TGPSC Group-I syllabus and exam pattern

Exam pattern

The Preliminary test only decides who writes the Mains. General English is a qualifying paper of Class X standard. The six counted Mains papers (900 marks) decide the ranking; the 2024 notification had no interview.

Prelims: General Studies and Mental Ability

• Current affairs: regional, national and international.
• International relations and events.
• General science; India's achievements in science and technology.
• Environmental issues; disaster management: prevention and mitigation strategies.
• Economic and social development of India.
• World geography, Indian geography and the geography of Telangana State.
• History and cultural heritage of India.
• The Indian Constitution and polity.
• Governance and public policy in India.
• Policies of Telangana State.
• Society, culture, heritage, arts and literature of Telangana.
• Social exclusion: rights issues such as gender, caste, tribe and disability, and inclusive policies.
• Logical reasoning: analytical ability and data interpretation.

Mains: General English (qualifying)

• Grammar and usage: spelling, punctuation, prepositions, conjunctions and tenses.
• Sentences: active and passive voice, direct and indirect speech, vocabulary and jumbled sentences.
• Reading and writing: comprehension, précis, expansion and letter writing.

Mains Paper I: General Essay

• Three essays, one from each section, 50 marks each.
• Section I: contemporary social issues; economic growth and justice.
• Section II: dynamics of Indian politics; India's historical and cultural heritage.
• Section III: developments in science and technology; education and human resource development.

Mains Paper II: History, Culture and Geography

History and culture of India, with a focus on 1757 to 1947

• Ancient civilisations, religious movements, and society under the Mauryas and Guptas.
• The impact of Islam; the Bhakti and Sufi movements; the contributions of the Deccan kingdoms and the Mughals.
• British rule: wars of expansion, the economic impact, land revenue systems, the revolt of 1857, and peasant and tribal revolts.
• Socio-religious reform movements, the freedom struggle and Partition.

History and culture of Telangana

• Ancient Telangana: the Satavahanas, Ikshvakus and Vishnukundins.
• Medieval Telangana: the Kakatiyas, the Qutb Shahis and protest movements.
• The Asaf Jahi rule, Salar Jung's reforms, the 1857 revolt in Hyderabad and the socio-cultural awakening.
• People's movements, the Razakars, the Police Action and integration with the Indian Union.

Geography of India and Telangana

• India: physiography, the monsoon, soils, natural resources and inter-state water disputes; agriculture, industry, transport, population and urbanisation.
• Telangana: physical setting, resources, agriculture, industry, population and the urban growth of Hyderabad.

Mains Paper III: Indian Society, Constitution and Governance

Indian society

• Structure and diversity: family, caste, religion and language.
• Vulnerable sections and social exclusion.
• Social issues, including those specific to Telangana, and the policies and welfare schemes that address them.

The Constitution

• Evolution, philosophy, basic structure and amendments.
• Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties.
• The Union and State executives and legislatures; the judiciary; federalism; local self-government.

Governance

• Good governance and e-governance; Union, State and district administration.
• Constitutional and statutory bodies.
• Development and poverty-reduction programmes; NGOs, self-help groups, public-private partnerships and corporate social responsibility.
• Ethics and accountability in public life; anti-corruption bodies; the Right to Information; administrative reforms.

Mains Paper IV: Economy and Development

The Indian economy

• National income, poverty and unemployment.
• Money, banking, public finance and budgets.
• Five-Year Plans, NITI Aayog and liberalisation.

The Telangana economy

• The economy under Hyderabad State and in united Andhra Pradesh.
• Trends in the state's economy (GSDP); human resources, education and health.
• Land reforms, agriculture, industry, services and the ICT policy.

Development and the environment

• Environment versus development; natural resources, water and land.
• Ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Pollution, solid waste, climate change and sustainable development.

Mains Paper V: Science and Technology, and Data Interpretation

Science and technology

• Emerging technologies and national science and technology policy; ICT, robotics and nanotechnology.
• Space programmes and their applications; disaster management.
• Energy: conventional and renewable sources, and energy security.

Modern applications of science

• Crop science and the uses of plants.
• Biotechnology, genetic engineering and stem cells.
• Food biotechnology, food safety, organic farming and safe drinking water.
• Microbial infections, public health and vaccines.

Data interpretation and problem solving

• Reading data from graphs, charts, tables and diagrams.
• Quantitative aptitude: number series, averages, ratios, profit and loss, time and work, and time, speed and distance.
• Logical and analytical reasoning, and decision making through case studies.

Mains Paper VI: Telangana Movement and State Formation

1948 to 1970: the idea of Telangana

• Telangana's historical identity; Mulki and non-Mulki issues and the Mulki agitation of 1952.
• The States Reorganisation Commission; the 1956 merger, the Gentlemen's Agreement and the Telangana Regional Committee.
• The 1969 agitation, the Telangana Praja Samithi, and the safeguards and their violation.

1971 to 1990: the mobilisational phase

• Court rulings on the Mulki rules, the Jai Andhra movement, the Six-Point Formula, Article 371-D and G.O. 610.
• The Naxalite movement, land and tribal rights, regional parties and cultural identity.
• Liberalisation, regional disparities and the agrarian crisis.

1991 to 2014: towards statehood

• Civil society and intellectual movements for Telangana's identity.
• The formation of the TRS in 2001, the Joint Action Committees and political realignments.
• Mass protests, the Srikrishna Committee, the parliamentary process and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.