Checked 29 September 2026. From the Departmental Examination Rules 2024 (G.S.R. 773(E), 18.12.2024) and the NACIN notices for the March 2025 and February 2026 sittings. A new NACIN notice or an amendment to the rules would override this page.
Every Inspector of Central Tax and Central Excise who joins by direct recruitment, usually through the SSC Combined Graduate Level exam, has one more exam to clear after the induction course: the departmental examination for confirmation. It is set by the National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN) under the Departmental Examination (Central Tax, Central Excise, Customs and Narcotics) Rules, 2024, notified in the Gazette on 18 December 2024. Those rules replaced the 2008 rules and added a sixth paper. This guide goes through the six papers one by one: what each covers, which ones let you bring books, how the Computer paper is split between theory and a practical, and what happens in the exam room. At the end there is a checklist of the books to carry.
Where other pages get this wrong
Under the 2024 rules the Inspector exam has six papers, not five. Paper-I is now Central Excise and GST, and you may bring books to it. Paper-VI, Computer Application and Use of Internet, is new.
Commonly published instead: The five-paper list from before December 2024: Central Excise without books, then Customs, Administration, Law and a two-hour Hindi paper. NACIN's own sitting of August 2024 still ran on it, and it is the list many older pages copy.
Appendix B of the 2024 rules prints six papers, each "(Time allowed: 3 hours) (Max marks: 100)". Paper-I is headed "CENTRAL EXCISE AND GOODS AND SERVICES TAX (WITH BOOKS)". The Karnataka zone's notice for the February 2024 sitting, held under the old rules, shows Paper-I "(without books)" and Hindi from 10.00 to 12.00.
DER 2024 rule 4 and Appendix B; NACIN Annexure-I for the March 2025 and February 2026 sittings (official).
The six papers at a glance
Each paper is marked out of 100, and you need 50 in each one. Rule 4 asks for "a minimum of 50% of the total marks in each paper" and nothing more, so the rules set no aggregate, add no grace marks, and a strong paper does not make up for a weak one. In Paper-VI NACIN's scheme adds a second condition: 25 of 50 in theory and 25 of 50 in the practical, separately (see below). On reserved categories, NACIN's instructions (Annexure-III) say the Cadre Controlling Authority declares the result "in consonance with the Recruitment Rules and the instructions in force, if any, by the Ministry / Board", granting SC, ST and OBC relaxations "as may be applicable". No relaxed figure is published in any document we read, and we print none.
| Paper | Title | Books | Time and marks | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Central Excise and Goods and Services Tax | With books | 3 hours, 100 | DER 2024 Appendix B (official) |
| II | Customs | With books | 3 hours, 100 | DER 2024 Appendix B (official) |
| III | Administration | With books, except the Conduct Rules | 3 hours, 100 | DER 2024 Appendix B (official) |
| IV | Law | With books | 3 hours, 100 | DER 2024 Appendix B (official) |
| V | Hindi | Not stated | 3 hours, 100 | DER 2024 Appendix B (official) |
| VI | Computer Application and Use of Internet (Theory and Practical) | Not stated | 3 hours, 100 in the Gazette; NACIN schedules 1.5 + 1.5 hours and 50 + 50 | DER 2024 Appendix B; NACIN Annexure-I (official) |
Appendix B gives 100 marks for each paper. The 50/50 split in Paper-VI is NACIN's scheme, from Annexure-I for the March 2025 and February 2026 sittings (official).
How the three days run
NACIN sets two papers a day, from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00. Both the March 2025 and the February 2026 schedules used the same order. The papers are sat at centres run by the Commissionerates, not at NACIN, and a candidate whose name is not on the Commissionerate's requisition list cannot sit.
| Day | Morning, 10:00 to 13:00 | Afternoon, 14:00 to 17:00 | March 2025 sitting | February 2026 sitting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Paper-I Central Excise and GST | Paper-II Customs | 19.03.2025 | 11.02.2026 |
| Day 2 | Paper-III Administration | Paper-IV Law | 20.03.2025 | 12.02.2026 |
| Day 3 | Paper-V Hindi | Paper-VI Computer: theory, then practical | 21.03.2025 | 13.02.2026 |
The papers are not printed and posted to centres. For the March 2025 sitting NACIN emailed each paper to the nominated nodal officer as a password-protected PDF: Paper-I on 18.03.2025, the rest on the exam days. The password followed 40 minutes before the start. The 2024 rules say the exams "shall be Computer Based Examinations and shall be introduced in a graded manner over a period of time" (rule 2(2)), and the 2026-27 calendar says NACIN "has finalized a Technology Partner" for them. Every Inspector sitting we could read still used emailed PDFs and written answer books, though. We print both and do not guess when the change will reach this exam. The month-by-month record is in our calendar guide.
