[Studyplan] ACIO: General Awareness, History, Geography, Science,

Current Affairs preparation, previous paper, Job profile for Assistant Central
Intelligence Officer (ACIO) exam
1. Special Eligibility
2. How was the ACIO 2012 paper?
3. Static (theory) vs Current
4. History
1. Ancient: Minimum topics
2. Medieval: Minimum topics
3. Modern (British Raj) Min.Topix
4. World history
5. Culture
5. Science (theory)
1. Science (Current Affairs)
2. Space/ISRO/NASA
3. Defense
4. Environment
6. Polity
7. Geography
1. Indian Geography Min.Topix
2. World Geography- Min.Topix
3. Physical Geography Min.Topix
8. Economy
9. International Affairs/events
10. Misc.GK/PIN/Awards/sports
11. Sports
12. Maths Reasoning English
13. ACIO Job-Profile
1. ACIO Training
2. First Job Posting
3. ACIO medial / physical standards
4. ACIO Promotion
14. Computer certificate
15. Epilogue
16. Appendix: Download material for ACIO
Special Eligibility
All the conditions are given in the ACIO-2013 Notification itself (click me). However
Id like to point out some important ones:
1. For ACIO, the candidate must be Graduate on or before 12
th
August 2013.
(Seems they copied the graduation-deadline concept from SSC-CGL 2013,
because in ACIO-2012 notification was silent about this.)
2. There is no reservation for physically handicapped (HH, OH, VH) persons.
3. Those already in Government service/ PSU/Autonomous bodies: youll need to
show NOC from your employer, when youre called for ACIO interview.
4. Computer certificate is desirable (and not compulsory) [plz scroll down to the
end part for more on computer certificate.]
5. The Candidates willing to serve anywhere in India need to apply only.
So how is the ACIO paper?
Based on the ACIO 2012 question paper [courtesy of Mr.Chandradev ( )]
paper I MCQs on GA/GK + Maths + Reasoning 100m
Paper II English Descriptive 50m
Duration: Total 1 hour and 40 minutes
From that question paper, we can see certain peculiarities about ACIO exam:
1. Theyre asking world history.
2. Theyre asking Business GK.
3. Permutation-combination-probability (PCP), Geometric progression is asked.
(Most govt recruitment exams have stopped asking those topics)
Other than that, Maths/reasoning/Current-affairs =should not give any surprises to
serious players from SSC/government exams.
Static (theory) vs Current
Based on 2012s Paper:
static (theory) current affairs based
polity 6 International affairs 5
Geography 12 Misc.GK/PIN/Sports 8
History 18 Economy* 10
Sci (theory) 13 Defense-Space-Sci.tech 7
Aptitude (Maths + Reasoning) 21
total 70 total 30
*in Economy they only asked current based Qs. hence Economy put under current.
As you can see 70 Static (Theory) + 30 Current =total 100 questions: meaning, your
primary focus should be on the static portion.
History
ACIO in exam, history has 4 subparts: Ancient, Medieval, Modern and World History
Preparation Source:
1. Lucents General Knowlege book OR
2. If youve General Studies(GS) Manual (of any brand, any
edition)- if you already have then use it, otherwise there is
no need for specifically getting GS Manual for this exam
(NCERT wont be of much help because ACIO MCQs need
GK type coverage.)
Ancient: Minimum topics
Minimum topics= they dont guarantee success, they only guarantee that if you fail-
you wont be very far away from the cutoffs. For any topic, when I say (IGNORE): it
means I havent seen MCQs from those topics coming in recent times. But I cant
guarantee that nothing will be asked from it! So, If the time permits, do read those
topics after youre done with syllabus.
1. Harappa Sites
1. (ignore) Who found them (Bisht, Mazumadar, Joshi etc.)
2. Where are they located (Which Indian or Paki state?)
3. What are the main features of the given site? (e.g. Surkotada =horse)
4. ^reverse of above question: what was found where? (Where was horse
evidence found?)
5. society, religion and economy
6. (ignore) why decline/destroyed
2. Vedic Period (1500-1000 before Christ)
1. (ignore) Vedic religion: Indra/Purandar etc.
2. Vedic literature
i. Where is there in four vedas?
ii. What are the features of Upnishad, Aranyak, Smriti, Darshan,
Upvedas
3. (ignore) Vedic administration: Sabha-Samiti etc.
3.Buddh and Jain
When it comes to Ancient history, Buddism-Jainism= most favorite topic for
examiner. Prepare them parallel so you dont mix up answers
Buddhism: prepare following Jainism
Buddha: real name, parents, spouse, birth year+place, death
year+age+place
same for
Mahavir
3 pillar (Tri-ratna), 4 truths, 8 fold path + symbols associated with
Buddhas life
5 doctrines
3 sects 2 sects
literature (Tripitaka, Milindpanho etc) same
council, chairman, patron and result same
famous places same
patron kings same
4. Maurya
1. Mahajanpada vs capitals: only famous names (e.g. Magadha, Kashi, Kuru,
Gandhara)
2. (ignore) Mauryan Administration
3. Only 3 Mauryan Kings: Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara, Asoka (and
prepare the Greek travellars/ambassador/envoys/kings associated with
them. But ignore the chillar-kings like Bimbisara- Ajatshatru, Udayin,
Shisunag and Nanda
4. Only 3 Main Kings after Maurya: Pushyamitra, RudraDaman, Kanishka
5. Focus on Asokas edicts, their location, content, labels used for him (e.g.
Piyadass)
6. (culture) Mauryan Caves and art (Yaksha-Yakshini)
7. (culture) famous writer during Mauryan time
5. Gupta
1. 2 Main kings: Samudragupta and Vikramaditya
2. (ignore) Gupta Administration
3. Harshavardhan and Huien Tsang
4. Pala-Pallav-Pratihar-Rahstrakuta= only their culture contribution (e.g.
temple, univ.,caves)
6. South India
1. (culture) Sangam litt. particularly Manimekalai, Tolkapiyam
2. Chera-Chaula-Pandya=their emblem/symbol
Medieval: Minimum topics
1. Important Wars (who fought with whom, when and what was the result + some of
them are from modern history)
1. two Tarai battles
2. three Panipat battles
3. three Anglo Maratha wars
4. three Anglo-French wars
5. Two Anglo-Sikh wars
6. Plassey
7. Buxar
8. Bedera
9. Burmese
10. Afghan
2. Delhi Sultanate
1. Qutubuddin Aibak
2. Iltutmish
3. Razia Sultan
4. Balban
5. Alauddin Khilji and his
policies
6. Mohd. Tuglaq and his
#epicfail
7. Firoz Shah Tughlaq and his
policy
8. Sikandar Lodhi
9. Ibrahim Lodhi
3. Mughal and their policy / work/
constructions
1. Babar
2. Humayun
3. Sher Shah (although not a
Mughal)
4. Akbar
5. Jahangir
6. Shah Jahan
7. Aurungzeb
4. Maratha: Shivaji, his administration and the three Anglo Maratha wars
5. (ignore) Vijayanagar empire (Harihar and Bukka)
6. culture
1. S.India Temple and features: Gopuram, Garbhagriha, Hoysala temple etc.
2. N.India:
i. Poets-patron kings, main books
ii. Mosques, tombs, gates, forts etc.: where are they located and who
built them?
