This page sets out the Grama/Ward Sachivalayam syllabus as printed in the last notifications we could read in full: Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Notification No. 01/2019 (26 July 2019) for Panchayat Secretary Grade-V, which is the template for the general posts, and the Revenue Department's January 2020 notification for Village Revenue Officer Grade-II, which shows how a technical post's paper was built. As of 10 October 2026 there is no 2026 Sachivalayam notification, so there is no 2026 syllabus; the post counts circulating online (14,000, 37,000) are not from any official document. Where the notification uses a heading, we use the same heading. For marks, timing and negative marking see the exam pattern; for the recruitment as a whole see the exam guide.
Syllabus at a glance
| Post family | Part A | Part B | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| General posts (Panchayat Secretary Grade-V type) | General Studies and Mental Ability, 75 questions | History, Economy, Geography, Politics and related areas (AP focus), 75 questions | Notification 01/2019 |
| Technical posts (VRO Grade-II type) | General Studies and Mental Ability, 50 questions, with the AP general-studies heads folded in | Subject paper, 100 questions (Drawing and Survey for VRO) | VRO Grade-II notification, 2020 |
Both tests were objective, 150 questions for 150 marks in 150 minutes, on an OMR sheet.
Part A: General Studies and Mental Ability (general posts, 2019)
Notification 01/2019 listed eight heads. The text below keeps the official wording and adds, in plain language, what each head has meant in practice.
- General mental ability and reasoning. Number and letter series, coding-decoding, directions, blood relations, seating arrangement, analogies, odd-one-out, Venn diagrams, clocks and calendars.
- Quantitative aptitude including data interpretation. Number system, HCF and LCM, percentages, ratio and proportion, averages, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time and distance, mensuration, and data interpretation from tables, bar graphs, pie charts and line graphs.
- Comprehension in Telugu and English. A passage in each language followed by questions on its content.
- General English. Grammar, vocabulary, sentence correction and usage.
- Basic computer knowledge. Hardware and software, operating systems, word processing and spreadsheets, internet and e-mail, file types, common shortcuts. The Digital Assistant's job chart (G.O.Ms.No.150) shows why: the secretariat front office, the village database and online accounting systems such as PRIA Soft, PFMS and CFMS run on computers.
- Current affairs of regional, national and international importance. "Regional" means Andhra Pradesh: state budget, schemes, appointments, projects, awards.
- General science and its day-to-day applications, with contemporary developments in science and technology and information technology. Everyday physics, chemistry and biology, health, and recent developments in science, technology and IT.
- Sustainable development and environmental protection. Pollution, climate change, biodiversity, renewable energy, sanitation and waste management. The 2026 amendment to the GSWS Act adds "development of physical and environmental infrastructure" to the secretariats' role, which is one reason this head matters beyond the exam.
Part B: History, Economy, Geography, Politics and related areas (general posts, 2019)
Eight heads again. Notice how closely they track the Panchayat Secretary's job chart in G.O.Ms.No.149: panchayat law, local finance, schemes and self-help groups.
- History and culture of India with a focus on Andhra Pradesh. Ancient India in outline; the Satavahanas, Ikshvakus, Eastern Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Reddi kingdom, Vijayanagara and the Qutb Shahis for Andhra; the national movement in Andhra and its social reformers; the Andhra movement, Andhra State (1953) and Andhra Pradesh (1956).
- Indian polity and governance: constitutional issues, the 73rd and 74th Amendments, public policy, reforms and Centre-State relations with reference to Andhra Pradesh. The Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles, Union and State governments, Governor and Legislature; Parts IX and IXA of the Constitution, the Eleventh Schedule (29 subjects) and the Twelfth Schedule (18 subjects); the Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 (gram panchayat, mandal parishad, zilla parishad); the Andhra Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1965 and Municipal Corporations Act, 1994; the State Election Commission.
