Checked 29 September 2026. The marks split and the panel, interview and ranking-list rules are in the 1987 Promotion Rules as hosted by LIC (amended to 12.09.2012). How the work record is converted to marks is set by internal circulars; the only public account is a reported digest. How the test was scaled to 50 in 2022-23 is on record in a Central Information Commission decision of 20.01.2025; a new circular would change those parts of this page.
Passing the 1(b) Promotion Test does not make you an AAO. It makes you eligible. Eligible candidates whose work record is not below average are placed on a panel in order of marks; up to five times the vacancies may be called to interview; and only after the interview does the committee prepare the ranking list on the full 100 marks: Test 50, Work Record 25 and Interview 25, as printed in the Schedule to the LIC Promotion Rules, 1987. There are no marks for seniority or qualifications in 1(b), unlike the HGA route. This guide walks through each component, the steps from panel to promotion order with the rule that governs each, what is official and what is only reported about the work-record marks, and a calculator for your own estimate. ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not part of the Life Insurance Corporation of India. Every rule here is quoted or summarised from LIC’s published rules, an LIC recruitment notification or a court record; your Zonal Office decides every individual case.
LIC Promotion Rules 1987, Schedule Sl. 1(b) and rule 6 (official).
How the marks split, channel by channel
Serial 1 of the Schedule has three feeder items for AAO, and the other AAO serials have their own. Set side by side, the difference is plain: 1(b) is the only AAO channel in which a written test carries marks, and it carries half of them.
| Channel | Test | Seniority and qualification | Work record | Interview | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sl. 1(a): Higher Grade Assistants, Section Heads | None | Up to 25 (10 for qualification, 20 for seniority, capped at 25 together) | 25 | 25 | 75 |
| Sl. 1(b): Assistants and Stenographers | 50 (Promotion Test) | None | 25 | 25 | 100 |
| Sl. 1(c): HGA (Finance) with CA, CS or CMA membership | None | None | 25 | 25 | 50 |
| Sl. 2: AAO (Personal Assistant), from HGA (Stenographers) | None | Up to 25 | 25 | 25 | 75 |
| Sl. 4: AAO (Programmer), from HGAs and Section Heads | Aptitude Test to be passed (no marks printed), except HGA (Programmer) | Up to 25 | 25 | 25 | 75 |
Maximum marks printed in the Schedule to the LIC Promotion Rules 1987 (official). The maximums differ by channel because each ranks its own panel; the totals are not compared across channels.
In 1(b), work record and interview together are worth exactly as much as the test. A strong test cannot fully carry a weak confidential report, and a strong report cannot carry a weak test. How the three are weighed inside a zone is simple addition: rule 6(1) ranks "all eligible employees in the order of total marks".
From notification to promotion order
| Step | What happens | Rule | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Notification | The Zonal Office (the promoting authority) notifies the promotion; eligibility is reckoned on the 1st of that month | Rule 7(2) | official |
| 2. Promotion Test | Only those with the required service may sit; the syllabus is set by the Chairman (Chief Executive since GSR 477(E) of 07.07.2021); a pass is a condition of eligibility | Rule 7(1), 7(2); Schedule Sl. 1(b) | official |
| 3. Panel (before interview) | Eligible employees placed in order of marks; anyone with a below-average work record is left out. In LIC’s 2022 1(b) exercise the panel mark was work record plus test, out of 75 | Rule 6(1), 6(2) proviso; CIC decision of 20.01.2025 | official |
| 4. Interview call | Candidates in merit order up to five times the number of vacancies "may be called for interview by the Promotion Committee" | Rule 6(2) | official |
| 5. Ranking list | Prepared by the committee after interview, on the total of all the Schedule marks (100 for 1(b)); the promoting authority may disagree only with written reasons | Rule 6(3), 6(4) | official |
| 6. Validity | One year from preparation; the Chairman may extend by up to one more year in exceptional circumstances, with reasons in writing | Rule 6(4) | official |
| 7. Appointment | In order of merit against sanctioned vacancies; no promotion if a penalty under Staff Regulation 39 was imposed in the preceding year | Rule 4(1), 6(5) | official |
| 8. Appeal | Within one month of the ranking list, through proper channel, to the authority immediately above the promoting authority | Rule 9 | official |
One real 1(b) score, as LIC gave it
The only published breakdown of a real 1(b) score is in a Central Information Commission decision of 20.01.2025 (File No. CIC/LICOI/A/2023/140951), which reproduces the reply that LIC’s Kanpur Divisional Office gave to an applicant under the RTI Act on 06.02.2023. We give the numbers without the name.