3. Travelers (incl. Ancient) + envoys: mainly Megasthenes, Fa-Hien, Al-
Baruni, Huien Tsang, Marco Polo, Ibn Batuta, Nicolo Conti, Wiliam
Hawkins, Thoms Roe, Tavernier, Bernier.
7. Religion
1. Bhakti saints
2. Sufi Saints particularly Khwaja Muinuddin Chisty
3. Sikhism, Gurus particularly Nanak, Arjan Dev and Gobind Singh
Modern (British Raj)
1. Entry of Europeans: where did they setup factory and under whose rule? + their
conflicts with Native rules (e.g Siraz-ud daula, Tipu Sultan)
2. Important Gov.Gen/Viceroys and their policies (in Lucents GK this is given
@Page 134 onwards + also given in the last pages of Spectrums Brief History
of Modern India)
1. Hastings
2. Cornwallis
3. Wellesley
4. Bentick
5. Metcalfe; Aukland; Hardinge (each of them only did 1 or 2 imp things)
6. Canning
7. Mayo
8. Lytton (Badass#2)
9. Ripon
10. Landsdown
11. Curzon (Badass#1 and UPSCs Role Model)
12. Minto
13. Chelmsford
The Viceroys after Chelmsford, should be prepared with focus on how they handled
Gandhi and Partition of India:
14. Irwin
15. Willingdon
16. Linlithgow
17. Wavell
18. Mountbatten
19. C. Rajagopalachari (only the fact that he was 1
st
and last Indian governor general
of free India)
3. Revolts (Lucents GK Page 95 onwards)
1. 1857 (although it has become too clichd, rarely MCQ coming from here)
2. Peasant revolts and their leaders+reasons: mainly Indigo, Deccan, Ramosi,
Chamran, Kheda, Moplah, Tebhaga, Telengana and Eka
3. tribal revolts and leaders+reasons: mainly Rampa, Munda, Naga and Tana
Bhagat
4. Others mainly Sanyasi, Pagal Panthi and Kuka
4. Culture
1. Books and authors (Dadabhai, RC Dutt, Gandhi, Bankim etc)
2. Newspaper-language-owner
3. various org. and their founders: Mainly Brahmo, Sadharan Brahmo,
Namdhari, Radha Swami, Arya Samaj, Prarthana, Deccan Edu.,
Theosophical, Ramkrishan Mission, Servents of India, Purna Seva Sadan,
Satya Sodhak, Aravipuram, Justice party, Bahishkrit Hitkarini, Self-
Respect, Harijan Sevak, Derozio, Tattvabodhini, Wahabi, DEoband,
Aligarh,
4. Reformers: Roy, Vivekanand, Sahjanand, Saraswati, Kesab Chandra etc.
5. education reform: Hunter, Sadler, Macaulay and Sargeant
5. Freedom Struggle
1. Congress
i. GK related to Congress Sessions: prominent chairmen, resolution
etc. (given on Page 133 of Lucents GK)
ii. Moderate, Extremist and their leader, Surat Split
iii. Swaraj Party, Nehru Report
iv. Congress Ministries vs Muslim League
2. Revolutionaries: org.-leaders-members and conspiracy-cases + INA and
its trials + RIN munity
3. Home Rule Besant and Tilak and Lucknow Pact
4. Gandhi:
i. Champaran, Abad, Kheda;
ii. NCM, Khilafat, CDM, QIM
iii. Gandhi-Irwin, Gandhi-Amebedkar, Gandhi-Bose
5. British response:
i. Reforms: Morley Minto; Montague-Chelmsford
ii. Thuggary: Rowlett, Jalliyanwala, Simon, RTC, Communal award
iii. Acts: 1909, 1919, 1935 and 1947;
iv. Partition related: Linlithgow offer, Wavell plan, Cabinet Mission ,
Cripps Mission
6. finally the important freedom fighters and their contribution (depending on
the remaining time before exam)
Observe the questions from 2012s ACIO paper
Entry of Europeans and Before
1857
After 1857
1. The Treaty of Srirangapatnam
was signed in 1792 between
Tipu Sultan and
i. Dalhousie
ii. Cornwallis
iii. Warren Hastings
iv. Lord Clive
2. Battle of Jamrud was fought
between Sikhs and Afghans in
April 1837 in which Afghans
were defeated but an important
Sikh general was killed. Who
was this Sikh general?
A. Jorawar Singh
B. Mahan Singh
C. Hari Singh Nalw
D. Diwan Bhiwani Das
1. Under an agreement with which of the
following countries did Subhas
Chandra Bose organize the Indian
soldiers, taken as prisoners by the
AXIS Powers, Into the Azad Hind
Fauj?
i. China
ii. Germany
iii. Italy
iv. Japan
2. Who was the first Muslim president of
Indian National Congress?
i. Mohammad Ali Jinnah
ii. Badraddin Tayabji
iii. Maulana Abdul Kalam Aza
iv. Syed Ahmed Khan
3. Three Round Table Conferences were
organized by British Government
between 1930 and 1932 to discuss the
constitutional reform in India. In which
Round Table Conference did the
Congress attend?
i. First
ii. Second
iii. Third
iv. All the three
World history
Again, a unique feature of ACIO, because most government exams dont touch
world history as far as MCQs are concerned.
Go through Chapter 2 of Lucents GK Book. With more emphasis on medieval
and modern world history.
Observe the questions from 2012s paper:
Medieval World History (500-1500AD) Modern (After 1500AD)
1. Who was the first European to sail around the
1. Who founded the
Young Italy
movement, the
anchor organization
behind the
unification of Italy
in the nineteenth
Cape of Good Hope in 1488?
a. Bartolommeo Dias
b. Ferdinand Magellan
c. Columbus
d. James cook
2. Northern Africa was divided between two Muslim
Caliphates at around 1000 AD. While
northwestern Africa (essentially, modern
Morocco) and southern Spain were ruled by the
Umayyads, which Caliphate ruled over what is now
modern Tunisia, Libya and Egypt?
a. Hafsid
b. Idrisid
c. Fatimid
d. Aghlabid
3. Where was the battle of Badr fought in which
Muslims led by Muhammad defeated Quraish of
Mecca decisively on March 13, 624 AD?
a. 80 miles south west of Medina
b. outskirts of Mecca
c. Jerusalem
d. Mount Arafat
century?
a. Count Cavour
b. Garibaldi
c. Giuseppe
Mazzini
d. Red Shirts
2. Who was the
Commander in
Chief of
Confederate States
in the American
Civil war (1861-65).
a. Abraham
Lincoln
b. Jefferson
Davis
c. Robert E Lee
d. James
Longstreet
3. On which date US
dropped the first
atom bomb on
Hiroshima?
a. August 9,
1945
b. May 8, 1945
c. July 26,1945
d. August 6,1945
Culture
While preparing for Ancient/Medieval/Modern history, youll come across
culture-religion-art-music-dance-painting type information + use NIOS culture
material for filling up the details (Free download @bottom).
