This page sets out the AP DSC (Teacher Recruitment Test) syllabus as it stands on 10 October 2026. The 2026 DSC notification has not been issued, so the reference is the last official document: the Suggestive Syllabus for Mega DSC 2025 issued by SCERT, Andhra Pradesh, read with the scheme of examination in the Mega DSC 2025 Information Bulletin of 20 April 2025. Topic lists are condensed from the official text. For questions, marks, minutes and the TET weightage, see the exam pattern. The exam guide has eligibility and the status of the 2026 notification.
Two things about the document itself matter before any topic list. It calls itself a suggestive syllabus, confined to the posts notified in Mega DSC 2025, and it tells candidates to follow the 2023-24 academic year syllabus for classes 3 to 10. So the textbooks are the base, and the headings below tell you which chapters to read, not the full list of facts that can be asked.
Syllabus at a glance
| Post | Parts and marks (2025 scheme) | Content level |
|---|---|---|
| SGT | General Knowledge and Current Affairs 8; Perspectives in Education 4; Educational Psychology 8; Language I 8 + 4; English 8 + 4; Mathematics 8 + 4; Science 8 + 4; Social Studies 8 + 4 (content + methodology) | Class III to VIII, difficulty up to Class X |
| School Assistant (languages and non-languages) | General Knowledge 10; Perspectives 5; Psychology 5; content of the subject 40; methodology of the subject 20 | Class VI to Intermediate |
| School Assistant (Physical Education) and PET | General Knowledge 5; Perspectives 5; physical education pedagogy, methods and educational technology 20; physical education content 70 | Post-specific |
| TGT (residential and Model Schools) | General Knowledge 10; Perspectives 5; Psychology 5; content 40; methodology 20 | Degree-level subject |
| PGT | General Knowledge 10; Perspectives 10; Psychology 10; content 50; methodology 20 | Post-graduate subject |
| Principal | General Knowledge 15; Perspectives 15; Psychology 20; contemporary issues, school programmes, finance, administration, leadership 35; teaching methodology 15 | Post-specific |
| SGT (Special Education), 2025 | General Knowledge 8; Perspectives 4; Psychology 8; disability specialisation 20; Telugu, English, Mathematics, Science, Social 8 each (5 content + 3 methodology) | Primary |
| TGT (Special Education), 2025 | General Knowledge 10; Perspectives in special and inclusive education 5; Psychology of children with special needs 5; disability specialisation 30; subject content 20; methodology 10 | Upper primary |
| School Assistant (Special Education), DSC-2026 note | General Knowledge 10; Perspectives in special and inclusive education 5; Psychology of children with special needs 5; disability specialisation 45; methodology in special and inclusive education 15 | Upper primary |
Every post has the same backbone (General Knowledge, Perspectives, Psychology) and a post-specific core (content and methodology). The marks for the backbone are small; the core is where the paper is won.
The three common parts
Part I: General Knowledge and Current Affairs
The syllabus assigns marks to this part (8 for SGT, 10 for School Assistant and TGT, 5 for PET) but lists no sub-topics. Our working scope, not an official list: Indian and Andhra Pradesh history, the Constitution and governance, geography of India and AP, basic economy and welfare schemes, science and technology, sports, awards, the education sector, and news from the previous six to twelve months. The state guide covers the AP part.
Part II: Perspectives in Education
The official topic list is the same for every post and is specific enough to turn into a checklist.
- History of education. Education in ancient India (pre-Vedic and post-Vedic) and medieval education; the pre-independence period with Woods Despatch (1854), the Hunter Commission (1882), the Hartog Committee (1929) and the Sargent Committee (1944); the post-independence period with the Mudaliar Commission (1952-53), the Kothari Commission (1964-66), the Ishwarbhai Patel Committee (1977), the National Policy on Education 1986 and the Programme of Action 1992.
