This page condenses the APPSC Group-II syllabus as the Commission published it on 27 April 2023 and used in Notification No. 11/2023. Where the syllabus uses a heading, we use the same heading; topic lists are shortened. As on 10 October 2026 there is no new Group-II notification: Group-II was not among the 20 brief notifications APPSC issued on 15 September 2026, so this 2023 syllabus is the one to prepare against. For questions, marks and minutes see the exam pattern; for the overall picture see the Group-II exam guide.
Syllabus at a glance
| Stage | Paper | Sections and marks | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screening Test (objective) | General Studies and Mental Ability | Indian History 30; Geography 30; Indian Society 30; Current Affairs 30; Mental Ability 30 | Degree |
| Mains (objective) | Paper-I | A Social and Cultural History of Andhra Pradesh 75; B General Overview of the Indian Constitution 75 | Degree |
| Mains (objective) | Paper-II | A Indian and Andhra Pradesh Economy 75; B Science and Technology 75 | Degree |
| After Mains | Computer Proficiency Test | 100 marks, qualifying | Practical |
Every Mains section has five syllabus units, so the four sections together have twenty units. The Screening Test blocks are not numbered as units.
Screening Test: General Studies and Mental Ability
Indian History (30 marks). Ancient: salient features of the Indus Valley Civilisation and the Vedic age; the emergence of Buddhism and Jainism; the Mauryan and Gupta empires with their administration, socio-economic and religious conditions, art, architecture and literature; Harshavardhana and his achievements. Medieval: the Chola administrative system; the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire; the Bhakti and Sufi movements; Shivaji and the rise of the Maratha Empire; the advent of Europeans. Modern: the 1857 revolt and its impact; the rise and consolidation of British power; changes in administration and in social and cultural spheres; social and religious reform movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; the national movement, its stages and contributors from different parts of the country; post-independence consolidation and reorganisation.
Geography (30 marks). General and physical geography: the earth in the solar system, the interior of the earth, major landforms, the structure and composition of the atmosphere, ocean water (tides, waves and currents); the physiographic features, climate, drainage, soils and vegetation of India and Andhra Pradesh; natural hazards and disasters and their management. Economic geography of India and Andhra Pradesh: natural resources and their distribution, agriculture and agro-based activities, major industries and industrial regions, transport, communication, tourism and trade. Human geography: human development, demographics, urbanisation and migration, and racial, tribal, religious and linguistic groups.
Indian Society (30 marks). Structure of Indian society: family, marriage, kinship, caste, tribe, ethnicity, religion and women. Social issues: casteism, communalism and regionalisation, crimes against women, child abuse and child labour, youth unrest and agitation. Welfare mechanisms: public policies and welfare programmes; constitutional and statutory provisions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, Backward Classes, women, persons with disabilities and children.
Current Affairs (30 marks). Major current events and issues of international, national and Andhra Pradesh state importance. The syllabus gives no sub-list, so keep a separate state strand.
Mental Ability (30 marks). Logical reasoning (deductive, inductive and abductive): statement and assumptions, statement and argument, statement and conclusion, statement and courses of action. Mental ability: number series, letter series, odd man out, coding and decoding, relations, shapes and their sub-sections. Basic numeracy: number system, order of magnitude, averages, ratio and proportion, percentage, simple and compound interest, time and work, time and distance; data analysis using tables, bar diagrams, line graphs and pie charts.
Mains Paper-I, Section A: Social and Cultural History of Andhra Pradesh (75 marks)
The five units run in order from prehistory to 2014. The title is the clue to the emphasis: social and cultural movements, not only dynasties and battles.
- Unit 1. Pre-historic cultures; the Satavahanas and the Ikshvakus: socio-economic and religious conditions, literature, art and architecture; the Vishnukundins, the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi and the Andhra Cholas: society, religion, the Telugu language, art and architecture.
- Unit 2. The major and minor dynasties that ruled Andhradesa between the 11th and 16th centuries: socio-religious and economic conditions; the growth of Telugu language and literature, art and architecture.
