The Regional Transport Office (RTO) or sometimes called Regional Transport Authority (RTA) is the government department that is responsible for all the documents related to a vehicle and its rider.
Be it a driver’s licence or vehicle’s RC book, everything is processed and issued by the RTO Office. All the districts in a state have an RTO office.
And the RTO Officer is the head that looks after the smooth and efficient operation of such a responsible department.
Therefore, RTO Officer has always been a most sought-after career option among Indians. He is responsible for issuing the driving licence and vehicle’s RC.
The RTO Officer organises motor safety events and pollution control campaigns from time to time, checks if there is any vehicle running in the city without a legal registration number, signs the NOC certificates, gives permits to carrier vehicles, etc.
RTO Officer is a highly ranked government job and its recruitment is done through State Public Service Commission exams.
How to Become RTO Officer
RTO Officer Qualification Criteria
There is no direct recruitment to the post of RTO Officer. To become an RTO Officer, the candidate has to clear the RTO Officer exam conducted by state PSCs after which he will be appointed as Assistant RTO officer, RTO Clerk or AMVI.
After gaining sufficient work experience, they are promoted to RTO officers. But not everyone can appear for the exams. A candidate must fulfill the eligibility criteria for successful selection for this Grade- B officer job.
RTO Officer Educational Qualification:
- The candidate must have passed the class 12th exam from any of the national or state boards of education.
- The candidate should have completed his graduation from any recognized university in India. Candidates who are in the final year of their graduation can also apply for the course.
- The candidates can complete their graduation from any discipline.
- Candidates who have a diploma or equivalent education can also apply for lower posts such as RTO Clerk or RTO Judicial Servant. They can become RTO officers through internal departmental promotions afterwards.
RTO Officer Age Limit 2022
There are different age limits for different posts. Also, age relaxation of 5 to 7 years is given to candidates belonging to a special caste category. The age limit for candidates for the post of RTO Officer for various categories is as follows:
- General Category
- Minimum 21 Years
- Maximum 30 Years
- OBC Category
- Minimum 21 years
- Maximum 35 years
- SC/ST Category
- Minimum 21 years
- Maximum 37 years
RTO Officer Application Form
The RTO Officer Exam is conducted by the State Public Service Commission and announces the vacancies from time to time.
The interested students who want to appear for this exam should keep an eye on the official website for the advertisement of the post.
The advertisement for RTO Officer Exam 2022 will be released in various states soon. When the vacancies are released, the eligible candidates can fill in the application form for the exam.
- How to Fill Application Form for RTO Officer Exam
When the vacancies are announced, the student needs to visit the PSC Exam website of their respective website. On the website, they will get the option to register for the exam.
Candidates can register by entering details like their email and mobile number. After successful registration, they will get a username and password that can be used to log in to the portal.
After logging in, the candidate can fill out the application form. They need to enter their details like name, DOB, address, etc.
They need to fill in their educational qualification and work experience if any. After filling out the form, candidates have to upload a scanned copy of their passport size photograph and signature.
After filling in all the details and uploading the photograph, candidates have to pay the exam fee and click on submit button for completing the application process. - RTO Officer Application Fees
The application fees for the RTO Officer Exam vary depending upon the state, categories and gender. The RTO Officer Application Fees can range from Rs. 100 to Rs. 1000.
The exact application fees can be fetched from the state PSCs website after the announcement of the exam. - RTO Officer Admit card 2022
After the students have filled out the RTO Officer Exam form, they will be notified when their admit card is ready. They can log in to the portal and download their admit card.
RTO Officer Exam Pattern
RTO Officer Exam is held in two parts: Prelims and Mains followed by a fitness test and personal interview.
Prelims Exam:
Prelims are the first part of the RTO Officer Exam
It consists of three sections namely General Studies, Mental abilities and Trends in Automobile & Mechanical Engineering
The question paper consists of 100 objective-type questions. It has 50 questions on General studies, 30 questions on mental abilities and 20 questions on Automobile and Mechanical engineering
The exam is 60 minutes duration and the total marks of the exam are 100
The RTO Officer Exam can be taken in either regional or English language
Mains Exam:
The candidates who clear the Prelims, appear for the Mains Exam.
It consists of 3 sections: Automobile Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and combined Automobile & Mechanical Engineering
The duration of Mains exam is 90 minutes
There are 180 questions with 360 marks.
RTO Officer Syllabus
The average salary of an agriculture officer varies from Rs 40,000 to Rs 80,000 in India. It is proportional to the department in which a person is working.
RTO Officer Exam is held in two stages and the syllabus for the Prelims and Mains exam is given below.
RTO Officer Prelim Exam Syllabus 2022
The Prelim Exam consists of 3 sections with the following syllabus:
- General Studies – this section consists of questions from History, Geography, current affairs, science, politics, environment, agriculture, etc.
- Mental abilities – this section tests the mental abilities of the candidate. The question consists of verbal and non-verbal reasoning questions, numerical aptitude, English language, etc.
- Trends in automobile and mechanical engineering – the latest trends and new technology in this industry
RTO Officer Mains Exam Syllabus
The Mains Exam consists of 3 sections with the following syllabus:
- Section A – Automobile Engineering
Mechanical and Automobile Engineering – Strength of Materials, strain energy, shearing force, Bending moment, Moment of Inertia, Principal planes and stresses, Slope and deflection, Direct and bending stress, column torsion and thin cylinders.
