APSC Guide

Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) is a constitutional body, which is responsible for recruitment of personnel in various Assam Government posts and services. It conducts Combined Competitive examination (CCE) to recruit eligible candidates for Assam Civil Service, Assam Police Service and other allied services.

Assams.info has been publishing APSC related information such as question papers, answer keys, short notes and other information since 2013. We are thankful to our readers for their invaluable feedback and support. Assam Public Service Commission related information are scattered throughout this site. To help users in finding the right information, we are preparing this index. This special page will also serve as a beginner's guide for APSC preparation.

1. About CCE:

Before starting your preparation, it is important that you have a complete understanding about the examination process, its structure, syllabus and the other aspects related to the preparation. The APSC CCE is a three stage examination. The first stage is Preliminary or Prelims, which carries two objective type papers. The second stage is Mains, where candidates are required to write subjective type papers. The final stage is interview, in which personality of the candidates are judged by a board consisting of experts and APSC members. Learn more about APSC CCE.

The process of CCE starts with releasing of notification. Unlike UPSC, there is no fixed schedule. The advertisements appear on official APSC website and on major newspapers from Assam. Candidates are required to submit their applications online. Date of Prelims is announced later. After clearing Prelims, candidates are required to submit another application. That's for the Main examination. Though APSC Prelims is conducted in several examination centers across the state of Assam, Mains exam is conducted in Guwahati only. After Mains results, selected few candidates (1:2 ratio) are invited for viva or interview. That's the last stage. From initial notification to announcement of final results, it takes more than one year to complete the process of CCE.

2. Syllabus (Updated):

The question papers of CCE are set according to predefined syllabus. So, candidates need to align their preparation according to the syllabus. Details of the syllabus are provided below.

APSC has updated it's rule book. The Assam Public Services Combined Competitive Examination Rules 2019 has made several changes to the structure of the combined competitive examination (CCE). As usual, there will be one Preliminary Examination and one Main Examination.

2.1 Prelims Syllabus:

The Preliminary examination will consist of two papers – General Studies I and General Studies II. There will be no optional papers in prelims.

• General Studies paper I: 2 hours duration and 200 marks. It will carry 30-35% questions related to Assam.
• General Studies paper II: 2 hours duration and 200 marks. It will be of qualifying nature and a candidate must score minimum 33%.

There will be negative marks for wrong answers in the preliminary examination.

2.2 Mains Syllabus:

The Main examination will consist of Written examination and Viva/Interview. Written exam will have 8 conventional essay/objective type papers and 2 qualifying language papers. Those who clear the written exam will be eligible for the interview round.

Written exam - Compulsory papers:

• Paper 1 - Essay: Traditional essay paper.
• Paper 2 - General Studies I: Indian History, Heritage, Culture and Society, Geography of India and World
• Paper 3 - General Studies II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and international relations
• Paper 4 - General Studies III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management
• Paper 5 - General Studies IV: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude
• Paper 6 - General Studies V: Assam related
• Paper 7 - Optional Subject Paper 1:
• Paper 8 - Optional Subject Paper 2:

Each of the above papers will carry 250 marks. The allotted duration for each paper is 3 hours. So, total marks in Written Exam will be: 2000. Maximum marks allotted for Interview is 275. Thus, total marks in CCE Mains exam will be: 2275

Written exam - Qualifying papers:

• Paper A: Any of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali and Bodo. Candidates from Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong who had not studies these languages will be exempted.
• Paper B:English

These papers will be of Class X standard. Both of them are of 3 hours duration and will carry 300 marks each. The marks of these papers will not be counted. But a candidate must obtain at least pass mark in both of these papers.

3. How to Prepare?

Right Mindset and smart preparation is very important for competitive examinations. Before starting your preparation know yourself and set the right mindset to start journey towards your goal. Read our article on preparation for civil services exam.

3.1 How to Prepare For APSC Prelims:

Prelims is the first and most important stage in APSC CCE. A major chunk of the candidates get eliminated in this stage. If you are appearing in APSC CCE, don’t take Prelims lightly. Many people repeatedly fail in prelims. But not due to lack of knowledge or hard work. They fail because they don’t know how to prepare. Study smart, clear your basic concepts.

3.2 How to Prepare for APSC Mains:

The Mains stage carries 2000 marks (earlier 1400 marks). APSC has released a per-defined format for Mains question papers. To learn more, check our page on Mains question pattern. Begin your preparation for GS right before Prelims. Read newspapers regularly. Our suggestion: Hindu and Assam Tribune. With clear concepts, you'll be able to answer most of the questions. Refer previous question papers and solve them yourself. Practice time management. GS paper is lengthy. Forget 100%, many find it difficult to complete even 70% of the paper. That's because of lack of practice and poor time management.

3.3 How to Prepare for APSC Interview:

Interview is the last stage of CCE. It carries 275 marks (earlier 200 marks) and often plays the deciding role. Read our post on what to expect in APSC interview.

4. Important Books:

Following are some books for APSC CCE. We will update this booklist with user input.

General Studies:

• NCERT textbooks
• Indian Polity - M Laxmikanth
• India's struggle for Independence - Bipan Chandra
• India Since Independence - Bipan Chandra
• A History of Assam - Edward Gait
• Spectrum's A Brief History of Modern India
• India Year Book 2016
• B. A. Geography book of Gauhati University
• Do not use those glossy GK books published from Assam.

General English:

• High School English Grammar & Composition - Wren and Martin

Sociology:

• IGNOU Sociology books
• Sociology - Dr. Durgeswar Doley
• Sociology : Themes and Perspectives - Haralambos and Holborn

5. Important Web links:

• APSC Official Website
• Assam Tribune
• The Hindu
• Assam Govt Online
• PIB Govt of India
• NCERT online textbooks
• Yojana magazine online
• Ministry of Environment and Forest

6. RTI Information:

In order to request exam related information from APSC, candidates are required to follow the RTI route. We covered APSC RTI instructions for the benefit of candidates.

7. Discussions:

There are several APSC related discussion pages right here on assams.info. Some of them:

• APSC 2009 Cutoff (Mains+Interview)
• APSC 2014 Cutoff (Prelims)

8. Question Papers:

Question papers of previous APSC Exams are available in Assams.info. Following are some of them:

• APSC 2015 Prelims GS Question Paper (Answers Only)
• APSC 2014 Prelims GS Question Paper (Answers Only)
• APSC 2013 Prelims GS Question Paper
• APSC 2009 Prelims GS Question Paper
• APSC 2006 Prelims GS Question Paper
• APSC 2006 Mains GS Question Paper

We will update this page with more relevant information. Don't forget to provide your valuable feedback and suggestions.