IB MTS Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility, Important Dates

Tier-I

General Awareness alone is 40 per cent of the paper, twice the weight of anything else. In the 2025 cycle, shortlisting is also done on normalization of Tier-I marks, which the 2023 advertisement did not provide for; Tier-I may run in more than one shift, and a candidate has no control over which shift they sit.

The shortlist

Ten times the number of vacancies are called for Tier-II, subject to clearing the category cut-off. The advertisement warns twice about that figure: the cut-off may go higher depending on the marks scored and the number of vacancies, and the ten times ratio may itself be restricted because of the cut-off.

Tier-II

How the merit is drawn

The final merit list is prepared on the basis of performance in Tier-I alone, provided the candidate is qualified in Tier-II. That inverts the usual arrangement: the descriptive paper comes second, contributes nothing to the rank, and can only end a candidacy. Write a brilliant Tier-II answer and you still rank exactly where Tier-I put you.

Everything rides on a one hour paper of a hundred questions, forty of them General Awareness.

Ties are broken in two steps: date of birth, older candidate higher, then alphabetical order of names starting with the first name. The 2025 cycle also prepares a waiting list for future replacement, under DoPT office memorandum No. 41019/18/97-Estt.(B) of 13 June 2000.

IB publishes very little as a syllabus. The advertisement gives the scheme of examination, four parts and their marks, and nothing else. There is no topic list. Asked in its own FAQ what the syllabus is like, IB points candidates back to that scheme, and asked to recommend a book, it answers that no specific book is recommended.

Because the merit list is drawn on Tier-I alone, those four weights are the syllabus in the only sense that matters. General Awareness is worth as much as any two of the other three.

Tier-II

Stated in a single sentence in the advertisement: basics of English Language, its vocabulary, correct grammar, sentence structure, synonyms, antonyms and its correct usage, to test comprehension and paragraph writing in 150 words.

It is qualifying at 20 out of 50 and adds nothing to the rank, so it needs enough preparation to clear that bar and no more. The skill it tests is writing a paragraph, not recognising an answer.

Any material claiming to reproduce an official IB syllabus in more detail than the four part names has invented it.

Essential qualifications

That is all. No higher qualification, no typing test, no computer requirement and no physical standard. Matriculation through an open university or distance education is accepted if recognised by the Distance Education Council under Ministry of Human Resource Development Notification No. 44 of 1 March 1995, gazetted on 8 April 1995, for the period when the candidate acquired it.

Age: 18 to 25 as on the closing date

A person with a disability who is also a Central Government employee gets whichever concession is more beneficial, not both. There is no age relaxation for State Government employees.

Disability reservation, which is wide here

MTS(G) is a non-operational post, so it carries reservation across the range of benchmark disabilities, where the Security Assistant posts carry none. The functional requirements are listed as sitting, standing, walking, bending, reading and writing, seeing, hearing and communication, and the suitable categories as blind and low vision; deaf and hard of hearing; one arm, both arms, one leg, both legs, one arm and one leg, cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims, muscular dystrophy, and spinal deformity or injury without neurological or limb dysfunction; autism spectrum disorder (mild), specific learning disability and mental illness; and multiple disabilities involving any of those.

Age, name and medical fitness

Date of birth and name are taken invariably from the matriculation certificate of a recognised board, and no other proof is accepted. A candidate whose matriculation result is not declared by the closing date is not eligible and need not apply. The medical standard is normal colour vision and general medical fitness, and final selection follows character and antecedent verification and a medical examination.

One rule catches reserved candidates out: at SIBs where no vacancy is reserved for OBC, SC, ST or EWS under the roster, candidates of those categories are treated as UR, and the UR age criteria apply to them. In the 2025 cycle several SIBs had zero vacancies in one or more reserved categories, and two had none at all.

1. Tier-I, an online objective examination of 100 marks.
2. Tier-II, a descriptive English paper of 50 marks, qualifying only at 20.
3. Document verification.
4. Character and antecedent verification, then a medical examination.

Ten times the vacancies are shortlisted for Tier-II, subject to the category cut-off and, in the 2025 cycle, to normalization of Tier-I marks. The merit list is then drawn on Tier-I alone, provided Tier-II is cleared, so the second stage can remove a candidate but never move them up.

