NIACL AO Exam Analysis 2025
NIACL AO Preliminary examination has been conducted today. This year, NIACL AO has released 193 vacancies under the generalist category. Questions are asked from three sections: English, Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude, for which NIACL AO Exam Analysis 2025 is given in the blog based on the feedback of the students who had attempted the exam. We have also provided the number of good attempts and expected cutoff based on the feedback, for students who are planning to prepare for NIACL AO Exam next year.
The NIACL AO Prelims 2025 exam for Shift 1 and Shift 2 was conducted smoothly with a moderate overall difficulty level. In both shifts, the English Language section was easy to moderate, focusing on reading comprehension, error spotting, and cloze test. Reasoning Ability was moderate, with puzzles, seating arrangements, syllogism, and inequality being dominant. Quantitative Aptitude was moderate to lengthy, with arithmetic, DI, and simplification/approximation questions. Good attempts ranged between 65–72 for both shifts. Candidates found Shift 1 slightly easier in reasoning, while Shift 2 had trickier arithmetic. Overall, well-prepared aspirants could easily maintain accuracy and speed.
According to the NIACL AO Exam Analysis 2025, in this section, we are providing the difficulty level of the NIACL AO Prelims examination. We have also mentioned the number of good attempts and the expected cutoff below in the blog. NIACL AO Prelims is of 100 marks, in which 100 questions are asked. There is a sectional timing of 20 minutes for each section that contributes to the overall exam duration of 60 minutes.
| NIACL AO Prelims Exam Analysis 2025, Shift 2: Difficulty Level | ||
| Sections | Good Attempts | Difficulty level |
| English Language | 22-27 | Easy |
| Reasoning Ability | 22-27 | Moderate-Difficult |
| Numerical Ability | 23-27 | Moderate |
The reasoning section contains 35 questions of 35 marks. The time duration is 20 minutes. In the table below, we have mentioned the topics and the number of questions asked from those topics based on the feedback received from the students who had attempted the exam.
| NIACL AO Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 – 14th September Shift 2 – Reasoning Ability | |
| Topic | No. of Questions |
| Circle Seating | 5 |
| Year Puzzle | 5 |
| Language-based puzzle (2 variables) | 5 |
| Box puzzle (9 boxes) | 5 |
| Blood Relation | 4 |
| Syllogism | 4 |
| Inequality | 4 |
| Odd one out | 1 |
| Meaningful word | 1 |
| number pairing | 1 |
| Total | 35 |
The Numerical ability section contains 35 questions of 35 marks. The time duration is 20 minutes. In the table below, we have mentioned the topics and the number of questions asked from those topics based on the feedback received from the students who had attempted the exam.
| NIACL AO Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 – 14th September Shift 2 – Quantitative Aptitude | |
| Topics | No. of Questions |
| Table DI (Male, Female) | 5 |
| Bar Graph DI (Fuel Capacity of 4 tanks – P, Q, R, S – used, unused) | 5 |
| Caselet DI | 4 |
| Approximation | 5 |
| Missing Number Series | 6 |
| Arithmetic Questions | 10 |
| Total | 35 |
In the English Language section, this time, questions have been asked mainly from the topics that will be updated soon. The English section contains 30 questions of 30 marks. The time duration is 20 minutes. In the table below, we have mentioned the topics and the number of questions asked from those topics based on the feedback received from the students who had attempted the exam.
| NIACL AO Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 – 14th September Shift 2 – English Language | |
| Topic | No. of Questions |
| Reading Comprehension (Recycling in America) | 9 |
| Para jumbles | 5 |
| Single Fillers | 5 |
| Error Spotting | 5 |
| Word Swap | 3 |
| Word Usage (Remain, Sole) | 3 |
| Total | 30 |
In this section, we are providing the difficulty level of the NIACL AO Prelims examination. We have also mentioned the number of good attempts and the expected cutoff below in the blog. NIACL AO Prelims is of 100 marks, in which 100 questions are asked. There is a sectional timing of 20 minutes for each section that contributes to the overall exam duration of 60 minutes.
| NIACL AO Prelims Exam Analysis 2025, Shift 1: Difficulty Level | ||
| Sections | Good Attempts | Difficulty level |
| English Language | 23-26 | Easy |
| Reasoning Ability | 24-28 | Moderate |
| Numerical Ability | 22-26 | Moderate |
The reasoning section contains 35 questions of 35 marks. The time duration is 20 minutes. In the table below, we have mentioned the topics and the number of questions asked from those topics based on the feedback received from the students who had attempted the exam.
