The Secondary Grade Teacher post, known as SGT, is the entry point into government school teaching in Andhra Pradesh for most candidates. Despite the word "secondary" in its name, an SGT teaches the primary classes, classes I to V, and handles every subject for the class: language, English, mathematics and environmental studies. The post is filled through the District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment, formally the Teacher Recruitment Test (TRT), run by the Department of School Education. This guide sets out who can apply, how the paper is built, how the merit list is made and how to prepare, using the most recent complete official notification, Mega DSC-2025, as the base.
One point needs to be clear at the start. As on October 2026, an official DSC 2026 notification has not appeared on the department's portals that we could open. Press reports describe a notification expected around 15 October 2026 for roughly 2,500 posts across categories, and the same reports attribute this to unofficial sources. Treat every figure for 2026 as provisional. What we can verify is the 2025 notification and the June 2026 TET notification, and this post marks which fact comes from which. For the wider recruitment calendar see the Andhra Pradesh government exams 2026 guide.
1. What an SGT does and where the post sits
An SGT works in a primary school under a government, Zilla Parishad, Mandal Parishad or municipal management, in tribal welfare ashram schools, and in a few other departments. In the Mega DSC-2025 notification the SGT posts were advertised for government and local body schools, tribal welfare ashram schools, juvenile welfare schools and, as SGT (Special Education), for schools of the Department for the Welfare of Differently Abled.
The recruitment is organised by district cadre. The information bulletin states that selection is valid only for the district a candidate applied for. In plain terms, a district list is made, a roster is applied, and a candidate is placed within that district's vacancies. That is why you must study the district-wise vacancy table before applying, not only the state total.
The daily work is also different from what the title suggests. A primary teacher builds basic reading, writing and number skills, runs activities in a multi-subject classroom, keeps school records and takes part in departmental programmes. Because of this, the paper tests broad but basic content across four subjects, plus the teaching method that goes with each, not deep knowledge of one.
2. Eligibility for SGT
As on October 2026, the latest full set of qualification rules is in the Mega DSC-2025 notification and information bulletin issued by the Director of School Education on 20 April 2025. Rules can be revised in a new notification, so read the 2026 bulletin when it appears.
Academic and professional qualification. The SGT candidate must hold the Intermediate certificate with at least 50 percent marks, or 45 percent for SC, ST, BC and persons with benchmark disabilities. The Intermediate must be from the Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh, or an equivalent recognised by the Board. Alongside it, the candidate needs a two-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.Ed. or D.El.Ed.) issued by the Director of Government Examinations of Andhra Pradesh or an equivalent, or the Special Education D.Ed. or D.El.Ed. recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India, or a four-year Bachelor of Elementary Education recognised by NCTE or RCI. The post-wise qualification summary in the department's certificate-verification document gives the same rule in short form: Intermediate 50 percent (45 percent for SC, ST, BC), plus D.El.Ed.
A transitional note covers older candidates. Those who were admitted to the D.El.Ed. course up to 2007 under the 2002 NCTE regulations need 45 percent in Intermediate (40 percent for the reserved categories), as listed in Note 1 of the bulletin.
It is worth stating plainly what is not required. A graduation is not required for SGT, and a B.Ed. is not the qualification for this post. A common mistake is to read the SGT post as a post for any graduate. It is not; it is built around the elementary teacher-training diploma.
TET. The bulletin requires the candidate to have qualified the Andhra Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test or the Central TET. For SGT the relevant AP TET paper is Paper 1A (classes I to V) for regular schools, and Paper 1B for SGT (Special Education). Our AP TET guide explains the paper, the pass marks (90, 75 and 60 out of 150 for OC and EWS, BC, and the other reserved categories) and the lifetime validity of the certificate.
Age. In the 2025 notification the age limit was 18 to 44 years as on 1 July 2024. For SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates the upper limit was 49 years, and for persons with benchmark disabilities 54 years, as per G.O.Ms.No.14 of the School Education (Services-I) Department, dated 17 April 2025. Ex-servicemen get the length of service plus three years deducted from their age. These numbers belong to the 2025 notification. A 2026 notification will set its own reference date, so recompute your age from the new bulletin.
Certificates on the last date. The notification is firm that candidates must hold every certificate on the last date for submitting the application, and that no relaxation or exemption is given. Candidates working in government service, local bodies or aided institutions must also inform their head of office in writing that they are applying.
Special education holders. A candidate with a D.Ed. (Special Education) or B.Ed. (Special Education) who is appointed to an SGT or School Assistant post in general schools must undergo a six-month special programme in elementary education recognised by NCTE, according to the notification.
