NICL AO Automobile Engineer Exam Pattern 2026: Marks

The NICL AO Automobile Engineer exam pattern 2026 has an online Phase I of 100 marks in 60 minutes. Phase II has an objective test of 250 marks in 3 hours and a descriptive test of 30 marks. Each wrong answer costs one-fourth of the marks for that question. See the NICL AO Automobile Engineer 2026 guide for all stages.

NICL AO Automobile Engineer exam pattern 2026: Phase I

Phase I applies to all disciplines. It is an online objective test with multiple choice questions.

Each section has its own timer. The sections do not follow a fixed order. A candidate must secure passing marks in each section. The company decides these marks.

The company shortlists about 15 times the vacancies for Phase II. See the selection process page for details.

What is the Phase II objective test for Specialists?

An Automobile Engineer takes the Specialist test. It has six sections and 250 marks. The technical and professional knowledge test checks knowledge in the candidate’s discipline.

Each section has its own timer. The test runs for 3 hours in all.

What is the descriptive test?

The descriptive test starts right after the objective test. It is a test of English language and has 30 marks. It lasts 30 minutes.

The candidate types the answers on a computer. Check all keys of the keyboard before you start to type. The descriptive test is qualifying in nature. Its marks do not count for the interview shortlist or the final selection.

How does negative marking work in NICL AO?

NICL deducts one-fourth of the marks assigned to a question for each wrong answer. This rule applies to the Phase I and the Phase II objective tests. A blank answer carries no penalty.

For a question of 1 mark, a wrong answer costs 0.25 marks. A candidate with 30 right answers and 8 wrong answers in a 1-mark section scores 28 marks. That is 30 minus 2.

How does NICL calculate the score?

NICL counts the right answers in each objective test and applies the penalty. This gives the corrected score. If the exam runs in more than one session, the company equates the scores to adjust for small differences in difficulty.

The company reports test scores and the total with up to two decimal places. It applies cut offs on each test and on the total score. See the previous year cut off page for past values.

What do Phase I and Phase II time limits mean for you?

Phase I allows 60 minutes for 100 questions. Each section has its own timer of 20 minutes.

Phase II lists 210 minutes in all. This covers the 3-hour objective test and the 30-minute descriptive test. Read the exam date page for the schedule and the exam day checklist for the venue rules.

Next step: read the NICL AO Automobile Engineer cut off.