How to Prepare for LIC AAO/AE Prelims Exam 2020

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has released a notification on 25th February 2020 regarding the LIC AE/LIC AAO Exam 2020.  The notification stated that LIC shall be conducting the examinations for 168 vacancies for the post of for Assistant Administrative Officer (AAO) and 50 vacancies for Assistant Engineers (AE)- Civil/ Electrical /Structural /MEP.

The LIC AE/AAO Prelims exam which earlier scheduled to be held on 4th April 2020 has now been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, since the situation is normalising, the examinations might be conducted in due course of time and a revised date shall be announced anytime soon. If you are a prospective candidate, you should be aware of the LIC AAO/AE exam pattern and all the selection protocols. This article shall help you learn all the details and specifications of the examination. 

The LIC AE/AAO Prelims 2020 Exam contains mainly three sections- Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, and English. It is very important for all the potential candidates to have a stronghold on all these three subjects. One should thoroughly complete the syllabus well in time and also take up numerous mock tests and quizzes for continuous practice. It is extremely important to follow a disciplined study plan in order to be consistent with the exam preparation.

LIC AAO & AE 2020 Exam Date

The exam dates for LIC AAO & AE 2020 exam were earlier released along with the official notification. The Preliminary exam was earlier scheduled to be conducted on 4th April 2020 but due to the current pandemic situation, it has been postponed. The important dates for LIC AAO & AE Exam 2020 are as follows:

LIC AAO & AE Eligibility Criteria 2020

The eligibility criteria for the LIC AAO/AE Prelims Exam are as follows:

1. Nationality: A candidate must be a citizen of India.
2. LIC AAO & AE Age Limit: The age of candidate must not be less than 21 years and must not exceed 30 years.     
3. LIC AAO & AE Educational Qualification:  A candidate must hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from a recognized university or institute. The educational qualification has different criteria for different posts, which are as follows:

• For AE (Civil):  B.Tech/B.E. (Civil) from an AICTE recognized Indian University with three years of experience in planning the infrastructure of multi-storied building.
• For AE (Electrical): B.Tech/B.E. (Electrical) from an AICTE recognized Indian University. Candidate should have a minimum of three years working experience in planning and execution of multi storied building projects.
• For Assistant Architect:  B. Arch. from a recognized Indian University. Candidate should be registered with Council of Architecture and have minimum three years of experience in designing various types of buildings. 
• For AE (Structural):  M. Tech / M.E. (Structural) from an AICTE recognized Indian University/ Institution. Candidate should have experience with structural designing of high-rise buildings. He must also be well-versed in handling of structural engineering software like ETABS, STAAD etc. 
• For AE (MEP engineers):  B. Tech./ B.E. (Mechanical/ Electrical) from an AICTE recognized Indian University/Institution. Candidate should have a minimum three years of experience in planning and execution of Plumbing / Piping, Lift & Fire Fighting system, Electrical Sub-station in multi storied building projects.
• For AAO (Chartered Accountant): Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized Indian University and Candidates should have passed Final Examination of Institute of Chartered Accountant. 
• For AAO (Actuarial):  Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from a recognized Indian University/Institution and Candidates should have compulsorily cleared minimum six papers of the examination conducted by the Institute of Actuaries of India / Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, UK.
• For AAO (Legal):  Bachelor’s degree in Law or LLM from a recognized Indian University/Institution. Candidates should also have three years of experience in the Bar Council.
• For AAO (Rajbhasha):  Post Graduate Master’s Degree in Hindi/Hindi translation with English as one of the subjects at Bachelor’s Degree level.
• For AAO (IT):  Graduation degree in Engineering (Computer Science, IT or Electronics), or MCA or MSC from a recognized Indian University. 

LIC AE/LIC AAO Exam Pattern for Prelims

The LIC AE/LIC AAO Prelims has three sections and each section comprises of objective multiple-choice questions. The exam is conducted in online mode. The detailed weightage of all the three sections is as follows:

LIC AAO & AE Syllabus 2020

Preparation Strategy for LIC AAO/AE Prelims Exam 2020

• Quantitative Aptitude

The Quantitative Aptitude section comprises of 35 questions which are to be solved in 20 minutes. A candidate should keep in mind the following points for strategic approach towards this section:

1. Candidates should collate all the important formulas, shortcut tricks, square roots and cube roots under one place. Try and memorize some of these so that you have an unmatched speed while solving questions in the examinations.
2. Try and cover all the techniques related to one particular topic and then approach the questions of similar kind. This will help you gain expertise over individual topics.
3. Candidates should take up mock tests and practice test papers. Start with sectional tests and then take up full test papers practice. 