Mechanical Technology – Chip forming processes like turning, drilling milling, boring, etc., Gear production, CNC Methods, Theory of Machines including Kinematics and dynamics of machines, Role of friction, Power devices and power transmission equipment, Cams.
Hydraulics – Fluids, Laminar and turbulent flow, Bernoulli’s equation, Fluid Pressure, Pascal’s Law, Surface tension, Measurement of fluid flow.
Thermal Engineering – Laws of thermodynamics, air compressors, air standard, principle and working of heat engines.
Automobile – Engines, working of CI and SI Engines, Combustion Phenomena and ignition systems, fuels and lubricants, performance and testing of IC Engines, Microprocessors. - Section B – Mechanical Engineering
Hydraulic Machinery – Impact of Jet, Hydraulic turbines, Hydraulic pumps, Refrigeration and Air conditioning, Vapour compression and absorption refrigeration systems, refrigerants, Air conditioning and its applications.
Industrial Engineering – Types of production, plant layouts, process planning, work-study, statistical quality control, and metrology.
- Section C – Automobile Engineering
Automobile Systems Vehicle layout, Transmission systems, Breaking systems, ABS, Steering and suspension system, Chassis frame and body engineering, Vehicle maintenance, Engine electrical and electronics, Workshop layout, Repairing and servicing, Motor vehicle act, Taxation and Insurance.
RTO Officer Preparation Books
There are several books that can help you prepare for RTO Officer Exam.
- RTO AMVI MAINS EXAM 2020 NOTES (Sec A + Sec B + Sec C)
- RTO Inspector AMVI (MPSC) Previous Years Subject Wise Solved Papers (Pre + Mains)
- NCERT General Studies - For Civil Services & State Services Preliminary Examinations
- General Mental Ability & Logical Reasoning
RTO Officer Cut-Off
Various state PSCs will announce the RTO Officer exam for 2022 soon. Depending upon the performance of the candidates, the RTO Officer cut-off 2022 will be decided.
The cut-off marks for different categories are different. While the general category candidates have higher cut-off marks, the cut-off marks for OBC and SC/ST students are comparatively lower.
Last year the cut-off marks for various categories for the MPSC AMVI exam were:
General category: 70-75
OBC: 65-70
SC: 55-60
ST: 45-50
RTO Officer cut-off 2022 will be announced after the exam.
RTO Officer Salary Structure
The salary of an RTO Officer falls under the 7th pay commission, pay band 3. Along with a handsome salary, RTO Officers enjoy several lucrative perks as well.
The salary of an RTO Officer varies from state to state. On average their salary can range from Rs. 30000 per month to Rs. 60000 per month.
Apart from salary, the RTO Officer gets other facilities like:
Government bungalows
Personal Assistants to manage their works
Servants for home and office
Free car for personal and official use, etc.
Conclusion
The job of RTO Officer is one of the most respected jobs in India that not only provides a social status but also financial freedom.
The RTO officer’s job is also full of responsibility where he needs to take care of all the vehicles and their riders in the city.
Candidates aspiring for the post of RTO Officer should regularly check the PSC website of their respective states for the announcement of RTO Officer Exams.
Meanwhile, they should also start preparing for the exams, fitness tests and personal interviews.
Since the PSC exams are highly competitive, students need to be focused so that they can cover all the above-mentioned prelims and mains syllabus on time. Better preparation ensures better chances of selection.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)
Q1. What is the meaning of RTO officer?
RTO or Regional Transport Office is the government department that looks after all the documentation related to a vehicle and the riders. An RTO officer is the head of the department that manages the database and issues the licence and permits.
RTO officers are also responsible for maintaining a check on road safety and pollution control of vehicles within the city.
Q2. Which degree is best for RTO?
Though graduates from any discipline can appear for the RTO Officer Exam, the Mechanical, automobile or Civil Engineering can be considered the best degree for RTO.
The RTO Officer Mains exam consists of 3 sections and the syllabus is completely related to mechanical and automobile engineering.
A student of Mechanical or Automobile engineering is already taught all the subjects that are in the syllabus of the RTO officer exam during his graduation.
So the graduates of mechanical and automobile engineering have an added advantage over graduates of other disciplines.
Q3. How can I prepare for the RTO exam?
A student looking to clear the RTO exam needs to prepare for both Prelims as well as Mains exams. The prelims exam consists of questions from General studies like geography, history, current affairs, etc.
and reasoning questions. Students can easily prepare for Prelims by keeping up to date with current affairs and practising aptitude questions regularly.
For Mains exams, the students can consider taking extra classes, practising mock tests, and solving previous year’s exam papers.
Q4. What is the salary of an RTO officer in India?
The salary of an RTO Officer varies from state to state. The salary of an RTO Officer falls under Band 3 of the 7th pay commission. The average salary range of the RTO Officer is from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 60,000.
Apart from a handsome salary, RTO officers get attractive perks like a personal car, government bungalow, personal assistant, etc. as well. For all the information related to How to Become RTO Officer, read the above article completely.