APSC Syllabus 2026 - Download Exam Pattern Paper I and II

Selection Process

• Screening Test consisting of two objective-type papers, Paper-I (General Studies) and Paper-II (Post-specific subject), conducted separately.

APSC Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026 - Overview

Paper-I Exam Pattern (Common for All Posts) - General Studies

Paper-II Exam Pattern (Post-wise) - Subject Paper

The number of questions for Paper-II is not specified in the official notification for any of the five posts.

Paper-I Syllabus: General Studies (Common for All Five Posts)

• Constitution and Political System of India
• Current events of National and International Importance
• Indian Economy and Planning Process of India
• Geography of India, Assam and World
• Role of Science and Technology in India
• Culture and History of Assam, India and World
• Indian National Movement with special reference to Assam

Assistant Geologist Syllabus - Paper-II: Geology

• (A) Structural Geology and Seismology - Structural Geology: stress and strain, ductile and brittle deformation, faults and folds, thrust systems, strike-slip faults, shear zones, rheology, and graphical interpretation of structures
• (A) Structural Geology and Seismology - Seismology: earthquake terminology, seismic waves, magnitude scales, focal depth, peak ground acceleration and velocity, and palaeoseismology
• (B) Mineralogy, Crystal Chemistry and Thermodynamics in Geology - Mineralogy: chemical composition of minerals, X-ray crystallography, ionic bonding, mineral transformation and exsolution in rock-forming silicates
• (B) Mineralogy, Crystal Chemistry and Thermodynamics in Geology - Thermodynamics: laws of thermodynamics, Gibbs free energy, Clausius-Clapeyron equation, Raoult's and Henry's laws
• (C) Geoinformatics, Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology - Geoinformatics: remote sensing, photogrammetry, thermal and microwave remote sensing, image processing, and GIS
• (C) Geoinformatics, Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology - Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology: Quaternary Period divisions, dating methods, Quaternary climate and tectonics, stratigraphy, and sedimentary records from India
• (D) Hydrogeology, Climatology and Oceanography - Hydrogeology: hydrologic cycle, groundwater occurrence and movement, Darcy's law, well hydraulics, and groundwater assessment
• (D) Hydrogeology, Climatology and Oceanography - Climatology and Oceanography: atmospheric composition, precipitation, weather disturbances, and ocean classification
• (E) Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology - Igneous Petrology: magma generation, geochemical characteristics, phase equilibria, IUGS classification, and major igneous rock types
• (E) Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology - Metamorphic Petrology: regional metamorphic textures, P-T-t paths, mineral assemblages, geothermometry and geobarometry
• (F) Geochemistry, Isotope Geology and Engineering Geology - Geochemistry and Isotope Geology: crust-mantle geochemical systems, radiogenic and stable isotopes, statistics in geology
• (F) Geochemistry, Isotope Geology and Engineering Geology - Engineering Geology: engineering properties of soil and rocks, dams and reservoirs, tunnel construction geotechnics
• (G) Economic Geology - Genesis of ore deposits, metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits of India, radioactive minerals, and methods of mineral prospecting, exploration and mining
• (H) Sedimentology, and Surveying and Mapping - Sedimentology: textural elements, sedimentary structures, depositional environments, genetic classification of sedimentary rocks
• (H) Sedimentology, and Surveying and Mapping - Surveying and Mapping: types of surveys, GPS/GNSS, geologic surveying and field mapping
• (I) Stratigraphy and Geodynamics - Stratigraphy: principles of stratigraphy, Indian stratigraphy from Precambrian to Cenozoic, stratigraphy of Northeast India
• (I) Stratigraphy and Geodynamics - Geodynamics: plate tectonics, sea-floor spreading, Himalayan tectonics, and planetary geology
• (J) Palaeontology and Fuel Geology - Palaeontology: micropalaeontology, foraminifers, vertebrate palaeontology, and palynology
• (J) Palaeontology and Fuel Geology - Fuel Geology: origin, sampling, petrography and utilization of coal; nature and origin, reservoir rocks, drilling and exploration of petroleum
• (K) Fluvial System and Environmental Geology - Fluvial System: drainage basin evolution, fluvial processes and landforms, fluvial depositional environments
• (K) Fluvial System and Environmental Geology - Environmental Geology: pollution and hazards due to mining, landslides, floods, and water pollution