2. Reasoning Ability

In this section, 35 questions are to be solved in 20 minutes. This is generally an easy section and demands mental alertness and logical skills.

1. You must learn the tricks to solve the questions with great speed and accuracy and remain consistent with the same trick. 
2. If you think you are taking too much time to solve a particular question, move on and return later to re-attempt the question. For better preparation of the Prelims exam you can get access to numerous expert-curated study material, test series, quizzes, and much more. 

3. English Language 

The English language is one section that can be solved easily within the time limit. Keep in mind the following points:

1. You must develop a habit of reading English newspapers and various other books which will help you in vocabulary, grammar rules, and comprehension. 
2. Collate all the vocabulary and grammar rules section in one place as it requires revision at regular intervals. The more you revise the vocabulary section, the better will be your retention ratio in the examination.
3. Practice English language section through quizzes and test series to improve accuracy and speed. 

LIC AAO/AE Prelims Exam 2020 Study Plan

Step 1 – Gather details about the Exam Pattern & Syllabus thoroughly

• Knowing the Exam Pattern and the Syllabus in its entirety is extremely important. This gives you a comprehensive idea of which topics to study so that you are saved from the unnecessary effort of practising the topics that are not asked in the examination.

Step 2 – Make a timetable for yourself and study according to the study plan

• Make a well-structured study plan according to the sections as per the exam pattern (English, Reasoning & Quants) and the topics given in the syllabus.

• Try to cover all the topics in your timetable so that you give adequate time to practice and test each of the topics that have a strong probability of getting tested in the exam.

Step 3 – Make your basics and fundamentals strong and start practising

1. Strong basics will help you solve the sort of questions that might appear in the exam, so a candidate should really work well on making the basics strong and clear.
2. Once you are well-versed with the syllabus and have revised the fundamentals multiple times for each of the sections, start practicing by taking up online quizzes and mock tests.
3. Although the English section is just qualifying in nature, do not make the mistake of ignoring this section because this section offers a high chance of fetching good marks in the exam, thereby increasing your prelims score.
4. Inculcate the habit of reading an English newspaper daily and keep yourself updated with the latest current affairs in the world. This will also help you build your vocabulary for the Exam. 

Step 4 – Take up Mock Tests at frequent intervals

1. Mock tests will offer great help to understand how well you are performing in each of the sections and will also judge your overall performance. 
2. You can also go for Topic Tests and Sectional Tests to form a grip on each of the topics and sections.

Step 5 – Analyse your results and work on your weak topics

1. The analytics part after taking up the mock test will assist you about your strengths and weaknesses.
2. It will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and help you improve upon wherever required.

Comprehensive Four Week Study Plan for LIC AAO/AE Prelims Exam 2020

Week-1

Week-2

Week-3

Week-4

LIC AAO & AE 2020- FAQ’s

Q1.  When will LIC AAO & AE 2020 Phase I exam be conducted?

LIC AAO & AE 2020 Prelims Exam has been postponed due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The new examination dates shall be notified soon on the official portal.

Q2. What is the last date to apply online for LIC AAO & AE 2020 exam?

The last date to apply online for LIC AAO & AE 2020 exam is 15th March 2020.

Q3. Is the LIC AAO & AE exam Bilingual?

All tests are bilingual, i.e. conducted in both English and Hindi.

Q4. Is there Any Negative Marking?

There is no negative marking in Preliminary exam and English/Hindi Language test will be of qualifying nature and marks in Language section will not be counted for ranking. There will be a negative marking for wrong answers in mains exam and one-fourth marks will be deducted for each wrong answer. 

Q5. How many vacancies are there in LIC AAO & AE 2020 Exam?

This year, LIC will recruit 218 Vacancies through LIC AAO & AE 2020 Exam.

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