| Item | What LIC stated | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Written test, 2022-23 exercise | Paper I General English 68; Paper II Managerial Ability/Aptitude and Knowledge of Insurance 69; total 137 out of 200 | official (CIC record) |
| Test converted to 50 | 137/4 = 34.25, recorded as 34 | official (CIC record) |
| Panel mark for the interview call, 2022 | 59 = work record (CR) 25 + written test 34 | official (CIC record) |
| Interview | 11 | official (CIC record) |
| Total | 70 | official (CIC record) |
| Minimum for promotion, General category | 72 | official (CIC record) |
Three things follow, in our reading. The test was out of 200 in two papers and was scaled to 50 by straight proportion, dropping the fraction. The panel before interview was ranked on 75 marks (work record and test), and the interview was added afterwards. And a full 25 for work record plus a mid-table test still fell two marks short of the cut-off: the interview decided it. One exercise in one division is not a rule for every zone or year.
Two features are worth reading twice. The five-times rule is a ceiling ("may be called"), so a committee can interview fewer. And the ranking list lives for a year: if a vacancy arises during that year, it is filled from the list, not by a fresh test, which is why the timing of a notification matters to anyone waiting to complete five years.
The Staff Rules add the general principle that promotion is "based on merit, suitability ... and seniority", judged by "confidential reports and/or interviews and/or examinations" (rule 7(3)), and name the committees. For Class I posts not listed separately, the committee is one officer not below Deputy Zonal Manager and two not below Divisional Manager, nominated by the Central Office. Which clause the AAO committee falls under is not stated; that clause fits, in our reading, because AAO is not named in the others.
The work record: what is official and what is reported
The Rules give the work record 25 marks and leave the method to the Chairman (Chief Executive since 2021): rule 10(2) lets the Chairman issue instructions on "detailed allocation of marks for seniority, qualification and confidential reports (work record)". Those instructions start with Chairman’s Circular No. 7726/ASP/87 of 20.11.1987, which LIC has not published. The only public account is a digest on a legal database of unknown provenance. We print what it says, as reported, because nothing else describes the method.
Work-record method, as reported in the digest (not verified against LIC)
- Confidential reports of Class III employees are marked out of 35 and scaled to the 25 allotted for AAO in proportion: its own example is 30 out of 35 becoming 21 out of 25 (30 × 25 / 35 = 21.43).
- The marks of the preceding 3 years before the notification are added and divided by 3. Where one year has two reports, they are weighted by months (for example 5/12 and 7/12).
- The result is taken to the nearest integer, "ignoring a fraction equal to 0.5 or less": 21.43 becomes 21, 21.5 becomes 21, 21.6 becomes 22.
- Interview marks are given in integers only.
- Below 15 out of 25 counts as below average for a Class III employee, which removes you from the panel under rule 6(2).
- The ranking list carries the selected candidates and then a further 20% as a contingency list, valid for one year.
- Ties are broken by date of entry into the competing cadre, then date of entry into service, then date of birth.
- SC and ST candidates are empanelled as a separate group and interviewed on a separate day.
Indian Kanoon digest of LIC circulars (reported). The Rules themselves say only "Work Record 25" and leave the method to instructions.
