United India Insurance Company Limited (UIIC) has brought forth the notification for recruitment for Administrative officers (Scale I) in Generalist and Specialist discipline for the year 2016. ( See Advertisement Details here). There are 300 AO vacancies (for Generalist and Specialist) advertised this time. 

We have been asked by a lot of candidates which book to refer and how to prepare for UIIC AO Exam 2016. Therefore, we have tried to compile the best books available in the market for this particular exam. Before we jump on to books, let us first take a look at the structure of examination for both Generalist and Specialist posts.

Structure of Examination (for Generalist)

S. No.	Name of Test	No. of Questions	Marks	Duration
1	Reasoning	50	50	Composite time of 2 hours
2	English Language	40	40
3	Quantitative Aptitude	50	50
4	General Awareness (with special reference to Financial Sector)	40	40
5.	Computer Awareness	20	20
	Total	200	200

Those applying for the Generalist post, the paper pattern is similar to other bank exams. Here we need to emphasize  a little on General Awareness and Computer Awareness. Rest all the sections will be a cake walk if you are preparing for other competitive exams.

Let us now take a look at some of the good books for UIIC AO Exam 2016 available in the market.

1. Reasoning – Seeing the previous year papers, it won’t be an understatement if we say UIIC grills and literally checks reasoning power of a candidate by throwing some super difficult reasoning questions. It is advised to give ample time for preparing reasoning section for UIIC AO Exam.
   

   Book	Flipkart	Amazon
   A Modern Approach To Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning (English) Revised Edition by R S Aggarwal	Buy (NEW)	Buy (OLD)
   New Approach to Reasoning Verbal, Non-Verbal & Analytical by B S Sijwali, Indu Sijwali	Buy	Buy
   Analytical Reasoning by M K Pandey	Buy	Buy

2. English Language – The type of questions asked in English section is not that difficult. Good command on the subject will surely make it the easiest of all the section. But, if you feel you are not well prepared, you can buy any of the books mentioned below. 
   

   Book	Flipkart	Amazon
   Objective General English by RS Aggarwal & Vikas Aggarwal	Buy	Buy (Old Edition available)
   Objective General English by S P Bakshi (Arihant)	Buy	Buy

3. Quantitative Aptitude – Questions asked from this section are mainly from what you have studied till 12th. If you are thorough with the concepts and formulas, I would say there is no need to buying any book. You can just brush up your basic concepts and mug up formulas using any NCERT books. But, if maths give you shivers or you think you are good in algebra and not in geometry, I would suggest you to take up any of the books suggested below and start practicing.

   The questions asked in Quantitative Aptitude are usually from three parts –

   a) Geometry & Mensuration – Flip through a school level textbook for basic formulae on areas, surface areas and volumes. 
   b) Algebra –  You can buy R S Agarwal for understanding the concept whereas for short cuts, I suggest you buy M. Tyra.
   c) Arithmetic & Miscellaneous – R S Agarwal would enough for preparation of this section. Don’t just buy books because someone else has taken it or it is a hot seller in the market. Buy one good book and practice as much as you can. 

   Language	Book	Flipkart	Amazon
   In English	Quantitative Aptitude For Competitive Examinations by R S Agarwal	Buy	Buy
   	Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations (English) by McGraw-Hill	Buy	Buy
   	Magical Book On Quicker Maths by M. Tyra (New Edition)	Buy	Buy
   	Arihant’s Fast Track Objective Arithmetic	Buy	Buy
   In Hindi	Sankhyatmak Abhiyogyata (Quantitative Aptitude) by R S Aggarwal	Buy	Buy
   	Magical Book On Quicker Maths by M. Tyra	Buy	–

   The most important part of preparation for Quantitative Aptitude in any exam is practice tests. Take up practice tests very seriously and solve the questions as you would do in the real exam.

4. General Awareness (with special reference to Financial Sector) – 
   
   

   Manorama Year Book – English	Buy on Amazon	Buy on Flipkart
   Manorama Year Book – Hindi	Buy on Amazon	Buy on Flipkart

   For Banking and Financial Awareness 
   

   Guide to Banking General Awareness & Banking Aptitude Test (English) 6th Edition by RPH Editorials	Buy on Amazon	Buy on Flipkart
   Banking And Financial Awareness —English by Kiran Publications	Buy on Amazon	Buy on Flipkart
   Banking And Financial Awareness —Hindi by Kiran Publications	Buy on Amazon	Buy on Flipkart
   General Awareness Basic Banking and Financial Issues (English) by Upkar Publication	Buy on Amazon	Buy on Flipkart

5. For Computer Awareness – You will be gauged on Basic knowledge of computer operating system, MS Office, software and hardware, basic knowledge of Internet and networking system. Don’t buy advanced level books for this examination. 
   

   Computer Awareness (English) 7th Edition by Arihant Pubication

   Buy on Amazon

   Buy on Flipkart

   This book covers important topics like Introduction of Computer , Input and Output Devices, Computer Memory , Computer Software ,Operating System (OS) , Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Database Concepts, Data Communication and Networking , Internet and its Services, Computer Security , Abbreviations, etc. I feel this book would be more than enough for UIIC AO Exam.

6. For Descriptive English Paper – This test is common for both Specialist and Generalist streams. There will be two questions on Essay writing and Letter writing. Essay will be of 20 marks and letter of 10 marks. You will be allotted 30 minutes to finish both.
   I don’t feel you need a book for this paper specifically. This post will help you write essay efficiently and in a comprehensive manner. Read newspapers and editorials to understand how effectively you can weave in words to keep your reader hooked.

Let us now check out the exam pattern and good books for UIIC AO Specialist exam 2016

Structure of Examination (for Specialist)

S. No.	Name of Test	No. of Questions	Marks	Duration
1	Reasoning	40	40	Composite time of 2 hours
2	English Language	40	40
3	Quantitative Aptitude& Computer Litera	40	40
4	General Awareness (with special reference to Financial Sector)	40	40
5.	An additional test to assess technical & professional knowledge in relevant discipline	40	40
	Total	200	200

The books that I have mentioned above will also be useful for those applying for Specialists post. I would also recommend not to buy any book for particular discipline. Just brush up you Graduation notes and text books and you will be good to go.

Practice Workbooks and Previous year papers of UIIC AO Exam 2016 

Take up a practice workbook once you feel you have prepared everything and practice every day. You should also try to time these tests as this will  help you check your speed and accuracy,

1. United India Insurance Company Limited Administrative Officer Scale – I Screening Test (For Generalist & Specialist Discipline) Practice Work book – Buy on Amazon

I think one practice work book will be enough for your preparation. Don’t waste money buying too many practice books. Instead pick up one book and try solving variety of questions.

Best wishes for your exam !!