DRDO CEPTAM Exam Pattern 2024: Check Paper Pattern & Marking Scheme

DRDO CEPTAM exam pattern is prescribed by the Centre for Personnel Talent Management of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) for Tech A, A&A and MTS. DRDO CEPTAM pattern is different for different tiers and posts. The pattern highlights the overall structure of the exam such as marking scheme, number of sections, total marks, and duration of the exam. 

The post-wise DRDO CEPTAM 10 DRTC exam pattern is given below:

DRDO CEPTAM Exam Pattern for STA-B

Tier 1 is divided into various sections and it is common to all post-codes-Quantitative ability/aptitude, General intelligence & Reasoning ability, General awareness, English language (basic knowledge), General science. The total marks allotted to the Tier 1 are 120 and the test carries a total of 120 questions. The duration of Tier 1 is 90 minutes. Tier 2 carries 100 questions from the sections specific to the trade/discipline. The total marks allotted to the test are 100. The duration of the test is 90 minutes. DRDO CEPTAM exam pattern for this post is given below:

Important Points to Note

Screening Criteria: Tier-1 exam is for screening. The minimum qualifying marks for Tier-1 is 40 percent for UR/OBC candidate and 35 percent for SC/ST candidates. Candidates will be provisionally shortlisted based on Tier-1 examination merit in a ratio of 1:8 (No. of vacancy: No. of shortlisted candidates) provided they secure the minimum qualifying marks in examination. The last candidate securing equal marks in the bracket will also be included. These provisionally shortlisted candidates will be called for Tier-2 examination.

Provisional Selection Criteria: The provisional selection will be based on the order of merit obtained in Tier-2 examination depending upon the post/category/sub-category of the candidate. The minimum qualifying marks for Tier-II is 40 percent for UR/OBC candidate and 35 percent for SC/ST candidates.

DRDO CEPTAM Exam Pattern for Tech-A

DRDO CEPTAM exam pattern for Tech A comprises two tiers. Tier 1 is for CBT (Provisional Selection) and it is divided into two sections. Section A comprises Quantitative ability/aptitude, General intelligence & Reasoning ability, General awareness, English language (basic knowledge) and Section B comprises subjects specific to the trade. Section A carries 40 questions and section B carries 80 questions. Total marks allotted to Tier 1 is 120 and duration of the test is 90 minutes. Tier 2 is trade test and it is qualifying in nature. This test is specific to trade/discipline of postcode. Trade test will be of ITI level wherein the practical knowledge of candidates will be judged. The exam structure is described in the table below:

Important Points to Note

Provisional Selection Criteria: The provisional selection will be based on the merit obtained in Tier-I examination depending upon the post/category/sub-category of the candidate. The minimum qualifying marks for Tier-I is 40 percent for UR/OBC candidates and 35 percent for SC/ST candidates.

Trade Test Criteria: Candidates will be provisionally shortlisted based on Tier-I examination merit in a ratio of 1:8 (No. of vacancy: No. of shortlisted candidates) provided they secure the minimum qualifying marks in examination. However, this ratio may increase or decrease depending upon organizational requirements. The last candidate securing equal marks in the bracket will also be included. Provisionally shortlisted candidates in Tier-I will be called for Tier-II (Trade Test). It is mandatory to qualify Tier-II (Trade Test) for final selection.

DRDO CEPTAM MTS exam pattern is divided into two tiers: I and II. Both the tiers will be conducted in computer-based mode and comprise objective-type multiple-choice questions. Tier-I exam carries questions from General Intelligence & Reasoning Ability, General Awareness and Quantitative Aptitude & Numerical Ability. Tier-II carries questions from General Science, General Math and General English. Questions are printed both in English and Hindi languages. There is no negative marking for wrong answers in DRDO CEPTAM exam. The tier-I exam is conducted only to screen candidates for tier-II. The minimum qualifying marks for tier 1 are 40 per cent for UE/ESM/OBC and 35 per cent for SC/ST candidates. On the basis of the performance in tier-I, candidates in the ratio 1:10 will be shortlisted for the tier-II. Final selection of candidates for this post will be done based on the tier-II exam.

Structure of DRDO CEPTAM MTS exam pattern 

Tier-I

Tier-II

DRDO CEPTAM exam pattern for A&A post is divided into two tiers: I and II. Tier-I is a computer-based test while tier-II is a trade/skill/physical fitness and capability test as per the post. Tier-I comprises objective-type multiple-choice questions. The question papers will be set in Hindi and English. Tier-II is qualifying in nature, however, it is compulsory to clear this stage for final selection. Candidates will be selected for tier-II in the ratio 1:12. The minimum qualifying marks for Tier-I is 40 per cent for UR/OBC/EWS candidates and 35 per cent for SC/ST candidates. The detailed structure of DRDO CEPTAM exam pattern for A&A post is given below.

Tier-I

Tier-II

Tier 2 is held for all postcodes. Candidates in this tier are required to appear for Trade/Skill/Physical Fitness and Capability Test as per the posts. This stage is qualifying in nature but candidates need to clear this stage. 