Although from 2012s ACIO paper, it seems less about culture and more about
religion:
1. What is the total number of
Zodiac constellation
(Nakshatra) in Indian
astrology?
4. Which religious leader established four
mathas in India?
A. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
B. Shankaracharya
C. Vivekananda
D. Ramanuja
A. 12
B. 15
C. 18
D. 27
2. Who established Ramkrishna
Mission?
A. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
B. Shivanand
C. Swami Dayanand
Saraswati
D. Vivekananda
3. In which year was Guru Nanak
Dev born?
A. 1242 AD
B. 1358 AD
C. 1469 AD
D. 1542 AD
5. Who was the first Christian missionary
to India?
A. Thomas the Apostle
B. John Breeden
C. Richard Knill
D. St George
6. In which part of ancient India was
Kharoshthi script in use between 3rd
century BC and 3rd century AD.
A. Magadh region
B. Central region
C. Southern region
D. Gandhar region
7. Who among the following four is the
odd man out?
A. Abanindranath Tagore
B. J S Swaminathan
C. Akbar Padamsee
D. Javed Akhtar
This concludes the history preparation, keep in mind that one time reading= useless.
Youve to revise history multiple times.
Science (theory)
from ACIO 2012 paper, we can see that ~20% is science and ~20% is aptitude. For
Science, theory, start with NCERT (for physics, chemistry, biology and environment):
Free download @bottom
Class Chapters (PHYSICS) Chemistry Biology
7 4, 13, 14 and 15 5 and 6 1,2,10,11 and 12
8 11 to 16 3 to 6 2, 8, 9 and 10
9 8 to 12 1 to 4 5,6,7 and 13
10 10, 12 and 13 1 to 5 6 to 11
11 Physics textbook ch.1
12 Biology textbook Ch.11 and 12
after that use Lucents GK book for filling up the gaps left in NCERT about GK related
to chemical compound-uses, inventions-inventors, SI-CI units, diseases etc. (if youve
general studies manual that will also work).
1. SI-CI units; conversation from one unit to another
(only the major ones, not everything)
PHYSICS
2. Scalar vs vector quantity
3. Laws of Newton + Gravity (ignore the equations)
4. satellite: orbit speed, escape velocity, geostationary
5. capillary examples
6. friction example, benefits
7. centrifugal vs petal
8. example of 3 types of levers
9. gravity- its value, where is it min-max, + vs Moon
10. Archimedes principles application
11. interrelation among heat, pressure, height, volume
(difficult to cook on mountain etc)
12. pendulum- fast in winter, slow in summer (ignore the
equation though)
13. electromagnetic waves
14. sounds: infra, ultra, audible, echo distance, Doppler,
Mach
1. heat: thermometer types, normal body temp in degree
F and Celsius; conduction-convection-radiation;
fusion-sublimation, AC, thermodynamics laws; three
parts of flame; safety matchstick
15. light: use of convex vs concave mirror, examples of
refraction, examples of total internal reflection,
rainbow, eye-defects and correction, telescope vs
microscope
16. Electricity: ohms law, instruments: galvanometer,
voltmeter, ammeter, fuse, transformer, dynamo,
motor; conductor vs insulator;
17. Magnet: diamagnetic, ferromagnetic, compass
18. Nuke: fission, chain reaction, hydrogen bomb, use of
moderator, control rod and coolant, heavy water
19. + various instruments and inventions given on page
466 onwards in Lucents GK book (only focus on
major/big/important things)
CHEMISTRY
2. ignore the chemical formulas, equations
3. uses of Acid, base, salt (given on page 488 onwards)
4. chemical compound and their common name (e.g.
caustic soda=sodium hydroxide)
5. carbon: graphite, diamond
6. colloid examples
7. various fuel and their composition
8. rubber vulcanization
9. types of coal
10. metal: their ores and alloys, glass colors (page 498
onwards)
11. water: soft and hard; soap-detergent principles
12. uses of ammonia, nitrogen, phosphorus etc.
BIOLOGY
1. branches of biology
2. ignore kingdom, family and classification for zoology
or botany (cost benefit not good)
3. cells: various parts and functions, difference in
animal vs plant cell, prokaryotic vs eukaryotic
4. DNA-RNA: scientists, structure, function
5. genetic disease given from pg522 onwards
6. virus-bacteria: difference, characters
7. plants: parthenocarpy (Papaya); hormone functions
(given on
8. zoology: difference in amphibian, reptile, marine,
birds and mammals (given on 539 onwards)
9. blood: function of RBC, WBC, platelet + their
disease; bloodgroup, rh-factor, paternity
10. digestion: function of liver, gall bladder, intestine,
stomach, saliva, pancreas; enzymes and their effects
11. human hormone: function + disease (give on page
554 onwards)
12. heart (normal rates of BP, artery vs vein) , lung,
kidney : basic function and diseases
13. vitamins and nutrients: function + disease (pg. 560
onwards)
14. various disease and who causes them (virus, bacteria,
protozoa, fungi etc) and whether theyre
communicable or not + vaccines*
*for more on disease etc. go through my public health articles
1. [Public Health] Current Affairs 2012-13: Government schemes, Policies, Yearbook stuff
(Part 1 of 3)
2. [Public Health] Current Affairs 2012-13: Diseases, Drugs and Research (Part 2 of 3)
3. [Public Health] Current Affairs 2012-13: Mock Questions (Part 3 of 3)
Observe the following questions from ACIO 2012 paper to gauge what type of
information you should focus during study:
physics
1. At which point of Earth there is no
gravity?
a. At North and South Pole
b. At equator
c. On the ocean surface
d. At centre of the Earth
2. A Theodolite is used for measuring
a. oceanic temperature variation
b. celestial distances
c. river water flow
d. angles in horizontal and
vertical planes.