- Teacher empowerment. Need and interventions, the professional code of conduct, motivation, professional development, teacher organisations, national and state organisations for teacher education, and records and registers in schools.
- Educational concerns in contemporary India. Democracy and education; equality, equity and quality; economics of education and human capital; literacy missions; population education; gender; urbanisation and migration; life skills; adolescence education; value education; health and physical education; inclusive education and classroom management; effects of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation; programmes and projects such as APPEP, DPEP, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, NPEGEL, RMSA, Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan, KGBVs and Model Schools; incentives such as mid-day meals, free books, scholarships and welfare hostels; current trends.
- Acts and rights. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, the Right to Information Act 2005, child rights and human rights.
- National Curriculum Framework 2005. Perspectives, guiding principles, learning and knowledge, the teaching and learning process, assessment and systemic reform.
- National Education Policy 2020.
The list is heavy on commissions, committees, acts and programmes, so it rewards a one-page timeline with the year and the main recommendation of each.
Part III: Classroom implications of Educational Psychology
The SGT list has four areas and the School Assistant list three.
- Development of the child (SGT list): concept of development, growth and maturation; principles and their educational implications; biological, psychological, sociological and emotional factors; dimensions of development (physical and motor, cognitive, emotional, social, moral, language) across infancy, early childhood, late childhood and adolescence; Piaget, Kohlberg, Chomsky, Carl Rogers and Erikson.
- Individual differences: inter- and intra-individual differences; theories of intelligence with emphasis on multiple intelligence; IQ and its assessment; emotional intelligence; creativity; attitude, aptitude, interest and habit, with classroom implementation.
- Learning: theories and approaches, learning curves, factors, phases and dimensions, types, transfer, memory and forgetting, learning and assessment, children with special needs and inclusive education.
- Personality: nature, characteristics and theories, factors, assessment, mental health, adjustment, stress and its management, emotional intelligence and managing emotions.
Our psychology and pedagogy guide walks through each theorist with classroom examples.
SGT: the five subject areas
The SGT content is described as Class III to VIII with difficulty level up to Class X. Primary textbooks alone are not enough; the question level can reach Class X for some topics. Each area carries 8 marks of content and 4 of methodology.
Language I (choose one of Telugu, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Oriya, Kannada or Sanskrit). For Telugu: history and background of literature, poets and works, genres; grammar including sandhi, samasa, chandassu and alankara; sentence types, synonyms, idioms and usage. Methodology: nature of the language, objectives, language skills, curriculum and textbooks, lesson planning, teaching aids and evaluation.
Language II (English). Content: poets, essayists, novelists and dramatists and their works; writing of discourses (story, essay, letter, editorial, précis, note-making, biography); pronunciation, sounds and dictionary use; parts of speech, tenses, types of sentences, articles and prepositions. Methodology: English as a second language and the problems of teaching it, objectives, listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, approaches, methods and techniques including remedial teaching, teaching structures and vocabulary, materials, lesson planning, curriculum and textbooks, evaluation.
Mathematics. Six strands: numbers (number systems, factors and multiples, divisibility, HCF and LCM, integers, fractions and decimals, rational numbers, squares and cubes and their roots); arithmetic (BODMAS, ratio and proportion, percentage, profit and loss, discount, taxes including GST, simple and compound interest); geometry (point, line, angles, polygons, triangles and quadrilaterals, constructions, 3-D views, Euler's rule, nets); data handling (pictographs, bar graphs, pie charts, mean, median, mode, probability); algebra (patterns, expressions, linear equations in one variable, identities, exponents, factorisation, linear graphs); mensuration (length, weight, capacity, time, money, perimeter and area, surface area and volume of cube, cuboid and cylinder). Methodology: nature and definitions of mathematics, aims and values, methods and remedial measures, instructional materials, curriculum and textbooks, planning, evaluation including continuous comprehensive evaluation.
