assistant syllabus
- LIC Assistant exam dates
- LIC AAO guide, the officer recruitment
Frequently asked questions
When is the LIC Assistant exam in 2026?
No date has been announced. As of 20 October 2026 the LIC careers page shows no Assistant recruitment after the one notified on 17 September 2019.
Is there negative marking in LIC Assistant?
In 2019 the Main deducted one fourth of a mark for each wrong answer. The Preliminary information handout, as quoted when it was issued, had no penalty; that handout is no longer on licindia.in, so confirm in the next notice.
What is the LIC Assistant Prelims qualifying mark?
In the 2019 notices, 12 in the language test and 14 in each of Numerical Ability and Reasoning (11 and 13 for SC/ST/PwBD). The shortlist also depends on vacancies and how others score.
Can I take the LIC Assistant language test in Hindi?
Yes. In the Preliminary you choose either the English Language or the Hindi Language test. Numerical Ability, Reasoning and most Main tests are in English and Hindi.
Do LIC Assistant Prelims marks count in the final selection?
No. Only Main marks decide the final ranking.