What each paper covers
The lists below follow Appendix B of the 2024 rules. Four of the six papers are open-book, so the real test is how fast you can find a provision and apply it to a case, not how much you remember. Appendix B says as much about Paper-III: its questions "will be designed to test the candidate's ability to refer intelligently to the books and to apply the rules and regulation to practical cases".
| Paper | What Appendix B lists |
|---|---|
| I Central Excise and GST | Central Excise Act 1944; Central Excise Rules 2002; Central Excise Tariff Act 1985; Provisional Collection of Taxes Act 1931; CENVAT Credit Rules 2004; Board standing orders, notifications and circulars on Central Excise; CGST, IGST, SGST and UTGST Acts 2017; GST (Compensation to States) Act 2017; CGST, IGST and all SGST Rules 2017; Constitution (101st Amendment) Act 2016; GST notifications, circulars and orders; Finance Act 1994; Service Tax Rules 1994; Place of Provision of Services Rules 2012 (19 items) |
| II Customs | Customs Act 1962; Customs Tariff Act 1975; customs rules and procedures; Foreign Trade Policy; Handbook of export and import procedures; customs allied Acts and rules; SEZ Act 2005 and rules; export promotion schemes; NDPS Act 1985; PITNDPS Act 1988 (10 items) |
| III Administration | Fundamental and Supplementary Rules; CCS (CCA) Rules 1965; CCS (Conduct) Rules 1964; CCS (Leave) Rules 1972; GPF (Central Services) Rules; General Financial Rules 2017. Practical questions such as a pay or travelling allowance bill, a contingent bill, leave due and joining time |
| IV Law | Constitution of India; Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023; Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023; Code of Civil Procedure 1908 |
| V Hindi | Translation from English to Hindi and back; correcting sentences and giving Hindi equivalents for English words; answers from a Hindi passage; reading handwritten Hindi petitions and documents; Official Languages Act 1963; Official Language Rules 1976 |
| VI Computer | Hardware and software basics; Windows (logging in, passwords, shutting down and Ctrl-Alt-Del, desktop, taskbar, Explorer, search, external storage); Word (10 items, up to tables and mail merge); Excel (7 items, including cell references and the $ sign); PowerPoint (12 items in the Gazette, from the screen to running a presentation; NACIN's Annexure-I lists 11, leaving out "Inserting and deleting slides"); webmail with attachments, and browsing |
Three things in that table catch people who prepared from an older syllabus. First, Paper-I is now mostly GST, even though its first five items are the old Central Excise law. Second, Paper-IV has moved from the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Evidence Act to the three 2023 codes. Third, the Hindi paper for Inspectors does not include the "Conversation" item that the Narcotics syllabus in the same Appendix has.
The Computer paper: 100 marks, or 50 and 50?
Two documents, two ways of describing Paper-VI
- The Gazette: Paper-VI is "Computer Application and Use of Internet (Theory and Practical)", with "(Time allowed: 3 hours) (Max marks: 100)". It sets no split and no per-part pass mark.
- NACIN: Annexure-I for the March 2025 and February 2026 sittings gives 1.5 hours of theory and 1.5 hours of practical, with pass marks shown as "(25+25)/100". Annexure-III adds that "equal marks and time shall be allocated to Theory (Part-A) & Practical (Part-B). The passing marks for each part will be 50%."
- Who marks the practical: the Commissionerate or Directorate where you sit, not NACIN. The marked practical answer sheet is then sent to NACIN ZC Lucknow (Annexure-III).
- Our reading: the two documents agree on the total and differ only in detail. The 25-in-each-part rule comes from NACIN's scheme, not from the Gazette, so on that scheme 60 in theory and 20 in the practical fails even though it adds up to 80.
NACIN Chennai used the same split for the June 2026 promotion exam: theory 14:00 to 15:30, practical 15:30 to 17:00, a minimum of 25 in each part (official).