Chemistry
1. What is the main
Chemical component of
Vinegar?
a. Acetic acid
b. Citric Acid
c. Tartaric acid
d. Nitric acid
2. German Silver is an
alloy of?
a. Copper, Zinc and
Nickel.
b. Silver, Copper
and Carbon
c. Silver, Zinc and
Aluminium
d. Aluminum, Zinc
and Cobalt
3. Which of the following substances is most
commonly used for cloud seeding (artificial
rains)?
a. Magnesium hydroxide
b. Potassium Chloride
c. Silver iodide
d. Zinc Sulphate
4. The gases used in normal welding process are
a. Oxygen and Hydrogen
b. Oxygen, Hydrogen and Acetylene
c. Acetylene and Nitrogen
d. Oxygen and Acetylene
Biology / Botany / Agriculture
human related plant related
1. Which is the only internal organ of
human body capable of regenerating
its lost tissues?
a. Lungs
b. Kidney
c. Liver
d. Brain
2. Which of the following is the basic
structural and functional unit of a
kidney?
a. Lymphocyte
4. What is meant by Sulphur
Shower?
a. Sulphuric acid rain due to
air pollution
b. Shower of yellow pollen
from conifers in spring
c. An industrial process to
treat porcelain with
Sulphuric acid
d. Release of hydrogen
sulphide from industries
5. Which gas is released from
paddy fields?
b. Nephron
c. Lobule
d. Neuron
3. Alteration of consciousness during
deep sea diving is known as
a. Raptures of the deep
b. Martini Effect
c. Nitrogen Narcosis
d. All the three
a. Carbon dioxide
b. Methane
c. Ammonia
d. Hydrogen Sulphide
6. Which of these is not a
micronutrient essential for plant
growth and health?
a. Manganese
b. Iodine
c. Boron
d. Zinc
Science (Current Affairs)
Current affairs related to science=also known as Science & Tech- be it space, IT,
electronics, nano-tech, bio-tech, noble prizes, physics, medicine etc. lot of coverage
given on mrunal.org/snt
Youll also find such topics regularly in magazines and newspapers.
Observe the following questions from ACIO 2012 paper to gauge what type of
information you should focus during study:
1. Why was CERN, the largest particle physic laboratory located near Geneva in
news recently?
i. For discovery of Neutrino, a new subatomic particle
ii. For discovering Higgs Boson, a new subatomic particle.
iii. Because of differences among the member nations over finance liabilities.
iv. Major breakdown in the laboratory
2. What is the present permissible power density value for mobile towers operating
at 1800 MHz?
i. 4.5 watt/metre
ii. 9 watt/metre
iii. 13.5 watt/metre
iv. 18 watt/metre
Space/ISRO/NASA
Space-technology related compilation for 2012 upto March 2013, already given on
following on following page
mrunal.org/2013/04/space-tech-current-affairs-compilation-2012-13-for-ssc-cgl-
upsc-csat
Copy paste it in MS Word and keep updating it with latest developments from
newspapers-magazines, and revise.
Observe the following questions from ACIO 2012 paper to gauge what type of
information you should focus during study:
1. Where did NASAs land
rover Curiosity landed on
Mars on August 5/6,
2012?
i. Sea of Tranquility
ii. Gale Crater
iii. Fast Mountain
iv. Rover Desert
2. Indias Mars Orbiter Mission is likely to be
launched in November 2013. What kind of
rocket will be used by ISRO for this mission.
i. Geo Synchronous Launch Vehicle
(GSLV)
ii. Agni III
iii. Extended Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle
iv. SLY III
Defense
Defense related compilation for 2012 upto March 2013, already given on following
on following page
mrunal.org/2013/03/defense-current-affairs-compilation-2012-13-missiles-joint-
exercises-operations-organizations
Copy paste it in MS Word and keep updating it with latest developments from
newspapers-magazines, and revise.
Observe the following questions from ACIO 2012 paper to gauge what type of
information you should focus during study:
1. Indias DRDO has developed a
pilotless target aircraft. What is
its name?
i. Tejas
ii. Nag
iii. Agni III
iv. Lakshya 2
2. Which of the following is not
matched correctly?
i. US CIA
ii. UK MI 6
iii. France Mossad
iv. India R&AW
3. What is the name of Indias first
indigenously developed nuclear
submarine?
i. INS Sindhughosh
ii. K 15
iii. INS Arihant
iv. INS Vikramditya
Environment
Given the depth of environment related questions asked in 2012, NCERTs will be
more than sufficient. (Meaning NIOS studymaterial for environment-biodiversity= not
a high priority thing.)
List of NCERT chapters to be studied (free download @bottom)
class subject chapters
6 geography 8
7
geo. 1 to 6
science 7, 16 to 18
8
geo. 8
sci. 7 and 18
9
geo 5
science 14
10
Geo. 2
sci. 14 to 16
11
geo(Physical) 15 and 16
geo (India) 4 and 5
economy 9 (Sustainable development)
12
Biology 13 to 16
chemistry 14
+ prepare the list of famous wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, biodiversity hotspots
(from Indian Geography point of view). Observe the following questions from ACIO
2012 paper to gauge what type of information you should focus during study:
1. What is the significance of Ozone
layer in atmosphere?
a. It maintains the cycle of
seasons
b. It causes timely arrival of
Monsoon
c. It filers the ultraviolet rays
of the sun
d. It prevents the global
warming
2. Which of the following is not a
greenhouse gas(GHG)?
a. Oxygen
b. Carbon dioxide
c. Water vapour
d. Methane
^yes only two question, but still cost: benefit of preparing environment is quite good.
(Compared to the amount of random data youve to mugup to get 2 correct answers in
Person in News (PIN)/Misc.GK MCQs)
Polity
I assume you already have Indian Polity by M.Laxmikanth, use
it. Then polity = piece of cake.
If youre not preparing for any exam except ACIO and dont
want to invest in Laxmikanth then go with Lucents GK +
NIOS Polity material. (NIOS material download given
@bottom)
Union vs State topics
Study parallel-topics of Union vs. State for example
1. Prez, VP then immediately State governor
2. PM then immediately CM
3. Parliament (+budget making) vs State assembly
(+Panchayati Raj)
4. SC vs HC
5. Attorney Gen =>Advocate General
6. UPSC =>State PSC
7. The list (union-state-concurrent)
8. and so on
^That way youll remember details without mixing up answers.
Basics of Constitution
Making of constitution, Preamble, Funda.rights/duties, DPSP, amendment, which
feature was borrowed from which country and so on.
Bodies
Do various bodies at once e.g. planning comm, NDC, NCW, National commissions
for SC, ST, backward classes and so on. Since ACIO is GK type exam, you should
focus on info such as how many members in each body, what is their age limit/ can
they be reappointed, who selects them, who are the current chairman of such
bodies (for PIN question)
Observe the questions asked in ACIO-2012 paper:
1. Who was the
Chairman of
Drafting
Committee of
Indian
Constitution?
a. Dr Rajendra
Prasad
b. K M Munsi
c. N G S
Ayanger
d. B R
Ambedkar
2. What is the
Quorum laid down
to constitute a
meeting of either
of the Houses of
Parliament?
a. one-tenth of
the total
number of
members of
that House
b. one-fourth
of the total
number of
members of
that House
c. one-fifth of
the total
number of
members of
that House
d. one-half of
the total
number of
members of
that House
3. Who has the
authority to call a
joint session of the
two Houses of
Parliament?
a. Prime
Minister
b. President
c. Speaker of
Lok Sabha
d. Chairman of
4. In which session of the year, President addresses
both the Houses of Parliament?
a. First session (Budget)
b. Second session (Monsoon)
c. Third session (winter)
d. none of the above
5. Which of the following States do not have
bicameral legislature?
a. Bihar
b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Madhya Pradesh
d. Maharashtra
6. What fraction of Legislative Council Members are
nominated by Governor on the advice of Cabinet
from amongst those having excelled in the fields of
science ,arts, literature, cooperative movement or
social science?
a. 1/3
b. 1/6
c. 1/12
d. 1/4
Rajya Sabha
^6 questions but all of them can be solved effortlessly, IF you revise polity often.
