The National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) will conduct the Administrative Officer (AO) Preliminary Examination 2026 on November 17, with candidates required to complete 100 questions across three separately timed sections within one hour.
The company has also released the preliminary examination call letters for candidates seeking recruitment to 321 Administrative Officer (Scale I) vacancies, comprising 200 Generalist and 121 Specialist positions.
Registered candidates can access their call letters through the official recruitment portal using their registration number or roll number and password or date of birth.
However, the examination handout issued by NICL contains several instructions concerning sectional timing, answer submission and identity verification that candidates must follow during the computer-based test.
The preliminary examination will carry 100 marks and include:
English Language: 30 questions, 30 marks, 20 minutes
Reasoning Ability: 35 questions, 35 marks, 20 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude: 35 questions, 35 marks, 20 minutes
Total: 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes
Although the examination lasts one hour, candidates cannot distribute their time freely across sections.
NICL has specified that each section will have a separate 20-minute timer. Candidates cannot switch between sections during the examination.
Consequently, unused time from one section cannot be transferred to another.
The official handout specifies a penalty of one-fourth of the marks assigned to a question for each incorrect response.
Candidates should also pay attention to how answers are recorded on the computer.
Responses must be saved using the Save & Next option.
Answers selected and marked for review will be considered for evaluation.
Merely selecting an option without saving the response does not guarantee that it will be evaluated.
Candidates cannot return to a section after its allotted time expires.
The company has clarified that the examination may contain questions of a higher difficulty level than the examples provided in the information handout.
While the test duration is 60 minutes, candidates may be required to remain at the examination venue for approximately 120 minutes, including login formalities and other procedures.
Candidates must carry a printed call letter with a recent photograph affixed, an original valid photo identity document and a photocopy of the same identity proof.
NICL has specifically stated that ration cards and learner's driving licences will not be accepted as valid identification.
The name on the call letter must also match the identity document. Candidates with legally changed names must carry the prescribed supporting documents.
The recruitment drive covers 321 vacancies, including posts in Finance, Legal, Information Technology, Automobile Engineering, Risk Engineering, Agriculture and Company Secretary disciplines, apart from Generalist positions.
Candidates qualifying in the preliminary examination will proceed to the Main Examination, scheduled for December 22, 2026.
Those shortlisted subsequently will undergo further selection procedures, including an interview, as prescribed in the recruitment notification.
Candidates can access their preliminary examination call letters through the NICL recruitment website at nationalinsurance.nic.co.in.