Books: what "with books" means in the room
According to Annexure-III, in a with-books paper you may bring only the prescribed books, and in a without-books paper no manual or tariff is allowed at all. For Inspectors, Papers I to IV are with books, but Paper-III excludes the CCS (Conduct) Rules. The Gazette names no editions. NACIN's Annexure-I for the 2025 and 2026 sittings does name one, "Foreign Trade Policy-2015-20", even though a newer policy has since been issued; ask your centre which edition it expects. None of the documents says whether annotated commentaries or your own notes count as prescribed books. Treat the Acts and Rules named in Appendix B as the safe list, and ask your centre before the day about anything else. The checklist below is built from Appendix B and saves your ticks in this browser.
Books-to-carry checklist, Inspector exam
Tick each book or compilation once it is in your bag. The list is our reading of Appendix B; your centre's instructions come first.
0 of 30 done
Ticks are saved only in this browser on this device.
For readers without JavaScript: the checklist covers Papers I to IV only, because Appendix B and Annexure-III say nothing about books for Hindi or the Computer paper. Its Paper-III list deliberately leaves out the Conduct Rules, the one set of rules the Gazette excludes from that paper.
Hindi: who can skip Paper-V
Three separate routes lead to a Hindi exemption. Rule 8(4): you "passed his matriculation or an equivalent or higher examination with Hindi as one of the subjects", and the concerned Commissioner may exempt you; this route is closed if you offered Hindi as an optional subject and failed it. Rule 8(5): you did not pass Hindi at matriculation but passed first-year Intermediate Arts with Hindi as a compulsory subject. Rule 8(6): you passed the Pragya examination, and the Commissioner may exempt you. The optional-subject catch is written into rule 8(4) only. The March 2025 notice says the exemption rests with the jurisdictional Commissionerate, not with NACIN, so ask for it through your Cadre Controlling Authority and get it recorded before the requisition goes to NACIN. In the March 2025 statement of marks, far more Hindi entries are marked exempted than for any other paper. By our rough count, about 230 were exempted and about 204 passed.
Rules for the day
From Annexure-III (official)
- Report 30 minutes before the paper starts. A candidate who is not in the requisition sent to NACIN cannot sit.
- Do not write your name in the answer book. Annexure-III treats that as a FAIL for the paper, and the EO/PO notices say an answer sheet that reveals the candidate's identity will be cancelled.
- No mobile phones. In a without-books paper, no manual and no tariff; in a with-books paper, only the prescribed books.
- Centres are asked to use CCTV where possible.
- Marks go only to the Cadre Controlling Authorities and nodal officers. The CCA declares the result, applying any SC/ST/OBC relaxation.
NACIN also puts public statements of marks online: on its own website for the sittings of 7 to 9 August 2024 and March 2025, and on CBIC's Departmental Examinations list for 2 to 4 September 2025 (posted 30.12.2025) and 11 to 13 February 2026 (posted 06.07.2026). We use them for counts only. They carry names and roll numbers, and we do not reproduce either. By our approximate count, the March 2025 statement has about 948 roll entries. Most are Inspectors, and 58 are Executive Assistants who sat only Paper-IV (Law), which the promotion exam to Inspector guide explains. We do not print a pass rate: the rows mix first attempts with repeat candidates, and our count is a parse of a PDF, not an official figure.
How this fits with the rest of the exam
If you fail a paper you keep the papers you have passed, and only the failed ones are sat again (rule 8(2)). A law graduate is not required to pass Paper-IV at all (rule 8(3), our reading of "that paper"). The number of chances, the two-year limit and what happens to your increments are covered in our chances and increments guide. Preventive Officers and Examiners of Customs sit a different set of six papers, covered in our PO and Examiner guide. If you joined as an Executive Assistant or a Stenographer Grade-I, the exam you need is probably the promotion exam to Inspector, which uses the same syllabus block but is a different exam; this comparison sets the two side by side. Official notices are on the CBIC departmental exam notice board.
How many papers are there in the CBIC Inspector confirmation exam?
Six under the 2024 rules: Central Excise and GST, Customs, Administration, Law, Hindi, and Computer Application and Use of Internet. Each is marked out of 100 and needs 50 to pass; in the Computer paper NACIN also asks for 25 of 50 in theory and 25 of 50 in the practical. Sittings before December 2024 had five papers and no Computer paper.
