NIACL Assistant Tier I Mock Test

Exam Overview & Participating Organizations

Full Name of Exam and Conducting Body: Recruitment of Assistants by The New India Assurance Company Limited (a Public Sector General Insurance Company).

Total Vacancies: 500 provisional vacancies.

Participating Organizations: The New India Assurance Company Limited is the sole conducting body and recruiting organization.

Important Dates (Tentative or Exact)

• Online Registration & Payment of Application Fees: 17/12/2024 to 01/01/2025 (both dates inclusive).
• Edit/Modification Windows: No change of application data will be permitted at any stage after the completion of the registration process.
• Tier I (Preliminary) Online Examination: 27/01/2025 (Monday).
• Tier II (Main) Online Examination: 02/03/2025 (Sunday).
• Download of Call Letters: Tentatively 7 days prior to the date of each examination (Prelims and Mains).
• Regional Language Test, Interview & Provisional Allotment: The notification does not state exact dates for these. Shortlisted candidates will be informed of the Regional Language Test date, time, and centre via the official website. Note that there is no formal "Interview" stage; it is replaced by the Regional Language Test.

Detailed Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification: A candidate must possess a Graduation degree in any discipline from a recognized University or an equivalent qualification recognized by the Central Government. Candidates must have passed English as a subject at the SSC / HSC / Intermediate / Graduation level.

Final-year student rules and percentage calculation: The notification does not explicitly mention CGPA conversion formulas or fraction-ignoring rules. However, candidates must possess a certificate in proof of passing the qualifying examination on or before the cut-off date of 01/12/2024. Proper documents from the university declaring the result on or before 01/12/2024 must be submitted. Knowledge (Reading, Writing, and Speaking) of the Regional Language of the applied State/UT is essential.

Age Limit & Cutoff Dates: Minimum Age is 21 years and Maximum Age is 30 years as of the exact cut-off date of 01/12/2024. Candidates must have been born not earlier than 02/12/1994 and not later than 01/12/2003 (both days inclusive).

Age Relaxation:

• SC / ST: 5 years.
• OBC (Non-creamy layer): 3 years.
• PwBD: 10 years.
• Ex-Servicemen / Disabled Ex-Servicemen: Actual period of service rendered in the defense forces + 3 years (subject to a maximum age of 45 years).
• Widows, Divorced women, and legally separated women (not remarried): 5 years.
• Existing Employees of The New India Assurance Co. Ltd.: 5 years.

Cumulative Relaxation Rules: Relaxation for SC / ST / OBC is allowed on a cumulative basis with only one of the other permitted categories (e.g., PwBD, Ex-Servicemen, Widows, or Existing Employees). Age relaxation is not available to dependents of Servicemen killed in action.

Nationality/Citizenship: Eligible categories include (a) Citizens of India, (b) Subjects of Nepal, (c) Subjects of Bhutan, (d) Tibetan refugees who came to India before 1st January 1962 to permanently settle, and (e) Persons of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia) and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling. Categories (b), (c), (d), and (e) require a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India.

Credit History/CIBIL: There are no explicit CIBIL score requirements mentioned. However, candidates serving in Government, quasi-Government offices, Public Sector Undertakings (including Nationalised Banks and Financial Institutions) must produce a "No Objection Certificate" (NOC) at the time of the Regional Language Test. Without this NOC, candidature will be rejected, and travel expenses will not be paid. Selected candidates must also submit a Discharge / Relieving letter upon joining.

Exhaustive Reservation Rules (EWS & PwBD)

EWS: Governed by gross annual family income below Rs. 8.00 lakh for the financial year prior to the year of application (specifically FY 2023-24). Income includes salary, agriculture, business, and profession.

EWS Asset Disqualifiers: A family is strictly excluded from EWS if they own or possess any of the following assets, regardless of income:

• 5 acres of Agricultural Land and above.
• Residential flat of 1000 sq. ft. and above.
• Residential plot of 100 sq. yards and above in notified municipalities.
• Residential plot of 200 sq. yards and above in areas other than notified municipalities.

Note: Properties held in different locations or cities are clubbed together to determine EWS status.

PwBD: Requires not less than 40% of a specified disability certified by an authority. Specific categories include:

• VI: Visual Impairment (Blindness and Low Vision).
• HI: Hearing Impairment (Deaf and hard of hearing).
• OC: Locomotor Disability (including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims, muscular dystrophy).
• ID: Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability, mental illness.
• MD: Multiple disabilities from clauses above, including deaf-blindness.

Scribe Rules & Compensatory Time: Visually impaired candidates and those whose writing speed is permanently affected (minimum 40% impairment) may use a scribe. The candidate must arrange the scribe at their own cost. The scribe cannot be a candidate for the same exam, nor act as a scribe for another candidate. The scribe can be from any academic stream.

Compensatory Time: Scribe users get an additional 20 minutes for every hour of the examination. This is system-based and only available if pre-registered. Visually impaired candidates not using a scribe can view the test in a magnified font and also receive 20 minutes per hour.

Disqualifier: If the scribe is found independently answering questions, the candidate's exam will be immediately terminated.

Selection Process & Cut-off Rules

Stages: The exam consists of Tier I (Preliminary Objective Test), Tier II (Main Objective Test), and a Regional Language Test. There is no interview stage.

Cut-off Rules:

• Sectional & Overall: In Prelims, candidates must qualify in each test section by securing passing marks decided by the Company. In Mains, each candidate must obtain a minimum total score decided by the Company.
• Normalization: Scores across various sessions will be equated to adjust for slight differences in difficulty levels across different test batteries.
• Tie-Breaker: If two or more candidates score equal marks in the merit list, the candidate senior most in age will be placed higher.