- Unit 3. The advent of Europeans and their trade centres; Andhra under the Company; the 1857 revolt and its impact on Andhra; the establishment of British rule; socio-cultural awakening; the Justice Party and the Self-Respect movement; the growth of the nationalist movement in Andhra between 1885 and 1947; the role of socialists and communists; anti-zamindari and kisan movements; nationalist poetry, revolutionary literature, Nataka Samasthalu and women's participation.
- Unit 4. The origin and growth of the Andhra movement; the role of the Andhra Mahasabhas; prominent leaders; events leading to the formation of Andhra State in 1953; the role of the press and newspapers; the library movement; folk and tribal culture.
- Unit 5. Events leading to the formation of Andhra Pradesh; the Visalandhra Mahasabha; the States Reorganisation Commission and its recommendations; the Gentlemen's Agreement; important social and cultural events between 1956 and 2014.
Unit 3 lists far more topics than any other unit (ninety years, several movements and a literature), so it needs more time than its one-fifth share of the section suggests. Our unit-by-unit notes: Satavahanas to Eastern Chalukyas, Kakatiyas to Vijayanagara and the Qutb Shahis, freedom struggle and social reform in Andhra, the Andhra movement to 1956 and 2014.
Mains Paper-I, Section B: General Overview of the Indian Constitution (75 marks)
The units are numbered 6 to 10 in the syllabus.
| Unit | Official headings |
|---|---|
| 6 | Nature of the Constitution; constitutional development; salient features; Preamble; Fundamental Rights; Directive Principles and their relationship; Fundamental Duties; amendment of the Constitution; basic structure |
| 7 | Structure and functions of the legislature, executive and judiciary; unicameral and bicameral legislatures; the parliamentary executive; judicial review; judicial activism |
| 8 | Distribution of legislative and executive powers between the Union and the States; legislative, administrative and financial relations; powers and functions of constitutional bodies; Human Rights Commission; RTI; Lokpal and Lokayukta |
| 9 | Centre-State relations and the need for reform: Rajamannar Committee, Sarkaria Commission, Punchhi Commission; unitary and federal features; political parties and the party system; recognition of national and state parties; elections and electoral reforms; the Anti-Defection Law |
| 10 | Centralisation versus decentralisation; the Community Development Programme; the Balwant Rai Mehta and Ashok Mehta committees; the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts and their implementation |
Units 8 and 9 are both about the Union-State relationship, so that one theme occupies two of the five units. The identity facts (Article, amendment, body) are the easy marks; the relationship questions (constitutional versus statutory body, Rights versus Directive Principles) separate candidates.
Mains Paper-II, Section A: Indian and Andhra Pradesh Economy (75 marks)
Three units on the Indian economy, then two on Andhra Pradesh.
| Unit | Official headings |
|---|---|
| 1 | Structure of the Indian economy, planning and policy: national income concepts and measurement; occupational pattern and sectoral distribution; growth and development; planning strategy; the 1991 reforms; decentralisation of financial resources; NITI Aayog |
| 2 | Money, banking, public finance and foreign trade: money supply; the Reserve Bank, monetary policy and credit control; banking structure and reforms; inflation; fiscal policy and fiscal responsibility; tax structure; GST; the recent Union budget; balance of payments; FDI |
| 3 | Agriculture, industry and services: cropping pattern, production and productivity; agricultural finance and marketing; pricing and MSP; industrial development; the 1991 industrial policy; disinvestment; ease of doing business; industrial sickness; services and IT and ITES |
| 4 | Structure of the Andhra Pradesh economy and public finance: GSDP and sectoral contribution; per-capita income; state revenue, expenditure, debt and interest payments; central assistance; externally aided projects; the recent AP budget |
| 5 | Agriculture and allied sectors, industry and services in Andhra Pradesh: production trends and cropping pattern; rural credit and co-operatives; agricultural marketing; horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries and forests; the recent AP industrial development policy; single-window mechanism; incentives; MSMEs; industrial corridors; IT and electronics and the recent AP IT policy |
The word "recent" appears in Units 2, 4 and 5. Those lines refer to documents that change every year (the Union budget, the AP budget, the AP industrial and IT policies), so date every figure in your notes and refresh them once the exam date is known. Our AP economy and budget notes and AP budget and Socio-Economic Survey essentials follow this structure.
