BARC Exam Pattern
Going through the BARC 2024 exam pattern is crucial as you will get an insight into the structure of the exam, which you must understand before you start your exam preparation. Moreover, you will also get a fair idea about the frequently asked questions and distribution of marks for each subject. The BARC exam pattern for the posts of Stenographer comprises two stages i.e. Objective Test and Stenography Skill Test. On the other hand, for the post of Work Assistant, the exam pattern is - Preliminary Test and Advanced Test.
BARC Stenographer Exam Pattern
As mentioned above, the BARC Stenographer exam pattern consists of two phases - Objective Test and Stenography Skill Test. In the Objective Test, the candidates will be assessed on the 4 subjects namely English, General Knowledge, General Intelligence & Reasoning Quantitative Aptitude. BARC exam Phase 2 consists of a Stenography Skill Test, wherein the writing/typing speed of the candidates will be judged.
| Section | Duration |
|---|---|
| General English | 1 hour |
| General Knowledge | |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | |
| Quantitative Aptitude (Arithmetic) |
Note- For the Objective Test, the minimum qualifying criteria is as follows-
- 50% aggregate for General category (UR)
- 40% aggregate for SC/ST/PH
BARC Work Assistant Exam Pattern
Similarly, the Work Assistant exam will also be conducted in two phases i.e. Preliminary Test and Advanced Test. In the Preliminary Test, candidates will be required to answer 50 multiple choice questions in one hour. They will be judged on the basis of three subjects- Mathematics, Science and General Awareness. Candidates who successfully clear the Preliminary Test will be called for the Advanced Test consisting of 4 sections - Mathematics, Science, General Awareness and Basic English respectively.
| Section | Number of questions | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1: Objective Test | ||
| Mathematics | 20 | 1 Hour |
| Science | 20 | |
| General Awareness | 10 | |
| Total | 50 | 1 Hour |
| Level 2: Advanced Test | ||
| Mathematics | 15 | 2 Hours |
| Science | 15 | |
| General Awareness | 10 | |
| Basic English | 10 | |
| Total | 50 | 2 Hours |
Note- The minimum qualifying criteria for the Preliminary Test is-
- 40% for the General category
- 30% for the Reserved categories.
BARC Final Selection
For the Stenographer post, the final merit list will be made on the basis of the marks obtained in the Objective Test and Stenography Skill Test.
In the case of Work Assistant, the final merit list will be prepared on the basis of the marks obtained in the Test.
If there is a tie in the final merit list, the criteria mentioned below will be adopted in the given sequence for deciding the final merit of the candidates in the merit list-
- Candidates who have scored lower negative marks in the Advanced Test will be placed higher in the merit list.
- The candidates who receive higher marks in the Preliminary Test will be placed higher on the merit list.
- Candidates with lower negative marks in the Preliminary Test are to be placed higher on the merit list.
- Candidates with higher positive marks in Mathematics in the Preliminary Test will be placed higher on the merit list.
- Candidates who scored higher positive marks in Science in the Preliminary Test will be placed higher in the merit list.
BARC Marking Scheme
The BARC exam marking scheme is slightly different as compared to other competitive exams. The BARC recruitment notification provides that there will be negative marking for every wrong answer. You will be awarded 3 marks for every right answer. On the other hand,1 mark will be deducted as a penalty for each wrong answer. Furthermore, if a question is not attempted, no marks will be given for that question. You can refer to the table given below for more details regarding the BARC exam marking scheme.
BARC Recruitment Marking Scheme
| Post | Considered Marks |
|---|---|
| Stenographer (Grade-III), Driver, Work Assistant-A | 3 Marks awarded for correct answer 1 Mark deducted for every incorrect answer |