Science. Six headings: the living world (living and non-living, plants, animals, human body, food, agriculture, cells and micro-organisms); life processes (nutrition, respiration, circulation, excretion, coordination, reproduction, adolescence); natural phenomena (materials and properties, acids, bases and salts, physical and chemical changes, motion, light, electricity, magnetism, heat, force and pressure, fuels and combustion, fibres and plastics, sound, lightning, earthquakes and tsunamis, the universe); transportation and communication; professions and services; our environment (climate, air, water, biodiversity). Methodology: nature and history of science, aims and academic standards, methods and approaches, materials, curriculum and textbooks, assessment, laboratories, planning, the role of the science teacher, science fairs, clubs and field trips.
Social Studies. Four themes: our universe, maps, the earth, landforms, forests and resources; production, exchange and livelihoods (migration, professions, resources, agriculture, industries, markets and consumer protection, transport and road safety); political systems and governance (early kingdoms and empires including the Mauryas, Guptas, Satavahanas, Pallavas, Chalukyas, the Delhi Sultanate, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagara and the Mughals; the British period, 1857 and the national movement; the Constitution, rights and duties, government and the judiciary); social organisation and inequities (inequality, women's movements, caste and social reform, laws against discrimination). The document names Belum caves, podu cultivation and the landforms, forests and rivers of Andhra Pradesh, so learn the state material alongside the national.
School Assistant: content and methodology by subject
The School Assistant papers share the three common parts and differ in the content (40 marks) and methodology (20 marks) of the chosen subject. The content level is Class VI to Intermediate, and the depth is the main difference from SGT.
Mathematics. Arithmetic and number systems including real numbers and logarithms; sets; geometry including similar triangles, circles and tangents; mensuration including spheres, cones and combinations of solids; algebra including quadratic equations, polynomials, progressions, functions, mathematical induction, matrices and determinants, complex numbers and De Moivre's theorem, theory of equations, permutations and combinations, binomial theorem and partial fractions; statistics including measures of dispersion; probability including random variables and Bayes' theorem; coordinate geometry including locus and transformation of axes. Methodology: nature and history of mathematics, contributions of Aryabhata, Bhaskaracharya, Ramanujan, Euclid, Pythagoras and Cantor; aims, values and Bloom's taxonomy; curriculum principles; heuristic, laboratory, inductive, deductive, analytic, synthetic, project and problem-solving methods; planning; instructional materials including Edgar Dale's cone of experience; strategies for gifted and slow learners; techniques, clubs and evaluation.
Physical Science. School physics and chemistry (measurement, motion, force and pressure, gravitation, work and energy, sound, heat, light, electricity and magnetism, atoms and molecules, chemical bonding, metals and non-metals, metallurgy, carbon compounds, acids, bases and salts, fuels and combustion, synthetic fibres, air, stars and the solar system) plus Intermediate-level physics and chemistry. Methodology follows the standard science-teaching list.
Biological Science. Life processes, the living world, environment and ecology for classes 6 to 10, and Intermediate-level botany and zoology. Methodology: nature and scope of science, aims, values and objectives, academic standards, lecture, demonstration, heuristic, project, experimental and laboratory methods, year, unit and lesson plans, laboratories, curriculum, the role of the teacher, science and eco clubs and fairs, evaluation.
Social Studies. Classes 6 to 10 across six themes (diversity on the earth; production and livelihoods; political systems and governance including the national movement, the French Revolution, socialism, Nazism, the interwar years and post-independence India; social organisation and inequities; religion and society; culture and communication) and then an Intermediate syllabus covering geography (geomorphology, climatology, oceanography, hydrology, natural hazards, human geography, resources, agriculture, industries, transport) with history, civics and economics.
English. Detailed study of a named list of poems, essays, novels, plays and short stories (the 2025 list includes Tagore, Shelley, Emerson, Sarojini Naidu, Frost, Wordsworth, Soyinka and Ezekiel in poetry; Bacon, Emerson, Gardiner and Rajagopalachari in essays; Orwell and R. K. Narayan in novels; Shakespeare and Wilde in drama; Chekhov, Narayan, O. Henry and Ruskin Bond in short stories), with literary background, literary terms and figures of speech, grammar and writing. Prescribed texts can change between years; check the 2026 list.