- Economy and planning in India with emphasis on Andhra Pradesh. Basic concepts, national income, banking, budgets, planning; AP agriculture, crops, irrigation, industry and the post-2014 fiscal position.
- Society, social justice and rights issues. Reservation, the rights of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women and children, the Acts that the job charts ask functionaries to help implement (for example the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006).
- Physical geography of the Indian subcontinent and Andhra Pradesh. Physiography, rivers, soils, climate, forests, minerals, ports and districts of AP.
- The bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and its administrative, economic, social, cultural, political and legal implications. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014: assets and liabilities, the capital, river water, institutions, special provisions. See our Reorganisation Act explainer.
- Key welfare and development schemes of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Scheme names, departments, beneficiaries and delivery through the secretariats. Keep an "as on" date beside every figure. See the AP government schemes notes.
- Women's empowerment and economic development through self-help groups and community-based organisations, with a focus on weaker sections. SHGs, their federations, bank linkage and the Panchayat Secretary's duty under G.O.Ms.No.149 to motivate women to form self-help groups.
The rural-development and local-government core
The heads above come from the notification; this grouping is ours. Four documents do most of the work in Part B for a secretariat post, and questions on them are the ones a Panchayat Secretary or Ward Administrative Secretary will meet again at work:
| Document | What to know |
|---|---|
| Constitution, Parts IX and IXA | Articles 243 to 243O (panchayats) and 243P to 243ZG (municipalities); Gram Sabha; three tiers; reservations under Article 243D; the Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules |
| Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 (Act 13 of 1994) | Gram Panchayat, Mandal Parishad, Zilla Parishad; Sarpanch elected directly; the Panchayat Secretary as executive authority; Gram Sabha meetings |
| G.O.Ms.No.110 PR&RD (19-07-2019) and G.O.Ms.No.217 MA&UD (20-07-2019) | The village and ward secretariat system; one secretariat for roughly every 2,000 population; induction training; two-year probation |
| GSWS Act, 2023 (Act 23 of 2023) as amended in 2025 and 2026 | Statutory framework; Section 9 Tables I and II listing the functionaries; the 2026 renaming to Swarna Gramam and Swarna Wardu, deemed effective 13 January 2026 |
Our Panchayati Raj notes cover this core with article numbers and section numbers.
Part A for technical posts (VRO Grade-II, 2020)
In the technical posts Part A was shorter (50 questions) but broader, because the general-studies heads had nowhere else to go. The 2020 VRO Grade-II notification listed ten heads for Part A: general mental ability and reasoning; quantitative aptitude including data interpretation; general English; current affairs of regional, national and international importance; general science and its everyday applications with contemporary developments in science, technology and IT; history and culture of India with a focus on Andhra Pradesh; Indian polity and governance including the 73rd and 74th Amendments and Centre-State relations with reference to AP; society, social justice and rights issues; physical geography of the Indian subcontinent and AP; and key welfare and development schemes of the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
So a technical candidate had the general candidate's Part B compressed into a 50-question Part A, and then a 100-question subject paper. Part B for the VRO was Drawing and Survey in eight heads: lettering and Indian Standard practice; plane geometric construction and orthographic projection; construction of scales; plan and elevation of points, lines, surfaces and solids; conventional signs and symbols; drawing and detailing of building elements and civil works; chain surveying, field-book entries and area calculation; and the prismatic compass, levelling, earthwork, longitudinal and cross sections and contours. The full list, with worked examples, is in our VRO and VRA guide.