Mains Paper-II, Section B: Science and Technology (75 marks)
| Unit | Official headings |
|---|---|
| 1 | Technology missions, policies and applications: national science, technology and innovation policy, strategies and missions; emerging technology frontiers; space technology (launch vehicles, satellite launches and applications, space-science missions); defence technology (DRDO structure, vision and technologies; the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme); ICT (national IT policy, Digital India, e-governance, cyber security and the national cyber security policy); nuclear technology (reactors, power plants, radioisotope applications, the nuclear programme) |
| 2 | Energy management: installed capacity and demand; national energy policy; biofuel policy; Bharat Stage norms; renewable and non-renewable sources; recent renewable-energy initiatives |
| 3 | Ecosystem and biodiversity: ecological concepts; ecosystems; biodiversity and hotspots; conservation methods; conventions and protocols; wildlife conservation; CITES; biosphere reserves |
| 4 | Waste management and pollution control: classification and disposal of solid waste; types and sources of pollution; regulation and alternatives; transgenics and their regulation; eco-friendly agricultural technology; bioremediation |
| 5 | Environment and health: global warming, climate change, acid rain, ozone depletion, ocean acidification; international initiatives; sustainable development and its goals; disease burden, epidemics and pandemics; healthcare delivery and public-health programmes |
This is not a school-science list. Three of the five units are environment, and the other two are policy and energy, so a policy-and-institutions reading (which body, which law, which year) serves better than a general science book.
Computer Proficiency Test
The Group-II notification of 2023 adds a Computer Proficiency Test after Mains, under G.O.Ms.No.26, G.A. (Ser.B), 24-02-2023. It is a practical test of office automation and the use of computers and related software: computer basics, operating system, internet and e-mail, word processing and spreadsheets. It is qualifying; its marks and minimums are on the cut-off page.
What is not in the Screening Test
The printed Screening Test syllabus has no block for polity, the Constitution, economy, general science or environment. They are Mains subjects. They touch the Screening Test only sideways: Indian Society asks about constitutional and statutory provisions for particular groups; Geography asks about natural hazards and disaster management; Current Affairs can touch any field. So give them awareness-level attention before the screening and full weeks afterwards.
Where the Screening Test and Mains overlap
Our reading of the two syllabi, not APPSC's:
| Topic | Screening Test | Mains | Read once for both |
|---|---|---|---|
| History | Indian History 30 | AP Social and Cultural History 75 | The national movement in its Andhra form connects the screening block to Mains Unit 3 |
| Society and Constitution | Indian Society 30 | Indian Constitution 75 | Safeguards for SCs, STs, minorities and women appear in both |
| Geography and economy | Geography 30 | Economy 75 | Agriculture, industrial regions and AP cropping patterns appear in both |
| Current affairs | 30 | The "recent" lines in Economy and S&T | Budgets, policies, satellite launches serve both stages |
| Mental Ability | 30 | None | Screening only; a little every day |
Everything except Mental Ability pays at both stages, which is why the preparation strategy reads the Mains syllabus first and tests in screening format. For the weight of each section and unit see the previous papers analysis.
How to use this syllabus
- Print the 27 April 2023 syllabus from psc.ap.gov.in and tick each line as you finish it. Treat every other list, including this page, as secondary to that document.
- Tag every practice question to its block or unit. After a few weeks your weak units are plainly visible. Topic-wise practice on Pareeksha is Pro; the 10-question mini-mock is free.
- When the 2026 notification is published, read its scheme and syllabus annexure first. If a line differs from this page, the notification wins. This page was checked on the date shown.
Related: Exam pattern · Cut-off · Preparation strategy · Group-II guide · Andhra Pradesh state guide