3. Fee, application and the option rules
In 2025 the application fee was Rs 750 per post, paid through the payment gateway, and candidates who had applied under the cancelled 2024 notification could reapply without paying for the same post. As on October 2026 this is the latest officially published fee; check the 2026 notification.
The application has some rules that cost candidates dearly when ignored. All edits are closed after final submission. Candidates can apply for more than one post and under more than one management if they are eligible, but they must declare an order of preference at the time of applying, and that order cannot be changed later. A candidate who is selected for a higher-preference post is automatically removed from the other lists. So the order of preference is a strategic decision made before the exam, not after.
The bulletin also states that the number of candidates selected will not exceed the number of vacancies notified, that there is no waiting list, and that any posts left unfilled are carried forward to future recruitment.
4. The examination pattern for SGT
As on October 2026; source: Mega DSC-2025 information bulletin, clause on structure of the Teacher Recruitment Test. The SGT test is a computer-based test of 160 multiple-choice questions for 80 marks, with a duration of 2 hours 30 minutes. Each question carries half a mark.
The paper has eight parts. Part I is General Knowledge and Current Affairs with 16 questions for 8 marks. Part II is Perspectives in Education with 8 questions for 4 marks. Part III is Classroom Implications of Educational Psychology with 16 questions for 8 marks. Parts IV to VIII are the five subject parts: Language-I (Telugu, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Oriya, Kannada or Sanskrit according to the candidate's option), English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. Each subject part has 16 content questions for 8 marks and 8 methodology questions for 4 marks, so 24 questions and 12 marks.
The arithmetic is worth checking because it shows where the marks sit. The first three parts give 40 questions and 20 marks. The five subject parts give 120 questions and 60 marks. So three quarters of the paper is content and methodology of the primary subjects, and one quarter is general knowledge, education perspectives and psychology. Within the 60 subject marks, 40 come from content and 20 from methodology.
Note that other published material may describe a longer SGT paper with 200 questions for 100 marks and a three-hour duration; that was the pattern in older recruitments and does not match the 2025 bulletin. Always check the pattern in the notification of the cycle you are preparing for.
The bulletin states that the syllabus topics are suggestive and not exhaustive. The bulletin we read does not mention negative marking for this paper; confirm in the new notification.
5. How the merit list is made
As on October 2026; source: Mega DSC-2025 information bulletin, clauses on method of recruitment and selection. The total marks for SGT are 100: 80 for the written test (computer-based) and 20 for the TET or CTET score, a weightage of 20 percent. Only TET or CTET scores at or above the qualifying marks are considered: 90 for OC and EWS, 75 for BC, and 60 for SC, ST, persons with benchmark disabilities and ex-servicemen, out of 150.
Selection is on the merit-cum-roster system. Vertical reservations apply for Scheduled Castes in three groups, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes A to E and Economically Weaker Sections, and horizontal reservations apply for persons with benchmark disabilities, ex-servicemen, women and meritorious sportspersons, under the rules cited in the notification. Local candidates are covered by the Andhra Pradesh Public Employment (Organisation of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order, 1975.
For multi-shift examinations, a normalisation formula is applied so that the difficulty of different shifts does not advantage anyone. If candidates tie on marks, the bulletin sets the order of preference as follows: the elder candidate ranks higher; if the dates of birth are the same, a female candidate ranks higher; if still tied, community order applies (ST first, then SC groups, then BC-A to BC-D, then OC); and further ties are settled by the date of passing the professional qualification and then the Intermediate for SGT and PET posts.
The department's certificate-verification document for Mega DSC-2025 lists what candidates carried: printouts of the application, SSC and Intermediate certificates, professional qualification certificates, the TET or CTET scorecard, study certificates for classes IV to X (seven years) or a residence certificate, a local status certificate where the migration rules apply, community certificates, EWS and disability certificates where claimed. Prepare scanned copies well before the DSC window opens.
6. What was notified in 2025, and what is reported for 2026
The Mega DSC-2025 notification dated 20 April 2025 listed vacancies by district and by subject. In the district-cadre table for government, Zilla Parishad and Mandal Parishad schools, SGT vacancies added up to 4,712 across the district rows. Municipal and corporation schools, tribal welfare ashram schools and the other departments each had separate tables. The dates were application from 20 April to 15 May 2025 and a computer-based test from 6 June 2025. Merit lists were announced from 22 August 2025 and certificate verification began in the last week of August 2025.
For 2026, the position as on October 2026 is this. The department's TET to DSC portal lists the TET and the special TET for in-service teachers, and a 2026 syllabus document for School Assistant (Special Education); we could not find a DSC 2026 notification or an SGT syllabus for 2026 on the portal. Press reports dated 22 September 2026 say that the school education department has collected vacancy details and that a notification is expected around 15 October for about 2,535 posts, and that the government plans annual DSC notifications. These are reports, not official orders. If the notification differs, follow the notification.
