LIC Assistant mains exam pattern: sections, marks, time and negative marking
The LIC Assistant mains exam is 200 marks in 2 hours 30 minutes, with a separate timer for each test and one-fourth of a mark taken away for each wrong answer. What surprises many candidates is that the mains paper is not the same in every division: LIC's own information handout describes two structures, one with a Hindi Language test and one without. This article explains both, test by test, from LIC's Main examination handout and the divisional notices of the last recruitment (2019), checked on 16 October 2026. A new recruitment notice can change the pattern, so read your division's notice when it comes.
LIC Assistant selection at a glance
| Stage | What it is | Counts for final selection? |
|---|---|---|
| Phase I: Preliminary exam | 100 marks, 1 hour, three timed tests | No: only to shortlist for mains |
| Phase II: Main exam | 200 marks, 2 hours 30 minutes | Yes |
| Language test (some states) | 25 marks, qualifying | No |
| Pre-recruitment medical | Medical standards | Qualifying |
Preliminary marks are not added to the final selection. Your rank comes from the mains.
LIC Assistant mains exam pattern: the five-test structure
This is the structure in the Begusarai (Bihar) divisional notice of 17 September 2019, described in LIC's handout as the Part A and B structure:
| Test | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General / Financial Awareness | 40 | 40 | 30 minutes |
| General English | 40 | 40 | 30 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 40 | 40 | 30 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude | 40 | 40 | 30 minutes |
| Hindi Language | 40 | 40 | 30 minutes |
| Total | 200 | 200 | 2 hours 30 minutes |
LIC Assistant mains exam pattern: the four-test structure (no Hindi)
The Main examination handout describes a Part C structure with no Hindi test:
| Test | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General / Financial Awareness | 50 | 50 | 35 minutes |
| General English | 40 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 40 minutes |
| Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude | 60 | 60 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 200 | 200 | 2 hours 30 minutes |
LIC's handout tells candidates to follow their own division's notice for which structure applies. Which states fall in Part A, B or C was not listed on the pages we read, so check your divisional notice.
Marking and qualifying rules in the mains
- Negative marking: one-fourth of the marks of a question for each wrong answer. A blank costs nothing.
- Sectional timers: each test has its own time. You cannot carry spare minutes from one test to the next.
- Sectional minimums: every test has a minimum qualifying mark, and an aggregate cut-off is applied on top. A very strong Reasoning score cannot rescue a test you fail.
- Scribe: a candidate who uses a scribe gets 20 extra minutes for every hour of the exam.
How the mains differs from the prelims
| Prelims (Phase I) | Mains (Phase II) | |
|---|---|---|
| Marks and time | 100 marks, 1 hour | 200 marks, 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Tests | English or Hindi Language (30), Numerical Ability (35), Reasoning (35), 20 minutes each | Four or five tests, as above |
| Language test | Qualifying only | Counts in the merit (General English, and Hindi where set) |
| Negative marking | No penalty, as quoted from the prelims handout | One-fourth of a mark |
| Used for | Shortlisting, about 20 times the vacancies | Final merit |
Two things follow from this table. First, General / Financial Awareness appears only in the mains, and it is worth 40 or 50 marks, so it cannot be left until after the prelims result. Second, the mains brings in negative marking, so the guessing habits that cost nothing in the prelims now cost a quarter mark each.
What each mains test asks
- General / Financial Awareness: banking and financial terms, insurance basics, the economy, static general knowledge and current affairs. For an LIC exam, insurance terms (policy, premium, sum assured, maturity, surrender value, IRDAI) deserve their own notes.
- General English: grammar, vocabulary and sentence completion, synonyms and antonyms, and reading comprehension.
- Quantitative Aptitude: arithmetic (percentages, ratios, profit and loss, interest, time and work, speed) and data interpretation.
- Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude: reasoning puzzles, and computer basics: memory, input and output devices, and common abbreviations.
- Hindi Language (where set): grammar and spelling, vocabulary, synonyms and antonyms, idioms and usage.
Every mains question has five options, as the Main information handout states.
How to prepare for the LIC Assistant mains
- Start awareness now. Spend 30 minutes a day on banking, insurance and current affairs, and keep a single notebook you revise weekly.
- Practise with the timer per test. Sit each test on its own clock: 30 minutes for 40 questions (45 seconds a question) is tighter than the prelims.
- Learn when to skip. With five options and a quarter-mark penalty, a blind guess gains nothing on average, but a guess between two options you could not separate is worth taking. Our article on negative marking works through the numbers.
- Take full mocks and analyse each one: which test you fell short of the minimum in, and where you lost marks to wrong answers.
Start with a free LIC Assistant mock test.
Useful links
- LIC Recruitment of Assistants 2019 (licindia.in)
- LIC Main examination information handout (PDF)
- LIC Assistant: exam date, pattern, syllabus and how to apply
- Free LIC Assistant mock tests
- LIC Assistant syllabus
- LIC AAO: exam date and how to apply
Frequently asked questions
How many marks is the LIC Assistant mains exam?
200 marks in 2 hours 30 minutes. Depending on the division, it is five tests of 40 marks (including Hindi) or four tests of 50, 40, 50 and 60 marks.
Is there negative marking in LIC Assistant mains?
Yes. One-fourth of a mark is deducted for each wrong answer in the mains. A question left blank costs nothing.
Are prelims marks added in LIC Assistant final selection?
No. The prelims only shortlist candidates for the mains. The final selection uses the mains marks, subject to the medical examination and any qualifying language test.
Is there a sectional cut-off in LIC Assistant mains?
Yes. Each test has a minimum qualifying mark, and an aggregate cut-off is also applied.
Is there a Hindi test in LIC Assistant mains?
In some divisions. LIC's handout describes a structure with a 40-mark Hindi Language test and another with no Hindi test. Your divisional notice says which applies.