Chemist Syllabus - Paper-II: Chemistry (Based on Gauhati University Syllabus)

• Group 1: Inorganic Chemistry - Bonding in polyhedral boranes and carboranes, organoboranes, chemistry of Al, Ga, In and Tl
• Group 1: Inorganic Chemistry - Fullerenes, silicates, clays, zeolites, and organometallic compounds of Li, Be, Mg and Hg
• Group 1: Inorganic Chemistry - Chemistry of second and third transition series elements, bonding in coordination compounds (VBT, CFT, ligand field theory)
• Group 1: Inorganic Chemistry - Electronic spectra and magnetic properties of transition metal complexes
• Group 1: Inorganic Chemistry - Mechanism of inorganic reactions, nuclear and radiochemistry, and introduction to solid state chemistry
• Group 1: Inorganic Chemistry - Organometallic chemistry: metal carbonyls, metal alkyls, carbenes, and catalytic reactions
• Group 2: Modern Methods of Analysis - Characterization of inorganic and organic molecules using IR, Raman, NMR, EPR, Mossbauer, UV-visible, MS, and LC-MS
• Group 2: Modern Methods of Analysis - Thermal methods (TGA, DTA, DTG, DSC), diffraction techniques (powder and single crystal XRD)
• Group 2: Modern Methods of Analysis - Separation techniques (GC, HPLC, GPC), and electro-analytical methods (polarography, cyclic voltammetry)
• Group 3: Physical Chemistry - Equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermodynamics, statistical thermodynamics, polymer chemistry
• Group 3: Physical Chemistry - Sampling and data analysis: standard deviation, linear regression, correlation coefficient
• Group 4: Experiments on Conductometric Titrations - Strength comparison and determination of components of binary and ternary mixtures by conductometric titration
• Group 4: Experiments on Conductometric Titrations - Determination of degree of hydrolysis and concentration by conductance measurement
• Group 5: Spectroscopy - Fundamentals of absorption and emission spectroscopy, rotational, vibrational and Raman spectroscopy
• Group 5: Spectroscopy - Electronic spectroscopy including UV-visible, fluorescence and phosphorescence spectroscopy
• Group 6: Organic Chemistry - Oxidation reactions (Sharpless, Jacobsen, Shi epoxidation, Baeyer-Villiger, Wacker oxidation)
• Group 6: Organic Chemistry - Reduction reactions (catalytic hydrogenation, metal-based reductions, hydride transfer reagents)
• Group 6: Organic Chemistry - Qualitative analysis of binary mixtures (solid-solid, solid-liquid, liquid-liquid)
• Group 7: Catalysis Science and Technology - Catalyst synthesis and preparation, zeolites, mesoporous materials and clays
• Group 7: Catalysis Science and Technology - Energy and catalysis: oil refining, steam reforming, hydrotreating, and fuel cells
• Group 8: X-ray Crystallography - Crystalline state, principles of X-ray diffraction, X-ray diffraction in practice
• Group 8: X-ray Crystallography - Applications of powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, macromolecular crystallography
• Group 9: Green Chemistry - Essentials and principles of green chemistry, green chemistry metrics, waste production and prevention
• Group 9: Green Chemistry - Catalysis and sustainability, feedstock chemicals from biomass, and designing sustainable solutions

Drilling Engineer Syllabus - Paper-II: Mechanical Engineering

• Statics: application of equilibrium equations
• Dynamics: equations of motion, simple harmonic motion, work energy and power
• Theory of Machines: links and mechanisms, gears, governors, balancing, vibration of bars
• Mechanics of Solids: stress-strain, Hooke's law, bending moments and shear force diagrams, torsion of beams
• Manufacturing Science: metal cutting, machining processes, casting and welding methods
• Production Management: method and time study, product design, break-even analysis, routing
• Thermodynamics: laws of thermodynamics, Carnot, Rankine, Otto and Diesel cycles
• Fluid Mechanics: hydrostatics, continuity equation, Bernoulli's theorem, laminar and turbulent flow
• Heat Transfer: conduction, fins, heat transfer coefficient, heat exchangers
• Energy Conversion: compressors, hydraulic pumps and turbines, boilers, power plant layout
• Environmental Control: refrigeration cycles, refrigerants, psychrometrics, cooling and dehumidification