Hence polity=No excuse topic.
Geography
Subtopic Content
# of Qs in ACIO
2012
Indian Topics related to India (e.g. industry, drainage etc.) 6
World
longest/largest lakes-rivers, mountains, famous cities,
country-capital etc.
3
Physical Universe, earth, atmosphere, weather, climate etc. 2
Indian Geography
If you look @2012s paper, its just GK stuff about state borders, river-tributaries and
hill stations. Always check the map simultaneously whenever you come across any
location based info- If you try to mugup the list of states from which Ganga river
passes=It wont go in long term memory, unless you see the course of river in the map
of India.
Source:
1. NCERT textbooks (There is plenty of GK lying around in them + it contains lot
of maps, photos = easier to remember things.) Free download @Bottom
2. India 2011: last chapter on States and union territories (free download
@bottom).
3. Lucents GK or any other book or General Studies manual for filling up the
missing GK details from NCERT. e.g. hill stations, list of tiger sanctuaries etc.
(if youve general studies manual- that is also fine.)
Indian Geography-Minimum topics
Minimum topics dont assure success, they only assure that if you fail- youll not be
very far away from the cutoffs.
1. Mountain:
1. Which states do they cover (e.g Khasi-Garo-Jantia hills)
2. highest peaks
3. Mountain passes (Nathu-la etc.)
4. Which of them are young mountain/fold mountain etc.?
2. rivers
1. Where do they start?
2. Which states do they cover?
3. In which sea do they end?
4. list of their tributaries
5. Any water fall?
6. Any dams? If yes then which states get benefit from it?
7. Any national inland waterway on them?
3. States
1. Administrative
i. CENSUS-2011 related GK (highest-lowest in literacy, sex ratio
etc.) use Google for this. + State with maximum ST population in
absolute numbers and in percentages. etc.
ii. state capitals (especially for North East); where is state high court;
in case of UT/islands which HC has jurisdiction (under polity)
iii. do they come under 5
th
or 6
th
schedule (under polity)
iv. CM of North Eastern states (under Person in News)
2. border: with neighboring states and countries; state with largest area,
longest coastline, max no. of district
3. agro
i. soil-crop-cropping seasons (use the NCERT zipfile for Agriculture
given @bottom)
4. Trade and Transport
i. mines/minerals (only the very prominent names. dont go in all
details)
ii. famous industrial / handicraft cities
iii. towns of export excellence (especially those recently added)
iv. If it is a costal state: name of major ports?
v. Any famous airport?
vi. National highway: shortest and longest
5. culture
i. Any important fairs / cultural events-dances/festivals?
ii. Famous tourist places hill stations, temples, monuments, mosques,
minar, caves etc?
iii. Any sites included in UNESCO world heritage list? (use google)
6. environment
i. Any biodiversity hotspot?
ii. Any famous wildlife parks / sanctuaries?
iii. Any rare species found?
iv. Any place famous for migratory birds?
Observe The Questions from 2012s paper:
1. In which of the following states is the
construction site of proposed Tipaimukh
dam located?
1. Mizoram
4. Which of the followings
not a hill station in South
India?
1. Ooty
2. Kodaikanal
2. Assam
3. Manipur
4. Nagaland
2. The capitals of Manipur , Mizoram and
Arunachal Pradesh respectively are
1. Imphal, Aizawl and Itanagar
2. Itanagar , Aizawl and Imphal
3. Kohima, Shillong and Agartala
4. Imphal, Itanagar and Aizawl
3. Which of the following is not a tributary of
Krishna river?
1. Tungbhadra
2. Bhima
3. Koyna
4. Godavari
3. Munnar
4. Coimbatore
5. Which of the following
states shares border with
China?
1. West Bengal
2. Himachal Pradesh
3. Nagalnd
4. Uttar Pradesh
6. Which of the following is
not a land locked state?
1. Bihar
2. Chhattisgarh
3. Mizoram
4. Orissa
World Geography- Minimum list
1. Mountain range in each continent and highest peak
2. longest, largest rivers: countries covered by them
3. fresh water lakes; water falls : countries they belong to (just top 3-5 names)
4. cold and hot deserts of the world: countries covered by them
5. landlocked countries in Europe and Asia
6. Location of famous grassland (Veld, Prairies, Pampas etc.), tribes (Pigmy,
Masai etc.) and winds.
7. famous borders (e.g. Durand line, 38
th
parallel etc)
8. Capitals of Middle East, European and South East Asian countries
9. famous cities-their nick names/specialty; on which river theyre located
10. famous monuments / heritage sites (Angkor Wat, Machu Pichu etc)
11. famous strait and which sea do they join (e.g Palk, Berring, Gibralter etc)
12. Places in current affairs: South China sea, Gwadar port, Senkaku/Diaoyu island
etc. Dont do Ph.D on any topic, just bare minimum coverage from basic-GK.
For example Gwadar port=in Pakistan and China giving money for its
development. Thats all.
Observe the World geography questions from ACIO-2012 paper
1. Where is Titicaca, the highest
lake in the world, located?
a. Russia and Central Asian
countries
b. US and Canada border
c. South Africa
3. What is Wakhan Corridor?
a. North Eastern extremity of
Afghanistan
b. Part of the border between India
d. Peru and Bolivia border
2. In which country is the Great
Victoria Desert located?
a. Namibia
b. Argentina
c. Mongolia
d. Australia
and China in Ladakh region
c. A passage between Iran and
Afghanistan
d. Narrow strip joining Bangladesh
with Myanmar
Physical Geography
In 2012- just two questions were asked but still in terms of cost: benefit,
physical geography is still quite good. (Compared to the amount of random-data
youve to mugup for two PIN or two Business GK questions).
Confine your prep only to NCERTs, free download @bottom
In other GK books or magazines, they explain physical geography without
showing any diagram/chart=very difficult to memorize.
Minimum topics for physical geography
1. Universe: basics of planets-their moons, asteroid, comet, stars etc. (just do
highschool level coverage, dont put lot of time here on individual planet)
2. layers of atmosphere: their sequence, uses (Ionosphere, stratosphere etc)
3. layers of earth-core, SIAL, SIMA, discontinuity
4. main terms associated with volcanos and earthquakes
5. longitude, latitude, timezone, coriolls effect
6. climate: how altitude, distance from sea affect temp.; axis-tilt-seasons-day n
night; albedo, ozone, aurora
7. types of soils and rocks- what crops/minerals do they have
Observe the questions asked in 2012:
1. Which of the following is not
caused by movement of tectonic
plates?
a. Earthquakes
b. Volcanic eruptions
c. Ocean current
d. Oceanic trench formation
2. Which of the following is not a
gaseous planet in the Solar
system?
a. Jupiter
b. Saturn
c. Venus
d. Neptune
Economy
Economy: From 2012s paper, we can see theyre only interested in number based
current affairs on Economy, noting about theory/concepts/definitions. (Observe the
questions asked below). Some of the number based current affairs has been covered
in my economic survey articles. But by and large I avoid touching absolute numbers
while writing about economy. Therefore mrunal.org/economy is not much useful for
ACIO type MCQs. You may ignore NCERT, NIOS and Ramesh Singh for the same
reason.