7. Subject-wise preparation for the SGT paper
The SGT paper is broad and shallow. The commonest mistake is to spend the whole preparation on the subject you like. The marks table suggests a better rule: because each subject part carries the same 12 marks, every subject deserves an equal share of time at the start, with the balance shifting only after mock results.
Language-I. Whether Telugu, Urdu, Hindi or another language, the 16 content questions test grammar, vocabulary, comprehension and basic literary knowledge at the primary level, and the 8 methodology questions test how a language is taught: listening, speaking, reading and writing, phonics and word recognition in the mother tongue, the use of stories and songs, and assessment of language skills. Use the class I to V language textbooks as the source of difficulty, then read the D.El.Ed. language pedagogy chapter.
English. The English part is often the weakest for Telugu-medium candidates and the easiest to improve. Cover parts of speech, tenses, articles, prepositions, simple sentence structure, vocabulary and short passages. For methodology, learn the idea behind the communicative approach, the role of phonics, the stages from listening to writing, and the difference between learning and acquisition in simple terms.
Mathematics. Content is primary-school mathematics: number system and place value, the four operations, fractions, measurement, shapes, patterns and data handling, with speed and accuracy more important than depth. Methodology covers concrete-to-abstract teaching, use of manipulatives, errors children make in place value and fractions, and diagnostic and remedial teaching.
Science (environmental studies). Content follows primary environmental science: living things, food and nutrition, water, shelter, transport and communication, the human body in simple form, and the immediate environment. Methodology covers inquiry, observation and activity-based learning, and the use of the local environment as a resource.
Social Studies. Content covers basic history, geography, civics and economics at the primary-to-upper-primary level, including the state and local environment. Methodology covers maps and models, timelines, and the use of stories and community resources.
General Knowledge and Current Affairs. Sixteen questions, 8 marks. Build a short Andhra Pradesh capsule of the last twelve months, covering government schemes, awards, sports, appointments to offices, and major projects, and keep a separate page for national and international events. Our AP government schemes notes and district fact sheet are useful for the state portion.
Perspectives in Education and Educational Psychology. Together 24 questions and 12 marks. Perspectives in Education covers history of education, commissions and policies, constitutional provisions and the Right to Education. Classroom implications of educational psychology covers learning theories, child development, motivation, intelligence, individual differences, inclusive education and assessment. These two parts can be learned thoroughly in two weeks and are the same across posts. The psychology and pedagogy guide works through them.
8. A sixteen-week plan
Weeks 1 and 2: collect the latest bulletin, map the syllabus into a checklist of every unit under the eight parts, and take a baseline test to see which subject is weakest. Weeks 3 to 6: first round of the five subjects in rotation, one subject a day, a short topic test every weekend, and psychology and perspectives for thirty minutes daily. Weeks 7 to 10: second round with the weak units first, a general knowledge capsule, and methodology questions studied together with content, not separately. Weeks 11 to 14: full-length mocks twice a week on the 160-question, 150-minute format, with a written error log. Week 15: revision sheets of one page per subject. Week 16: light revision and rest, no new topics.
Candidates who work should reduce the hours but not the structure. Three focused hours a day for sixteen weeks beat a burst of ten hours on weekends.
9. Time management in the paper
A 160-question paper in 150 minutes gives a little under a minute a question. A reasonable approach is to move through the subject parts in the order of your confidence, skip long questions on first pass, and keep fifteen minutes for returning to marked questions. Because the content questions are quick recall and the methodology questions are scenario-based, the methodology questions deserve slightly more time each. Practise on a computer screen, since the test is computer based.
10. Mistakes to avoid
Reading SGT as a graduate post when the rule is Intermediate plus a diploma. Using an older paper pattern of 200 questions. Treating TET as an optional extra when it supplies 20 marks of the 100. Choosing a preference order casually in the application, when it cannot be changed. Ignoring district-wise vacancies. Neglecting certificates that need weeks to obtain, such as local status or community documents. Relying on social media for notification dates.
