UPSSSC PET syllabus and exam pattern explained

How PET fits into UPSSSC recruitment

PET is not a recruitment exam on its own. It is a common screening test. After the result, the commission announces posts one by one, and for each post it calls a set number of candidates per seat based on PET score. Those candidates then sit a post-wise main exam with its own syllabus, for example the UP lekhpal syllabus or the UP VDO syllabus.

That is why the PET is often called a ticket. A high score keeps more doors open for the full validity period, while a score just above the line may only get you shortlisted for a few posts.

UPSSSC PET exam pattern table

The whole paper runs for 2 hours. One mark is given for each right answer and 0.25 is cut for each wrong one, so four careless guesses cancel a right answer. There is no sectional cut off in the pet exam pattern; only the total counts.

Detailed UPSSSC PET syllabus by section

History and national movement (10 questions)

• Indus Valley, Vedic age, Buddhism and Jainism
• Maurya, Gupta, Harsha, Rajput kingdoms, Delhi Sultanate, Mughals, Marathas
• British rule, the revolt of 1857, social and economic effects of colonial rule
• Early nationalism, Swadeshi, Civil Disobedience, revolutionary movements, Government of India Act 1935, Quit India, Azad Hind Fauj

Geography, economy and polity (15 questions)

• Rivers, mountains, deserts, forests, minerals, climate, time zones, population and migration
• Economy from planning and the Green and White Revolutions to the 1991 reforms, later reforms and GST
• Main features of the Constitution, rights, duties and Directive Principles, how Parliament and the courts work, district administration, Panchayati Raj and urban local bodies

Science, arithmetic and reasoning (15 questions)

• General science up to class 10: basic physics, chemistry and biology
• Arithmetic: whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percentage, average, simple equations, squares, roots and exponents
• Reasoning: ranking, blood relations, calendar and clock, coding, analogies, cause and effect, syllogism

Languages (10 questions plus 10 on the passage)

• General Hindi: sandhi, synonyms, antonyms, one word substitution, gender, idioms and proverbs, error correction, famous writers and works
• General English: tenses, articles, prepositions, voice, narration, comprehension
• Hindi unseen passage: meaning, inference, vocabulary and title questions on two passages

Current affairs and general awareness (20 questions)

• National and international events of roughly the last year
• States and capitals, neighbouring countries, important days, awards, books and authors, sports, art and culture, heritage, environment and international bodies

Graphs and tables (20 questions)

• Two graphs (bar, line or pie) and two tables, each with five questions on totals, ratios, percentages and comparisons

Where the easy marks sit

Forty of the 100 questions sit in four sections that reward practice more than memory: the Hindi passage, graphs, tables and reasoning. Data questions use class 8 level maths, mostly percentages, averages and ratios. If you train your calculation speed, these 30 data questions can be your safest block.

The ten single-subject sections of five questions each are wide but shallow. You do not need a graduate level history book; a school level revision of NCERT class 6 to 10 is enough for most of them. Current affairs and general awareness together carry 20 marks, the largest block of pure GK, so a daily 20 minute habit pays off.

A ten week plan for the PET paper

1. Weeks 1 and 2: arithmetic basics and one graph or table set every day. Time yourself: five questions in six minutes is a good target.
2. Weeks 3 and 4: history and national movement from school books, plus Hindi grammar rules with 20 practice questions daily.
3. Weeks 5 and 6: geography, economy and polity, then English grammar.
4. Weeks 7 and 8: science revision and reasoning chapters, with two unseen Hindi passages a day.
5. Weeks 9 and 10: full 100 question mocks on an OMR sheet in 2 hours, current affairs revision, and a review of every wrong answer.

Books and study material

Keep it simple. School NCERT books from class 6 up to class 10 give all the depth the paper asks in the GK sections. A standard school Hindi grammar book helps with sandhi, muhavare and errors. For data interpretation, solve the graph and table sets from earlier PET papers, which you can find on the commission's site, and then any practice set at the same level. Print the official syllabus from the notice and mark each topic once it is done.

UPSSSC PET syllabus in Hindi

यूपीएसएसएससी पीईटी में 100 प्रश्न, 100 अंक और 2 घंटे का समय होता है। गलत जवाब देने पर हर प्रश्न के 0.25 अंक घटा दिए जाते हैं। भारतीय इतिहास, राष्ट्रीय आंदोलन, भूगोल, अर्थव्यवस्था, संविधान, सामान्य विज्ञान, प्रारंभिक गणित, सामान्य हिंदी, सामान्य अंग्रेजी और तर्कशक्ति से पाँच पाँच प्रश्न आते हैं। करेंट अफेयर्स और सामान्य जागरूकता से दस दस प्रश्न आते हैं। हिंदी अपठित गद्यांश, ग्राफ और तालिका पर भी दस दस प्रश्न पूछे जाते हैं। यही upsssc pet ka syllabus है, इसलिए गद्यांश और ग्राफ का रोज अभ्यास करें।

Before you apply

Recent notices asked for at least a high school (class 10) pass. General candidates had to be between 18 and 40, and reserved groups of Uttar Pradesh got extra years under state rules. The age reference date and fee change with each cycle. Also check the state exams hub for other UP papers you can prepare alongside, such as the UP police constable syllabus.