APPSC Group 1 Syllabus 2026

APPSC Group 1 exam pattern 2026

Screening test

Negative marking: one third of the marks for each wrong answer.

Mains

Screening test Paper I — General Studies syllabus

A. History and Culture

• Indus Valley Civilization: features, sites, society, cultural history, art and religion. Vedic Age, Mahajanapadas, Jainism and Buddhism.
• The Magadhas, the Mauryas, foreign invasions and their impact, the Kushans, the Satavahanas, the Sangam Age, the Sungas, the Gupta Empire — administration, social, religious and economic conditions, art, architecture, literature, science and technology.
• Kanauj and their contributions. South Indian dynasties — Badami Chalukyas, Eastern Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Kalyani Chalukyas, Cholas, Hoysalas, Yadavas, Kakatiyas and Reddis.
• The Delhi Sultanate, the Vijayanagara Empire and the Mughal Empire. The Bhakti Movement and Sufism — administration, economy, society, religion, literature, arts and architecture.
• European trading companies in India and their struggle for supremacy, with reference to Bengal, Bombay, Madras, Mysore, Andhra and the Nizam. Governors-General and Viceroys.
• The Indian War of Independence of 1857 — origin, nature, causes, consequences and significance. Religious and social reform movements of the 19th century. India’s freedom movement, revolutionaries in India and abroad.
• Mahatma Gandhi — thoughts, principles and philosophy. Important satyagrahas. Sardar Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose. Dr B.R. Ambedkar and the making of the Constitution. India after independence and the reorganisation of states.

B. Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations

• Indian Constitution: evolution, features, Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties, Directive Principles, amendments, significant provisions and the basic structure.
• Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States. Parliament and State Legislatures: structure, function, powers and privileges. Federal structure, devolution of powers and finances.
• Constitutional authorities: powers, functions and responsibilities. Panchayati Raj. Public policy and governance.
• Impact of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation on governance. Statutory, regulatory and quasi-judicial bodies.
• Rights issues — human rights, women’s rights, SC/ST rights, child rights.
• India’s foreign policy and international relations. Important institutions, agencies and fora. Policies and programmes of the Central and State governments.

C. Indian and Andhra Pradesh Economy and Planning

• Basic characteristics of the Indian economy, economic development since independence, NITI Aayog, growth and distributive justice, Human Development Index, sustainable development and environmental policy.
• National income concepts and components, demographic issues, poverty and inequality, occupational structure and unemployment, employment and poverty eradication schemes, rural and urban development.
• Indian agriculture — irrigation, inputs, agricultural strategy and policy, agrarian crisis and land reforms, agricultural credit, minimum support prices, food security. Indian industry — industrial policy, Make in India, start-ups, SEZs and industrial corridors, energy and power policies, economic reforms, international trade and balance of payments, India and the WTO.
• Financial institutions, RBI and monetary policy, banking reforms, NPAs, financial markets, SEBI, the Indian tax system, GST, centre-state financial relations, finance commissions, public debt and expenditure, fiscal policy and the budget.
• Andhra Pradesh economy after the 2014 bifurcation — natural resources and state revenue, river water disputes, industry and commerce, infrastructure, power and transport, IT and e-governance, agriculture and social sector initiatives, urbanisation and smart cities, skill development, social welfare programmes.
• A.P. Reorganisation Act 2014 — economic issues arising from bifurcation, central assistance for the new capital, compensation for revenue loss, backward districts, Visakhapatnam railway zone, Kadapa steel factory, Dugarajapatnam airport, expressways and industrial corridors, the Special Status controversy.

D. Geography

• General geography: Earth in the solar system, motions of the Earth, concept of time, seasons, internal structure of the Earth, major landforms. Atmosphere — structure and composition, elements and factors of climate, air masses and fronts, atmospheric disturbances, climate change. Oceans — physical, chemical and biological characteristics, hydrological disasters, marine and continental resources.
• Physical geography of the world, India and Andhra Pradesh: major physical divisions, earthquakes, landslides, natural drainage, climatic regions, monsoon, natural vegetation, parks and sanctuaries, major soil types, rocks and minerals.
• Social geography: distribution, density, growth, sex ratio, literacy, occupational structure, SC and ST population, rural-urban components, racial, tribal, religious and linguistic groups, urbanisation, migration and metropolitan regions.
• Economic geography: major sectors of the economy, agriculture, industry and services. Basic industries — agro, mineral, forest, fuel and manpower based. Transport and trade.

Screening test Paper II — General Aptitude syllabus

A. General Mental and Psychological Abilities (60 marks)

• Logical reasoning and analytical ability.
• Number series, coding and decoding.
• Problems related to relations (blood relations).
• Shapes and their sub-sections, Venn diagrams.
• Problems based on clocks, calendars and ages.
• Number system and order of magnitude.
• Ratio, proportion and variation.
• Central tendencies — mean, median, mode, including weighted mean.
• Powers and exponents, square, square root, cube root, HCF and LCM.
• Percentage, simple and compound interest, profit and loss.
• Time and work, time and distance, speed and distance.
• Area and perimeter of simple geometrical shapes; volume and surface area of sphere, cone, cylinder, cubes and cuboids.
• Lines, angles and common geometrical figures — transverse and parallel lines, triangles, quadrilaterals, rectangles, parallelograms and rhombuses.
• Introduction to algebra — BODMAS, simplification of symbols.
• Data interpretation, data analysis, data sufficiency and probability.
• Emotional intelligence — understanding and analysing emotions, dimensions of emotional intelligence, coping with emotions, empathy, coping with stress.
• Social intelligence, interpersonal skills, decision making, critical thinking, problem solving and assessment of personality.

