IB Security Assistant Motor Transport Syllabus, Exam Pattern

Tier-I

Online, objective, 100 questions of one mark in one hour. A quarter mark is deducted for a wrong answer, an unattempted question scores zero, and questions left marked for review are not evaluated. Ten times the vacancies are shortlisted for Tier-II, subject to the category cut-off, which may go higher with the marks and vacancies and may itself restrict that ratio.

Tier-II: Motor Mechanism and Driving test cum Interview

In the advertisement's words: the candidates would be required to drive a motor vehicle as instructed by the instructor. Practical knowledge of the candidates about the vehicle and removal of minor defects or snags in the vehicle, its upkeep and maintenance, etc. would also be tested. A driving test, an oral on motor mechanism and an interview at once.

How the merit is drawn

On the combined performance in Tier-I and Tier-II, out of 150: Tier-I 100 and Tier-II 50. So one third of the final score is earned at the wheel, unlike MTS(G), where the second stage only qualifies.

Ties go by Tier-I marks, then Tier-II marks, then date of birth with older candidates higher, then alphabetical order. The written paper breaks a tie before the driving test does.

Applying with MTS(G)

In 2023 the two posts were advertised together. A candidate who opted for both and met the SA/MT qualifications sat the SA/MT Tier-II only, was considered first for SA/MT and then MTS/Gen, and on final selection to SA/MT lost the MTS/Gen candidature. The 2025 cycles were separate, with SA/MT closing on 28 September 2025 and MTS(G) opening on 22 November 2025.

IB publishes the scheme of examination and no topic list. Its FAQ, asked about the syllabus, points back to that scheme, and asked for a book, says no specific book is recommended.

General Awareness is the largest single block in the recruitment, and the driving test the second.

The practical syllabus

No mechanical syllabus is published, but the essential qualifications say what Tier-II tests:

• A valid driving licence for Motor Cars (LMV).
• Knowledge of motor mechanism, defined as being able to remove minor defects in the vehicle.
• At least one year of driving a motor car after obtaining the licence.

A motorcycle licence is desirable. Preparation for that third of the marks is driving hours and hands-on work on a vehicle, not reading.

All of it is judged on the closing date. The FAQ is explicit that a candidate must have matriculated and hold a valid LMV licence on that date, otherwise they are not eligible, and the year of experience must already have accrued after the licence.

Age: not exceeding 27 on the closing date

At SIBs where no vacancy is reserved for OBC, SC, ST or EWS, those candidates are treated as UR and the UR age limit applies. In 2023 several SIBs had no EWS vacancy and many had nil in one or more categories.

Disability, medical, and proof of age

There is no PwD reservation: the post is operational and not reserved for any category (HH, OH, VH and Autism), so such candidates need not apply. The medical standard is normal colour vision and general fitness, and selection follows character and antecedent verification and a medical examination.

Age and name come only from the matriculation certificate. A candidate whose result is not declared by the closing date is not eligible. Open or distance matriculation is accepted if recognised by the Distance Education Council under MHRD Notification No. 44 of 1 March 1995.

1. Tier-I, online objective, 100 marks.
2. Tier-II, Motor Mechanism and Driving test cum Interview, 50 marks, minimum 40 per cent.
3. Document verification, held before the interviews in 2025.
4. Character and antecedent verification, then a medical examination.

Ten times the vacancies reach Tier-II, and the merit is Tier-I plus Tier-II out of 150. Tier-II may not be held in every Tier-I city; IB may club nearby centres, and the date, time and centre arrive by e-mail.

Documents at verification

Originals with attested copies of the matriculation certificate, domicile certificate, driving licence, the OBC certificate in the Government of India proforma or the EWS, SC or ST certificate, an NOC from any present employer, and photographs identical to the one uploaded. Roll numbers marked (P) in the final result are provisional for a missing document, to be furnished at the earliest or at joining.

After Tier-II

Selection is subject to antecedents verification, medical examination and every eligibility condition. Appointment is temporary, training must be completed for confirmation, and merely qualifying confers no right to the post.

