APPSC Group 2 Syllabus and Exam Pattern for Prelims and Mains

APPSC group 2 exam pattern

All written papers are objective, and since each question is worth 1 mark, every slip takes away 0.33. The screening test is only a filter: its result never enters your rank calculation. Candidates are called to the mains in a ratio to vacancies fixed by the commission.

APPSC group 2 syllabus for the screening test

This is the appsc group 2 prelims syllabus, set out in five blocks of 30 questions apiece:

• Indian history: the Indus Valley and Vedic age, Buddhism and Jainism, the Mauryas, Guptas and Harshavardhana; medieval rule from the Cholas and the Delhi Sultanate to the Mughals and Marathas, Bhakti and Sufi movements; the arrival of Europeans, the revolt of 1857, social reform, the freedom movement and reorganisation after Independence.
• Geography: the universe, earth's interior, landforms, climate, oceans; physical features, rivers, soils and forests of India and Andhra Pradesh; natural hazards; resources, farming, industry, transport and trade; population, urbanisation and migration.
• Indian society: family, marriage, kinship, caste, tribe and religion; issues such as communalism, regionalism, crimes against women and child labour; welfare policies and constitutional safeguards for SCs, STs, BCs, minorities, women, children and the disabled.
• Current affairs: international, national and Andhra Pradesh events.
• Mental ability: judging what a statement assumes or concludes and which action follows from it; series, coding, blood relations and figures; basic numeracy covering averages, percentages, interest, time and work, and data interpretation.

Mains Paper I: AP history and the Constitution

Section A: social and cultural history of Andhra Pradesh (75 marks)

• Early dynasties: Satavahanas, Ikshvakus, Vishnukundins, Eastern Chalukyas and the Andhra Cholas, with their society, religion and art
• Kingdoms from the 11th to 16th centuries, growth of Telugu language and literature, temple art and architecture
• European trade, British rule, 1857 in Andhra, social reform and the national and class movements in the region
• The Andhra movement: Andhra Mahasabhas, the role of the press and the road to statehood and the later division of the state

Section B: general overview of the Indian Constitution (75 marks)

• Preamble, fundamental rights, directive principles, fundamental duties, amendments and the basic structure
• How the legislature, executive and courts work, with judicial review and activism
• Centre and state relations, commissions, watchdog bodies including the human rights commission, RTI, Lokpal and Lokayukta
• Party system, electoral reforms, anti defection law, and decentralisation through the 73rd and 74th amendments

Paper II of the mains: economy and science

Section A: Indian and Andhra Pradesh economy (75 marks)

• Planning, national income, the 1991 reforms and NITI Aayog
• Money and banking, the RBI, inflation, fiscal policy, taxes including GST, the Union budget, balance of payments and FDI
• Agriculture, industry and services, with policies such as MSP, disinvestment and ease of doing business
• Andhra Pradesh economy: GSDP, per capita income, state finances and budget, agriculture and allied sectors, industrial and IT policy, MSMEs and services

Section B: science and technology (75 marks)

• Space, defence, nuclear and information technology, Digital India and cyber security
• Energy policy, renewable energy and biofuels, emission norms
• Ecology, biodiversity and wildlife protection laws, pollution control and waste management
• Climate change, sustainable development, and public health including epidemic preparedness

Who can apply

Graduation in any discipline, or an equivalent qualification, is the basic requirement; a few posts list extra conditions. The most recent advertisement set the limits at 18 and 42. Relaxations included 5 years for SC, ST and BC candidates and state government employees, 10 years for persons with disabilities, and 3 years for ex servicemen. The upper limit in Andhra Pradesh depends on government orders that are extended from time to time, so confirm it each cycle.

The computer proficiency test

Candidates selected for posts that need office skills sit a 60 minute practical test of 100 marks after the mains. It covers computer basics, operating systems, the internet and email, and office tools for documents, spreadsheets and presentations. It is qualifying only: the minimum is 40 marks for OC, 35 for BC and 30 for SC, ST and PH candidates. Practise typing a short note, building a table with a chart and making two slides within the time.

Where to spend your hours

Each mains section carries the same 75 marks, so a weak section pulls your rank down directly. Most aspirants find the Andhra Pradesh history and the state economy hardest, because they are less familiar than national topics. Give those two the most time.

1. Months 1 and 2: polity and Indian economy from NCERT class 11 and 12 books and a standard polity text.
2. Month 3: AP history, dynasty by dynasty, with a timeline of the state formation movement.
3. Month 4: AP socio economic survey and budget, and science and technology notes.
4. Month 5: screening practice for history, geography, society and reasoning, with mock tests on the same timing.
5. Month 6 onward: mains mocks of 150 questions in 150 minutes, alternating Paper I and Paper II.

Books and related exams

Use NCERT books for national history, geography and economy, the state board intermediate textbooks for Andhra history and culture, and the state's socio economic survey for the economy section. Past APPSC papers on the commission's site show the level. Aiming at the senior services too? Go through the APPSC group 1 syllabus. Aspirants from the neighbouring state can compare the TSPSC group 1 syllabus, and more state services are listed under state exams.