For such number based current affairs of Economy, consult competitive-magazines,
newspaper.
Business GK means various companies, their product launches, merger-acquisitions,
owners/CEO/MD, HQ of MNCs etc. For example nowadays Jet-Etihad deal is in news,
so who is the chief of Jet Airway (or reverse: Naresh Goyal is chairman of which
airline? Etihad is from which country? What is the FDI limit in Aviation?)
For this consult, Competitionmaster.com (in his monthly update, he provides a special
box on business GK). For example see the June release click me
Indian Economy Business-GK
1. SEBI has decided to introduce
Basic Services Demat Account
(BSDA), what is the maximum
value of securities in a BSDA at
any point of time?
A. Rs 5 lakh
B. Rs 4 lakh
C. Rs 3 lakh
D. Rs 2 lakh
2. In the last one decade, which
among the following sectors has
attracted the highest foreign direct
investment inflows into India?
A. Computer hardware and
software
B. Services sector
C. Automobile sector
D. Telecommunication
3. What is the estimated size of
Indian economy for 2012-11
(GDP in US Dollars).
A. one trillion
B. two trillion
C. three trillion
D. four trillion
1. Which of the following companies
is posing a stiff competition to
Swedens Ericsson to become the
worlds largest telecom equipment
manufacturer?
A. Samsung
B. Huawei
C. Nokia
D. Panasonic
2. Which business house has promoted
Essar group of companies?
A. Ruias
B. Ambanis
C. Goenkas
D. Kanorias
3. In which country is the headquarters
of Nestle Company located?
A. Sweden
B. Switzerland
C. Germany
D. Netherlands
4. Which family owns the Hero group
4. What percentage of Indias GDP in
2011-12 was contributed by
Agriculture and allied sectors.
A. 20%
B. 14%
C. 54%
D. 34%
5. What was Indias crude import bill
(in US Dollars) in 2011.12 and its
percentile share to total imports?
A. $150 billion, 32%
B. $56 billion, 26%
C. $475 billions, 80%
D. $250 billion,51%
of Companies in India?
A. Hindujas
B. Firodias
C. Munjals
D. Mansingh
5. Which mobile operating system
today has the largest share in global
smartphone market?
A. Android OS
B. BlackBerry OS
C. Apple iOS
D. Nokia OS
International Affairs/events
Whether it is CDS, CAPF or ACIO, they do ask a few questions on international
affairs/events.
Goto library, read whatever competitive magazine you get (CST, Pratiyogita,
Chronicle, Wizard) and note down important names/details (all such magazines
have something called International diary of events or World this month etc.
giving the details of international events) -focus should be on places in news and
persons in news
Important: When you maintain a note, dont write anything that can be
remembered as such. For example, Julian Assange is the founder of wikileaks=
this can be remembered even without keeping a note.
Observe the questions from 2012s paper:
Current Static
1. Which of the following countries in the Middle
East is facing a civil war between the
Government forces and rebel insurgents?
a. Syria
b. Egypt
c. Tunisia
d. Jordon
2. In which country, there has been a spate of
insider killing in which NATO soldiers have
been killed by their comrades in local police
and Army?
a. Pakistan
1. In which city is the
headquarters of World
Trade Organisation
(WTO) located?
a. New York
b. Geneva
c. Rome
d. Paris
2. Which countrys lower
b. Iraq
c. Afghanistan
d. Iran
3. Which country announced in August 2012 its
decision to grant political asylum to the
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
a. Great Britain
b. China
c. Ecuador
d. Belgium
house of Parliament is
known as Wolesi Jirga?
a. Afghanistan
b. Bangladesh
c. Pakistan
d. Iran
Misc.GK/PIN/Awards/sports
Can be further classified into
static current
1. location of various
national institutes;
regional HQ of Army,
airforce, Railways etc.
2. Various days (e.g.
AIDS day, Environment
Day etc.)
3. Abbreviations and full
forms
4. First Speaker, First
finance ministry, First
CJI, First Army chief etc.
5. Old
autobiography/famous
books of some author
that was written years
ago.
1. Awards (Magsaysay, Nobel, Pravasi Bharatiya
etc)
2. books-authors
a. winners of Booker, Pulitzer
b. including Indian authors if their book
shortlisted for Booker
3. Persons in news (PIN): Foreign Prez/PM;
chief guest of 26
th
Jan. Parade, Indian
diaspora especially in USA, chiefs of army-
navy-airforce, supreme court, various national
bodies etc.
cost: benefit is not very good,
very few questions come from
here. Anyways, youll find the
data in Lucents GK book.
strategy given below
Ive published Person in News compilation from 2012 to March 2013 click me
Copy paste it in MS Word file
Goto library, read whatever competitive magazine you get (CST, Pratiyoigta,
Chronicle, Wizard) and note down important names/details. You can also use list
given by competitionmaster.com for example click me for June 2013
Observe the questions asked in ACIO 2012s paper:
institutes days
Where are Centre for Cellular and Molecular
Biology, Indira Gandhi Centre Atomic Research
and Vikram Sarabhai Space Research Centre
respectively located?
i. Hyderabad, Tarapur and Sriharikota
ii. chennai, Tarapur and Thiruvanantpuram
iii. Hyderabad , Kalpakkam and
Thiruvanantpuram
iv. Chennai, Tarapur and Sriharikota
How do you observe every year the
first Monday of October?
i. Environment Day
ii. World Habitat Day
iii. World Diabetes Day
iv. UNO Day
Abbreviations PIN
What does NSAB stand for in Indian context?
i. National Society for Animal Breeders
i. National Support Activity for Bhutan
ii. National Spiritual Assembly of Buddhists
iii. National Security Advisory Board
Mohammed Morsi, Fracois
Hollande and Bashar al-Assad are
the current Presidents respectively
of which countries?
i. Jordon, Germany and Syria
i. Egypt, Canada and Iraq
ii. Qatar, France and Lebanon
iii. Egypt, France and Syria
Sports
Can be classified into
static current
1. Who started Modern-
olympics, how many
rings, what colors, how
many games etc.
2. various terms associated
with individual sport
3. for team based sports: no.
of players in each team,
length and width of
1. grand slams- who defeated whom
2. Cricket: world cup, t-20, under-19 and
womens world cups: who defeated whom in
the final match and where was it hosted?;
ICC cricketer of the year
3. Athletics: venues, mascots, winners for
a. Olympics (Summer and winter)
b. National games
c. Asiad
d. Commonwealth
4. Hockey, Boxing, shooting, wrestling,
Badminton, Billiard, Golf, football and
chess: main tournament and who won + if
ground, time limits etc any Indian participated.