Scribes and compensatory time

• Benchmark blindness, locomotor disability of both arms, or cerebral palsy: own scribe at own cost, if opted for in the application.
• Others: on a certificate from a CMO, Civil Surgeon or Medical Superintendent of a government institution stating a physical limitation to write; also open to those with a disability below 40 per cent who have difficulty writing, under the DEPwD OM of 10 August 2022.
• 20 minutes per hour compensatory time, including for those eligible for a scribe who do not use one.
• The scribe's qualification must not exceed matriculation, and a scribe who is also a candidate gets both candidatures cancelled. One-eyed or very low vision candidates who can read with a magnifier may bring one, and get no scribe.

On the entry basic of ₹21,700, the security allowance alone is about ₹4,340 a month.

The post carries all India transfer liability, temporary appointment at first, and confirmation only after training is completed.

Online only, through mha.gov.in or ncs.gov.in. The closing date is not extended under any circumstances.

Step I registers personal and contact details and sends the Application Sequence Number and password to your e-mail and mobile. Step II completes the details, uploads the photograph and signature, and takes the fee. Each step can be edited before submission and not after, and a submitted application cannot be withdrawn.

• A personal e-mail and mobile, kept active throughout. Admit cards and call letters go to that e-mail only.
• A colour photograph, 35 mm by 45 mm, not older than twelve weeks, light background, face filling 70 to 80 per cent, used throughout the recruitment.
• A legible scanned signature: it must be reproduced on admit cards and attendance sheets, and any variation could make you unfit for the exam.
• The Class X certificate, the domicile certificate and the LMV licence, valid on the closing date.

SC and ST, female and eligible ex-serviceman candidates are exempt from the examination fee, except ex-servicemen already in regular Group C civil service via the reservation. Nothing is refunded. Pay via SBI by card, internet banking, UPI or an SBI challan, valid four days, which in 2025 had to reach a branch by 30 September 2025.

Category cannot be changed once entered; an OBC certificate must be in the Government of India proforma and confirm non-creamy layer; certificates issued after the closing date may not be valid. A wrong date of birth, category or name means applying afresh; minor errors are raised at the interview stage. Submit one application only.

All share one Tier-I: 100 marks in an hour with quarter mark negative marking and shortlisting at a multiple of the vacancies.

You name five cities for Tier-I from a published list; the 2023 list had 153 cities, from Port Blair to Leh, Naharlagun, Dimapur and Kalimpong. You may be placed in any of the five, Tier-I may run in several shifts, IB may allot a centre you did not choose, and the choice cannot be changed after submission. Your SIB, not your centre, decides whom you compete against.

Tier-II is separate. A driving test under an instructor cannot be run everywhere, so it may not be held at every centre and IB may club candidates from nearby centres. In 2025 it ran over eleven days, 9 to 19 March 2026, with date, time and centre sent by e-mail. Plan to travel.

Bring to Tier-I the admit card, original identity proof (voter card, driving licence, Aadhaar, PAN or college ID) and photographs identical to the one uploaded. Phones and electronic devices are banned, and one found even switched off counts as unfair means. Bring to Tier-II the call letter and original documents, especially the valid driving licence.

Seven months and a week from closing to final result. The 2023 cycle opened on 14 October 2023, closed on 13 November (challan by 16 November), held Tier-I on 20 December 2023 and published the Tier-I result on 13 March 2024.

The closing date fixes everything: the matriculation result must be out, the LMV licence held and the year of driving already accrued, and certificates issued later may not be valid. IB does amend dates in flight and publishes the change: a corrigendum of 20 January 2023 took the portal down from 21 January, reopened it from 28 January to 17 February 2023, and moved the eligibility date from 10 to 17 February 2023.

Admit cards and call letters for both tiers go by e-mail only, to the address in your application. Keep that e-mail and your mobile active, make sure mail from @nic.in and @gov.in (including helpdesk.bharti@nic.in) is not going to spam, and keep the Application Sequence Number, which is sent once and cannot be viewed again. The photograph and signature cannot be changed after registration.

Admission is provisional at both tiers. Anyone found ineligible, or to have given false information, at any stage before or after either tier has the candidature cancelled.

IB publishes results as signed PDFs on the application portal and through MHA: the Tier-I result on 27 January 2026 and the final result on 4 May 2026, both in the same document set. Roll numbers are listed SIB by SIB and category by category, in ascending order, not in order of merit. No marks are published.

A reserved-category candidate listed under Unreserved has qualified on UR standards; a roll number marked (P) is provisional for a missing document; IB may correct errors later. Merely qualifying confers no right to the post.