DRDO CEPTAM exam pattern for Tech A is divided into two tiers-I and II. Tier-I exam is conducted in computer-based mode. The question paper is divided into two sections: A and B. Part A of the question paper comprises questions from Quantitative Ability/Aptitude, General Intelligence & Reasoning Ability, General Awareness, English Language (basic knowledge), General Science. Section B comprises questions specific to trade/discipline as per the post-code. Section A consists of 50 questions while there are 100 questions in Section B. The maximum mark allotted for this test is 150. The duration of the test is 120 minutes. The provisional selection is based on the merit of the tier-I exam depending upon the post/category/sub-category of the candidate. There are no negative marks for wrong answers. The minimum qualifying marks are 40 per cent for UR/OBC candidates and 35 per cent for SC/ST candidates. The structure of the tier 1 exam is given below.

Tier-II

Tier-II of DRDO CEPTAM is a trade test that is conducted for the qualified candidates of tier 1. Trade test is of ITI level in the related trade to test the practical skills of the candidates.

DRDO CEPTAM syllabus for different posts is given below:

STA B Post

Syllabus for Tier 1

Syllabus for English: Synonyms, Antonyms, Verb, Tenses, Subject-Verb Agreement, Grammar, Comprehension, Vocabulary, Adverb, Unseen passages, Error Correction, Articles, Fill in the Blanks, Sentence Rearrangement, Idioms & Phrases, etc.

Syllabus for General Awareness: Indian Constitution, Cultural Heritage, Indian National Movement, Science & Technology, About India, History – India & World, Geography – India & World, Indian Polity & Governance, etc.

Syllabus for General Intelligence: Blood Relations, Analogy, Directions, Clocks & Calendars, Coding-Decoding, Number Series, Alphabet Series, Arithmetical Reasoning, Non-Verbal Series, Number Rankings, Decision Making, Embedded Figures Cubes, and Dice, Mirror Images, etc.

Mathematics Syllabus: Time and Work, Time and Distance, HCF & LCM, Percentages, Profit and Loss, Ratio and Proportions, Simple & Compound Interest, Mixtures & Allegations, Problems on Ages, Number System, Simplification, Data Interpretation, Decimal & Fractions, Average, etc.

Syllabus for Tier 2

Chemical: Process Calculations and Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics and Mechanical Operations, Chemical Reaction Engineering, Chemical Technology, Heat Transfer., Mass Transfer.

Electrical: Electric Circuits and Fields, Signals and Systems, Electrical Machines, Power System, Control System, Electrical and Electronic, Measurements, Analog and Digital Electronics, Power Electronics and Drives, Electro Magnetic Induction.

Mechanical: Engineering Mechanics, Strength of Materials, Theory of Machines, Vibrations, Design, Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, Thermodynamics, Engineering Materials, Metal Casting, Machining, and Machine Tool Operations, Inventory Control and Operation Research.

Instrumentation: Basics of Circuits and Measurement Systems, Mechanical Measurement, Industrial Instrumentation, Digital Electronics, Analog Electronics, Signals, Systems and Communications, Electrical and Electronic Measurements, Control Systems and Process Control, Analytical, Optical, and Biomedical Instrumentation.

Tech A Tier 1 Syllabus

Quantitative Ability: Analogies, similarities and differences, space visualization, spatial orientation, problem-solving, analysis, judgment, decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning and figural classification, arithmetic number series, non-verbal series, coding and decoding, statement conclusion, syllogistic reasoning, etc.

Quantitative Aptitude: Questions will be asked from Simplification, Number Series, Quadratic Equations Average, Percentage, Time & Work, Area, profit & Loss, Simple & Compound Interest, Time & Speed, Investment, HCF & LCM, Problem On Ages, Bar Graph, Pictorial Graph, Pie Chart.

Reasoning Ability: Focus on Comprehension Reasoning, Venn Diagrams, Coding and de-coding, Problem Solving Techniques, Statement & Conclusion type questions, arithmetic reasoning, arithmetical number series, non-verbal series, syllogistic reasoning, Seating Arrangements, Decision Making, Input & Output, Logical Reasoning. Questions from Non-Verbal Reasoning may ask in the Exam.

General Awareness: Current Affairs (National and International), Major Financial / Economic News, Budget and Five-Year Plans, Sports, Books and Authors, Awards and Honors, Science – Inventions and Discoveries, Abbreviations, Important Days, International and National Organizations are some related topics

English Language: Mainly Focus on the topics like Synonyms, Antonyms, Sentence Errors, Sentence correction, fill in the blanks, Sentence Arrangements/ Word Arrangement, Comprehension & Cloze Test nothing can be out of these mentioned Topics, etc. Comprehension will be lengthy & Difficult.

Read More:

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• DRDO CEPTAM Syllabus 
• DRDO CEPTAM Answer Key

Candidates can check below DRDO CEPTAM exam pattern FAQs.