Exam Pattern & Syllabus

Prelims (Tier I): 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes total duration.

Mains (Tier II): 200 questions, 250 marks, 120 minutes total duration.

Descriptive Paper: Not applicable for this exam.

Negative Marking: A penalty of one-fourth (1/4th) of the marks assigned to a question will be deducted for every wrong answer. No marks are deducted for un-attempted (blank) questions.

Syllabus: The notification strictly lists the domains: English Language, Reasoning, Numerical Ability, Computer Knowledge, and General Awareness. No specific sub-topics are outlined in the text.

The Interview Phase & Final Merit

There is no formal "Interview Phase". Instead, candidates face a Regional Language Test which is strictly qualifying in nature and carries no separate marks.

Final Merit List: Drawn state-wise and category-wise in descending order based exclusively on the marks secured in the Online Main Examination, subject to the candidate qualifying the Regional Language Test and passing medical fitness checks.

Application Fee, Salary & Probation

Application Fees (inclusive of GST):

• SC / ST / PwBD / EXS: Rs. 100/- (Intimation charges only).
• All other candidates: Rs. 850/- (Application fee including intimation charges).

Salary: The basic scale of pay is Rs. 22405 - 1305(1) - 23710 - 1425(2) - 26560 - 1605(5) - 34585 - 1855(2) - 38295 - 2260(3) - 45075 - 2345(2) - 49765 - 2500(5) - 62265. Total initial emoluments in a Metro city will be approximately Rs. 40,000/- per month.

Allowances: Lump Sum Domiciliary Medical Benefits, Group Mediclaim Policy membership, Leave Travel Subsidy, and other staff welfare schemes.

Probation: Minimum period of 6 months. Can be extended if performance fails to meet expectations.

Disqualifier/Penalty: Resigning or facing termination during probation makes the candidate liable to pay back an amount equivalent to the salary paid plus Rs. 25,000/- for partial training costs.

Pre-Examination Training (PET)

• Who is eligible: SC / ST / OBC (Non-creamy layer) / PwBD candidates.
• Mode of training: Online.
• Conditions: Candidates must opt for it during online registration. Intimation will be sent via registered Email/SMS. Attending the PET grants no right to employment.

Identity Verification & Biometric Capture Rules

Valid ID Proofs Allowed: PAN Card, Passport, Driving License, Voter's Card, Bank Passbook with photograph, Photo ID issued by a Gazetted Officer or People's Representative on official letterhead, Identity Card issued by a recognized college/university, Aadhar Card or E-Aadhar Card with photograph, Employee ID, Bar Council Identity Card with photograph.

Strictly Banned IDs: Ration Card and Learner's Driving License.

Rules for Name Changes: The name on the call letter must exactly match the name on the photo identity proof. Any mismatch will result in the candidate not being allowed to appear for the exam.

Biometric Rules: Left thumb impression (or otherwise) and photograph may be captured for Prelims qualifiers on the day of the Mains exam.

Biometric Exceptions & Conditions:

• Washed Fingers: If fingers are coated with stamped ink, mehndi, or colors, they must be thoroughly washed off before the exam.
• Moist Fingers: Must be wiped dry before capture.
• Dirty/Dusty Fingers: Must be washed and dried before fingerprint capture.
• Injured Fingers: If the primary finger (left thumb) is injured, the candidate must immediately notify the authority to capture other fingers or toes.

Document Upload Specifications (Exhaustive Technical Details)

• Photograph: 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm, recent color picture on a light/white background. Dimensions: 200 x 230 pixels preferred. File size: 20 kb - 50 kb. No caps, hats, or dark glasses.
• Signature: Written on white paper with Black Ink. Dimensions: 140 x 60 pixels preferred. File size: 10 kb - 20 kb. Critical Exception: Signatures in CAPITAL LETTERS will NOT be accepted and lead to disqualification.
• Left Thumb Impression: On white paper with black or blue ink. Dimensions: 140 x 60 pixels preferred. File size: 10 kb - 20 kb. Must not be smudged; candidates without a left thumb may use their right thumb.
• Hand-written Declaration: Must be written in English on white paper with black ink. File size: 20 kb - 50 kb. Critical Exception: Cannot be written in CAPITAL LETTERS or by anybody else. Visually Impaired candidates unable to write may upload a typed declaration with their left thumb impression below it.
• Technical format for all: .jpg or .jpeg format, scanned at a minimum of 200 dpi in True Color.

Misconduct, Banned Items & Legal Acts

Banned Items:

• Stationery: Textual material, bits of paper, geometry/pencil box, plastic pouch, calculator, scale, writing pad, pen drives, log table, electronic pen/scanner.
• Communication Devices: Mobile phones, Bluetooth, earphones, microphone, pager, health band.
• Accessories & Ornaments: Goggles, handbags, hair-pins, hair-bands, belts, caps, rings, earrings, nose-pins, chains/necklaces, pendants, badges, brooches.
• Others: Watches/wristwatches, cameras, metallic items, and any eatable items (opened or packed).

Specific Legal Acts: "The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016" (Specifically Sections 34, 2(r), and 2(s)) govern the reservation and scribe rules. Any legal disputes arising from this recruitment can only be instituted in Courts/Tribunals/Forums at Mumbai, which hold sole and exclusive jurisdiction.

Consequences of Unfair Means: Candidates found using unfair means, sharing test contents, bringing banned items, or impersonating will face criminal prosecution, disqualification, permanent or specified period debarment from The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. exams, and termination of service if already employed. Furthermore, analytical algorithms will compare responses; if suspicious sharing patterns are detected, the involved candidates' results will be withheld and cancelled.