That is the bar for Tier-II shortlisting, with ex-servicemen counted in their own category, and it may go higher. The selection mark, on Tier-I plus Tier-II out of 150, is not published because IB publishes roll numbers, not marks. Tier-II has its own floor of 20 out of 50.

The vacancy table for your own SIB matters more than any cut-off, and it is redrawn each cycle in the advertisement.

Prepare for both thirds

Tier-I is two thirds of the merit and the driving test one third. A candidate who prepares only for the written paper has prepared for two thirds of the recruitment.

The driving third

• Drive regularly, in traffic, not just enough to keep the licence.
• Learn the vehicle: battery and terminals, fuses and lights, fan belt, coolant and oil levels, tyre pressure and wheel changes, and why a vehicle will not start.
• Practise being examined while driving, and be ready to talk about your record and reasons for applying, since it is also an interview.

Below 20 out of 50 the candidature ends whatever the written score.

The written two thirds

Put General Awareness first: 40 of 100, and the largest block of the final 150. A quarter mark comes off for a wrong answer, so four wrong cancel one right, and a question left marked for review is not evaluated at all.

Check your SIB, and your paperwork

Read your own SIB's seats before deciding how much time to give this; in 2023 Delhi had 93 and Shimla two. The licence must be valid on the closing date with a full year's driving already behind it, so a licence taken in the application month is too late. A motorcycle licence is desirable. Keep the domicile certificate ready, and plan to travel for Tier-II.

Ignore anyone selling inside help

IB shares nothing about its papers with anyone, and recommends no book.

No previous year or sample papers are available for IB SA/MT as of now, and IB recommends no book. The scheme of examination and the SIB-wise vacancy table are in the detailed advertisement, issued with each cycle on mha.gov.in, most recently in September.

• Ministry of Home Affairs and National Career Service portal, the only two routes for an application
• Detailed advertisement, SA/MT and MTS/Gen Exam-2023: the SIB-wise table of 362 vacancies, qualifications, age relaxations, scheme of examination, cut-offs, tie-break, scribe rules and the 153 cities
• FAQ for SA/MT 2025: the licence requirement, no PwBD reservation, fee, image sizes and medical standard
• 2025 results (Tier-I of 27 January 2026 and final of 4 May 2026), and the 2023 Tier-I result of 13 March 2024
• Corrigendum of 20 January 2023, which moved the application window and eligibility date

Who conducts IB Security Assistant (Motor Transport) recruitment?

The Intelligence Bureau, under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Apply online through mha.gov.in or ncs.gov.in only.

What is the post and the pay?

SA/MT, IB's driving cadre, a Group C post in a Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau, at Level-3, ₹21,700 to ₹69,100, plus allowances and a 20 per cent Special Security Allowance.

What qualifications are needed, and when?

Matriculation, the domicile certificate, a valid LMV licence, the ability to remove minor defects in a vehicle, and a year's driving after the licence, all as on the closing date. A motorcycle licence is desirable.

What is the age limit?

Not exceeding 27 on the closing date, plus 5 years for SC and ST and 3 for OBC, with further relaxations for departmental candidates, widows and divorced women, ex-servicemen, victims' dependents of the 2002 and 1984 riots, and sportspersons.

What are the stages?

Tier-I, an online objective paper of 100 marks in an hour (General Awareness 40, Quantitative Aptitude 20, Reasoning 20, English 20, quarter mark negative marking), then Tier-II, a driving test cum interview of 50 marks with a 40 per cent minimum, then verification and medical.

Does Tier-II count?

Yes. The merit is Tier-I plus Tier-II out of 150, unlike MTS(G), where the second stage only qualifies.

What were the Tier-I cut-offs?

In 2023, out of 100: UR 35, OBC 34, SC and ST 33, EWS 35. Ten times the vacancies go to Tier-II.

What is a SIB, and how many vacancies are there?

A Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau. You may opt for one, by domicile, and compete only for its seats. The 2023 cycle had 362 across 36 SIBs, from 93 at Delhi and IB Headquarters to 2 at Shimla and Siliguri.

Is there PwD reservation?

No. The post is operational, and PwD candidates need not apply.

What is the fee?

In 2025, ₹550 for everyone plus ₹100 for male UR, EWS and OBC candidates. Nothing is refunded.

Is the job permanent?

Appointment is temporary at first, training must be completed for confirmation, and the post carries all India transfer liability.