AHC RO ARO syllabus and exam pattern

How the three stages fit together

Each stage has a different job, and knowing that job tells you how to spend your time.

1. Stage I, preliminary exam: a screening paper. Recent reports say it carries no minimum qualifying mark and its score is not added to your final total. Roughly seven candidates for every vacancy, counted category wise and separately for each post, move on to the next stage.
2. Stage II, mains: a conventional pen and paper exam in English writing and translation. You must score at least 50 out of 150.
3. Stage III, computer knowledge test: a typing task on a computer, taken on mains day itself after a short break. You need 25 out of 50.
4. Document verification for those placed in the merit list.

Only the Stage II and Stage III marks, added up, decide where you rank. Prelims is a gate, not a score you carry forward, so treat it as a test you must clear comfortably and save your best hours for writing and typing.

AHC RO ARO exam pattern at a glance

No negative marking has been announced for the prelims, so a blank bubble simply throws away a possible mark. Attempt all 200. The subject wise split of the 200 prelims questions has not been published as a fixed table, which is why your coverage has to be broad.

Prelims topics: general studies, languages and computers

The preliminary paper is broad and set at graduate level. Expect questions from these areas:

• General science: everyday physics such as motion, light, sound and electricity; basic chemistry like acids, bases, metals and common compounds; human body, nutrition, vitamins and diseases.
• Indian history, ancient to modern, and the fight for independence: ancient, medieval and modern India, with the freedom struggle from the early movements to Quit India.
• Polity, economy and Indian culture: constitutional basics, Parliament, the judiciary, Panchayati Raj; budget, banking, taxes and planning; classical arts, festivals and monuments.
• Geography: physical and economic features of India and other regions, river systems, monsoon, soils, minerals and resources.
• Current events: happenings at home and abroad from about a year before the paper, mostly Indian.
• Knowledge of UP: the state's history, rivers, districts, culture, schemes, industry and agriculture.
• General aptitude and reasoning: series, coding, directions, blood relations, arrangements, statements and conclusions.
• General English and General Hindi: grammar, vocabulary, error spotting, idioms, synonyms and antonyms.
• Elementary computer knowledge: hardware, software, operating systems, office tools, internet, shortcut keys and basic security.

Since this paper only shortlists, you do not need to master each area. Aim for safe, steady accuracy across all of them.

Mains: English writing and translation

This is where your rank is made. The 150 marks are divided across four sections, all answered in two hours:

Two hours for five pieces of writing is tight. A workable split is 30 minutes on the essay, 25 on the precis, 20 on each translation and 25 on comprehension. Comprehension carries the single largest block of marks, so never leave it for the last ten minutes.

What examiners look for

• Essay: a clear opening, two or three developed points and a short conclusion, in correct and simple English.
• Precis: about a third of the original length, in your own words, with a suitable title.
• Translation: meaning first, then grammar. Court and office language should read naturally, not word for word.
• Comprehension: answers drawn from the passage, written in full sentences.

The computer knowledge test

Stage III checks whether you can produce office text accurately. You get a printed or on screen English passage of roughly 500 words and must reproduce it, in the same format, within 20 minutes. The eligibility condition also asks for English typing at 25 words per minute, which matches the passage length and time.

Clean copy beats fast copy here. Previous Allahabad High Court typing tests treated omitted words, extra words and spelling slips as errors that cut marks, and the latest rules for counting mistakes will be in your advertisement. Typing 600 words with many errors can score lower than typing 500 clean ones.

Using the ahc ro aro syllabus to plan your preparation

Because the stages reward different skills, build a plan that runs them in parallel rather than one after another.

1. Weeks 1 to 6: general studies for prelims using the NCERT textbooks (class 6 up to 12), a UP general knowledge notebook and a monthly current affairs review. Fit in a quarter hour of keyboard drill daily, starting now rather than after prelims.
2. Weeks 7 to 10: start writing. Write an essay and a precis every week, and translate a paragraph daily in each direction. Have a teacher or a friend who writes well correct them.
3. Weeks 11 to 12: complete 200 question practice papers, each timed at 180 minutes, plus timed comprehension practice.
4. After prelims: give your whole day to writing and typing. Both are held on one day, so practise a two hour paper followed by a 20 minute typing drill.

Sitting the commission level recruitment as well? Compare this page with the UPPSC RO ARO syllabus. Its mains is Hindi based, while the High Court mains is English based, so the two need different writing practice.

Eligibility: degree, computer certificate and age

Start with any graduation degree that a recognised university awarded you, then add one computer qualification: a diploma or degree in computer science, an O Level certificate from NIELIT (formerly DOEACC), or a CCC certificate. You should know data entry, word processing and computer operation, and be able to type in English at 25 words per minute.

Under the latest advertisement the permitted age ran from 21 to 35 for RO and ARO, and from 18 to 35 for Computer Assistant. Relaxation applies only to candidates domiciled in Uttar Pradesh: 5 years in the SC, ST or OBC category, 15 years for candidates with a disability, while ex-servicemen and skilled sportspersons follow their own relaxation rules.

Books and official material

For prelims, NCERT textbooks cover science, history, polity and geography at the right depth, and a standard school level English grammar book handles the language questions. For the mains, your best material is real writing: editorials for comprehension, government press releases for precis, and short judgments or office orders for translation practice.

The High Court's recruitment page publishes the advertisement, notices and results. Download the syllabus directly from there instead of relying on copies. For a second walk through of this High Court exam, read our guide to the Allahabad HC paper, and for related state papers see the UP lower PCS syllabus and our state exams hub.