Which papers are open-book?
Papers I to IV are with books. In Paper-III you may not bring the CCS (Conduct) Rules. Appendix B says nothing about books for Hindi or the Computer paper.
Is there an aggregate pass mark?
No. Rule 4 asks for at least 50 percent in each paper and sets no aggregate. A paper you pass is not sat again (rule 8(2)).
How is the Computer paper marked?
The Gazette gives it 3 hours and 100 marks. NACIN splits it into 1.5 hours of theory and 1.5 hours of practical, 50 marks each, with 25 needed in each part. The Commissionerate marks the practical and sends the sheet to NACIN ZC Lucknow.
Is the exam computer-based now?
The 2024 rules say the exams shall be computer-based, introduced in a graded manner, and the 2026-27 calendar says a technology partner has been chosen. Every Inspector sitting we could read still used emailed password-protected PDFs and written answer books. No start date for computer-based papers has been published.
Are previous question papers available?
None are published on the NACIN, CBIC or zonal websites we checked. NACIN publishes the schedule, the syllabus, the instructions and, for some sittings, a statement of marks.
Can I be exempted from Hindi?
Possibly, by one of three routes: matriculation or an equivalent or higher exam with Hindi as one of the subjects (rule 8(4), closed if you offered Hindi as an optional subject and failed it); first-year Intermediate Arts with Hindi as a compulsory subject (rule 8(5)); or the Pragya examination (rule 8(6)). The Commissioner grants it.
Does a law degree exempt me from a paper?
Rule 8(3) says an officer with a degree in law from a recognised institution "shall not be required to pass the test in that paper". For Inspectors we read that as Paper-IV (Law). Get it recorded by your Cadre Controlling Authority before the requisition goes to NACIN.
What is the fee?
None of the notices we read mentions a fee. We do not print one.
Sources
- official — Gazette of India Extraordinary No. 711, G.S.R. 773(E) dated 18.12.2024: Departmental Examination (Central Tax, Central Excise, Customs and Narcotics) Rules, 2024, with Appendix A and Appendix B (copy hosted by NACIN)
- official — NACIN ZTI Lucknow, NACIN/Sys/54/2024: Departmental examination of Inspectors of Central Tax for confirmation, 19-21.03.2025 (English notice)
- official — NACIN ZTI Lucknow, Annexure-I to the March 2025 notice: schedule and syllabus
- official — NACIN ZTI Lucknow, Annexure-III to the March 2025 notice: instructions for the examination
- official — NACIN ZTI Lucknow, Annexure-I for the February 2026 Inspector sitting (schedule and syllabus, Word file)
- official — GST Karnataka (Bengaluru zone), letter GCCO/II/12/5/2026 relaying NACIN/TRNG/EXAM/DE/1/2026: Inspector confirmation exam 11-13.02.2026 (read from the zone site)
- official — GST Karnataka, EGSO 04/2024: Inspector confirmation exam 26-28.02.2024 under the 2008 rules
- official — NACIN ZTI Lucknow: statement of marks, Inspector confirmation exam, March 2025 (used for counts only)
- official — NACIN: statement of marks, Inspector confirmation exam 07.08.2024 to 09.08.2024 (used for its paper columns only)
- official — NACIN ZTI Lucknow forwarding letter NACIN/TRNG/EXAM/DE/4/2025 (e-file I/3686987/2025) and statement of marks, Inspector confirmation exam 02.09.2025 to 04.09.2025, posted on CBIC 30.12.2025 (we print no names, roll numbers or counts)
- official — NACIN ZTI Lucknow forwarding letter (digitally signed 06.07.2026) and statement of marks, Inspector confirmation exam 11.02.2026 to 13.02.2026, posted on CBIC 06.07.2026 (we print no names, roll numbers or counts)
- official — NACIN Annual Calendar of Departmental Examinations 2026-27, NACIN/II/12/3/2026-EXAM-NACIN-PALASAMUDRAM dated 26.03.2026, and Corrigendum 1 (linked from the NACIN pages)
- official — NACIN Chennai notification dated 28.04.2026: departmental examination for promotion to the grade of Inspector (Central Tax, Preventive Officer, Examiner), 17-19.06.2026 (bilingual)
- official — NACIN: Departmental Examination (Officers) page, listing notices, calendars and statements of marks (seen 29.09.2026)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