The same digest says there are "no marks for departmental/promotion test", then adds: "However, in the case of Assistant competing directly for the post of A.A.O., maximum marks for the test are 50." That matches the Schedule, which gives some comfort that the digest is copying real circulars; but it is still not an LIC document, and the scaling above should be treated as a likely method, not a rule.
The test’s 50 marks
The Schedule gives the Promotion Test 50 of the 100 selection marks. No current conversion instruction is on LIC’s site, but LIC’s own figures for the 2022-23 exercise, reproduced in the CIC decision, show the method used then: two papers totalling 200, scaled by straight proportion (divide by 4), with 34.25 recorded as 34. The calculator below does the same. How a fraction of exactly .5 or more is treated for the test is not stated; we apply the digest’s work-record rounding rule, which is our assumption, and a later round’s instructions may differ.
Estimate your merit score
1(b) merit-score calculator (our arithmetic)
The 50/25/25 split is official (Schedule Sl. 1(b)). Dividing a 200-mark test by 4 follows LIC’s 2022-23 figures in a CIC decision (official); the rounding of the test is our assumption. The 3-year average, the scaling of 35-mark reports to 25 and the rule "ignore a fraction of 0.5 or less" are from a reported digest of LIC circulars; the digest does not say whether rounding comes before or after scaling, and we round once, after scaling. The interview-call line applies rule 6(2). This is an estimate for planning, not a prediction of any result.
The same arithmetic for a few profiles, for readers without JavaScript. Every figure in this table is our arithmetic on the assumptions stated above the calculator.
| Profile | Test (of 50) | Work record (of 25) | Interview (of 25) | Estimated total (of 100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIC’s own 2022 example (CIC record): test 137/200, work record 25, interview 11 | 34 (LIC figure) | 25 (LIC figure) | 11 | 70 (LIC figure; General minimum was 72) |
| Test 140/200, reports 30, 30, 30 of 35, interview 18 | 35 | 21 (21.43) | 18 | 74 |
| Test 160/200, reports 25, 25, 25 of 35, interview 15 | 40 | 18 (17.86) | 15 | 73 |
| Test 120/200, reports 33, 33, 33 of 35, interview 20 | 30 | 24 (23.57) | 20 | 74 |
| Test 170/200, reports 20, 20, 20 of 35, interview 20 | 42 (42.5) | 14 (14.29, reported as below average) | not reached | off the panel under rule 6(2) |
The last row is the one to remember. On the reported line of 15 out of 25, reports averaging 20 out of 35 scale to 14.29, taken as 14, and under rule 6(2) a below-average work record keeps a candidate off the panel whatever the test score. The middle rows show the other lesson: a candidate ten marks weaker on the test (30 against 40) can finish ahead of a stronger test-taker on the strength of the reports and the interview.
How are LIC AAO 1(b) candidates ranked?
On 100 marks: Promotion Test 50, Work Record 25, Interview 25 (Schedule Sl. 1(b), LIC Promotion Rules 1987). There are no seniority or qualification marks in 1(b).
How many candidates are called for interview?
Up to five times the number of vacancies, in order of merit on the panel (rule 6(2)). It is a ceiling: "may be called".
How are work-record marks calculated?
The Rules leave it to the Chairman’s (now Chief Executive’s) instructions, which are not published. A reported digest says the confidential-report marks (out of 35) of the preceding 3 years are averaged, scaled to 25 in proportion and taken to the nearest integer, ignoring a fraction of 0.5 or less, and that below 15 of 25 is below average.
How is the test converted to 50?
In LIC’s 2022-23 exercise, as reproduced in a CIC decision of 20.01.2025, the two papers totalled 200 and were scaled by straight proportion: 137 out of 200 became 137/4 = 34.25, recorded as 34. No current instruction is public.
What is the pass mark in the 1(b) Promotion Test?
