DRDO Technician A Preparation Guide

DRDO's CEPTAM Technician A recruitment starts with a no-negative-marking Tier I screening test — accuracy pressure is lower here than in most competitive exams, so speed and breadth matter more.

Exam Pattern

Tier I (Screening Test): 120 objective questions worth 120 marks, attempted in 2 hours, covering General Science, General English, Quantitative Aptitude/General Mathematics and General Intelligence & Reasoning. No negative marking. Minimum qualifying marks are 40% for UR/OBC and 35% for SC/ST candidates.

Preparation Strategy

Attempt every question: With no negative marking in Tier I, there's no reason to leave a question blank.
Clear the qualifying cutoff with real margin: 40%/35% is a low bar, but Tier I only gets you to Tier II — don't treat a bare pass as success.
Spread preparation across all four sections: With four roughly equal areas, a weak section costs proportionally more than in exams with one dominant subject.
Practise General Science at a 10th/12th level: The section tests foundational science, not specialised trade knowledge — that comes later in Tier II.
Start Tier II trade-specific preparation once you're confident on Tier I: Tier II is a Skill Test tied to your specific post code — use time after Tier I effectively.
Time yourself at exactly 1 minute a question: 120 questions in 120 minutes leaves no slack — timed full-length practice is the only way to build this pace reliably.

Sectional Notes

General Science — Foundational science at a 10th/12th level.

General English — Grammar, comprehension and vocabulary.

Quantitative Aptitude / General Mathematics — Basic arithmetic and numerical ability.

General Intelligence and Reasoning — Verbal and non-verbal reasoning.

Exam Pattern

Preparation Strategy

Attempt every question: With no negative marking in Tier I, there's no reason to leave a question blank.

Clear the qualifying cutoff with real margin: 40%/35% is a low bar, but Tier I only gets you to Tier II — don't treat a bare pass as success.

Spread preparation across all four sections: With four roughly equal areas, a weak section costs proportionally more than in exams with one dominant subject.

Practise General Science at a 10th/12th level: The section tests foundational science, not specialised trade knowledge — that comes later in Tier II.

Start Tier II trade-specific preparation once you're confident on Tier I: Tier II is a Skill Test tied to your specific post code — use time after Tier I effectively.

Time yourself at exactly 1 minute a question: 120 questions in 120 minutes leaves no slack — timed full-length practice is the only way to build this pace reliably.

DRDO Technician A Preparation Guide