Post families and what Part B covers
Section 9 of the GSWS Act, as substituted in 2026, lists eleven functionaries for a Swarna Gramam (village) and ten for a Swarna Wardu (ward). The table groups them by the kind of Part B they sat in 2019-20 and says plainly which syllabus we hold officially. "General" and "technical" are our labels, following how the papers were built.
| Village post (Table I) | Ward counterpart (Table II) | Line department | Kind | Part B | Official syllabus held? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panchayat Secretary (Grade-V) | Ward Administrative Secretary | PR&RD / MA&UD | General | History, Economy, Geography, Politics and related areas (AP focus) | Yes for Panchayat Secretary (Notification 01/2019); the Ward Administrative Secretary paper is reported to have used the same 75 + 75 scheme under MA&UD, but we have not read that notification on an official page |
| Welfare and Education Assistant | Ward Welfare and Education Secretary (renamed by Act 25 of 2025) | Social Welfare / Tribal Welfare; MA&UD | General | Reported as a general-studies type Part B | No |
| Mahila Police (Grama Mahila Samrakshana Karyadarshi) | Ward Women and Weaker Sections Protection Secretary | Home | General | Reported as a general-studies type Part B | No |
| Panchayat Secretary (Grade-VI), Digital Assistant | Ward Data Processing Secretary (renamed by Act 25 of 2025) | PR&RD; MA&UD | Technical | Computer subject paper (qualification under G.O.Ms.No.148 is a computer-related degree or diploma) | No |
| Village Revenue Officer (Grade-II) | Ward Revenue Secretary | Revenue | Technical | Drawing and Survey, 100 questions | Yes for VRO Grade-II (2020 notification) |
| Survey Assistant (called Village Surveyor in older notices) | Ward Planning and Regulation Secretary | Revenue; MA&UD | Technical | Survey subject paper | No |
| Engineering Assistant | Ward Amenities Secretary | PR&RD; MA&UD | Technical | Civil engineering subject paper | No |
| Agriculture / Horticulture / Sericulture Assistant | – | Agriculture and Co-operation | Technical | Agriculture subject paper | No |
| Veterinary / Fisheries Assistant | – | Animal Husbandry / Fisheries | Technical | Veterinary or fisheries subject paper | No |
| Energy Assistant | Ward Energy Secretary | Energy | Technical | Electrical subject paper | No |
| Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) | Ward Health Secretary | Health, Medical and Family Welfare | Technical | Nursing subject paper | No |
| – | Ward Sanitation and Environment Secretary | MA&UD | Technical | Sanitation or environment subject paper | No |
Where the column says "No", the subject named is what the post's qualification implies, not an official syllabus heading. Do not plan a technical-post preparation from this table alone: read the Part B heads in the notification for your post when it appears.
What we do not have officially
- The Part B syllabus of any post other than Panchayat Secretary Grade-V (2019) and Village Revenue Officer Grade-II (2020).
- The 2019 Ward Administrative Secretary notification text, although the pattern is reported to match the Panchayat Secretary paper.
- Any 2026 syllabus, pattern or post count. The Grama Ward Sachivalayam portal did not resolve from our connection when the source guides were written, and the APPSC list carried no Sachivalayam notification on 10 October 2026.
When a notification appears, its syllabus annexure replaces this page for your post. We will update the page with the source PDF.
What the 2026 notification may change
Three things to compare on day one, in this order: whether Part A keeps the eight heads above; whether Part B for your post keeps the 2019 heads or adds the 2023 Act and the 2026 renaming as named topics; and whether the technical posts keep the 50 + 100 split. The exam pattern page lists the other items that can change.
How to use this syllabus
- Start with Part A now. It is common to every post, it is the half you can prepare before the notification, and its reasoning and arithmetic heads reward daily practice more than reading. Our preparation strategy orders the heads.
- Study Part B with the job chart open. For the general posts the syllabus and the work overlap: panchayat law, local finance, schemes, self-help groups. The Reading Room Grama/Ward Sachivalayam complete guide is arranged head by head.
- Practise each head as you finish it. Topic-wise practice on Pareeksha is Pro; the 10-question mini-mock (it opens when the Sachivalayam papers go live) and the Daily Dangal quiz are free.
- Recheck against the notification. This page was compared with the 2019 and 2020 texts on the date shown. The next notification decides.
Related: Exam pattern · Cut-off · Preparation strategy · Andhra Pradesh state guide · తెలుగులో