IB Security Assistant Motor Transport Exam Pattern 2026

The IB Security Assistant Motor Transport exam pattern decides how the Intelligence Bureau selects drivers for its Subsidiary Intelligence Bureaux (SIBs) across India. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) runs the recruitment, and selection happens in two tiers: an online objective test of 100 marks, followed by a Motor Mechanism and Driving Test cum Interview of 50 marks. Your final rank depends on your combined score in both.

This page follows the Security Assistant (Motor Transport) Examination 2025 notification, the latest one released, which was for 455 posts. That cycle ended with the final result on 4 May 2026, and the next notification has not been released yet. Below you will find section-wise marks, the negative marking rule, Tier-II details, how the final merit is worked out and a time plan for the online test.

Table of Contents

IB SA MT Exam Pattern at a Glance

The recruitment has two scored stages, followed by document verification and a medical examination. The table below shows how each stage works and whether it counts towards your rank.

Here are the key rules in one place, as per the 2025 notification:

Tier-I Exam Pattern: Online Objective Test

Tier-I is a computer-based test with 100 multiple-choice questions. All five sections carry equal weight, and the notification gives one composite duration of 60 minutes for the whole paper. There is no separate time limit for each section, so you decide how to split your time.

What Each Section Tests

• General Awareness: Current events, static GK, Indian polity, history, geography and everyday science. Questions are usually short and fact-based.

• Basic Transport/Driving Rules: The section that makes this exam different. Expect traffic signs and signals, road markings, rules of the road, right of way, speed and overtaking rules, vehicle documents and road safety.

• Quantitative Aptitude: Arithmetic at the Class 10 level, such as percentages, ratio, averages, profit and loss, interest, time and work, and speed and distance.

• Reasoning: Series, analogies, classification, coding-decoding, directions, blood relations and simple puzzles.

• English Language: Grammar, vocabulary, error spotting, fill in the blanks and short reading passages.

Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

Every question in Tier-I carries 1 mark. A wrong answer costs you a quarter of a mark, and a question you leave blank costs nothing.

For example, if you attempt 72 questions and get 62 right and 10 wrong, your score is 62 minus 2.5, which is 59.5 out of 100.

What This Means for You

• Every section is worth the same: Driving Rules carries as many marks as Quantitative Aptitude. If you already drive regularly, this section can give you quick, high-accuracy marks, so do not neglect it.

• Four wrong answers cancel one right answer: A blind guess between four options is close to break-even, so it adds risk without much reward. Once you can rule out one or two options, the odds turn in your favour.

• You have about 36 seconds per question: Sixty minutes for 100 questions leaves no room to get stuck. Skip long calculations on the first pass and return to them later.

• The minimum mark is not your target: Clearing the minimum only keeps you in the race. The actual score needed to reach Tier-II is usually higher, as the next section explains.

Tier-I Minimum Qualifying Marks

The 2025 notification fixed category-wise minimum marks in Tier-I. Candidates below these marks are not considered further, whatever the number of vacancies.

Clearing the minimum marks is only the first filter. Candidates are then called to Tier-II in merit order, at about 10 times the number of vacancies. Because vacancies are fixed for each SIB and category, the score that takes you to Tier-II can differ from one SIB to another and is usually well above the minimum.

Tier-II: Motor Mechanism and Driving Test cum Interview

Tier-II carries 50 marks, and you need at least 20 marks (40%) to qualify. As per the notification, candidates drive a motor vehicle as instructed. The board also checks your practical knowledge of the vehicle, your ability to remove minor defects or snags, and how well you understand its upkeep and maintenance. An interview forms part of the same stage.

The notification gives one combined figure of 50 marks for this stage. It does not publish a separate split for the driving test, the mechanism test and the interview. Some older pages show Tier-II as 50 plus 50, or 100 marks, so follow the official notification.

How to Prepare for Tier-II

• Drive a manual car regularly: Practise smooth clutch control, hill starts, reversing in a straight line, turning in a tight space and parking.

• Learn the daily checks: Engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, tyre pressure, battery terminals, lights, horn and wipers. Be ready to explain why each check matters.

• Practise minor fixes: Changing a flat tyre, replacing a fuse or bulb, checking a loose battery connection and identifying a slipping fan belt.

• Know your documents: Registration certificate, insurance, pollution certificate and fitness certificate, and what each one is for.

• Answer simply in the interview: Speak about the vehicles you have driven, the distances you have covered and how you handle breakdowns or difficult road conditions.

How the Final Merit Is Calculated

The final merit list is prepared on the combined performance in Tier-I and Tier-II, out of 150 marks. Only candidates who qualify Tier-II are placed in it. Selected candidates then go through document verification and a medical examination before appointment.

The worked example below uses imaginary scores to show how the two tiers interact.

Candidate C ranks above A despite a lower Tier-I score, and B drops out despite the best written score. Tier-II is one-third of your total, so a strong practical performance can change your rank significantly. Prepare for it from the start, not after the Tier-I result.

Selection Process Step by Step

1. Online application: You apply through mha.gov.in or ncs.gov.in and choose one SIB, for which you must hold the matching domicile certificate.

2. Tier-I online test: 100 questions in 60 minutes, with negative marking.

3. Tier-I result: Candidates who clear the minimum marks are shortlisted in merit order at about 10 times the vacancies.

4. Tier-II: Motor Mechanism and Driving Test cum Interview for 50 marks, with 20 marks needed to qualify.

5. Final merit list: Prepared on the Tier-I and Tier-II total.

6. Document verification and medical examination: Required before an offer of appointment.

For reference, this is how the 2025 cycle ran:

These dates belong to the last cycle and will not repeat exactly. Track the official MHA website for the next notification.

Key Changes to Know

• A written test now comes first: The earlier SA/MT examination in 2016 selected candidates through a driving and motor mechanism skill test without a written paper. The 2025 cycle added the 100-mark Tier-I online test, including a dedicated Driving Rules section.

• Tier-II is 50 marks: Pages that show Tier-II as 100 marks, or as separate 50-mark driving and interview components, do not match the notification.

• Do not mix it up with SA/Executive: The IB Security Assistant/Executive exam is a separate recruitment with a different Tier-I section list and a descriptive language paper instead of a driving test. Study material made for that exam will not cover Driving Rules.

The next notification may revise sections, marks or qualifying rules. Read the scheme of examination in the official notice on the Ministry of Home Affairs website before you finalise your plan.

Time Management Strategy for Tier-I

With one hour for five sections, a fixed plan stops you from losing time on a single hard question. The split below is a suggestion, not an official rule. Adjust it after your first few mock tests.

Starting with Driving Rules and General Awareness banks easy marks early and leaves more time for the calculation-heavy sections. If you are stronger in Quant, swap the order, but keep the total within 60 minutes.

How to Practise in the Current Pattern

Knowing the pattern is useful only if your practice copies it. Take full-length tests of 100 questions in 60 minutes with the 0.25 penalty switched on, so your attempt and accuracy decisions match the real exam.

• Start with sectional tests: Use 20-question sets for each section to find your weakest area before moving to full papers.

• Move to full mocks every week: Track your score, number of attempts and accuracy, not just the total.

• Keep an error log: Note every wrong guess and every question that took more than a minute. Revise this list before each new mock.

• Revise traffic rules from official sources: Road signs and rules of the road come straight from the motor vehicle rules, so learn them accurately rather than from memory.