Assistant Mining Engineer Syllabus - Paper-II: Mining and Geology

• Unit 1: Basic Concepts of Mining and Geology - Mining terminology, mineral and energy resources, engineering and economic geology basics, ore and gangue, ore formation processes, Indian mineral deposits, seismic zones of India
• Unit 2: Mine Development and Surveying - Methods of access to deposits, underground drivage, drilling principles and machines, explosives and blast design
• Unit 2: Mine Development and Surveying - Mine surveying: levelling, theodolite, tacheometry, triangulation, GPS/DGPS, GIS and drone survey in mining
• Unit 3: Geomechanics and Ground Control - Geotechnical properties of rocks, rock mass classification, theories of rock failure, subsidence, rock bursts
• Unit 3: Geomechanics and Ground Control - Design of pillars, roof supporting systems, and mine filling
• Unit 4: Mining Methods and Machinery - Surface mining layout and mechanization, underground coal mining (bord and pillar, longwall), underground metal mining
• Unit 4: Mining Methods and Machinery - Mining machinery: haulages, conveyors, hoisting systems, crushers, continuous miners
• Unit 5: Surface Environment, Mine Ventilation, and Underground Hazards - Air, water and soil pollution control, Environmental Impact Assessment, mine ventilation systems and networks
• Unit 5: Surface Environment, Mine Ventilation, and Underground Hazards - Underground hazards from mine gases, fires, explosions, dust and inundation; mine rescue and safety
• Unit 6: Mine Economics, Mine Planning, Mine Management - Mineral resource classification, discounted cash flow analysis, mine valuation and investment analysis
• Unit 6: Mine Economics, Mine Planning, Mine Management - Sampling methods, reserve estimation, cutoff grade, pit planning, PERT/CPM, and budgetary control
• Unit 7: Mine Legislation - Approval of Mining Plan and Mine Closure Plan, grant of mining lease, environment and forest clearances
• Unit 7: Mine Legislation - Regulatory framework: National Mineral Policy 2019, Mineral Concession Rules, Mines Act 1952, Coal Mine Regulation 2017, DGMS circulars

Geophysicist Syllabus - Paper-II: Geophysics

• Mathematics and Physics: vector calculus, differential equations, Fourier analysis, numerical methods, classical mechanics, electromagnetism
• General Geology: physical geology, geomorphology, mineralogy, petrology, structural geology, stratigraphy, plate tectonics
• Gravity and Magnetic Methods: Earth's gravity and magnetic fields, anomalies, corrections, data processing and interpretation
• Seismic Methods: elastic wave theory, seismic refraction and reflection, seismology and crustal studies
• Electrical and Electromagnetic Methods: resistivity methods, self-potential, induced polarization, TEM/FDEM/MT, borehole geophysics
• Radiometric and Thermal Methods: natural radioactivity, gamma-ray surveys, geothermal and heat-flow studies
• Applied and Exploration Geophysics: mineral, coal and groundwater exploration, oil and gas exploration basics, engineering and environmental geophysics
• Remote Sensing, GIS and Computing: principles of remote sensing, GIS applications, geophysical modeling and inversion
• Field Work and Practical: geophysical instruments, field survey techniques, technical report writing

How to Prepare for APSC Screening Test 2026

• Start preparation from the official syllabus PDF and mark topics group-wise so it is clear exactly what to cover, rather than relying only on generic reference books.
• Since Paper-I (General Studies) is common to all five posts, build a separate, ongoing routine for current affairs and Assam-specific history and culture.
• Break Paper-II preparation into the lettered groups or units listed in the syllabus and set weekly targets for each group.
• Use standard postgraduate-level textbooks in the relevant subject (Geology, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Mining Engineering or Geophysics) aligned to the exact topics listed in the syllabus.
• Practice previous year question papers of APSC screening tests for technical posts to get familiar with the difficulty level and question style.
• Revise diagram-based and numerical topics, such as structural geology diagrams, thermodynamics equations and spectroscopy principles, separately, since these are commonly tested through applied questions.

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