Key facts for exams
| Item | Fact (as on October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Post level | SGT, classes I to V |
| Qualification | Intermediate 50% (45% SC/ST/BC/PwBD) + D.El.Ed. or equivalent |
| TET paper | Paper 1A (regular schools) or CTET |
| Pattern (Mega DSC-2025) | 160 MCQs, 80 marks, 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Merit | 80 written test + 20 TET = 100 |
| Age in 2025 | 18-44 as on 1.7.2024; 49 SC/ST/BC/EWS; 54 PwBD |
| Fee in 2025 | Rs 750 per post |
| 2026 notification | Not yet officially issued; reports mention about 15 October 2026 |
10 practice questions
1. The minimum Intermediate marks for an OC candidate applying for SGT in the 2025 notification were: (a) 40% (b) 45% (c) 50% (d) 55%
2. The SGT paper in the Mega DSC-2025 bulletin has: (a) 100 MCQs, 100 marks (b) 160 MCQs, 80 marks (c) 200 MCQs, 100 marks (d) 120 MCQs, 60 marks
3. Which TET paper is relevant to a regular-school SGT? (a) Paper 1A (b) Paper 1B (c) Paper 2A (d) Paper 2B
4. The TET score contributes what share of the SGT merit? (a) 10% (b) 20% (c) 25% (d) 50%
5. The number of questions in the Perspectives in Education part of the SGT paper is: (a) 8 (b) 10 (c) 16 (d) 20
6. Each subject part (Language-I, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) carries: (a) 8 marks (b) 10 marks (c) 12 marks (d) 20 marks
7. If two candidates have equal marks, the first tie-breaker is: (a) gender (b) age, the elder ranks higher (c) community (d) date of Intermediate
8. A candidate who applies for several posts and is selected for a higher preference: (a) can accept either (b) is removed from the other lists (c) can change preference later (d) joins a waiting list
9. The diploma required for SGT is: (a) B.Ed. (b) D.El.Ed. or equivalent (c) M.Ed. (d) Any degree
10. The maximum age for a BC candidate in the 2025 notification was: (a) 44 (b) 46 (c) 49 (d) 54
Answers
- (c) Intermediate with at least 50 percent, 45 percent for reserved categories.
- (b) Eight parts, 160 questions, 80 marks, 2 hours 30 minutes.
- (a) Paper 1A covers classes I to V in regular schools.
- (b) 20 of 100 marks.
- (a) 8 questions for 4 marks.
- (c) 24 questions and 12 marks: 16 content for 8 marks plus 8 methodology for 4 marks.
- (b) The elder candidate ranks higher.
- (b) The candidate is removed from the other selection lists.
- (b) A two-year Diploma in Elementary Education or an equivalent listed in the bulletin.
- (c) 49 years for SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates.
Frequently asked questions
Is a B.Ed. enough for SGT? The 2025 bulletin lists the D.El.Ed. (or equivalent diploma or B.El.Ed.) as the professional qualification for SGT, together with Intermediate. A B.Ed. is the qualification for School Assistant. Check the 2026 bulletin for any change.
Can I apply for SGT and School Assistant together? If you hold the qualifications for both, the notification allows applying for more than one post, with a preference order declared at the time of application. See the School Assistant guide.
Is there negative marking? The 2025 bulletin we read does not mention it for this paper. Confirm in the notification.
How many subjects are in the SGT paper? Five subject parts: Language-I, English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, along with general knowledge, perspectives in education and psychology.
Is TET compulsory? Yes, TET or CTET qualification is required for SGT, and it contributes 20 percent of the merit.
When will the 2026 notification come? Not officially announced as on October 2026. Press reports mention around 15 October; watch cse.ap.gov.in and the TET to DSC portal.
Which district should I choose? The selection is valid only for the district applied for, so compare district vacancies, your local status and the roster.
Related reading
- AP TET guide
- AP DSC School Assistant guide
- Psychology and pedagogy for DSC
- Andhra Pradesh government exams 2026
- AP district-wise fact sheet
Practise on pareeksha.in
Once the syllabus map is ready, timed practice shows which of the five subjects needs more hours. You can practise on pareeksha.in, which offers 10 Lakh+ MCQs, 100+ Exams and 5,000+ Full-Length Mocks, starting with the free mini-mock.
Sources and verification
Opened and read for this post:
- Department of School Education, Andhra Pradesh: Mega DSC-2025 Notification No. 01/Mega DSC-TRC-1/2025 dated 20 April 2025 (tet2dsc.apcfss.in).
- Mega DSC-2025 Information Bulletin (qualifications, pattern, selection, merit rules), read from a mirror copy because the official host copy could not be opened.
- Mega DSC-2025 post-wise qualifications and certificate verification list (tet2dsc.apcfss.in).
- Department press note on merit lists and certificate verification, August 2025.
- APTET June 2026 Notification and Information Bulletin (tet2dsc.apcfss.in), for TET rules and pass marks.
- Deccan Chronicle report of 22 September 2026 on the expected DSC 2026 notification.
Not verified: an official DSC 2026 notification, vacancy count, schedule and 2026 age limit (the 2025 figures are shown as 2025); whether negative marking applies; the 2026 SGT syllabus, which was not on the portal.
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