Languages (Telugu, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Kannada, Oriya, Sanskrit). Content 40 marks at Class VI to Intermediate level: literary history (poets, periods, works), history of the language, literary criticism and poetics, grammar including sandhi, samasa, chandassu and alankara. Methodology 20 marks: aims, approaches, language skills, planning, curriculum and textbooks, evaluation.
PET and School Assistant (Physical Education)
Both papers are 200 questions for 100 marks with no TET component. The 70-mark content part covers anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, health education, sports training, yoga, officiating, management and related areas; the 20-mark pedagogy part covers physical education methods and educational technology. General Knowledge and Perspectives carry 5 each.
TGT, PGT and Principal
These are residential and Model School posts. TGT Paper II follows the School Assistant split (content 40, methodology 20) at degree level; PGT Paper II has content 50 and methodology 20 at post-graduate level with Perspectives and Psychology at 10 each; the Principal paper replaces subject content with contemporary social, economic and cultural issues, school education programmes, financial management, school administration, monitoring and leadership (35) and teaching methodology (15). Non-language TGT, PGT and Principal posts first sit a qualifying English language proficiency test at Intermediate standard, whose marks do not count.
Special education
The 2025 notification covered TGT and SGT posts in schools for the differently abled. Both share the common backbone, with Perspectives read as perspectives in special and inclusive education and Psychology with reference to children with special needs; the core is a disability specialisation (hearing impairment or visual impairment in the 2025 TGT paper) plus regular subject content and methodology.
The portal's DSC-2026 syllabus note for School Assistant (Special Education), dated January 2026, is the only 2026 structure document found: 80 marks from 160 questions, with disability specialisation at 45 marks across intellectual disability, hearing impairment, visual impairment, specific learning disability, autism spectrum disorder, and cerebral palsy with multiple disabilities, and methodology in special and inclusive education at 15. It does not describe the general SGT, SA, TGT or PGT papers.
Where DSC and APTET overlap
This is our reading of the two documents, not the department's. The APTET June 2026 notification calls its syllabus suggestive but not exhaustive; Paper 1A has 30 questions each in Child Development and Pedagogy, Language I, Language II (English), Mathematics and Environmental Studies, and Paper 2A has 30 each in CDP and the two languages plus 60 in the content section.
| Area | APTET | DSC | Overlap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child development and learning | CDP, 30 questions | Educational Psychology (8 marks SGT, 5 SA) | High |
| Teaching methodology | Inside each subject | 4 marks per SGT area; 20 marks SA | High |
| School-level subject content | School level | SGT to Class X; SA to Intermediate | Medium |
| Perspectives in Education | Limited | Separate part | Low |
| General Knowledge and Current Affairs | Not a TET part | 8 to 10 marks | None |
The depth difference is the point. TET content is school level; School Assistant content goes to Intermediate. Our APTET guide covers the TET side.
How to use this syllabus
- Open the SCERT suggestive syllabus from the AP TET and DSC portal (the MEGA DSC-2025 link on cse.ap.gov.in goes there) and turn each comma-separated phrase into a row with read, practised and revised ticks.
- Read the textbooks of the classes the document names for your post, then the class 9 and 10 (SGT) or Intermediate (SA) books for the deeper topics.
- When the 2026 syllabus is published, lay it beside the 2025 one and mark additions and deletions before changing your plan.
- Practise each topic as you finish it. Topic-wise practice on Pareeksha is Pro; the 10-question mini-mock is free and opens when the DSC papers go live.
Our preparation strategy turns the marks in this page into a weekly plan. The detailed blog posts are AP DSC syllabus 2026, the SGT guide and the School Assistant guide.
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