| NIACL AO Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 – 14th September Shift 1 – Reasoning Ability | |
| Topic | No. of Questions |
| Uncertain Linear Seating | 4 |
| Age Puzzle (Single variable) | 5 |
| Sequence Puzzle (Double variable – 5 items and 5 persons) | 5 |
| Linear Seating Arrangement (north and south facing, 8 persons) | 5 |
| Box puzzle (9 boxes) | 5 |
| Order and ranking | 3 |
| Syllogism | 4 |
| number pairing | 1 |
| odd one out | 1 |
| Alphabet based | 1 |
| coding decoding | 1 |
| Total | 35 |
The Numerical ability section contains 35 questions of 35 marks. The time duration is 20 minutes. In the table below, we have mentioned the topics and the number of questions asked from those topics based on the feedback received from the students who had attempted the exam.
| NIACL AO Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 – 14th September Shift 1 – Quantitative Aptitude | |
| Topics | No. of Questions |
| Table DI (Male, Female – Registration-based) | 6 |
| Line Graph DI (bat and helmet sales in a shop) | 6 |
| Caselet DI (Manufacture, sold, unsold – A, B, C) | 3 |
| Approximation | 5 |
| Quadratic Equation | 5 |
| Arithmetic Questions | 10 |
| Total | 35 |
In the English Language section, this time questions have been asked mainly from the topics that will be updated soon. The English section contains 30 questions of 30 marks. The time duration is 20 minutes. In the table below, we have mentioned the topics and the number of questions asked from those topics based on the feedback received from the students who had attempted the exam.
| NIACL AO Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 – 14th September Shift 1 – English Language | |
| Topic | No. of Questions |
| Reading Comprehension (Tourism- Based) | 8 |
| Cloze Test | 6 |
| Error Spotting | 4 |
| Word Swap | 4 |
| Word Usage | 3 |
| Sentence Rearrangement | 5 |
| Total | 30 |
The NIACL AO 2025 exam saw moderate to slightly difficult levels in both shifts. For Shift 1, candidates reported a balanced paper with reasoning and quant being moderate, while English was comparatively easy. A good attempt for this shift ranges between 92–96 questions with accuracy. In Shift 2, the reasoning section was trickier, and quantitative aptitude was calculative, making it slightly tougher. However, English and general awareness were manageable. A safe good attempt in this shift lies around 88–92 questions. Overall, maintaining speed and accuracy will be key for clearing the cut-off in NIACL AO 2025.
In this section, we are discussing the expected cutoff based on the feedback of aspirants who had given the NIACL AO Prelims exam and also after analysing the previous year cutoffs by our experts. The expected cutoff core will help the aspirants to get an idea whether they should start preparation for NIACL AO mains exam or should focus on other banking exams that are in the pipeline. The table below contains category-wise cutoffs.
| Post | Category | Expected Cutoff |
Generalist | UR | 76-83 |
| EWS | 76-83 | |
| SC | 73-77 | |
| ST | 67-72 | |
| OBC | 76-83 |
In this blog, we have given the analysis of NIACL AO 2025 prelims exam. We have also discussed the difficulty level, the number of good attempts, along with expected cutoff based on the feedback of candidates who had attempted the exam. To practice for the upcoming insurance and banking exams, you can start with our free mock test, and to clear concepts, you can subscribe to our banking courses, where we provide video lectures and PDF notes for better learning and understanding.
Disclaimer: This exam analysis is prepared on the basis of feedback from test-takers and inputs from subject experts. The observations regarding difficulty level, section-wise trends, and “good attempts” are indicative estimates and should not be interpreted as definitive or universally applicable. Actual exam experiences may vary from candidate to candidate. Wherever possible, references have been drawn from reliable sources and prior exam patterns; however, readers are strongly encouraged to verify details with official answer keys, notifications, and updates released by NIACL. This content is intended to provide guidance and context for aspirants’ preparation, not to serve as an official or guaranteed representation of the exam.
Join our exclusive Telegram group where our experts are ready to answer all your queries, guide you in banking exam preparation, and give personalised tips to boost your success. Get access to real-time solutions, expert advice, and valuable resources to improve your study journey.
There are two shifts in which NIACL AO 2025 prelims have been conducted.
Yes, there is sectional timing in the NIACL AO exam of 20 minutes for each section.
Yes, negative marking is there. For each wrong answer, 1/4th of the mark allotted to the question will be deducted.
To be updated soon
To be updated soon
Understand all types of banking licences in India—Universal Banks, SFBs, Payments Banks, RRBs & more.…
Scared of the vast SSC CGL General Awareness syllabus? Discover the best books to score…
Read The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary to know difficult words with its meanings. We provide monthly…
Preparing for banking exams in 2026? Discover the top 10 most important banking reforms from…
Read the latest current affairs today for banking, SSC & govt exams. Stay updated with…
RBI’s anti-fraud proposals decoded: delays, kill switch, and risks of blunt regulation in India’s fast-growing…