IOCL Electrical (Grade A) 2026 Free Guess Paper

The IOCL Electrical Grade A 2026 exam falls on September 24, 2026. This year carries more Electrical Grade A seats than 2025, and that shift changes the cutoff math for every candidate. A close look at last year’s cutoff pattern gives a clear target score for this attempt.

TL;DR

• IOCL added 75 Grade A vacancies in Electrical for 2026, up from just 22 in 2025.
• The 2025 Electrical Grade A CBT cutoff stood at 69.75 out of 100 for the general category.
• The 2025 Electrical Grade A final cutoff, after Group Discussion and Personal Interview, reached 73.5 marks.
• Grade E0 (diploma) Electrical seats dropped sharply, from 50 in 2025 to 14 in 2026, which pushes that cutoff higher.
• The CBT paper carries 100 questions in 2.5 hours, split evenly between non-technical and technical sections.
• Grade A officers earn a starting basic pay of ₹50,000 per month, with an approximate annual package of ₹18.4 lakh.

IOCL Electrical Grade A 2026 Vacancy Count

IOCL announced over 400 Grade A vacancies across disciplines for 2026. Civil carries 62 seats, Chemical carries 16, and Electrical carries 75. The Grade E0 (diploma) category adds 14 seats in Electrical and 21 in Mechanical. A vacancy jump this large in Electrical Grade A signals room for a wider merit list this year.

Why the 2025 Cutoff Trend Matters Now

IOCL sets two cutoff stages for Grade A candidates. The first stage is the CBT cutoff. The second stage is the final cutoff, which combines CBT at 85% weight, Group Discussion at 5% weight, and Personal Interview at 10% weight. This composite structure means a strong CBT score carries the most weight toward selection.

In 2025, Electrical Grade A carried only 22 vacancies, and roughly 13,000 candidates applied for those seats. That mismatch between seat count and applicant count pushed the cutoff up. Chemical Grade A carried 152 vacancies against 7,730 applications, and Instrumentation carried 11 vacancies against roughly 2,000 applications.

2025 Electrical Grade A Cutoff by Category

A candidate this year should target a CBT score above 70 marks to stay safe. With Electrical Grade A vacancies more than tripled compared to 2025, the 2026 cutoff will likely hold near this level or drop slightly. A target split of 35 marks from the technical section and 35 marks from the non-technical section covers this goal.

IOCL Grade E0 (Diploma) Electrical Cutoff Trend

Grade E0 Electrical vacancies fell from 50 in 2025 to 14 in 2026. A drop of this size raises the cutoff, since fewer seats remain for a similar or larger applicant pool. In 2025, 14,000 candidates applied for those 50 Electrical seats, and 9,300 candidates appeared for the CBT.

2025 Grade E0 Electrical Cutoff by Category

The final cutoff for Grade E0 Electrical in 2025 reached 79.4375 marks. Given the sharp vacancy cut for 2026, a diploma candidate should target a score above 80 marks to clear the CBT stage this year.

IOCL CBT Exam Pattern for 2026

The CBT paper carries 100 questions across 100 marks, with 2.5 hours to complete it. The paper splits into two equal sections: 50 non-technical questions and 50 technical questions. The non-technical section follows a pattern similar to IBPS clerk exams, with 20 quantitative aptitude questions, 15 reasoning questions, and 15 English questions.

The technical section for Grade A candidates draws from a fixed set of core electrical subjects. The paper stays below GATE difficulty. Most technical questions appear as one-line numerical or theory items rather than multi-step problems.

Grade A Technical Subject Weightage

Roughly 60% of the Grade A technical section is numerical, and the remaining 40% is theory-based. A candidate should revise core subjects from existing notes rather than start new topics this close to the exam.

Grade E0 (Diploma) Technical Subject Weightage

For Grade E0 candidates, about 40% of the technical section is numerical. The remaining questions test direct theory recall, which makes this section easier to score than the Grade A technical section.

IOCL Grade A and Grade E0 Salary Comparison

Salary structure plays a direct role in why Electrical Grade A draws a large applicant pool each year. A Grade A officer starts at a basic pay of ₹50,000 per month, on a scale of ₹50,000 to ₹1,60,000, with an approximate annual package of ₹18.4 lakh. A Grade E0 diploma engineer starts at a basic pay of ₹30,000 per month, on a scale of ₹30,000 to ₹1,20,000, with an approximate annual package of ₹11.1 lakh. Both packages include dearness allowance, house rent allowance, provident fund, gratuity, and performance-related pay.

Selection Process and Minimum Pass Marks

IOCL sets a minimum composite score for final selection. General, EWS, and OBC (NCL) candidates need 45% on the composite score. SC and ST candidates need 40%. PwBD candidates need 30%. A candidate must clear the CBT cutoff first before the Group Discussion and Personal Interview marks apply.

A Preparation Plan for the Remaining Days

With the exam date fixed for September 24, 2026, candidates have limited time left. Full-length mock papers use up time without adding new value at this stage. A candidate should instead revise core technical subjects from existing notes and practice previous-year questions from PSU exams with a similar pattern, such as HPCL, CIL, and SAIL.

Non-technical preparation should focus on IBPS Clerk-level practice sets for quantitative aptitude, reasoning, and English. A Grade A candidate should keep the technical section score near 35 to 40 marks and put the remaining effort into the non-technical section, since that section carries more consistent scoring potential under time pressure.

Common Questions

What is the IOCL Electrical Grade A 2026 cutoff likely to be? Based on the 2025 general category cutoff of 69.75 marks and the rise in vacancies from 22 to 75, the 2026 cutoff will likely stay near or slightly below this mark.

How many IOCL Electrical Grade A vacancies are open in 2026? IOCL Electrical Grade A carries 75 vacancies in 2026, against 22 vacancies in 2025.

What is the IOCL CBT exam pattern for Grade A Electrical? The CBT paper has 100 questions in 2.5 hours, split into 50 non-technical and 50 technical questions.

What is the IOCL Grade A salary for Electrical Engineers? A Grade A officer earns a starting basic pay of ₹50,000 per month, with an approximate annual package of ₹18.4 lakh.

Is the IOCL Electrical Grade A CBT paper GATE-level difficulty? No. The technical section stays below GATE difficulty, with mostly one-line numerical and theory questions.

Closing Analysis

The 2026 Electrical Grade A vacancy jump changes the selection math in a candidate’s favor, while the Grade E0 vacancy cut works against diploma candidates. A Grade A candidate who targets 70 marks or above and a Grade E0 candidate who targets 80 marks or above align with the trend from the previous cycle. Steady revision of core subjects, paired with focused non-technical practice, remains the most direct path to the CBT cutoff this year.