5. awards: Rajiv Gandhi khel ratna,
Dronacharya, Arjun; ICC cricketer of the
year; golden boot for football etc.
Cost: benefit not very good. need to prepare.
So, how to prepare the current affairs on sports?
Goto library, read whatever competitive magazine you get (CST, Pratiyoigta,
Chronicle, Wizard) and note down important names/details
competitionmaster.com also provides comprehensive sports coverage separately
for every month. for example click me for June 2013
but keep in mind that all such magazines/websites provide too many details/ball
by ball commentary you just need to maintain a brief MS word file containing
important events/names/awards/mascots/venues only. otherwise itll become
very difficult to revise entire content from original source on the night before
the exam.
Observe the questions from ACIO 2012 paper:
1. In London Olympic Games 2012,
which country won the highest
number of medals?
A. Great Britain
B. China
C. Republic of Korea
D. United States of America
2. Who won the Gold Medal in 100
metres race in London Olympics
2012.
A. Justin Gatlin
B. Yohan Blake
C. Tyson Gay
D. Usain Bolt
3. Who have been selected for Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2012?
A. Rajyabardhan Singh Rathor
(Shooting) and Baichung
Bhuti (Football)
B. Gagan Naran (Shooting)
and Saina Nehwa
(Badminton)
C. Vijay K (shooting) and
Yogeshwar Dutt
(Wrestling)
D. Mary Kom (Boxing) and
Vishwanatha Anand (Chess)
4. Wimbledon Tournament is
associated with which game?
A. Football
B. Golf
C. Tennis
D. Badminton
Maths Reasoning English Essay
Already covered under separate article:
http://mrunal.org/2013/08/studyplan-acio-aptitude-maths-reasoning-and-english-
essay-for-assistant-central-intelligence-officer-acio-exam.html
Note: Your interviewers read your essay before/during your interview. A good essay
will give them a good impression about u even before u enter the room.
ACIO Job-Profile
Im copy pasting this, based on the inputs by Mr.Deepak, an ACIO himself.
<start of copy paste>
In a way, job satisfying. Pay is ok, work is ok, frustrating at times, but still manageable.
Not much social life, real life Tiger has no time for Katrina. He is not Ek THA but
Ek HI Tiger. Work environment is not what you expect from an intelligence
organization. It is as inefficient as any sarkari office, if not more. But still it is
successful ONLY because of max 10% dedicated officers at lower level (ACIO) and
higher level (IPS). Patriotism is slightly less than Army, but 100 times more than
(State)Police. Zero tolerance towards terrorism. Youll learn that when you join. As
of now, (I have) no plans to leave but I dont see myself continuing more than 3yrs (in
this job). My intention is to give as much info to the ACIO aspirants, as I am legally
allowed to, so that
1. They can come in mentally prepared and know what to expect from this job.
2. They know their rights and strengths. (Regarding leaving job, getting No
Objection Certificates (NOC) to write other exams etc.) Because no one will
tell them these later on. I do this because no one gave me this info when I joined
and I faced difficulties.
3. Im not discouraging anyone from joining. Im trying to give people an idea of
what lies ahead so that they are not overwhelmed later. If some guy who lives in a
fantasy of johnny depps and james bonds cant digest it, not my problem. I have
seen people coming in with high expectations only to end up disappointed.
(Therefore Im providing) both positives and negatives. Although, I admit,
negatives seem more in number.
4. After posting, youll have ample free time, but in a difficult situation, it is
difficult to enter in a studious mindset. But serious candidates will clear UPSC
even in such situations. I have given the (following) picture from an average
candidates viewpoint.
ACIO Training
Initial training (phase 1)
Your initial training in Shivpuri will be mostly physical. Running for 1.5 KMS in
the morning, followed by 2 hours of exercise. Then classes-totally useless 5th
standard stuff taught. Utterly useless. Again, exercise in the evening and bed by
10.30PM. This is for 2 months in Shivpuri. Salary in hand (during training):
20,000/- to 25000/-.
Good news is, most of your salary will stay in your bank account as you will not
have to spend on anything except food (mess fees- 5 thousand per month).
Save this money, it will be useful if you want to pay the bond amount and leave in
the first few months of job posting. You will more or less enjoy this period of
training and make good friends. For UPSC candidates, bad news. NO TIME TO
STUDY AT ALL! NOT EVEN 30 minutes per day!
Trainees get holidays to write other exams (Ex:UPSC mains) during the training
period if they give a written request. This will be good news to those who have
training during 2013 mains.
Second training (phase 2)
Second training in Delhi. Theory classes from morning till evening. NO
PHYSICAL TRAINING. Some lectures by IPS officers are worth listening to,
rest are crap.
You will be allowed to roam around in Delhi in the evening. This is for 2 months
also. UPSC candidates, here also, no time to study.
Salary in hand: same as in shivpuri( 20 25 thousand). you will enjoy this period
of training too, have fun with friends you have made in Shivpuri. But sadly, you
will not have any more fun in IB for 3 MORE YEARS.
First Job Posting
now getting to the SERIOUS STAGE. This stage will teach you a lot about yourself.
You will go through some seriously tough circumstances. Enough build-up, here it is-
FIRST JOB POSTING: 99% border area, (kashmir or northEast)
(Although) I found out that from recent years (2009 perhaps) ACIO recruits
need not compulsorily undergo border posting after joining. Lucky buggers.
They are safe in mainland India, and will have a work atmosphere of a typical
sarkari office. So that depressing and scary picture i gave is nothing to worry
about now. But they will have to serve in the border at SOME TIME in their
career. Border posting wont be too big a problem for an acio with 3 4 years
service unlike a fresh ACIO recruit. having said this, a very small portion of new
recruits are posted in the border for a year or so.
women candidates are treated with slight leniency during posting. They may
choose NOT to serve in the border initially. Boys, sorry about that.
Superiors are arrogant, subordinates are kaam-chors. You will be given
accommodation in police quarters. There is danger at work, but nothing to be
scared of as long as you dont do anything STUPID.
You will have to go and collect info from people whenever your superior
(DCIO) asks you to. He might make your life difficult. You WILL be very
lonely. You will have no friends to help you, no one to care about you. No one
will teach you how to collect info. you will have to learn on your own. You will
feel that your work is useless. You will have ZERO power. Even police constable
will have 10 times more power than you. Aap bas naam ke hi OFFICER
honge. You will be not be given ANY important work. you will feel useless No
desh seva and all.
But good thing is, No one will punish you if you are unable to collect info.
You WILL be yelled at by your superior, but he CANNOT do anything more.
DONT DO ANYTHING STUPID THERE. YOU MAY DIE. The police and army
people will know who you are (IB guy) and they WILL NOT cooperate with you.
You will go through hell. Most of the time, you will not know what to do.
