The ITBP AC Engineer written exam has two papers. Paper I is objective — General Awareness, Reasoning, Maths, English, and a trade-specific section. Paper II is descriptive — a deep dive into your engineering branch. Most candidates underestimate Paper II because it is branch-specific and goes beyond basics. This article covers both papers in full, with topic lists for each engineering branch.
| Paper | Type | Duration | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I | Objective (MCQ) | As per notification | Bilingual (Hindi/English) |
| Paper II | Descriptive (Written) | 2 hours | Bilingual (Hindi/English) |
Exact question count and marks per paper: refer to the official detailed notification on recruitment.itbpolice.nic.in
Paper I — Subject-Wise Topics
General Awareness & Current Affairs
- Current events — national and international (last 6–12 months)
- Indian polity and governance — Constitution, Parliament, Supreme Court
- History of India — Freedom movement, major events, rulers
- Geography — physical, economic, and social geography of India
- Economy — Union Budget basics, GDP, RBI, Five-Year Plans
- Science & Technology — recent discoveries, space missions (ISRO), defence developments
- Environment — national parks, wildlife, climate agreements
- Sports — major national/international tournaments and winners
- Awards — National awards, Nobel, Bharat Ratna
- ITBP-specific — mandate, history, border areas patrolled
Reasoning Ability
- Series — number series, alphabet series, mixed series
- Analogies — number, letter, word analogies
- Classification (Odd One Out)
- Coding-Decoding
- Blood relations
- Direction and distance
- Seating arrangement (linear and circular)
- Syllogism
- Non-verbal reasoning — pattern, mirror image, paper folding
Numerical Aptitude
- Number system, HCF, LCM
- Percentage, profit & loss, discount
- Simple and compound interest
- Ratio and proportion
- Time, speed, and distance
- Work and time
- Mensuration — area and volume of 2D/3D shapes
- Data interpretation — tables, bar graphs, pie charts
- Basic trigonometry and geometry
General English
- Reading comprehension
- Fill in the blanks (grammar-based)
- Error spotting
- Synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitution
- Sentence rearrangement (Para-jumbles)
- Idioms and phrases
- Active/Passive voice, Direct/Indirect speech
Engineering Trade Subject — Paper I (Objective)
This section tests core concepts from your engineering branch. The objective section covers fundamentals — topics that appear in university exams and standard textbooks.
Paper II — Engineering Branch Topics
Paper II is descriptive. You will need to write detailed answers, solve numerical problems, and explain concepts. The depth required is at final-year B.E./B.Tech level.
Civil Engineering
- Structural Analysis — trusses, beams, bending moment and shear force diagrams
- RCC Design — IS code provisions, beam/column/slab design
- Fluid Mechanics & Hydraulics — Bernoulli's equation, pipe flow, open channel flow
- Soil Mechanics — Mohr-Coulomb, bearing capacity, consolidation, slope stability
- Transportation Engineering — highway design, flexible/rigid pavements, IRC standards
- Environmental Engineering — water treatment, sewage treatment, pollution control
- Construction Materials & Technology — cement, concrete mix design, steel
- Surveying — levelling, traversing, contour maps
- Estimation & Costing — CPWD norms, rate analysis
Electrical Engineering
- Basic Electrical Circuits — Kirchhoff's laws, network theorems (Thevenin, Norton, Superposition)
- Electrical Machines — DC motors/generators, transformers, induction motors, synchronous machines
- Power Systems — transmission lines, load flow, fault analysis, protection systems
- Control Systems — transfer functions, Bode plot, root locus
- Measurements & Instrumentation — ammeters, voltmeters, energy meters, CRO
- Power Electronics — thyristors, rectifiers, inverters, choppers
- Digital Electronics — logic gates, combinational & sequential circuits, number systems
- Electrical Installation & Wiring — IS codes, earthing standards
Mechanical Engineering
- Engineering Mechanics — statics, dynamics, friction, virtual work
- Strength of Materials — stress-strain, bending, torsion, columns
- Theory of Machines — linkages, gear trains, cams and followers, vibrations
- Thermodynamics — laws, thermodynamic cycles (Rankine, Otto, Diesel, Brayton)
- Fluid Mechanics — viscosity, Bernoulli's theorem, pipe flow, hydraulic machines
- Heat Transfer — conduction, convection, radiation, heat exchangers
- Manufacturing Processes — casting, welding, machining, forming
- Machine Design — factor of safety, fatigue, design of shafts, keys, couplings
- Refrigeration & Air Conditioning — vapour compression cycle, psychrometrics
Recommended Books & Resources
| Subject | Recommended Reference |
|---|---|
| General Awareness | Lucent's GK, current affairs monthly magazine |
| Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal — Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning |
| Maths | R.S. Aggarwal — Quantitative Aptitude |
| English | Wren & Martin, Word Power Made Easy (Norman Lewis) |
| Civil Engineering | IS codes (IS 456, IS 800), R.K. Bansal (Fluid Mechanics), GATE Civil preparation books |
| Electrical Engineering | Nagrath & Kothari (Electrical Machines), GATE Electrical preparation books |
| Mechanical Engineering | R.S. Khurmi (Theory of Machines, Strength of Materials), GATE Mechanical books |
Paper I — Topic Importance & How to Prioritise
Not all topics in Paper I carry equal weight. Based on the pattern of similar CAPF/paramilitary engineering exams, here is how to allocate your preparation time:
| Subject | Estimated Weightage | Difficulty | Preparation Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Awareness | High | Low-Medium | High — daily news + Lucent's GK |
| Reasoning | Medium-High | Medium | High — scoring with practice |
| Numerical Aptitude | Medium | Medium | Medium — focus on fast calculation |
| General English | Medium | Low | Medium — grammar + vocab |
| Trade (Engineering) | High | High | Highest — your branch concepts |