After the merit list

• Selection is further subject to character and antecedent verification followed by a medical examination.
• Appointment is temporary. Appointment in a permanent capacity depends on the factors governing permanent appointment in such posts in force at that time.
• The 2025 cycle prepares a waiting list for replacement in future.
• IB repeats on every result document that merely qualifying confers no right to claim the post.

Scribes and compensatory time

• A candidate with benchmark blindness, locomotor disability affecting both arms, or cerebral palsy may use their own scribe at their own cost, if opted for in the online application.
• Other categories may do so on a certificate from the Chief Medical Officer, Civil Surgeon or Medical Superintendent of a government health care institution stating a physical limitation to write. The facility also covers candidates with a disability below 40 per cent who have difficulty writing, under the DEPwD office memorandum of 10 August 2022.
• Compensatory time of 20 minutes per hour goes to anyone allowed a scribe, including those eligible for one who choose not to use it.
• The scribe's qualification must not exceed matriculation, and the scribe must not be a candidate at the same examination. If they are, both candidatures are cancelled.
• A candidate with one eye, or very low vision, who can read a normal paper with a magnifying glass may bring their own and is not entitled to a scribe.

The facility is admissible only if opted for in the application form, with the supporting documents produced at document verification.

What a result document looks like

Roll numbers, SIB by SIB and category by category, in ascending order and expressly not in order of merit. The final result of the 2023 cycle, published on 18 November 2024, listed successful candidates under Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Amritsar, Bengaluru and the rest, split into UR, OBC, SC, ST and EWS within each. A candidate of the EWS, OBC, SC or ST category appearing under the Unreserved heading has qualified on UR standards; that is a stated convention, not an error.

Two additions are specific to the Intelligence Bureau: a Special Security Allowance of 20 per cent of basic pay on top of other government allowances, and cash compensation for duty performed on holidays, capped at 30 days. The security allowance is the material difference between this post and a Level-1 post elsewhere in the Central Government.

Against that, the post carries all India transfer liability (the advertisement says candidates willing to serve anywhere in India only need apply), appointment is temporary to begin with, and permanence depends on the factors in force at the time. The 2023 cycle added that successful completion of training is mandatory for confirmation.

How it compares with the sister post

In the 2023 cycle a candidate could apply for both. Someone qualifying for SA/MT sat only the SA/MT Tier-II, was considered first for SA/MT and then for MTS/Gen, and on final selection to SA/MT had the MTS/Gen candidature cancelled. The 2025 cycles were advertised separately.

Online only, through mha.gov.in or the National Career Service portal ncs.gov.in. No other mode is accepted, and the closing date is not extended under any circumstances.

Registration is in two steps. Step I takes personal and contact details and sends the login ID, the Application Sequence Number, and the password to the registered email and mobile. Step II completes the personal and qualification details, uploads the photograph and signature, and takes the fee. Each step can be edited before it is submitted and not afterwards, and a submitted application cannot be withdrawn.

What to have ready

• A personal email address and mobile number kept active for the whole recruitment.
• A recent colour photograph, 35 mm by 45 mm, not older than twelve weeks, light background, face covering 70 to 80 per cent of the frame. Black and white is not accepted, and the same photograph must be used throughout.
• A scanned signature, signed by the candidate alone. It must be legible, because it has to be reproduced on admit cards and attendance sheets, and any variation could render a candidate unfit for the examination.
• A government photo identity document, and the Class X certificate or marksheet.

If the photograph and signature are not uploaded the candidature is rejected, and registration is complete only once both are uploaded and the fee is paid.

Both in JPG or JPEG only.

Category

Category once entered will not be changed under any circumstances, and no benefit of another category is admissible. An OBC certificate must be in the Government of India proforma, not a State one, and must say the candidate is not in the creamy layer; any other proforma is not accepted. The crucial date for reserved status, fee concession and age relaxation is the closing date, and certificates issued after it may not be valid.

The fee, which rose between cycles

All SC and ST candidates, all female candidates, PwBD candidates and ex-servicemen eligible for reservation are exempt from the examination fee but still pay the processing charges. An ex-serviceman already in regular Group C civil employment under the Central Government on the reservation benefit is not exempt. The fee is never refunded. Pay through SBI EPAY LITE by card, internet banking, UPI or an SBI challan; a challan is valid four days and in 2025 had to reach a branch by 16 December.