B(i). Science and Technology (30 marks)

• Nature and scope of science and technology; relevance to daily life; National Policy on Science, Technology and Innovation; institutions promoting science and innovation; contributions of prominent Indian scientists.
• Information and Communication Technology — nature and scope, ICT in daily life, industry and governance, e-governance programmes, netiquette, cyber security and the National Cyber Crime Policy.
• Technology in space and defence — evolution of the Indian space programme, ISRO activities and achievements, satellite programmes including IRNSS and IRS, satellites for defence and education, DRDO vision, mission and activities.
• Energy requirement and efficiency — India’s energy needs and deficit, energy resources and dependence, energy policy, solar, wind and nuclear energy.
• Environmental science — environmental issues, legal aspects, policies and treaties, biodiversity, climate change and India’s commitments, forest and wildlife conservation law, environmental hazards, pollution, carbon emission, global warming, national action plans, biotechnology and nanotechnology, genetic engineering, health and environment.

B(ii). Current events (30 marks)

Current events of regional, national and international importance.

APPSC Group 1 Mains syllabus 2026

Paper I — General Essay

Three essays of about 800 words each, one from each section. Section I: current affairs. Section II: socio-political, socio-economic and socio-environmental issues. Section III: cultural and historical aspects, civic awareness, reflective topics. Marks are given for a well-argued piece, coherent expression, awareness of the subject, correct format, grammatical accuracy and originality.

Paper II — History, Culture and Geography of India and Andhra Pradesh

• History and culture of India from pre-historic cultures through the Mauryas, Satavahanas, Guptas, Pallavas, Cholas, Delhi Sultanate, Mughals and the advent of Europeans, to the freedom struggle in three phases and India after independence.
• History and culture of Andhra Pradesh — ancient (Satavahanas, Ikshvakus, Salankayanas, Pallavas, Vishnukundins, Eastern Chalukyas, Renati Cholas), medieval (Kakatiyas, Reddis, Gajapatis, Vijayanagaras, Qutb Shahis, Telugu language and literature, Kavitraya and Ashtadiggajas), modern (European trade, company rule, social reformers, library movement, folk and tribal culture).
• The nationalist movement in Andhra — Andhra Mahasabhas, the Andhra movement, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Potti Sreeramulu, formation of Andhra State in 1953 and Andhra Pradesh in 1956, causes of bifurcation and its impact.
• Geography of India and Andhra Pradesh — physical features and resources, economic geography, social geography, fauna and flora, environmental geography and disaster management.

Paper III — Polity, Constitution, Governance, Law and Ethics

• Indian polity and constitution — salient features, federal structure, role of the Governor, distribution of powers, local governance under the 73rd and 74th Amendments, Parliament and State Legislatures, the judiciary, emergency provisions, judicial review and PIL.
• Public administration and governance — meaning, nature and scope, Kautilya’s Arthashastra, Mughal administration, the legacy of British rule, government policies and implementation, civil society and NGOs, statutory and quasi-judicial authorities, good governance and e-governance, Citizen’s Charter, RTI, social audit.
• Ethics in public service — essence and determinants of ethics, ethics in private and public relationships, integrity and accountability, human values, attitude, emotional intelligence, codes of ethics and conduct, corruption, Lokpal and Lokayukta.
• Basic knowledge of law — constitutional law, civil and criminal law and court hierarchy, labour law, cyber law and the IT Act, tax laws including GST.

Paper IV — Economy and Development of India and Andhra Pradesh

• Major challenges of the Indian economy, resource mobilisation, government budgeting, types of deficits, GST, federal finance and finance commission recommendations.
• Resource mobilisation and budgeting in Andhra Pradesh, central assistance, management of deficits, the state finance commission.
• Inclusive growth — causes of exclusion, poverty alleviation and employment, health and education, women’s empowerment, food security and the PDS, financial inclusion, and Andhra Pradesh’s current schemes.
• Agricultural development in India and Andhra Pradesh, industrial development and policy, and infrastructure in India and Andhra Pradesh.

Paper V — Science, Technology and Environmental Issues

• Integration of science, technology and innovation; national policies; India’s contribution; scientific institutes in Andhra Pradesh and India.
• ICT, e-governance, cyber crime and IT policy; IT development in Andhra Pradesh and India.
• The Indian space programme, ISRO, satellite applications and DRDO.
• Energy needs and resources, conventional and non-conventional energy, nuclear policy.
• Development versus environment, depletion of natural resources, pollution, sustainable development, climate change, environmental impact assessment, natural disasters and their management.
• Environmental pollution and solid waste management; environmental legislation including the Montreal and Kyoto Protocols, UNFCCC, CITES, the Environment (Protection) Act 1986, and the Forest and Wildlife Protection Acts.
• Biotechnology and nanotechnology, genetic engineering, human diseases and microbial infections, vaccines and immunity, intellectual property rights.

Language papers — Telugu and English

Both language papers are of SSC standard and qualifying in nature. Their marks are not counted in the final total, but you must pass them.

English (150 marks): essay, letter writing, press release or appeal, report writing, writing on visual information, formal speech, precis writing, reading comprehension, grammar and translation from the regional language.

Telugu (150 marks): essay, elaborating a verse from Vemana and Sumathi Satakam, precis writing, comprehension, formal speech, press note, letter writing, application writing, report writing, translation both ways, word meanings, synonyms and antonyms.

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