On the bright side, you will not have too much work. You will have time to
study. But most probably, you will be so depressed that you WILL NOT be able
to study. This will go on for 3 years. 80 90 % of people pay the bond amount
(60,000 rupees) and quit before the first year, Good thing is, IB will not create
problems if you want to leave. you can even quit one month after your job
posting if you find it difficult. No one can stop you from leaving your job, so
dont worry. Just keep the bond amount (60,000/-) ready.
Also, NOC certificate to write other exams will be given without much problem.
you will have to write a letter to your boss. He will have to compulsorily give
permission within 15 days. but permission will be given only if the job you are
applying for is of higher pay grade than ACIO-II
If you survive the 3 years IN HELL, you will be given the actual IB training.
James Bond ishtyle!! Your job will 90% be in your home state. You will do
ACTUAL IB work. chasing terrorists, keeping country safe and things like that.
You can take your spouse with you during posting, except Kashmir. Spouses
might not be allowed there. Enquire during training to be fully sure.
ACIO medial / physical standards
We have guys who wear glasses. So if your vision can be corrected by wearing
glasses, that must not be a problem. Youre fine. relax.
I have seen candidates worrying about things, even little things, and it is
understandable. I will say something to clear the doubts of all those people- its
not army or air force. It is IB, a police job. medical aur baaki sab test bas
naam ke hi hain.
(When you get selected) your offer letter will have info in detail. But if you hav
a serious condition like asthma, heart problem or low/high BP etc. Get test done
PROPERLY and tell IB about it when they ask u. Because during posting in
border area, medical help may not be readily available.
(Some more info from other sources)
1. IB men usually dont carry guns (unless on deputation in CRPF, SPG etc.)
2. IB men cannot arrest people by themselves.
3. IB men cannot tell everyone that I work in IB.
4. In Tier-III city you get more than 35000 Salary per month as an ACIO-II.
Promotion
ACIO II => ACIO I =>DCIO (Gazetted officer) => Additional Director of IB
=> Joint Deputy director of IB.
In the span of around 8-14 years, youll be a DCIO. (different sources tell
different number about how many years it takes to get DCIO promotion.)
DCIO= Pay Band-3 of Rs.15600-39100 with Grade Pay of Rs.5400/- (=salary
roughly the same as Junior scale IAS.)
Although vacancies are low as you move up in the hierarchy, so not everyone
gets every promotion. Most people retire at the DCIO or Additional Direct level.
Deputation
You can also get deputed to CRPF, SPG, RAW, Airport protection but youve to
pass departmental exams.
You may even get opportunity to work in foreign country.
end of copy paste
Computer certificate
This year IBPS PO/MT first said computer certificate necessary but then they
reverted the notification so for IBPS, the computer certificate is no longer
necessary.
Although ACIO notification says Knowledge of computers is desirable
qualification. (Sometimes in PSU recruitments, they say the same.)
For some State PCS exam, computer certificate is compulsory (e.g. Gujarat).
So as a tool of career-backup/precaution, you should get a computer-certificate.
(Unless youre a computer engineer).
You may be proficient in computers as such (without any degree), but that
doesnt hold any value in government recruitment, unless youve a fancy paper
certificate as proof.
Question is where to get the certificate that is both cheap and legit?
CCC (Course on computer concepts) by National Institute of Electronics
and Information Technology (NIELIT earlier known as DOEACC) it is
an autonomous body under Ministry of communication and IT, hence the
certificate is legit for all government exams. (exam fees around Rs.360)
They take exam every month, just an easy MCQs test about computer hardware,
software, MS office and windows. For more details refer to
http://nielit.in/education/faq/ccc.htm
^please dont take this lightly thik hai, Ill see It later after ACIO exam is over.
Because when ACIO is over, some new exam will come and youll get busy with that. It
will only hurt you when you cannot appear for xyz exam or get less profile score
than others only because you dont have the certificate. So these things need to be
done parallel. (Same goes the for various distance education /PG programs of IGNOU:
sooner you enroll =better)
Epilogue
Epilogue/summary/unwanted advice/whatever Ill repeat the same tape-recorder
1. In the daytime=read for general awareness, in the night after dinner=practice
aptitude. Because after dinner, body starts feeling sleepy and brain starts losing
concentration. But if youre moving your hand (by writing the Maths/reasoning
sums)=>then brain has to concentrate.
2. Revision is essential for General awareness. Whatever you read keep a target
of revising it multiple times. Otherwise, you wont be able to recall the exact
details in the exam.
3. Dont waste time in day-dreaming, facebook, orkut, random net surfing,
chatting, TV, cricket, weddings of distant relatives/college batch mates
etc. Time-pass activities will always be there, but once you cross the age-limit,
there is no restart button. (This rule applies to all competitive exams.)
4. Avoid Piecemeal preparation e.g. ACIO-exam is over so now Im in vacation
mood, Ill resume preparation only if I get interview call OR if some new job-
notification comes=Bad Idea. Current affairs preparation must be continued even
after the exam is over and keep doing it until youre selected for this exam (or
whatever other dream job youre planning for).
and thanks Mr.csl80 and Mr.Chandradeo for their inputs about the exam, previous
paper and trends.
Appendix: Download material for ACIO
1. ACIO Previous Years Question paper 2012: click me
NCERT Downloads
Go to following link: https://files.secureserver.net/0fHCh0CLd6Az63
youll find the material organized in various folders. Click on individual folder and
download zip files. Here is the description about the contents of individual folder:
Folder Comment
History
NCERT History=not much useful for ACIO because it doesnt contain
consolidated GK.+NIOS Culture material= should be used.
Science
Contains class 7 to 10 NCERT Science in three zips: physics,
chemistry, biology.+NIOS Science material. (although there will be lot
of overlapping so you may avoid if youre running out of time.)
Contains selective chapters from class 6 to 12 from science and
EnB geography textbooks that are relevant for Environment and
biodiversity.+NIOS material for environment and biodiversity EnB. (you
may avoid this)
Economy
Not much usefull for ACIO (becase we saw that in 2012 they only asked
current affairs).Contains NCERT class 11 + NCERT 12 Macro
economics+NIOS economy material.
Geography
Important for ACIO. Contains NCERT class 6 to 12 in five zip folders:
physical, India, World, Agro and glossary.+NIOS material on geography
(although lot of overlapping so you may avoid NIOS)
India yearbook
Earlier government used to upload free PDF files for India yearbook (e.g. India
2010, India 2011 etc.)
But for the Review Officer prelims, you should prepare a few static topics for it,
from MCQ point of view. so, just download the India 2011 edition click me
And read chapter following chapters
30. State and UT (for geography related GK stuff)
then if time permits, also read chapter
1.Land and the People (for GK)
2.National Symbols (for GK)
3.The Polity (for polity)
20 Justice and Law (for polity segment)
URL to article: http://mrunal.org/2013/08/studyplan-acio-general-awareness-
history-geography-science-current-affairs-preparation-previous-paper-for-
assistant-central-intelligence-officer-acio-exam.html
Posted By Mrunal On 07/08/2013 @ 23:35 In the category ACIO Intelligence Officer