If you make a mistake

A wrong date of birth, category or name means applying afresh and appearing with the admit card bearing the correct details. A minor correction such as an address or a misspelling does not: give intimation at document verification if shortlisted. Submit only one application, because multiple applications may get all of them cancelled.

The other ranks IB recruits by open examination

They share one architecture: a Tier-I objective paper of 100 marks with quarter mark negative marking, shortlisting at a multiple of the vacancies, then a post-specific second stage. What differs is whether that second stage counts towards the merit. For MTS(G) it does not.

A candidate names five cities as options for the Tier-I centre, from a published list covering every State and Union Territory. The 2025 list ran to 132 cities, from Port Blair to Leh, Naharlagun and Churachandpur.

• You may be placed in any one of the five you named.
• The candidature is considered against the opted SIB only, whichever city you sit in. The centre is a convenience; the SIB is the competition.
• Tier-I may run in one or more shifts at one or more centres where candidate numbers are large.
• On over-subscription or under-subscription at a city, candidates may be moved to another.
• IB reserves the right to cancel a centre, add others, or allot a city or centre you did not opt for.

The choice cannot be undone: asked whether the centre can be changed after submission, IB's FAQ answers no.

Tier-II is a separate matter. Its date, time and centre are intimated to successful candidates by email, it may not be held in all the listed cities, and IB may club candidates from nearby centres. Someone who sat Tier-I close to home may travel considerably further for Tier-II.

On the day

Bring the admit card, identity proof in original (voter card, driving licence, Aadhaar, PAN, or a university or college card), without which you are not allowed to appear, and enough passport size colour photographs identical to the one uploaded. A different photograph may get the candidature cancelled.

Mobile phones and other electronic gadgets are banned within the premises, safe keeping of valuables cannot be assured, and possession of a device even switched off counts as use of unfair means, cancelling the candidature.

The 2025 cycle

The 2023 cycle, which ran to completion

Thirteen months from the closing date to the final result, with six months between Tier-I and Tier-II. Plan on the recruitment running more than a year.

What the closing date fixes

Age, educational qualification, category, domicile and every certificate. The matriculation result must be out on or before it and the candidate declared successful; someone awaiting a result is not eligible and need not apply; and certificates issued after it may not be valid.

That date does not move. The advertisement says the closing date will not be extended under any circumstances, and gives its reason: the portal sees a surge of applications in the run up to it, so register well in time.

By email, to the address given in the online application, and nowhere else. The advertisement is explicit that admit cards and call letters for Tier-I and Tier-II, and other relevant information, go to that email ID only.

• Keep the email address and mobile number active for the entire recruitment, which may run more than a year.
• Make sure mail from addresses ending in @nic.in and @gov.in reaches the inbox rather than spam, and check the spam folder for mail from helpdesk.bharti@nic.in.
• IB is not responsible for a bounced email or for a candidate's mobile number changing or failing.
• Keep the Application Sequence Number. It is sent once, by SMS and email, and cannot be viewed again. Lose both the number and the email address and you cannot retrieve it.

The photograph and signature cannot be added at admit card stage; they are uploaded at registration only.

Admission is provisional at both tiers. A candidate found at any time, before or after either tier, not to meet an eligibility condition, or to have given false information or fake documents, has the candidature cancelled at any stage and thereafter.

IB publishes each stage as a signed PDF on the application portal and through MHA's website: a Tier-I result giving the roll numbers shortlisted for Tier-II, SIB by SIB, and a final result giving the roll numbers selected, SIB by SIB and category by category.

Both carry the same caution: the roll numbers are in ascending order and are NOT in order of merit, listed that way so candidates can find their own easily. IB publishes roll numbers, never marks.

• A candidate of the EWS, OBC, SC or ST category appearing under the Unreserved heading has qualified on UR standards. That is a convention of these documents, not an error.
• A roll number marked (P) is provisional for non-submission of a document or information required at verification, to be furnished at the earliest or at joining.
• IB reserves the right to rectify errors and omissions noticed later.