Not published by LIC. The Rules say only "a pass in Promotion Test". Coaching sites report 50% per paper for general and 40% for SC/ST candidates; that is unverified. (For the separate AAO (Programmer) written test, LIC’s CPIO stated a qualifying mark of 50 out of 100 for General candidates in 2022.)
How long is the ranking list valid?
One year from its preparation, extendable by the Chairman (now Chief Executive) by up to one more year in exceptional circumstances (rule 6(4)).
Can I appeal against non-selection?
Yes, within one month of the ranking list being published, through proper channel, to the authority immediately above the promoting authority (rule 9).
Does seniority count in 1(b)?
Not as marks. The reported digest says seniority breaks ties: first by date of entry into the competing cadre, then into service, then by date of birth.
Is the 1(a) score comparable with 1(b)?
No. 1(a) ranks HGAs and Section Heads on seniority and qualification, work record and interview (maximum 75); 1(b) ranks Assistants and Stenographers on test, work record and interview (maximum 100). Each item has its own panel.
Sources
- official — LIC Class III and Class IV Employees (Promotion) Rules, 1987 ("Annexure - 2", LIC’s own copy): GSR 824(E) of 25.09.1987 as amended by GSR 462(E) 30.04.1990, 229(E) 23.04.1991, 393(E) 04.05.1993, 226(E) 22.04.1997, 833(E) 30.12.1999, 779(E) 21.10.2011 and 690(E) 12.09.2012. Rules 3 to 10 and the Schedule, serials 1 to 17
- official — Rajya Sabha, papers laid on the table, 03.08.2021, item (12): "G.S.R. 477 (E), dated the 7th July, 2021, publishing the LIC Class III and Class IV employees (Promotion) Amendment Rules, 2021" (proves the amendment exists; not its text)
- reported — Indian Kanoon consolidation of the 1987 Promotion Rules ("last updated 22nd July, 2021"): shows the "Chief Executive" substitution made by GSR 477(E) of 07.07.2021 but still prints age 35 and has no item 1(c)
- official — Court record: Central Information Commission decision of 20.01.2025, File No. CIC/LICOI/A/2023/140951 (LIC Divisional Office, Kanpur), reproducing LIC’s CPIO reply of 06.02.2023 on the 2022 AAO 1(a) and 1(b) exercise and the 2022-23 1(b) written test (Indian Kanoon copy; cited by file number only)
- official — LIC (Staff) Rules, 1960, updated to 31.01.2022: rule 7 (promotion committees), rule 16 (probation on promotion), rule 52(2) (pay-fixation option)
- official — LIC (Staff) Rules, 1960, updated to 17.08.2023 (last amendment GSR 611(E) of 17.08.2023): rule 16 and rule 52(2) as current
- reported — Indian Kanoon text filed as the Promotion Rules, of unknown provenance: a digest of LIC circulars from Chairman’s Circular 7726/ASP/87 of 20.11.1987 (work-record scaling over 3 years with integer rounding, integer interview marks, contingency list, tie-breaks)
- official — Court record: Madras High Court (Madurai Bench), W.P.(MD) Nos. 15510 to 15517 of 2015, order of 10.12.2015: reproduces Schedule serial 1 and records LIC’s statements on the Southern Zone AAO promotion exercises of 2014 and 2015, including vacancies "expected to be in the region of 150" (cited by writ numbers only; Indian Kanoon copy of the court’s order)
- reported — study4insurance, "LIC AAO 1(b) syllabus" (coaching site; read 29.09.2026): 120 + 120 questions, 150 minutes each, 50%/40% pass per paper, exam 07.09.2025
- reported — ambitiousbaba, "LIC AAO (1B): Exam Pattern & Syllabus" (coaching site, page dated 18.07.2026; read 29.09.2026): quotes an "Appendix II of the Instructions"; 100 + 100 questions, 100 marks each, 50%/40% pass per paper
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.
