LIC ADO Exam Pattern 2026: Prelims, Mains and Interview

The LIC ADO exam pattern has three scored stages: an online Prelims, an online Mains and a personal interview, followed by a pre-recruitment medical examination. Knowing how marks, time and qualifying rules work tells you where to spend your effort. This page sets out the LIC ADO exam pattern for the 2026 cycle in a form you can plan around.

The 2026 notification had not been released as of 21 October 2026, so the tables below follow the 2023 cycle, as reported by secondary sources. LIC's own notification is the final word, and some details, such as negative marking and qualifying marks, could not be confirmed. Those are marked clearly.

Table of Contents

• LIC ADO exam pattern at a glance

• Prelims pattern

• Mains pattern

• Marking scheme and negative marking

• What the pattern means for you

• Interview and final merit

• Time management and exam-day strategy

LIC ADO Exam Pattern at a Glance

Check how the Prelims total is shown on other pages. Some show 100 marks and others 70, because English is qualifying and does not count toward the ranking total. We use 70 as the ranking figure and treat English as a separate qualifying test.

LIC ADO Prelims Pattern

The Prelims was reported as the first stage for open-market candidates in 2023, with separately timed sections. Agents and employees were reported to go directly to the Mains, so confirm your route in the notice.

Each section has its own timer, so you cannot carry unused time from one test to the next. LIC was also reported to call candidates for the Mains at a fixed multiple of the vacancies, category-wise, but the exact ratio and the qualifying marks must be checked in the notice. Our LIC ADO cut-off page explains how these cut-offs work.

LIC ADO Mains Pattern

Open-market candidates

The paper was reported to be 120 minutes in total, without a separate time limit for each section, which means you decide how to split the time.

Agents and employees

For LIC agents and employees, the 2023 Mains was reported with a different split. The sections were Reasoning and Numerical Ability (20 questions, 20 marks), General Knowledge, Current Affairs and English (20 questions, 20 marks), and an insurance and marketing section of 60 questions carrying 120 marks, for 100 questions and 160 marks over 2 hours. The insurance section was reported under different titles for each route. Treat this as tentative and read the table for your route in the notice.

Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

Each correct answer was reported to earn 1 mark in most sections. The exception is the 60-question insurance section for agents and employees, which carries 120 marks and so works out to 2 marks per question.

Negative marking has not been confirmed from an official source for this page. One secondary source reports no negative marking in the 2023 Prelims, while another leaves the rule to the notification. Do not assume either way. Read the instructions in the official notice, and until then practise with a cautious approach: attempt only questions where you can eliminate at least one option.

What the Pattern Means for You

• Prelims rank rests on two tests: Reasoning and Numerical Ability are 35 marks each, so a weak score in either one is hard to recover.

• English needs a safe pass: it does not add marks, but a failure in a qualifying test can end your attempt even with a high aptitude score.

• The Mains rewards insurance preparation: the insurance and financial marketing section is the biggest single block at 60 marks, and aptitude-only preparation leaves those marks open.

• Sectional cut-offs are a risk: results were reported with section-wise qualifying marks, so do not rely on one strong section to carry a weak one.

• The Mains decides the interview call: every mark in the Mains counts toward the merit list as well.

Interview and Final Merit

Candidates shortlisted on the Mains are called for the personal interview, which was reported as carrying about 40 marks (some sources say 37). The final merit list was reported to be prepared from the Mains and interview marks, and the Prelims was used only to qualify for the Mains. The exact weightage and the minimum interview marks are set in the notice.

After the interview, shortlisted candidates undergo a pre-recruitment medical examination. Selection is also zone-wise and category-wise, so your rank is compared with candidates in the same zone and category.

Time Management and Exam-Day Strategy

• Prelims: in each 20-minute test, do the quick questions first and leave long puzzle sets for the second pass.

• Mains: because the 120 minutes are shared, plan a split such as about 45 minutes for aptitude, about 25 for general knowledge and English, and about 40 for insurance, keeping some time for review. Adjust this after your own mocks.

• Accuracy first: in the early weeks, aim for correct answers before speed, then reduce the time per question gradually.

• Mock practice: take full-length LIC ADO mock tests on Testkart in the exact format and review each one the same day.