And the line on every result document: merely qualifying confers no right to claim the post. Selection remains subject to character and antecedent verification, a medical examination and every eligibility condition in the advertisement.

These are marks out of 100, not percentages of a larger paper. Ex-servicemen and, in 2025, PwBD candidates are counted in their own category for this purpose, meaning UR, OBC, SC, ST or EWS.

That figure is the bar for being shortlisted for Tier-II. It is not the mark at which candidates were selected. Because the merit is drawn on Tier-I alone, the selection mark for a given SIB and category is whatever the last selected candidate there scored, and it sits well above the shortlisting bar wherever that SIB has few seats. IB publishes roll numbers, not marks, so no selection mark is published at all. Both cycles also warn the cut-off may go higher and that the ten times shortlisting ratio may be restricted by it.

The SIB matters more than the mark

A UR candidate domiciled in Delhi competed for 44 seats. A UR candidate tied to Kolkata, Nagpur, Meerut or Ranchi competed for none at all in that cycle, and could not switch SIB. Before asking what mark is needed, look at how many seats your own SIB has.

The split also moves between cycles. Delhi went from 98 to 108, Itanagar from 9 to 25, Jaipur from 7 to nil, Kolkata from nil to 1, Chennai from 14 to 10, on totals of 315 and 362. The advertisement adds that the break-up includes carried forward vacancies and that the numbers are provisional and liable to change.

One more thing the published cut-off does not account for: in 2025, shortlisting runs on performance and normalization of Tier-I marks. Where the paper is held in more than one shift, the mark that counts is the normalized one, not a raw score worked out from an answer key.

One fact governs everything

The merit list is prepared on Tier-I alone. Tier-II is qualifying at 20 out of 50 and its marks never enter the rank. Your whole result comes out of a one hour objective paper of a hundred questions.

Put General Awareness first

It is 40 marks of 100, twice the weight of Quantitative Aptitude, of reasoning, or of English, each at 20. Splitting study time evenly across four sections mis-weights the single biggest allocation you control.

Do the arithmetic on the negative marking

A quarter mark comes off for a wrong answer and an unattempted question scores zero, so four wrong cancel one right. Random guessing across four options is break-even at best, and worse than that once a plausible distractor pulls you below chance.

And a separate rule catches people out: questions left marked for review are not considered for evaluation. Marking for review is not answering. If the flag is still set when time runs out, the answer does not count.

Check your own SIB's vacancy table before anything else

The domicile rule ties you to one SIB and you compete only against its candidates. In 2025 Delhi carried 108 seats while Imphal and Jaipur carried none. The advertisement publishes the table SIB by SIB and category by category. Read it before deciding how much time to give this examination.

Get the domicile certificate now

It is an essential qualification, not a supporting paper. You must hold it as on the closing date and produce it at document verification, failing which the candidature is rejected. Certificates issued after the closing date may not be valid.

Do not lose the Application Sequence Number

It cannot be viewed again. It arrives once by SMS and email, and if you lose both the number and the email address you cannot retrieve it. Keep the registration slip, and keep the mobile number and email in your own hands for a recruitment that may run over a year.

Treat Tier-II as writing practice

Vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, synonyms, antonyms, correct usage, comprehension and a 150 word paragraph. Twenty marks out of fifty clears it, and nothing above 20 earns anything, so a few weeks of weekly writing practice is the right amount.

Do not buy the promise

IB's own advertisement warns that people claiming to be former IB officers give false assurances, that fake appointment letters have been issued, and that IB shares no input about the content of its question papers with anyone. Its FAQ, asked to recommend a book, says no specific book is recommended.

No sample or previous year papers are available for IB MTS as of now, and IB publishes no answer key; its FAQ says no specific book is recommended. The nearest thing to a specification is the scheme of examination in the detailed advertisement, issued with each cycle on mha.gov.in.

• Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Career Service portal. These are the only two routes through which IB accepts an application, and where the advertisement and application link are published.
• Detailed advertisement, MTS(G) Exam-2025, 26 pages: the SIB-wise table of 362 vacancies with its category break-up, the post description and pay, the qualifications, every age relaxation, the scheme of examination, the Tier-I cut-offs, normalization and the waiting list, the tie-break, the scribe and compensatory time rules, and the 132 examination cities.
• Frequently Asked Questions, MTS(G) 2025, four pages that settle what the advertisement leaves implicit: the fee table, the image sizes, the medical standard, distance education, the challan validity, the Application Sequence Number, and what to do about a wrong entry in the form.
• SA/MT and MTS/Gen Exam-2023 Tier-I result, and the final result of the MTS/Gen Exam-2023 dated 18 November 2024, which filled 315 posts. Roll numbers are listed SIB by SIB, in ascending order and not in order of merit.
• Tier-I result of the 2025 cycle, dated 13 April 2026, shortlisting candidates for Tier-II on the computer based test of 27 January 2026.

Who conducts IB MTS recruitment?

The Intelligence Bureau, under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Applications go through mha.gov.in or the National Career Service portal ncs.gov.in, and through no other route.

What is the post and the pay?

Multi-Tasking Staff (General), a General Central Service, Group C, Non-Gazetted, Non-Ministerial post in a Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau. Pay is Level-1, ₹18,000 to ₹56,900, plus Central Government allowances, a Special Security Allowance of 20 per cent of basic pay, and cash compensation for holiday duty up to 30 days.

What qualification and age are needed?

Matriculation or equivalent from a recognised Board, and the domicile certificate of the State applied against. Age 18 to 25 on the closing date, relaxable by 5 years for SC and ST, 3 for OBC, and 10, 13 or 15 years for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities of the UR, OBC and SC or ST categories.

What are the stages?

Tier-I, an online objective paper of 100 marks; Tier-II, a descriptive English paper of 50 marks; then document verification, character and antecedent verification and a medical examination.

What is the Tier-I pattern?

100 questions of one mark each in one hour: General Awareness 40, Quantitative Aptitude 20, Numerical, Analytical and Logical ability and Reasoning 20, English Language 20. One quarter of a mark comes off for a wrong answer; an unattempted question scores zero. Tier-II carries no negative marking.

Does Tier-II count towards the merit?

No. The merit list is prepared on Tier-I alone, provided the candidate qualifies in Tier-II, which is a descriptive test of English language and comprehension including paragraph writing in 150 words, passed at 20 out of 50.

What were the Tier-I cut-offs?

In the 2025 cycle, out of 100: UR 30, OBC 28, SC and ST 25, EWS 30. In 2023 they were UR 35, OBC 34, SC and ST 33, EWS 35. Both advertisements warn the cut-off may go higher.

What is a SIB, and why does it matter?

A Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau. You may opt for one only, must be a domicile of that State, and are considered only against that SIB's vacancies. An application naming more than one SIB is summarily rejected, and the SIB cannot be changed afterwards.

How many vacancies are there?

362 in the 2025 cycle and 315 in 2023, but the number that matters is your own SIB's. In 2025 Delhi and IB Headquarters carried 108 while Imphal and Jaipur carried none.

Can I choose where I sit the exam?

You name five cities and may be allotted any of them, or another at IB's discretion. The centre does not change which SIB you compete against, and the choice cannot be altered after submission.

What is the fee?

In the 2025 cycle, ₹550 processing charges for everyone, plus a ₹100 examination fee for male candidates of UR, EWS and OBC. All SC and ST candidates, all female candidates, PwBD candidates and eligible ex-servicemen are exempt from the examination fee. Nothing is refunded.

What proof of age is accepted?

Only the matriculation certificate. Date of birth and name are taken invariably from it and no other proof is accepted. A candidate whose result is not out by the closing date is not eligible and need not apply. A distance education matriculation is accepted if recognised by the Distance Education Council.

Is there reservation for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities?

Yes. MTS(G) is a non-operational post, so it carries reservation across the range of benchmark disabilities. The Security Assistant/Motor Transport post, being operational, carries none. The medical standard is normal colour vision and general fitness.

Is the job permanent, and how is a tie broken?

Appointment is temporary; permanence depends on the factors in force at the time, and the post carries all India transfer liability. Ties are broken on date of birth, older candidate higher, then alphabetical order of names.

Someone says they can help me clear the exam. Should I listen?

No. IB's advertisement warns that people claiming to be former IB officers give false assurances, that fake appointment letters have been issued, and that IB shares no input about the content of its question papers with anyone.